For nine decades, Our State has made its way into homes across North Carolina, the United States, and the world. To celebrate, every month this year, we’re paying tribute to the readers who inspire us, offering a taste of our earliest recipes, and revisiting old stories with new insights. Follow along to find out how our past has shaped our present.

It doesn’t get more North Carolina than Jim Goodmon. When he says “we,” he doesn’t mean himself and his wife, Barbara. “We” doesn’t mean his company of 500 employees. Jim Goodmon’s “we” means “we North Carolinians.”

He’s the chairman and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Company, a multimedia and real estate corporation in Raleigh founded by his grandfather A.J. Fletcher and four partners in 1937 as “one tiny radio station.” Jim was so young when he went to work for the company that he had to be paid out of petty cash to avoid being, well, illegally on the official payroll.

He graduated from Broughton High School in Raleigh in 1961 and attended Duke University, but left for the Navy in 1965 before obtaining a degree. While stationed in Memphis, he met Barbara. Today, he holds honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Pfeiffer College and Duke and an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from William Peace University. There’s also that arm’s-length list of awards and honors in journalism, broadcasting, and the Raleigh Hall of Fame — Barbara was inducted at the same time — for his contributions to education and community. Capitol Broadcasting Company and the foundation named for Jim’s grandfather donate millions of dollars annually to North Carolina organizations.

Most folks think of WRAL-TV when they think of CBC, but the business also encompasses satellite communications, real estate interests (the American Tobacco Historic District in Durham), and professional sports teams (the Durham Bulls, the Holly Springs Salamanders).

Born in 1943, Jim well remembers the early days of Our State, “when it was black-and-white, with no pictures.” As a member of a family involved with the media, he remembers the magazine’s founder, Carl Goerch, too, and knows the current publisher, Bernie Mann, “a creative guy I competed with in the radio business” years ago.

All these decades on, Jim Goodmon still loves Our State. “I get excited about the notion that this magazine features the things that we all love. We love the coast, and we love the mountains. We love Plott hounds — I bought a Plott hound for my son,” he says, referring to the November 2022 issue featuring a photograph of the state dog on the cover.

In fact, Jim loves the magazine so much that he gives more than 125 subscriptions as gifts every year. That’s one hundred twenty-five. And not necessarily just to North Carolinians, but also to people with North Carolina connections, like Pete Karmanos Jr. in Detroit. (Karmanos owned the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team from 1994 to 2021.)

Our State is part of Jim’s Christmas list. “I add one or two [subscriptions] every year,” he says. “Some go back 15 years. I love it. I can’t help it.” He chuckles, then pauses as if something worrisome has just occurred to him. “I have to make sure I get everyone covered; some got off schedule,” he murmurs. You can nearly picture him making a note: 125 plus one.