A Number of Discovery Communicatons Channels Upfront 2011 Press Releases for Their Upcoming Programming

Apr 14, 2011 • Post A Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2011

Contacts: Laurie Goldberg: 310-975-1631
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-OR- Joshua Weinberg: 240-662-5274
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HITTING THE MOTHERLODE:
HISTORIC HIGH RATINGS, NEW HIT TALENT, AS DISCOVERY UNVEILS ITS 2011-12 UPFRONT SLATE

(New York, NY) — Amid record high ratings and a cavalcade of new and returning hits, Discovery Channel announced its 2011-12 Upfront slate with series and specials that punctuate the network’s creative, aggressive and winning positioning. From a crab boat in the Bering Sea to a family business in the Bayou; from a high-flying family of pilots to a charged up camp of miners; and from natural history’s all-stars to the mysterious secrets of the deep, Discovery illuminates the very real human dynamics found in the most unlikely places in the world.

“Discovery is mining content gold with one-of-a-kind characters, extraordinary places and unrivaled production quality that reinforces the network’s heritage while constantly innovating and pushing the brand forward,” said Clark Bunting, president and general manager, Discovery Channel.

The highlights of Discovery Channel’s 2011–12 Upfront schedule include the following:

SPECIALS

FROZEN PLANET

From the award-winning team behind PLANET EARTH comes the ultimate portrait of the earth’s polar regions. The Arctic and Antarctic remain the greatest wilderness on Earth. The scale and beauty of the scenery and the sheer power of the elements – the weather, the ocean and the ice – is unmatched anywhere else on our planet. The Poles are also home to many of the most charismatic of animals: much of the most spectacular scenery and animal behavior have never been filmed before. FROZEN PLANET is the ultimate portrait of these great, awe-inspiring wildernesses.

WHERE’S MY MAMMOTH?

WHERE’S MY MAMMOTH? is the definitive natural history of one of the most iconic animals that ever lived. Thanks to climate change, the Siberian permafrost is melting, revealing vast quantities of woolly mammoth remains. This is a detective story that travels from the permafrost of Siberia to the Asian rainforest, and from the sci-fi world of genetic research into a brave new world of virtual zoos.

SHARK WEEK

Every summer they return, slashing through a sea of competition to rack up new ratings successes. Grab your scuba gear and climb into the cage, because it’s time for SHARK WEEK! Great whites. Hammerheads. Whale sharks. This consistent audience pleaser never fails to reveal remarkable new insights into these magnificent and elusive creatures.

RETURNING SERIES

DEADLIEST CATCH

Alaskan crab-wranglers fight the most dangerous working conditions, including 40-foot waves and 80-mile-per-hour winds, in the gripping 10-part series DEADLIEST CATCH. Far in the Bering Sea’s frigid waters, 250 boats tempt fate and nature in “The Last Rodeo” season trying to bring in a season’s catch of the highly coveted and lucrative Alaskan king crab.

AMERICAN CHOPPER

What was once a family business is now a family feud. All bets are off for what new fireworks await in AMERICAN CHOPPER: SENIOR VS. JUNIOR. Paul Senior builds world famous custom bikes at Orange County Choppers, while Paul Junior operates his competing shop, Paul Jr. Designs, just a stone’s throw down the road, with brother Mikey and former OCC employees firmly by his side. Will the family be made whole again? And what new out of this world build assignments will they take on to stretch their teams creatively and mechanically?

DIRTY JOBS

Host and everyman Mike Rowe gets the grimy scoop on downright nasty, but vital, occupations in DIRTY JOBS. Rowe could be processing smelly seafood in a fish factory, collecting bat guano for prized fertilizer or cleaning septic tanks to maintain a fresh-smelling environment. His apprenticeship never ends as he learns from those who keep our world running smoothly.

MAN VS. WILD

Adventurer Bear Grylls is put to the ultimate test. Left in the middle of nowhere, Grylls employs his encyclopedic knowledge of nature to scavenge for food and keep his body in order. Headache? Grylls searches for pain-relieving plants. Hunger? He eats maggots in the Rocky Mountains or a fresh-killed zebra on Africa’s savanna. No matter the climate or locale, Grylls is up to the task.

MYTHBUSTERS

Back and better than ever, MYTHBUSTERS continues its mad scientific quest to discover the truth behind popular myths and urban legends. Hosted by quirky special effects experts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, and Tory Belleci, Kari Byron and Grant Imahara, this mentally tantalizing series takes on the myths and uses modern-day science to show what’s real and what’s fiction.

MAN WOMAN WILD

Myke Hawke is a former Special Forces survival expert. His wife Ruth is a TV journalist. Together, they take on some of the most forbidding and remote locations around the world. Dropped into each spot they must survive as a team for four days and nights, with only a knife and the clothes on their backs. As they test their will and their marriage, the two find common ground standing up to nature as husband and wife in the wildest places on Earth.

DUAL SURVIVAL

The Odd Couple of Survival! Military-man Dave Canterbury and naturalist Cody Lundin have very different ideas of what it takes to survive in the wild. DUAL SURVIVAL takes these two survivalists into the most forbidding terrains in the world where they must overcome all obstacles in order to survive using intuitive tactics and finely tuned skills. Finding food, water and shelter are nothing compared to their toughest challenge of all: getting along.

STORM CHASERS

Changing weather patterns, colliding air masses and 700,000 square miles of flatland create the ideal conditions for storm chasing. It’s become the annual rite of spring for a motley collection of scientists, enthusiasts and eccentrics. Follow extreme filmmaker Sean Casey and thrill-seeking meteorologist Reed Timmer on the trail of Mother Nature’s deadliest and most violent creations.

AUCTION KINGS

From vampire killing kits and T-Rex fossil teeth, to pink Cadillacs and hot air balloons, each half-hour episode of AUCTION KINGS follows Atlanta auction house owner Paul Brown and his team as they hunt for and sell some of the most unusual items in America. Get to know the sellers, then watch their rarities hit the auction block as Paul and his intrepid crew dazzle bidders for top dollar. AUCTION KINGS is a roller coaster ride filled with thrills and disappointments, where one person’s trash becomes another’s treasure … and you never know if it’s buyer or seller who’ll get the deal.

HOGS GONE WILD
HOGS GONE WILD explores the escalating national problem of free-roaming wild hogs. Because their reproduction rate is unbelievably high (two hogs and their offspring can produce thousands of their kind), controlling the population of these aggressive and unruly beasts is crucial to mitigate costly damages and physical danger. The current estimate on wild hogs is six million, with some of them growing as large as 700 pounds. In the United States, millions of dollars of damage is caused per year for business, farm and homeowners.

SWAMP LOGGERS
Fourth generation logger Bobby Goodson is one of the rare breed of swamp loggers working the dangerous and murky North Carolina marsh in search of high value timber for everything from paper products to construction-grade lumber. This family-owned operation employs nearly a dozen swamp veterans including Bobby’s son Justin Goodson and brother-in-law David Mueller. As the company works through the cold, wet winter and into the scorching summer, they battle extreme conditions, overcome mechanical breakdowns, face personal health crises and deal with the constant push to grow the busine
ss during a time of economic uncertainty. Through the ups and downs, the crew of Goodson’s All-Terrain Logging works together to maintain their reputation of being the best swamp loggers around.

AMERICAN LOGGERS
One family. Thousands of acres. Endless challenges to keeping their business afloat. Meet the Pelletiers – nine brothers balancing family feuds with nature’s harsh realities as they timber harvest in Maine’s rural northwest backcountry. Throughout the year, the Pelletier brothers run monster trucks along the legendary logging route known as the “Golden Road,” a desolate thruway serving as sole passage between the farthest outskirts of rural civilization and a breathtaking unconquered wilderness that constitutes the single largest swath of unprotected forest east of the Mississippi.

NEW SERIES

PENN & TELLER’S SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE

Vegas show-stopping iconoclasts and world famous anti-magicians, Penn & Teller bring their unique vision of the world to Discovery. Aided by a series of spectacular stunts, Penn & Teller reveal the SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE, answering the big, urgent questions of the modern world such as: Can you lift a 5,000-pound car with human hair? Does cursing help with pain management? And did ancient aboriginal Australians really create a cure for snoring? But there’s a twist: each episode presents up to ten amazing stories, but one of them is a lie. A multiplatform audience will play along to guess the fake – and only at the end of the show will it be unmasked.

BEST IN THE BUSINESS

Pitting farmer against farmer, fireman against fireman, florist against florist, BEST IN THE BUSINESS is the ultimate battle of job-skill supremacy that celebrates the crème de la crème of the American workforce. Each episode showcases three average American jobs – stonecutters, shelf-stockers, sheep-shearers – and turns the spotlight on the not-so-average people who take their profession to the next level. Meet mechanics who can change a tire in less than 10 seconds, grocery baggers who fill a bag in seven seconds flat and big-rig drivers that can parallel park faster than you can throw your minivan in reverse!

