This season, UNC-TV departed from the PBS national Thursday night schedule to dedicate prime time to regional programs of interest to North Carolinians. The move clearly qualifies as a success. Our State, UNC-TV’s on-air magazine inspired by the magazine with the same name, shines as the centerpiece of Thursday’s primetime programming. So far this season, Our State averages a 1.4 rating and 2.24 share, surpassing the Thursday night averages of the national PBS schedule. Last month, an estimated audience in excess of 50,000 tuned into the October 4 episode of Our State, that premiered that night.

This month, for the season finale of UNC-TV’s high-definition showcase series, Thursday, November 1, at 8 PM, Our State introduces you to COASTKEEPERS, the Jackson House and Jim McPhail.

Leading off this all-new Our State episode, learn about the inspiring work of North Carolina’s COASTKEEPERS, a program of the North Carolina Coastal Federation. COASTKEEPERS monitor coastal resources’ environmental health, alert the public to potential hazards and report on any degradation of the ecosystem.

Then, visit Elizabeth City’s Museum of the Albemarle where the Jackson House and a Canal Era smokehouse stand as historically significant centerpieces of its Main Gallery. The museum moved these abandoned and nearly destroyed structures to a new facility for on-site restoration. Follow the amazing process that recaptures 18th and 19th century farm life in the Albemarle region.

Wrapping up this month’s show, meet a woodturner specializing in remarkable miniatures. Jim McPhail stacks multiple layers of wood—in varying color, thickness and pattern—to create exquisite, miniature bowls only 1- to 5-inches in size!

Then make sure to watch UNC-TV’s on-air magazine Our State the remaining Thursday nights, at 8, for encore episodes featuring more of the people and places that make our state great. Each week, compelling stories, stunning digital videography and thoughtful narration take you beneath the surface, providing answers to the hows and whys of all things Our State.

In addition to UNC-TV, see Our State throughout the month on UNC-NC, UNC-TV’s digital channel featuring programming about North Carolina, and UNC-HD, UNC-TV’s high definition channel. For more information about Our State, visit Our State online at www.unctv.org/ourstate. Check UNC-TV’s monthly program guide CenterPiece and local television listings for other airdates and times. For more of Our State on our digital channels, visit www.unctv.org/whatson.

UNC-TV produces Our State in partnership with Our State magazine and the generous support of BB&T. For more information about this show and other UNC-TV programming, visit UNC-TV online at www.unctv.org. UNC-TV’s 11 stations comprise North Carolina’s only statewide television network, made possible through a unique partnership of public investment and private support. UNC-TV is committed to producing and broadcasting programs for and about North Carolina, making it the state’s most important source of information about North Carolina.

—UNC-TV—