[MEDIA NOTE:
An exclusive, media-only preview of all three episodes of the Biographical Conversations with Governor James G. Martin series is available for a limited time at the following:
http://flash.unctv.org/biocon/jmartin/bioconmartin1_062906_xpqz.html (episode one)
http://flash.unctv.org/biocon/jmartin/bioconmartin2_062909_xpqz.html (episode two)
http://flash.unctv.org/biocon/jmartin/bioconmartin3_062909_xpqz.html (episode three)
For more information, video and images, please visit the UNC-TV Pressroom at:
http://www.unctv.org/pressroom.]

UNC-TV Presents…BIOGRAPHICAL CONVERSATIONS WITH GOVERNOR JAMES G. MARTIN
Three-Part Series Captures the Life & Times of the Former North Carolina Governor

In three consecutive Sunday evening episodes, premiering Sunday, July 5, at 6 PM, UNC-TV presents the many contributions of a legendary North Carolina politician during the all-new special Biographical Conversations with Governor James G. Martin. As only the second Republican elected to North Carolina’s highest office and the party’s only two-term governor, James “Jim” Grubbs Martin’s legacy of leadership included expanding the state’s prison system, raising statewide high school achievement scores and completing Interstate 40 from Raleigh to Wilmington.

Series host Shannon Vickery takes part in the one-on-one exchanges with this influential politician throughout all three episodes of Biographical Conversation with James G. Martin. .From candid reflections of his childhood in South Carolina and six terms as a U.S. Representative, to later reminiscences of his successful gubernatorial campaigns, two terms as governor, and his current efforts to fund research of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease), the series shares Martin’s history and heritage as one of North Carolina’s most influential public servants.

"The Biographical Conversations series is an historic video legacy for the people of North Carolina. This series is a great service, providing compelling television programs for today and an invaluable archive for the future," says Vickery, also UNC-TV's Director of Production. "It is an honor to have Governor Jim Martin join the growing list of North Carolinians who have participated in the series. Through our three hours of candid conversation with Gov. Martin, UNC-TV viewers will learn more about this important public servant, who served six terms in Congress and two terms as Governor of North Carolina, and the impact he has had on the state. We are proud to be bringing Biographical Conversations with Governor James G. Martin to our viewers through both the broadcast program and additional online information."

Biographical Conversations with Governor James G. Martin is part of an ongoing, original series produced by UNC-TV. North Carolina’s late Senator Terry Sanford, late Senator Jesse Helms, late historian John Hope Franklin, former University of North Carolina President and North Carolina People host William Friday, philanthropist Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans, late photographer Hugh Morton, civil rights attorney Julius Chambers, late state legislator Ruth Easterling, former governor James Holshouser, Jr. and former governor James B. Hunt were featured in previous Biographical Conversations with… specials.

For more information about Biographical Conversations with…, please visit www.unctv.org/biocon.

Biographical Conversations with… is an ongoing original production of UNC-TV funded by a generous grant from the A.J. Fletcher Foundation. Materials collected for the programs are available to scholars, researchers and the public. UNC-TV is the member-supported, statewide broadcast network of the University of North Carolina and is made possible through a unique partnership of public investment and private support. Its commitment to producing programs for and about North Carolina make it one of the state’s most valuable sources of information.