SWAMP BROTHERS

Meet a different breed of brothers: Robbie Keszey is an exotic animal expert and Stephen Keszey is a former city slicker learning the ropes. Together they run Glades Herp Farms, Florida’s largest reptile sanctuary and exotic reptile dealership. The brothers make their living breeding and caring for hundreds of slithering, poisonous and sharp-toothed creatures – but their passion is being on call 24 hours a day to respond to animal emergencies across the state. From a 300-pound boa constrictor to rogue bobcats pillaging local farmland, the brothers make it their business to track these animals down, capture them and return them to a safe environment – without losing life or limb in the process. For the Keszeys, it’s all in a day’s work.

LIFE ON A WIRE

Nik Wallenda comes from seven generations of daredevils and famous circus family “The Flying Wallendas.” Nik is a daredevil for the 21st Century and along with his dad, who supervises the rigging and safety, he performs death-defying stunts. We follow his whole family (mom, dad, wife, kids) as they engineer and execute their life’s passion.

About Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.4 million U.S. homes, can be seen in over 180 countries, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.

About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world’s number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 180 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Planet Green and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2011

Contacts: Laurie Goldberg: 310-975-1631
Laurie_Goldberg@discovery.com
-OR- Katherine Nelson: 310-975-5975
Katherine_Nelson@discovery.com

DISCOVERY’S TELEVISION, ONLINE AND APP AUDIENCES MUST DETERMINE PENN & TELLER’S BOLD FACED LIES IN
NEW FALL SERIES SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE

(New York, NY) — Penn & Teller, the Las Vegas show-stopping iconoclasts, bring their unique vision of the world and astonishing prestidigitation skills to Discovery Channel with SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE, a multi-platform series with a twist that promises to forever change how audiences interact with this remarkable duo’s brand of entertainment. Each show includes up to 10 outrageous and mind-blowing stories, but one is a fabrication, an out and out lie! It will be up to Discovery’s intrepid, savvy, and conversant audience to discover the untruths aimed at them by Penn & Teller, the biggest brains in entertainment, as a new game of “Guess the Lie” begins in each episode.

The six-part television series, produced by Discovery Studios, will premiere this fall on Discovery Channel.

“There’s a natural convergence between Penn & Teller’s performances and SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE,” said Clark Bunting, president and general manager, Discovery Channel. “It reflects their work with deception as magicians and debunkers in all other areas of their act, which makes it a one of a kind entertainment experience.”

"If there are two things Penn & Teller stand for, it’s the truth & lying, although not necessarily in that order; this show has both,” said Penn Jillette. “We have always been very pro-science and technology and it will be wonderful to be on the network we watch the most."

In each episode, aided by a series of extraordinary visual stunts, Penn & Teller will reveal the most wondered SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE. Unbelievable stories like:

· How were five people shot by their dogs since 1990?
· Can you lift a 5,000-pound car with a human hair?
· How did ancient aboriginal Australians create a cure for snoring?
· Can you land a plane if the rudders go out?
· What music causes alligators to have sex (clue #1 – it’s not Barry White!)?
· What happens to Teller when he’s lowered into a tank of piranhas?

And one of them won’t be true, as Discovery’s audience across multiple platforms decode which is the cock-and-bull story, and interact with the program to stop these wild anti-magicians in their tracks. Only at the end of each show will Penn & Teller’s lies be exposed.

The Discovery Channel App is available for free from the App Store on iPad or at itunes.com/appstore.

About Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in over 180 countries, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography
across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2011

Contact: Laurie Goldberg: 310-975-1631
Laurie_Goldberg@discovery.com

TLC ANNOUNCES A BROAD SLATE OF ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING FOR 2011-12 UPFRONT

(Los Angeles, CA) — Coming off its best 1Q in six years, TLC continues its momentum by unveiling a strong slate of original programming heading into the 2011-12 Upfront season. With 13 series currently delivering over one million viewers, TLC’s primetime ranks among the top 10 ad-supported cable networks among women and continues to engage viewers through powerful storytelling and real-life characters. This year, TLC promises to leverage that success by introducing fresh content, expanding popular genres and building on proven franchises.

“Viewers trust TLC to deliver open-hearted and unfiltered stories of real-life people living extraordinary lives,” says Amy Winter, president and general manager, TLC. “And while the unique circumstances attract audiences, it’s the surprisingly relatable characters that keep them watching. Our programming connects with viewers and gives them a moment to exhale in today’s increasingly crazy and unpredictable world.”

With a robust Upfront schedule, TLC is invested in giving viewers and advertisers more of what they love, including more matrimony, more food and more family. The network adds another guest to its popular Friday night line-up with SAY YES TO THE DRESS: BRIDESMAIDS and one of America’s favorite wedding experts returns to help brides-to-be in RANDY TO THE RESCUE (wt). Buddy cooks up all-new episodes of CAKE BOSS and returns for round two of NEXT GREAT BAKER. And TLC redefines family programming with HOMECOMING (wt), an emotional new series hosted by Billy Ray Cyrus that reunites soldiers with their loved ones after selflessly serving their country abroad, and I KID, a series where renowned comedian Brad Garrett gets kids to say the darndest things.

The highlights of TLC’s 2011–12 Upfront schedule include the following:

NEW SERIES/PILOTS/SPECIALS

9/11 COLLIDING LIVES (wt)
COLLIDING LIVES is a story of the fight for survival inside the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. This two-hour special explores the enduring human bonds that were formed between a group of strangers that was caused by the impact of Flight 11 in the North Tower. Combined with in-depth interviews, dramatic recreations, and archival footage, we will relive this tragic event in history and hear the remarkable acts of heroism, compassion and gentleness that followed in its aftermath. (Q2, 2011)

BABY’S FIRST DAY
Painful screams and tears of joy are a common occurrence at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Maternity Ward in Nashville, Tennessee. Every day, around the clock, women arrive for the most challenging and overwhelming experience of their lives – childbirth. Whether it’s an un-medicated natural delivery or an emergency C-section, each experience is dramatic and unique, and rarely goes according to plan. Told from the mother’s point of view, emotions unfold with every heartbeat as this life-changing event is documented. No matter what happens, the excitement and joy of the staff and patients come together in a perfect drama where every moment is indeed a miracle. (Q2, 2011)

BIG FAT GYPSY WEDDINGS UK (wt)
BIG FAT GYPSY WEDDINGS UK (wt) paints a visually arresting portrait of the secretive, extravagant and surprising world of gypsies and travellers in Britain today, by following their extraordinary rite-of-passage events – including weddings, communions and christenings. Each stand-alone episode gives insights into the community’s attitudes toward gender roles, education and outsiders. The series also explores the remarkable rituals, traditions and beliefs held by this minority group. (Q2, 2011)

GYPSYVILLE (wt)
In this new series, TLC captures the never before seen world of American Gypsies and travellers. From extravagant weddings to lavish celebrations, each episode will explore their homes, social circles, and provide exclusive insight into their hidden communities. Ancient traditions meet modern culture, as TLC goes behind-the-scenes of this often misunderstood culture. (Q1, 2012)

EXTREME CHRISTMAS TREES (wt)
TLC takes viewers from teeming cities to tiny towns on a tour of the most kookily decorated, tallest, widest, wackiest, gaudiest, and most surprising trees ever created. The “wow factor” of these will blow minds and make jaws drop. (Q4, 2011)

EXTREME COUPONING
EXTREME COUPONING introduces viewers to America’s most extreme “super couponers,” sharing why they are so driven by the deals. From seeing their shocking stockpiles of merchandise they rack up, to demonstrating their dramatic shopping skills, to witnessing how some use their amazing couponing ways to benefit local communities, EXTREME COUPONING shares the world of everyday people in pursuit of extraordinary deals. (Q2, 2011)

HOMECOMING (wt)
HOMECOMING (wt) presents a series of surprise military homecomings. Hosted by Billy Ray Cyrus, viewers will watch as soldiers return home to the delight of their loved ones, paying off each personal story with "the" moment so sweet and raw that it cuts through, connecting us as fathers, mothers, husbands, and wives. (Q3, 2011)

I KID WITH BRAD GARRETT
Hosted by Brad Garrett, each 60-minute episode is a combination of field segments and viewer-generated content. Garrett will talk to kids about everything from politics, to religion, to family- life and current events, garnering their candid, funny reactions and answers, with hilarious results. (Q2, 2011)

INVASION OF THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS 3: EUROPE (wt)
A third dose of the wildest, craziest and most outrageous Christmas light decorations. This installment heads across the pond to showcase the best Europe has to offer. (Q4, 2011)

