Wingspan, UNC Wilmington’s first political TV show, is attracting notable guests and gaining buzz around the Cape Fear region.

Students in UNCW Associate Professor Jennifer Brubaker’s media and politics course are writing, filming and producing UNCW’s first political TV show as a part of the ETEAL initiative.

The acronym ETEAL stands for Experiencing Transformative Education through Applied Learning. In order to help students improve their learning environment, the university established the program so students could participate in applied learning projects through their classes. These projects give students hands-on experience they can take with them into the career field after graduation.

“When I saw ETEAL was looking for projects, I wanted to do something that was specifically media focused, since this is a media and politics class,” Brubaker said.

Brubaker’s class is divided into three groups: production, journalism and PR. Each group focuses on one aspect of the project, with each student having their own assignment. Groups work together during the week to secure guests, promote the show via social media and research the week’s topic. On Wednesdays at 2 p.m., the show is filmed in the studio of Leutze Hall.

Brubaker and her students have worked hard over the last few weeks securing some major guests for the show. Thus far the show interviewed Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo, New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David, District Court Judge Lindsey Luther, North Carolina House Representative Susi Hamilton, and UNCW Chancellor Jose Sartarelli to name a few.

In the coming episodes, the show looks forward to speaking with North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest and North Carolina Senator Michael Lee. WingSpan covers various topics such as the economic development of Wilmington, film incentives in the state, the future of UNCW and the 2016 election.

“I think this project is great for the students because not only are they learning new skills, but they are basically getting a guest lecture every week,” Brubaker said. “That’s not something you get in the classroom.” Students in the class are excited about the tangible aspect of this class as well. Carol Ann Friday, senior communication major, said “I’m most excited about having a product I can show and say ‘here is something great I was a part of.’”

Having filmed seven episodes, the show is gaining media attention from sources such as Port City Daily. Vicky Janowski, editor of The Greater Wilmington Business Journal and previous guest on the show, claimed the show was very well planned.

“The program the students pulled together for Wingspan out the gate was impressive,” Janowski said. “It was an informative talk about some of the economic development issues facing the area, and the variety of guests made for a very interesting first show.”

Although the show is only scheduled 10 episodes throughout this semester, both Brubaker and the students hope it will become a regular part of the university programming.

“I hope this show will continue after this class ends so more students can grow from this opportunity as well,” said Mikaela Fleming, one of the show’s host. “Our generation has very low voter turnout. It is my fear lack of political knowledge is the cause of this. This show could be that political source [for students].”

WingSpan will air Fridays on UNC-TV at noon. Behind-the-scenes and extra content can be found on the website, www.uncwingspan.com and on their social media outlets.