UNC-TV announced Friday that two of its original public affairs programs featuring news about the state, state government and politics are being canceled.

"North Carolina Now," a half-hour show that has aired for 12 years, will run for the last time Sept. 29. The show airs 7:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. weeknights, and is hosted by Shannon Vickery and anchored by Mitchell Lewis.

Its sister program, "Legislative Week in Review," will also not return after the current North Carolina legislative session, which is expected to end next week. The program features a weekly wrap-up of legislative actions, analysis of pending legislation and interviews with lawmakers and airs at 10 p.m. Friday and repeats at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Steve Volstad, director of marketing and communications at UNC-TV, said the station made the decision to drop the shows as a way of dealing with a shortfall in its budget.

Volstad said the public television station made the least painful belt-tightening decision possible. Other options that were discussed included cutting 12 hours of daily programming. He said the station budgets $1.8 million annually to produce the public affairs shows.

Volstad attributed the shortfall to a variety of factors.

According to figures compiled by UNC-TV, state funds for regular, day-to-day operations have either flattened or dipped over the past six years -- from $9.6 million in fiscal year 2001, to $8.8 million in fiscal year 2006.

Private funding has also stalled, he added. Last year, it amounted to about $10,090,000, and it dropped to $10,050,000 this year.

Additionally, Volstad said that programming dues paid to the Public Broadcasting Service have increased by $709,000 over the past five years.

UNC-TV issued a news release stating that an as-yet unnamed weekly public affairs program will begin airing in October. Volstad said the one-hour show will likely run on Thursday or Friday night.

N.C. Policy Watch director Chris Fitzsimon, a regular panelist on the public affairs program "NC Spin" that airs Sunday mornings on WRAZ, said he's particularly disappointed by the cancellation of "Legislative Week in Review."

"I think it's a big loss for the people of North Carolina who want to know what their government's doing," Fitzsimon said. "There's not enough political and legislative coverage as it is."

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