NY INK
Tattoo artist Ami James leaves the warm sunny shores of Miami for the cold, hard concrete and steel of New York City. NY INK follows Ami, as he opens a shop in the city where only the best survive. Risking his reputation and finances on a huge new space in Manhattan’s ultra-cool SoHo district, Ami has recruited an elite staff of artists whose personalities are as big as their tattoo skills. Will they be able to join forces and make an indelible mark on the New York tattoo world, or will the stresses of the city be too much for Ami and his team to handle? (Q2, 2011)

NIECY NASH’S WEDDING BASH
The special follows Niecy Nash as she plans her wedding and celebrates her special day with fiancé Jay Tucker. TLC will join the couple as they search for their venue, discover the perfect dress, and ultimately, get married. The entire wedding experience will air as a two-hour television event days after the ceremony. (Q2, 2011)

PAWN QUEENS
Located right outside Chicago, businesswomen Minda and Nikki run the only pawn shop that caters to women. This shop specializes in merchandise
that caters to real women, including must-haves like jewelry, vintage Barbie dolls, and one-of-a-kind antiques. Each episode reveals what’s involved in the pawning business and features Minda and Nikki’s struggles to debunk the stereotype that the pawn business is just a man’s world. With their two business partners, Greg and Tom, they pawn, purchase and sell anything in order to help their fledgling company stay afloat. Each item that comes through their doors is an opportunity to win big or lose big. (Q2, 2011)

OFF THE REZ
A Native American mother and daughter leave the Reservation to pursue the daughter’s dream of earning a scholarship and becoming a basketball star – the very dream her mother, now her hard-driving coach, was denied because of racism. (Q2, 2011)

RANDY TO THE RESCUE
SAY YES TO DRESS breakout star, Randy Fenoli, is throwing the ultimate bridal truck show! On every episode of this splashy new series, Randy will roll into a different city in a tractor-trailer packed to the gills with wedding dresses. Eager brides line up around city blocks for their chance to get advice from the most trusted name in wedding dress retail. Inside the ballroom, Randy will have a team of consultants, working various fitting stations, to help each bride find the perfect dress. The hour-long television show will focus on Randy’s work with three particularly interesting brides. Doing much more than helping women find the right dress, he’ll design their entire look from “head to hem” as he calls it (dress, hair makeup, bouquet). (2012)

SAY YES TO THE DRESS: BRIDESMAIDS
Lori, of Bridals by Lori, will tell you that brides have an easier time finding a wedding gown than dressing the bridal party. Imagine a mother & mother-in-law, cute little ring girl, and an entourage of bridesmaids looking for one dress that pleases them all. Filmed at Bridals by Lori, each episode of BRIDESMAIDS features three bridal parties; two of them in the middle of shopping for that one-style-fits-all outfit and a third group who comes in for the final fitting. Watch as the bride tries to get her cousin, her sister-in-law and her roommate to agree on what the bridesmaids will wear. (Q3, 2011)

SAY YES TO THE DRESS: RANDY KNOWS BEST
Each half -hour episode features Kleinfeld Bridal’s fashion director and star of TLC’s hit series SAY YES TO THE DRESS – Randy Fenoli – as he dishes out his top ten tips on a variety of bridal related categories. Whether it’s picking out the perfect dress for your body, choosing a dress to complement your venue or theme, or deciding who and what to bring to your bridal appointment, Randy takes on a number of topics as he shares his bridal expertise with viewers. (Q2, 2011)

SPOUSE VS. HOUSE
A new, mischievous makeover and relationship show with a big twist. In each episode, a couple, who is desperate to transform their house into their dream home – but can’t afford to do so, are given the cash they need to create their ideal dwelling. But there’s a catch: one-half of the couple must move out, leaving their partner to make every design, décor, and DIY decision by themselves. (Q2, 2011)

WHO KILLED CHANDRA LEVY?
A docu-movie following the murder of Capitol Hill intern Chandra Levy, the mysterious case that captivated the nation. Airing on the 10-year anniversary of Chandra Levy’s disappearance, WHO KILLED CHANDRA LEVY weaves dramatizations with original on-camera interviews to recount the events surrounding Levy’s sudden disappearance. Viewers will hear firsthand accounts from those close to the tragic event, including Levy’s Aunt Linda Katz, as well as Scott Higham and Sari Horwitz – the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists at The Washington Post who were instrumental in reopening the case. (Q2, 2011)

About TLC
TLC is a global brand that celebrates extraordinary people and relatable life moments through innovative nonfiction programming. A top 10 cable network for women, TLC has built successful franchises around the Cake Boss, Say Yes to the Dress and Police Women brands. In 2010, 31 series averaged 1.0 million viewers or more including Sister Wives, Kate Plus 8, 19 Kids and Counting, LA Ink, and What Not to Wear.

TLC is available in more than 99 million homes in the US, and more than 50 million households in more than 30 international markets. A destination online, TLC.com offers in-depth fan sites, exclusive video content, and original editorial covering style, home, food, and more. Fans can also interact with TLC via On Demand services, on mobile platforms, including an iPhone App, and through social media such as Facebook or @TLC on Twitter. TLC is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world’s number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 180 countries.

For photography and additional press materials, visit www.press.discovery.com.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2011

Contacts: Laurie Goldberg: 310-975-1631
Laurie_Goldberg@discovery.com
-OR- Dustin Smith: 310-975-1640
Dustin_Smith@discovery.com

TLC TAKES VIEWERS INTO THE SECRET WORLD OF GYPSIES

— Network Acquires Hit UK Series “Big Fat Gypsy Weddings” Announces Development of American Adaptation —

TLC will introduce viewers to the hidden world of gypsies with two projects that share the culture and traditions of this highly secretive community. Today, the network announces that is has acquired BIG FAT GYPSY WEDDINGS, which originally premiered in the UK, and is in development on a new series that will explore the lives of gypsies and travellers in America. Both projects are productions of Firecracker Films.

“TLC prides itself on providing access to worlds that our viewers might not otherwise experience, revealing the relatable in the extraordinary,” said Amy Winter, GM, TLC. “Having the opportunity to explore the hidden and often misunderstood gypsy and traveller culture continues the network’s commitment to compelling storytelling and surprising real-life characters.”

When it premiered in the UK, BIG FAT GYPSY WEDDINGS became Channel 4’s highest rated documentary series of all time, averaging more than 9 million viewers. The series paints a visually arresting portrait of the secretive, extravagant and surprising world of gypsies and travellers in Britain today. Gaining rare access to this community, the series uses the prism of the weddings to reveal a community that lives alongside but detached from mainstream society. It is a community of contrasts, living by centuries-old religious and cultural traditions but at the same time embracing the flashier side of the celebrity and fashion-focused times in which we live.

TLC’s broadcast of the seven-part series BIG FAT GYPSY WEDDINGS (working title) will premiere with a sneak peek on May 29, and will air weekly starting in June. The series will also air on TLC in Poland, Romania, Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia and Slovenia (& Italy for Discovery Networks Western Europe) later this year.

TLC has also started development on GYPSYVILLE (working title), a series that examines the lives of gypsies and travellers in America, where there is an estimated population of 1 million, established throughout several communities in the South, but with a presence throughout the entire country. The series will reveal the everyday lives and the age-old customs that make up their family and social dynamics. With unprecedented access, viewers will be invited into these tightly knit communities and follow as they throw elaborate celebrations – including weddings that last for days – and how they interact with the society outside of their own.

The newly commissioned series is scheduled to debut in early 2012.

About TLC
TLC is a global brand that celebrates extraordinary people and relatable life moments thr
ough innovative nonfiction programming. A top 10 cable network for women, TLC has built successful franchises around the Cake Boss, Say Yes to the Dress and Police Women brands. In 2010, 31 series averaged 1.0 million viewers or more including Sister Wives, Kate Plus 8, 19 Kids and Counting, LA Ink, and What Not to Wear.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2011

Contacts: Tahli Kouperstein: 240-662-2221
Tahli_Kouperstein@discovery.com
-OR- Patricia Kollappallil: 240-338-4027
Patricia_Kollappallil@discovery.com

ANIMAL PLANET UNLEASHES ENTERTAINMENT SLATE FOR THE 2011-12 UPFRONT SEASON

— Planet’s Surprisingly Human Lineup Boasts 14 New and 12 Returning Series and Specials —

(New York, NY) — Animal Planet, the “Surprisingly Human” network, announces an entertainment roster of 14 new series and specials and 12 returning hit shows this season.

“Animal Planet tells bold stories at the electrifying intersection of humans and animals,” says Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet. “Whether through mysterious trips out into the wild, laugh-out-loud adventures with big characters, or moving and deeply affecting dramas, animals are a terrific accelerant to the wide range of raw, real, big entertainment audiences can expect from us.”

Animal Planet finished 2010 with the highest audience delivery in its history and with its average median age down again to 44 years. With all original content, the Planet’s 2011-12 programming slate builds on the success of the network’s Surprisingly Human brand direction with new character-driven series as well as a lineup that explores the transformative power of animals to heal, discovers a new face of conservation, travels uncharted waters into legend, and continues the network’s dominance in the pet and natural history genres.

