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EnglishWhat Is Niner Times? UNC Charlotte's Student-Run News Source Explained
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Niner Times is the student-driven news outlet at UNC Charlotte, published since 1947. It covers campus news, arts and culture, sports, and student life from a student perspective, and its current stories are published at ninertimes.com. It is not the university's official communications office — it is a student news organization, which matters when you're deciding whether a story reflects student reporting or an institutional announcement.
What Niner Times covers
The site organizes coverage into sections, and the homepage surfaces a mix of them at once. In the page evidence available, the top stories include:
- News — for example, "UNC Charlotte turns 80 years old," reported by Caroline Helms, covering the university's 80th anniversary of its founding in 1946. The article notes Charlotte began as a branch school of UNC Chapel Hill before becoming its own institution.
- Arts & Culture — for example, "NT Playlist: Fall into the season," a recurring playlist feature tied to the season.
That combination is typical of a student paper: hard campus news alongside lighter culture and lifestyle pieces, plus sports and opinion in other sections you'll see as you browse.
Who runs it
Niner Times is student-driven and has been publishing since 1947, according to the site's own description. That means the reporting, writing, and editorial decisions come from students rather than from university administrators or a professional public relations staff.
The practical consequence: treat Niner Times as independent student journalism. It can report on the university critically, cover student concerns, and take angles an official office wouldn't. At the same time, it is not an official record of university policy — for tuition figures, registration deadlines, or official statements, confirm with UNC Charlotte directly.
How to find stories on ninertimes.com
- Go to ninertimes.com.
- Use the section labels — News, Arts & Culture, and others — to narrow to the type of coverage you want.
- Open a story to see the headline, author byline, and publication timing (recent items show relative timestamps such as "1 hr ago").
If you're looking for a specific topic, the section structure is the fastest way in; the homepage leads with the newest items across sections.
Niner Times vs. official university communications
| Niner Times | Official UNC Charlotte communications | |
|---|---|---|
| Who produces it | Students | University staff/administration |
| Purpose | Student journalism and campus coverage | Institutional announcements and policy |
| Best used for | Student perspective, campus culture, features | Deadlines, official policy, verified administrative facts |
Use Niner Times when you want the student angle or coverage of campus life. Use official university channels when you need authoritative details you'll act on — dates, costs, requirements.
Quick answers
Is Niner Times free to read? The site is a public news website; the available evidence doesn't list subscription or paywall terms, so check the site itself for any access limits.
How long has it existed? Since 1947, per the site's description.
Is it the same as the university's news office? No — it's student-run and editorially separate from official university communications.