The subject matter varies greatly, but the topics are primarily related to Rhode Island's political scene.
The show was created by John Carlevale, Joe Devine, Don Gill, and Robert Plante in 1992 in the wake of the credit union crisis (45 banks and credit unions in the state closed due to the collapse of their private insurer, the Rhode Island Share and Deposit Indemnity Corporation (RISDIC)).
The show is sent to the statewide playback location at PEG-RI and distributed to the cable television providers of Rhode Island.
At the 2009 PEG-RI Awards, State of the State received a special recognition award for an episode hosted by Ian Lonngren and produced by John Carlevale - an interview of freshman Rhode Island legislators.
Governor Charles J. Fogarty Supreme Court Justice Robert Flanders Attorney General Arlene Violet Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse Secretary of State William Inman Secretary of State Barbara Leonard Mayor Steve Laffey of Cranston Edward Achorn, Providence Journal editor M. Charles Bakst, former Providence Journal political columnist Mike Stanton, Providence Journal journalist John Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island Philip West, former executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas of the Narragansett tribe Ken Block, Chairman of the Moderate Party State of the State's guest hosts through the years have included: Robert Arruda, former Operation Clean Government Chairman Spencer Dickinson, a Rhode Island State Representative Andy Galli Anne Gardner Bruce R. Lang, co-founder of Operation Clean Government and first OCG Chairman Frank Lennon Elizabeth Ann Leonard Ian Lonngren Victor Moffitt Carol Mumford, a former Rhode Island State Representative John Patterson Barry Schiller Harry Staley, co-founder of Rhode Island Statewide Coalition Larry Valencia, former president of Operation Clean Government and a Rhode Island State Representative [3]