It wouldn’t be Animal Planet without RIVER MONSTERS, the network’s best-performing series ever. This Sunday, the season three debut of RIVER MONSTERS caught more than 1.6 million P2+ viewers and was the #1 non-fiction program among men 18-49 in its timeslot.

With more monsters out there, the hit series returns next year as expert angler and biologist Jeremy Wade continues his quest to find the most monstrous legendary freshwater fish yet. And Jeremy isn’t the only great character who can take us to the river. Dive into HILLBILLY HANDFISHIN’ with Oklahoma hand-fisherman Skipper Bivins and his family as they happily introduce audiences and adventure-seeking city slickers to the excitement of noodling – the wild sport where you submerge yourself in murky water to hook catfish using just fingers and toes as bait while hoping to return with all of ‘em still attached.

The Planet’s new season slate has lots of larger than life characters. PIT BOSS returns with foul-mouthed, big-hearted ex-con Shorty Rossi struggling simultaneously to run his little person talent agency and save his beloved pit bulls, and the fiercely determined Tia Torres continues to give ex-cons and maligned dogs a second chance in PITBULLS & PAROLEES. NED BRUHA: SKUNK WHISPERER and his crew join the line-up to hilariously and humanely get those bats out of your attic and rodents out of your rec room. Brothers-in-law, best friends and rivals, Wayde King and Brett Raymer, partner in TANKED and build the most audacious, jaw-dropping aquariums while dealing with an outrageous family and staff. It’s also all in the family for Daniel and LaDawn Ross, whose taxidermy shop in Romance, Arkansas, employs family members and an eccentric staff in the new series ROMANCE IS DEAD (wt), where the preservation of deceased pets provides the ultimate closure for people saying a final farewell to their furry family members.

Animal Planet remains deeply committed to exploring “muscular conservation” with its flagship series, WHALE WARS, returning for its fourth season this summer. Might this be the year the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society finally puts an end to whaling in the Southern Ocean? And now conservation has a deliciously different new face with animal warrior and vegan baker Danielle Konya in SWEET AVENGER (wt). Danielle is a tough cookie, determined to save the world one sweet treat at a time by creating decadent desserts without using a stick of butter or a single egg.

Of course, many of us love animals, especially our pets. Often we try to save them, and sometimes they save us. This season DOGS, CATS and PETS 101 as well as MUST LOVE CATS are back and even more chockfull of quirky facts and lively stories for animal lovers. Also returning is the complex, powerful and ground-breaking series CONFESSIONS: ANIMAL HOARDING, which takes an unflinching look at the people and pets affected by this difficult psychological condition. And new to the Planet, SAVED, a deeply moving series of first-person accounts of harrowing experiences in which animals have intervened to save people’s lives.

These series and more, including the CGI spectacular, MERMAIDS: THE BODY FOUND (wt), continue the evolution of Animal Planet as a competitive entertainment destination. Highlights of Animal Planet’s 2011-12 Upfront programs include the following new and returning titles:

NEW SERIES AND SPECIALS (in alphabetical order)

DETROIT ANIMAL TATTOO (wt)
“There’s nothing more special than the link between an animal and a human,” says Detroit- based Tom Renshaw, a world-renowned tattoo artist specializing in photo-realistic wildlife tattoos. DETROIT ANIMAL TATTOO (wt) documents the professional and personal life of Renshaw and his motley crew of body-inking associates. Each hour-long episode follows the stories behind animal tattoos – from prep to ink – and the people who pay permanent homage to fallen pets and life-changing encounters with animals. There’s an intimate story behind every tattoo, and it’s Tom’s job to make sure those stories come to life.

FINDING BIGFOOT
From small towns in the South to remote areas of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, four eccentric but passionate members of the Bigfoot Field Research Organization (BFRO) embark on one single-minded mission – to find the elusive “creature” known as Bigfoot or the Sasquatch. Comprised of a former roadie (Bobo), a high school science teacher (Cliff), a skeptical scientist (Ranae) and BFRO president Matt Moneymaker, the foursome engage in the ultimate sleuth in search of proof that Bigfoot really does exist… and is alive and well in the United States! By examining photos and videos of the creature, speaking to local witnesses, using new technology and luring the mysterious beast with Bobo’s “Squatch” call, the team uncovers startling evidence of the mysterious and highly intelligent enigma that has eluded capture for centuries and fascinated man for just as long.

HILLBILLY HANDFISHIN’
Welcome to the wild sport of noodling! In this series, adventure-thirsty city slickers head to Oklahoma to submerge themselves in murky waters to catch catfish with their bare hands and feet. It’s a trip of a lifetime for fish-out-of-water, adventure-seeking clients who want nothing more than to surprise themselves – and maybe gross themselves out – by doing things
they’d never thought they’d do. Led by Oklahoma hand-fisherman and self-proclaimed hillbilly Skipper Bivins, these people get a taste of redneck lifestyle by going through the paces of noodling catfish with no fishing rods and no hooks. The only lures in this cat fishing are fingers and toes – which, by the way, can be just as attractive to the snakes, beavers, muskrats and snapping turtles that take over abandoned catfish holes as homes of their own. The experience might be uncomfortable, completely foreign and downright terrifying, but it promises to alter the lives and positively affect each newly crowned noodler long after the last morsel of deep-fried fish is gone.

LION KINGS OF LAS VEGAS (wt)
Meet the Fercos’, the Las Vegas family determined to ascend the entertainment throne once occupied by Siegfried and Roy. Big cats – tigers, panthers and a lion – are very much part of the Fercos’ way of life, and every member of the family has an intimate relationship with the cats they raise, train and love. When one of their tigers ran off after a rabbit, he roamed the streets of Las Vegas for hours until captured safely in a backyard. Led by sibling trainers and renowned illusionists Tony and Ferdinand, the family has traveled the world entertaining audiences, and now, the younger members of the family are poised to take the reins of the family business. Only one thing’s for sure, life will definitely be interesting.

MERMAIDS: THE BODY FOUND (wt)
In the early 1990’s, the United States Navy began a series of covert sonar tests that were linked to mass die-offs of whales washing up on beaches around the world. These beachings were well-publicized, but startling amateur video and photographic evidence – much of it never released until now – suggests that whales were not the only creatures affected by the Navy’s sonar. In 1997, scientists monitoring underwater microphones recorded a mysterious sound deep in the Pacific Ocean, a sound from an unidentified creature unlike any other animal recorded. What made that sound, dubbed "The Bloop," has remained one of the greatest mysteries of the oceans, until now… as Animal Planet presents the CGI, two-hour special MERMAIDS: THE BODY FOUND.

MY EXTREME ANIMAL PHOBIA
Most people agree that dogs, cats and birds are loving and faithful companions. But for as many as one in 10 Americans, animals are a source of absolute terror. Each hour-long episode of MY EXTREME ANIMAL PHOBIA features a group of individuals debilitated by an irrational fear of animals. Some haven’t left the house in years; others are deeply ashamed, but all are desperate to find a cure that can help them live without fear. Under the guidance of psychologist Dr. Robin Zasio, each participant undergoes five days of intense emotional exposure therapy, coming face to face with their worst animal fears.

NED BRUHA: SKUNK WHISPERER
Are wild animals encroaching on your domestic bliss? Do you have rodents in your rec room or bats in your attic? If so, Ned Bruha, known as “The Skunk Whisperer,” is the man to call. A cross between Ace Ventura and Crocodile Dundee, NED BRUHA: SKUNK WHISPERER takes a hilarious look inside the unpredictable world of humane wildlife control in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the clash between man and beast. This series follows the exploits of Ned and his lively crew as they face the challenges of capturing

home-invading critters and working with each other. Without the use of traps or killing them, Ned and his team tackle everything from raccoons, possums, bats and even mountain lions. Dealing with the wildest nature has to offer is all in a day’s work for the Skunk Whisperer crew, and taking a home and giving it back to the owners on a platter without harming animals is icing on the cake.

PUPPIES VS. BABIES
From cute and cuddly to adorable, hilarious and outrageous, newborns and zooborns are the most fussed over subjects on the Internet, and America just can’t get enough of them! Every other day, a star is born in cyberspace, and the question remains: who is the best?! PUPPIES VS. BABIES finds out with three one-hour episodes, taking the 16 most popular clips from that week and pitting them against one another in three rounds of playful competition for the coveted number one spot. With judging panels ranging from experts to comedians and even people off the streets, PUPPIES VS. BABIES is taking the vote to the masses and settling this showdown once and for all!

RAT BUSTERS NYC (wt)
New York City is made up of more than 300 square miles and is populated by more than eight million people and so many rats it’s impossible to count them. In RAT BUSTERS NYC (wt), New York’s toughest exterminators Jimmy Tallman and Michael Morales of Magic Pest Control scour the corners of the city, responding to calls involving unwanted pests and unearthing the most traumatic cases of rat infestations in the Big Apple. Each hour-long episode follows Brooklyn-born fellas Jimmy and Michael as they comb through the boroughs and get down and dirty fighting the city’s most notorious pests including rats, roaches, mice, bedbugs and other creepy crawlies. From the roughest streets of the Bronx to even the wealthiest parts of Manhattan, viewers witness Jimmy and Michael up close and personal with vermin and unwanted rodents. But it isn’t all work for these New York natives – the series also showcases Jimmy and Michael’s lives away from the rat race.

ROMANCE IS DEAD (wt)
Take a peek into the unusual. Snuggled deep in the backwoods of Romance, Arkansas is a taxidermy shop where people come far and wide to say farewell to their pets in a special way through pet preservation. Taxidermist Daniel Ross makes his business a family affair, employing wife LaDawn, who handles the books, and even seeking some help from his three young boys. With the help of three other eccentric employees, Daniel’s shop, X-treme Taxidermy, gives customers once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to cope with the loss of precious family members– their pets. While nothing can bring back these animals, Daniel and his artistic team attempt to come close by recreating the illusion of life so his customers can return home with their pet for eternity. Behind the scenes, Daniel’s three assistants often deliver more drama than product. Dixie is a veterinary student and newbie to taxidermy who ironically cringes at the sight of blood. Fred, a shoeless, shirtless classic redneck, has an accent so strong he’s often in need of an interpreter. Joseph, a hunky, part-time model from ‘big city’ Little Rock, suffers from OCD and contamination fears – a condition that doesn’t make the process of preserving animals easy. In this series, viewers watch Daniel console offbeat customers, including a burly farmer distraught over his chihuahua’s death and a waitress with a deceased pet goat that once occupied her living room. Viewers also get to watch Dixie go over the edge when stuffing her first poodle, Joseph’s dating life go awry because of the nature of his job, and LaDawn lose it when Fred moves his mobile home next to the Ross family house. Taxidermy is an odd business, but Daniel, his family and coworkers embrace their trade with the warm knowledge that they are providing a rare and lifelong gift to animal lovers.

SAVED
Sometimes the art of living is all about holding on. And when in peril, help can often come from the most unexpected sources. Occasionally the bond that exists between humans and animals transcends the traditional pet-owner relationship… sometimes the emotional connection between a person and his pet runs much deeper. SAVED recollects compelling, true stories where animals have intervened to save people’s lives, but often not in the traditional sense. Told through first-person accounts by the people who lived through the harrowing experiences, SAVED shares incredible stories of animal heroism – both phy
sical and emotional. From a hound dog that convinced a woman to kick a 25-year heroin addiction so she could care for him to a family’s struggle to bring home a puppy that gave their late son the last bit of happiness before he died in Iraq, the animals featured in SAVED play a pivotal role in pulling humans through their darkest periods and give them a second chance at life.

SWAMP CITY
When people think of Miami, they think of the ultimate vacation – lying on the beach, sport fishing and enjoying the great outdoors. While Miami offers all of these things, South Florida is a giant swamp filled with snakes. Snakes are everywhere. One hundred percent of yards in Miami have snakes; you just can’t always see them, not to mention, dangerous alligators, vicious Tegu lizards and Africanized bees. When it comes to the planet’s most venomous creatures, there is only one team who has the knowledge and fearlessness to battle them – Venom One. Venom One team is an elite group of specially trained fire fighter/paramedics within Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. It’s the only emergency response team of its kind, and it currently holds the largest anti-venom bank in the world. In this docu-drama series, viewers witness the intensity and urgency of the job as this courageous team takes down killer snakes, rushes against the clock to deliver anti-venoms and ultimately saves lives.

SWEET AVENGER (wt)
Not a single egg or stick of butter ever has been used by Vegan Treats owner, Danielle Konya. Since founding her Bethlehem, PA, vegan bakery, Danielle has been on a mission to craft delicious and compassionate vegan desserts that not only compete but outright crush her non-vegan counterparts. SWEET AVENGER (wt) satisfies the sweet tooth in this series featuring Danielle’s mission to save animals one cupcake at a time. Danielle believes that decadent sweets can be achieved without harming any animals. Assisted by a cadre of trusted co-workers (including her mom and best friend), Danielle’s confident her sweet treats can do all the talking to convince people that a vegan diet is the tastier alternative. While some describe her as tough as nails – a driven warrior for the animal kingdom – Danielle has layers that go deeper than her ‘Death by Chocolate’ cake. She’s an accomplished baker whose recipes have won her awards, and she has attracted a celebrity clientele. Though she can be stubborn as a bull, she’s a steadfast friend and mom to an adopted daughter. While Danielle’s mission is sweet and simple, there are plenty of challenging twists and turns in running a successful vegan bakery. From fulfilling custom orders for more than 100 pastry shops in the region and catering to an endless calendar of special events, Danielle must also work with and inspire a staff who does not all share her vegan view of the world. There are countless hours of tireless work in getting people to choose vegan, but Danielle finds the perfect recipe to achieve her mission.

TANKED (wt)
Following the antics of two brothers-in-law as they run the largest aquarium manufacturing company in the nation, TANKED (wt) dunks viewers into the high-decibel, family-owned business of Acrylic Tank Manufacturing (ATM). Led by business partners, best friends and rivals Wayde King and Brett Raymer and housed in a state-of-the-art, cavernous facility located in the center of Sin City, ATM has created thousands of enormous, conceptual aquariums for high-profile clients. Working with opinionated and outrageous family and staff, the duo takes on jaw-dropping aquarium builds from such intricate and interesting locations as inside restaurants, casinos, bank, hotels, churches, offices, mansions, museums and zoos. Their tanks are for celebrities and ordinary Joes, and their aquariums and their business are filled with the most unusual and larger-than-life creatures in the world.

NEW WEB SERIES

DOG PARK
This new six-part reality web series follows a diverse cast of outspoken characters during their day-to-day experiences at a bustling dog park in New York City. Through a combination of unobtrusive documentary shots and candid park-bench confessionals, web surfers are given a true, insider’s perspective of life inside the gates of a Manhattan dog park. With each episode running three-to-five minutes, viewers witness everyday dramas unfold in the lives and relationships of the people who frequent the dog park, along with the unbreakable bond between humans and animals.
RETURNING SERIES (in alphabetical order)

CONFESSIONS: ANIMAL HOARDING
CONFESSIONS: ANIMAL HOARDING, the ground-breaking series that takes an unflinchingly honest look at animal hoarding, the people and pets affected by this psychological condition, returns to Animal Planet with twelve all-new episodes. Animal hoarding is defined as the compulsive need to possess and control animals and often involves the acquisition of a high and unmanageable number of animals. Not yet formally recognized as a distinct psychological disorder, animal hoarding, in most cases, goes unaddressed until it becomes a crime. Each episode of this series delves into the hearts and minds of individuals who hoard a variety of species from cats to dogs to farm animals. The series also provides an opportunity for family members and friends to help their loved ones from spinning further out of control. Having no previous established protocol, the series coordinates task-force style interventions by psychologists, animal-welfare experts, veterinarians, friends and families to help individuals recognize the root of their issues and take healthy steps to address their animal hoarding.

DOGS 101/CATS 101/PETS 101
The most comprehensive and endearing dog and cat encyclopedia on TV is back with plenty of new breeds! DOGS 101 and CATS 101 spotlight the adorable, the feisty and the unexpected and survey a variety of breeds for their behavioral quirks, genetic history, most famous examples and wildest trivia. Using a mix of animal experts, pop-culture footage and stylized photography, DOGS 101 and CATS 101 are unprecedented looks at man’s best friend and their furry feline counterparts. Accompanying the popular DOGS 101 and CATS 101 series, Animal Planet features furry, feathery and scaly friends in PETS 101. Millions of homes welcome a menagerie of these eclectic critters, and PETS 101 shines a light on these creatures lounging around the house, sunbathing in the pool and spinning away their days on exercise wheels.

FATAL ATTRACTIONS
FATAL ATTRACTIONS tells the intense, heart-wrenching, true stories of people who choose to live with deadly “pets” – wild animals that are capable of catastrophic injury and even death. But these people say they are taking the ultimate risk for love. They see these animals as family members; they live with them, sleep with them…their lives become completely intertwined with theirs. From pet tigers to crocodiles, FATAL ATTRACTIONS is a cautionary tale that warns that the love of your life might also be your ultimate demise.

I SHOULDN’T BE ALIVE
What lengths would you go to in order to survive in the wild where you have to battle the forces of nature and the elements? I SHOULDN’T BE ALIVE presents viewers with this very question, allowing them to re-live the harrowing, true stories of real people who survived fascinatingly dire circumstances and lived to tell about it. Viewers find the experience of I SHOULDN’T BE ALIVE to be an emotional one – the featured tales often deal with unimaginable scenarios, moral dilemmas, split-second decisions and chance occurrences that determine life or death. This highly engaging series constantly leaves viewers in awe and forces them to ponder: Do I have it within me to do the same?

INFESTED!
INFESTED! tells the real-life horror stories of ordinary people plagued by frighteningly extraordinary infestations. Dangerous, deadly, weird and bizarre – the series fe
atures the nastiest of nature’s squatters. If you think your four walls protect you from the ghastly ‘big bads’ of the rodent and insect world, think again! Meet a family who’s threatened by an infestation of deathly recluse spiders, and check out the Texan home that’s plagued by possums – animals that famously play dead. But what happens when they’re feigning their demise within this family’s walls!? It’s not “easy come and easy go” for these poor people – getting rid of these gruesome invaders can be more nightmarish than learning they’ve been crawling throughout their home in the first place!

IT’S ME OR THE DOG: SEASON 4
IT’S ME OR THE DOG is back, and renowned British dog trainer Victoria Stilwell is heading back to the Big Apple to take on more of New York’s problematic pooches and their out-of-control owners! From uptown housewives to guys down shore, Victoria is called by a diverse mix of the Tri-State area’s most interesting characters, all of whom share a common problem – their lives are being turned upside down by their inability to control their four-legged friends. Victoria must pull out all the stops in order to transform these rambunctious pets and their owners. This season, expect to see Victoria employ some different tactics, and in true New York style, she meets each challenge in a BIG way.

MONSTERS INSIDE ME
For two seasons MONSTERS INSIDE ME proved that the smallest creatures are often the scariest. The popular series returns to lift the cover off all-new and mysterious microscopic organisms circling the globe – some closer than you think. Family and friends are shocked and worried. Doctors are puzzled, racing to unlock the medical obscurities before it’s too late. What do all these cases have in common? The causes of these illnesses are not viruses or bacteria but stealthy, cunning creatures that have taken up residence in their unsuspecting hosts – parasites! Every story is a life-or-death battle between modern medicine and evolution as these patients fight off the MONSTERS INSIDE ME.

MUST LOVE CATS
MUST LOVE CATS, the successful and popular celebration of fascinating felines and the fascinating people who love them, returns with six new episodes and hundreds of cats! The series spans the realm of all things "cat," offering a potpourri of amazing feline stories, jam-packed with interesting factoids and trivia bits. Hosted by musician and cat lover John Fulton, who combines his love for ditties with kitties, MUST LOVE CATS is on a mission to prove that from north to south and east to west, America is filled with cat lovers.

PIT BOSS
The PIT BOSS is back with 12 new episodes that delve deeper into the lives of Shorty, his crew and the pit bulls they save. New episodes show Shorty driving his staff hard to keep afloat both Shortywood Inc., a talent management group for little people, and Shorty’s Rescue, his pit bull rescue effort. Though this ex-con is undoubtedly rough around the edges, Shorty’s an ambassador to the pit bull breed. He better hope for “Diplomatic Immunity” as the season brings viewers episodes of daring rescues, laughter, tears and the real-life drama within the workings of Shorty’s team of little people.

PIT BULLS & PAROLEES: SEASON 3
Two hundred pit bulls, 10 dusty acres in the middle of nowhere and convicted felons on parole. What’s the common factor? It’s the crossroad for a chance at redemption, rehabilitation and rebirth for both man and man’s best friend. And, at the center of it all is one fiery, extraordinary woman – Tia Maria Torres – who devotes her days and nights to giving the underdogs of the canine and human worlds a second chance. Returning with new episodes, PIT BULLS & PAROLEES follows Tia, one of the country’s most renowned pit bull trainers and the founder of the Villalobos Rescue Center, the largest pit bull rescue facility in the world, as she brings together felons and ill-reputed dogs to rescue one another from their dim pasts and bring new meaning to their lives. In the third season, Tia faces a new set of challenges and unexpected dramas including watching her daughters, Tania and Mariah, take a more active role in running the center, bearing witness to one of the most important moments of parolee Armando’s life and the touching adoption of a pit bull that has been involved in three failed adoptions. One thing that hasn’t changed is Villalobos’ core mission – to rescue pit bulls from dangerous and abusive situations and find them loving and lasting homes.

RIVER MONSTERS
Animal Planet’s top-performing series, RIVER MONSTERS, returns for a fourth action-packed season as extreme angler and biologist Jeremy Wade travels worldwide to uncover harrowing freshwater fish tales. RIVER MONSTERS follows Jeremy’s worldwide search for aquatic demons and man-eating fish with the hope of proving these freshwater mysteries as tall tales or frightening facts. With Jeremy taking his life-long passion of extreme fishing and turning it into a full-time career, Jeremy’s quests for the bizarre and unusual have him reeling in fascinating and mysterious creatures hidden within some of the world’s most treacherous waters.

WHALE WARS
Captain Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society return for a fourth adrenaline-fueled season of WHALE WARS, waging a life-and-death battle and masterful chess match to find and stop Japanese ships from hunting whales in the name of research. After a death defying campaign resulting in the addition of another ship (the Bob Barker to join the Steve Irwin), the destruction of the group’s multi-million dollar vessel, the Ady Gil, and the detainment of its captain, Pete Bethune, for months in a Tokyo prison, the Sea Shepherds return to the Antarctic. Labeled activists and heroes by some and eco-pirates by others, the crew once again sets sail for its next whale defense campaign called “Operation No Compromise.” With the whaling quota higher than ever, the Sea Shepherds embark on a new mission with surprise tactics and new crew members on a desperate mission to declare victory and end whaling once and for all.

Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world’s only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 97 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2011

Contact: Kristin Brown: 240.662.5415
Kristin_brown@discovery.com

INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY, AMERICA’S FASTEST-GROWING NETWORK, UNVEILS LARGEST-EVER SLATE OF NEW AND RETURNING SERIES AND SPECIALS FOR 2011-12 UPFRONT SEASON

— With Eight New Series and an Unprecedented 23 Returning Hits,
ID Poised to Continue Exceptional Growth —

(New York, NY) – Entering the 2011-12 Upfront as the biggest success story in cable – topping the charts for audience growth, and distribution growth year over year – Investigation Discovery’s motto for the coming season is “So Successful … it’s Criminal.”

ID has now achieved 23 consecutive months of prime delivery gains for P2+, P25-54 and W25-54 and just recorded its best q
uarter ever in first quarter, up 57% in P2+, 61% in HH and 48% in P25-54.

ID’s successful launch strategy for original series resulted in double-digit delivery increases every night of the week (P25-54 gains over 1Q10 Mon, +50%; Tue, +18%; Wed, +39%; Thu, +79%; Fri, +43%; Sat, +58%; Sun, +60%), driven by the debuts of STOLEN VOICES, BURIED SECRETS; SINS & SECRETS; STALKED: SOMEONE’S WATCHING and returning series ON THE CASE WITH PAULA ZAHN; DISAPPEARED; and, 48 HOURS ON ID. In all, ID now has 16 series averaging more than 500k P2+ and eight series that have hit the all-important 1.0 HH mark or greater.

In all-important audience engagement measures, ID is #1 in ad-supported cable for prime and total day length of tune among P25-54 and in the first quarter of 2011, ranked #6 for total day C3 Delivery for HH and #7 for P25-54.

Currently in more than 73 million homes, ID has added 17 million subscribers in the last 13 months, making it the fastest growing network for distribution growth in television.

“For the second year in a row, ID enters the Upfront as the leader in audience growth, we’ve retained our critical #1 for length of tune and now we’re also the top network for distribution growth in television,” said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager, Investigation Discovery. “Most importantly, we are reaching to become a Top Ten network by making the largest investment in original programming in the network’s history – adding new, personality-driven series to our incredibly strong foundation of 23 established hits.”

Leading into the Upfront season, ID debuts five new original series, including its first docu-soap, BIG LAW: DEPUTY BUTTERBEAN, featuring former super heavyweight boxer Eric Esch, who fought under the name Butterbean. The 400-lb. former fighter is taking his hard-earned, no-nonsense, tough-guy reputation to the streets of his hometown: he’s been deputized by the Walker Coutny Sheriff’s office in Alabama, and he’s on a one-man mission to bring back a sense of community safety.

ID also debuts ABC News’ 20/20 beginning in June, securing ID’s place as the unique television home for the very best in newsmagazines. 20/20 ON ID rounds out ID’s current slate of stellar, award-winning investigative reporting from all three major broadcast networks, joining CBS News’ 48 HOURS ON ID and 60 MINUTES ON ID, as well as NBC News’ DATELINE ON ID. These acclaimed franchises complement Investigation Discovery’s original newsmagazine, ON THE CASE WITH PAULA ZAHN, which is one of the highest-rated series in network history.

Featured programming in the 2011-12 Upfront includes:

NEW ORIGINAL SERIES

REAL CRIME/REEL STORY (wt)
America’s obsession with movies is unending, but its fascination with true stories is what makes ID the fastest growing cable network on television. REAL CRIME/REEL STORY uncovers the truth behind popular crime-and-justice movies that have become part of the fabric of pop culture. The first episode introduces show host and real-life legal crusader Erin Brockovich, who tells her story of the groundbreaking courtroom battle she won against West Coast energy corporation Pacific Gas & Electric. Using scene reconstruction, interviews with the real people the characters were based on, subsequent episodes reveal what really inspired movies including Monster.

HOMICIDE HUNTER: LT. JOE KENDA (wt)
A murder will change the life of a victim, their families, and the convicted killer, but what about the investigator whose days and nights are consumed by finding answers? In each episode of HOMICIDE HUNTER: LT. JOE KENDA, the 23-year veteran of Colorado’s homicide investigation unit –who has one of the highest case closure rates in the country – reveals chillingly vivid memories of murders that still haunt him today. Through personal interviews, and with the help of reenactments, Kenda recounts in detail the twists, turns, and emotional tribulations of trying to bring peace to each victim’s family.

REAL STREETS MIAMI (wt)
Audiences know Miami for its beautiful people, tropical weather, and cultural crossroads, but what they’ll come to learn from REAL STREETS MIAMI is that the city’s reputation for being fast, loose and crazy applies to local criminals as well. In this series, viewers will enjoy a unique visual experience with the pace, look and feel of movie crime plots, though gone are the static talking heads and cheesy character interplay. Hear testimony from the perps themselves about drug deals gone bad, murders for hire, vendettas that reached their breaking point, and other high-stakes crimes sweeping the Sunshine State’s southern-most city.

HOSTAGE: DO OR DIE (wt)
Step into the world of hijackings, kidnappings, and standoffs in HOSTAGE: DO OR DIE, a collection of harrowing stories told from the perspective of the hostage negotiators, victims, witnesses, and sometimes the criminals themselves. With narration from Detective Dominick Misino, an NYPD veteran with expertise in special operations, each episode breaks down a case minute-by-minute to see for the first time what it took to rescue the hostages or, in some instances, what went wrong. Stunning graphics and animation bring to life high-energy recreations, taking viewers where cameras could never go: straight into the tense crossfire of hostage negotiation.

HUNTING JUSTICE WITH M. WILLIAM PHELPS (wt)
Retrace unsolved slayings through the eyes of two obsessive investigators, “True Crime” author M. William Phelps and psychologist/criminal profiler John Kelly, who attempt to piece together a killer’s profile by reconstructing their crime and exposing its key elements. Phelps does most of the legwork like a gumshoe cop, while Kelly is the brains, the elder and the guru. Played out in dramatic reenactments, the duo attempts to create the most accurate depictions to-date of the crime, the victim, and the suspect as their final murder theory and killer profile come to life.

CRIMES OF PASSION (wt)
These are true stories of the ultimate betrayal: when lovers become predators and seducers aim to destroy. With penetrating insight from experts, including lead investigators and forensic psychologists, CRIMES OF PASSION delves into the twisted minds of sociopaths and manipulators who lay on the charm while they masquerade as harmless love interests. Learn about the puzzling and contradictory clues that baffled investigators, as they recreate the scenarios that tested their suspicions.

DEADLY SINS
Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride – These are the true stories of everyday individuals who are pushed beyond the limits of the law by seven deadly sins. Each episode of DEADLY SINS navigates the twists and turns of three similarly sinful cases, piecing together their chilling conclusions along the way. Cinematic reenactments and strong storytelling build suspense and mystery throughout each tale, taking on the elements of ID’s most successful programming and creating a show that feeds viewers’ insatiable appetite for these dreadful guilty pleasures.

UNRAVELED: COUNTDOWN TO A KILL
A suspenseful new series, UNRAVELED: COUNTDOWN TO A KILL recounts the fateful relationship between killer and victim as their paths intertwine. Chance meetings, random acts of violence, and mysterious encounters send ordinary people down a deadly collision course toward their own mortality. As an on-screen clock counts down the victim’s final hours, days, or even years, viewers track the decisions and actions that bring the victim closer to their killer’s fatal trap.

RETURNING ORIGINAL SERIES

STOLEN VOICES, BURIED SECRETS
As ID’s highest-performing series, STOLEN VOICES, BURIED SECRETS shares the unique perspective of the victim through fictionalized, first-person narration based on the facts of each case. While
the all-seeing narrator knows who was responsible, the series creatively allows viewers to piece together who is the culprit based on clues from investigators, family and friends as each story unfolds.

DISAPPEARED
DISAPPEARED follows the unpredictable twists of missing person cases, tracking investigations aimed at solving how and why people simply vanish. While some of the resolutions are heartwarming and others tragic, many cases remain open to this day and continue to be a source of unbearable frustration for family members and friends. Each episode of DISAPPEARED begins from the time immediately before the individual vanished, searching for clues hidden beneath seemingly everyday behavior that may indicate whether or not the person left voluntarily. For the open cases that have gone cold, DISAPPEARED asks viewers to share fresh leads in hope of deciphering what truly happened to the missing and whether foul play may have been involved.

ON THE CASE WITH PAULA ZAHN
Profiling fascinating true stories and featuring gripping interviews conducted by Emmy Award-winning journalist Paula Zahn, ON THE CASE is a shining example of ID’s core brand mission to investigate life’s mysteries through riveting storytelling. Zahn’s journalistic expertise and passion for the truth resonate as ON THE CASE unravels shocking investigations that have dominated headlines, and intriguing original stories uncovered exclusively for ID’s audience.

STALKED: SOMEONE’S WATCHING
With more than three million people falling victim to stalking in the United States each year, this widely misunderstood crime reaches far beyond celebrities and people in the public eye. STALKED: SOMEONE’S WATCHING profiles emotional stories of stalking victims and explores the twisted psychology of the people who relentlessly pursued them. Leading viewers through these tales of obsession is Michelle Ward, Ph.D., a criminal psychologist who has an expertise in neuroscience and personal experience as a stalking victim. Throughout each episode, Dr. Ward provides insight into the possible thoughts and motivations of the stalker and offers viewers important information they can use to protect themselves.

WHO THE (BLEEP) DID I MARRY?
Pulling back the curtain on bizarre double lives, WHO THE (BLEEP) DID I MARRY? examines stories of couples in which one spouse has hidden a shocking secret. From bank robbers to bigamists and international spies, these sometimes shocking characters will have viewers shaking their heads in disbelief and wondering how the truths behind these scandalous spouses were kept hidden for so long.

I (ALMOST) GOT AWAY WITH IT
For these perpetrators, the stories may be different, but the motives are always the same – to stay out of prison and live life on the lam. The people profiled in I (ALMOST) GOT AWAY WITH IT evaded justice for years, sometimes decades, by using their families, fake identification and even violence to avoid capture. Viewers learn how law enforcement uses all means necessary to capture these fugitives. Additionally, each episode features an interview from prison with these slick culprits, who spill where they found shelter, how they changed their identities and how they almost got away with it.

NOTHING PERSONAL
The motive in murder-for-hire plots may vary from case to case, but for the hired hit man it’s always business as usual. Plunge into the sinister undertaking of contract killings in NOTHING PERSONAL, ID’s series about mafia disloyalties, romantic infidelities, stale friendships and the trio of characters at their center: the conniving “client,” the professional murderer, and the victim who never saw it coming. Each one-hour episode of NOTHING PERSONAL is hosted by true crime aficionado Steve Schirripa, whose mobster character Bobby Baccalieri was famously whacked on The Sopranos.

SINS & SECRETS
Featuring cities full of character and colorful personalities, SINS & SECRETS exposes crimes that have ripped at the fabric of affluent communities. With ordinary and extraordinary citizens alike, these towns aren’t just vacation destinations, but places where select individuals have distinguished themselves for all the wrong reasons. Once revealing how justice was served, SINS & SECRETS reflects on the many ways in which the city and its people will never be the same again.

THE WILL: FAMILY SECRETS REVEALED
ID invites viewers on an emotional journey of family members dealing with the aftermath of a loved one’s final wishes in THE WILL: FAMILY SECRETS REVEALED. Hotly contested and sometimes surprising, a person’s last will is often a very telling sign of how they perceived their loved ones – a single document outlining the distribution of every penny, asset and heirloom formerly in their possession. Each hour-long episode of THE WILL presents the most curious and contentious real-life stories of family inheritance, capturing personal drama filled with conspiracies, tension and turmoil.

TRUE CRIME WITH APHRODITE JONES
A true crime series for tabloid aficionados, each episode follows best-selling author and crime expert Aphrodite Jones as she conducts her own investigations into some of the most headline-making crime stories of our time. Jones lands pivotal interviews and gains insider access to those connected to the case, revealing new evidence or unraveling new theories with exclusive interviews, photos, or never-before-seen footage about crimes you thought you knew.

BEHIND MANSION WALLS
BEHIND MANSION WALLS tells the stories of crime, mystery, and murder that unfold behind the veil of wealth and privilege. Secret affairs, hidden accounts, and false identities are just the tip of the iceberg in a web clouded by money that could lead to murder. Using expert testimony, stylized recreations, and narration from the victim’s first-person perspective, this series escorts viewers behind picture perfect facades, where greed leads to murder and no one is above the law.

I MARRIED A MOBSTER
You see their lives portrayed in movies like Married to the Mob and Goodfellas, but rarely, if ever, do you hear them speak or get a glimpse into their lives. I MARRIED A MOBSTER presents stories of the mob from a new perspective: the women who had unprecedented access into this secretive world, where breaking vows could literally get you killed. With reenactments, archival photos and interviews, each episode tells the back-story of one family’s rise and fall from the first person point-of-view of the Mrs.

CUFF ME IF YOU CAN
After committing a crime, some perpetrators are willing to go to great lengths to escape their destiny behind bars. CUFF ME IF YOU CAN recounts true stories of cunning, determined and resourceful criminals who try to live their lives running from the law by escaping the country, changing their identity and even altering their appearance. This series interviews the criminals’ real family members and loved ones, some of whom have aided these individuals trying to avoid capture, as well as the actual police and detectives who have worked tirelessly to track and capture the fleeing offenders.

FACING EVIL
Retired FBI criminal profiler Candice DeLong goes behind prison walls to sit down with the actual femmes fatales who appeared on ID’s DEADLY WOMEN. Having been described as the real-life Clarice Starling, the FBI agent at the center of Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal, DeLong interprets these intimate interviews for audiences with help from an impressive repertoire of sleuthing skills that include trailing terrorists, going undercover within gangs and hunting for the infamous Unabomber.

COPS & COYOTES
Every year, billions of dollars-worth of narcotics is smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border by drug mules, and millions of Mexican immigrants enter the United States illegally in search of a better life. In towns all along the border, law enforcement lives and works within
the communities they have vowed to protect from the explosive increase in criminal activity. ID’s COPS & COYOTES features a multiple-character law enforcement team battling to protect their town against a Mexican crime wave flooding across the fragile border.

FBI: CRIMINAL PURSUIT
FBI: CRIMINAL PURSUIT profiles the modern Federal Bureau of Investigation and explores the determination required to solve some of the most mystifying cases of the 21st Century. The challenges range from combating arsonists to tracking down terrorists, and the goal is always to bring the culprits to justice. This series not only showcases the heroes behind high-profile investigations, but the role high-tech investigative techniques play in solving these extraordinary cases.

NIGHTMARE NEXT DOOR
How well do you know your neighbors? NIGHTMARE NEXT DOOR tells the tales of murders behind white picket fences that rocked Middle America. Each hour brings a new murder mystery and a new look into the evil that can lurk in the heart and soul of a tight-knit community. Interviews with investigators, prosecutors, family members and/or neighbors piece together the twisting tale of a classic whodunit, and forensic experiments lead viewers into the heart of the investigation.

I ESCAPED: REAL PRISON BREAKS
I ESCAPED: REAL PRISON BREAKS revisits the incredible true stories of some of the greatest escapes in history. Meet the inmates who refused to surrender to incarceration as the series introduces some of the most elaborate and unimaginable prison breaks, featuring dramatic reconstructions and interviews with those involved.

DEADLY WOMEN
DEADLY WOMEN takes viewers on a journey into the bizarre world of women who kill for thrills. While male murderers are often driven by anger, impulse and destruction, women usually have more complex, long-term motives. Featuring Candice DeLong, a former FBI agent and criminal profiler, this series explores the psyche of female killers, showing what turns love affairs into fatal attractions or how twisted minds and dark secrets can send women on lethal rampages.

WICKED ATTRACTION
WICKED ATTRACTION examines what happens in the mind of the “average” person when they fall under the spell of a sadistic predator. Forensic psychologists and criminal profilers uncover horrifying clues and reveal the true stories of people driven to commit murder together. This series investigates some of the most terrifying crimes in recent history and steps inside the criminal mind to explore the psychological motivations behind deadly duos.

DEVIL YOU KNOW
DEVIL YOU KNOW delves into the secret lives of men and women who masquerade as law-abiding citizens but, behind the charade, are hiding deadly intentions from their loved ones. As each story unfolds, family and friends give first-hand accounts of the unimaginable betrayal that left them in the dark. These harrowing personal testimonials take viewers on a twisted journey as our witnesses wrestle with the demons and devils they have come to know all too well.

BROADCAST NEWS MAGAZINES

FROM CBS:
· 48 HOURS ON ID: 48 HOURS ON ID investigates shocking crimes and compelling real-life dramas with journalistic integrity and cutting-edge style that defines the weekly cinema verité style that is the standard for many television newsmagazines today. Viewers become part of the investigation – from the psychological profiling to exploring new scientific methods that are part of today’s forensic toolbox. Bite marks, blood velocity, reading DNA on a victim’s clothes after 20 years – all of it is part of the drive to help solve these cases. This in-depth approach has earned 48 HOURS numerous awards including three Peabody Awards, 17 Emmys and four RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Awards.

· 60 MINUTES ON ID: Anchored by correspondent Scott Pelley, 60 MINUTES ON ID expands ID’s depth and breadth by featuring some of the most compelling stories from the popular CBS News series. Through 60 Minutes’ trademark in-depth interviews, viewers get the inside story behind each investigation from the people who lived it firsthand. 60 MINUTES takes the stories and brand from the CBS magazine show and presents the material to ID’s audience in a 30-minute format – providing new information along with the best hard-hitting interviews and timely investigations.

FROM NBC
· DATELINE ON ID : What makes average people cross the line to commit murder? Sometimes the answer is simple, while other times the answers are never found. DATELINE ON ID goes behind the headlines to investigate baffling crimes and compelling real-life dramas with NBC host Lester Holt.

FROM ABC
· 20/20 ON ID: Love, jealousy, fear, and murder are at the heart of stories about ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. Hosted by ABC News chief law and justice correspondent Chris Cuomo and the correspondents of ABC News’ acclaimed show 20/20 dig beneath the headlines to reveal stories of victims, their families, and the search for truth and justice.

NEW LIMITED SERIES AND SPECIALS

ID INVESTIGATES
ID INVESTIGATES features documentaries that shine a light on contemporary issues in the public eye. These investigative specials exemplify ID’s commitment to pursuing a fascinating spectrum of stories focused on the quest for justice and providing context to the stories dominating today’s headlines. From the intersection of sex and politics to the war on terrorism, ID INVESTIGATES takes an in-depth look at important stories through these high-quality specials. Recent examples include The Madoff Mystery, The Trials of Amanda Knox, Why Is Bin Laden Alive? and For The Love of Money.

ID FILMS
ID provides a new outlet for independent documentary filmmakers seeking a television home for projects that shine a light on important, overlooked aspects of our justice system and showcase compelling stories of mystery, intrigue and determination. Recent titles include Cropsey: The Urban Legend, Cocaine Cowboys and Final Judgment.

THE INJUSTICE FILES
ID proudly presents a search for justice in some of the most senseless crimes of the Civil Rights era. In February 2007, the FBI officially launched a new investigative effort called the Civil Rights-Era Cold Case Initiative, tasked with taking a fresh look at investigations of racially-motivated homicides that occurred prior to 1970. Since then, more than 100 cold cases have been identified for this initiative. Teaming filmmaker Keith Beauchamp (The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till) and special agent Cynthia Deitle, the FBI’s Civil Rights Unit Chief, each episode reopens a cold case from our country’s past in an effort to bring attention to these important investigations and bring justice to the victims’ families.

ID INSIDE PRISONS
ID INSIDE PRISONS is an anthology of specials that examines some of America’s most unique prison systems. In each episode, viewers explore a different complex and meet the inmates who call it home as well as the correctional officers, medical doctors, psychiatrists, and death row priests who work tirelessly to maintain order and keep the peace.

HOLIDAY STUNTS

BLACK WIDOWS WEEK
The third annual BLACK WIDOWS WEEK on ID celebrates Thanksgiving with a week of programming that takes a closer look at the motives behind infamous Black Widow murderers. Hit programming featured throughout the week includes staples such as DEADly WOMEN, WICKED ATTRACTION, and new hit series FACING EVIL WIT CANDICE DELONG, featuring the famed FBI profiler as she sits down with real-life deadly women to reveal the motivation behind their crimes.

Valentine’s Day
A Valentine’s Day celebration with an ironic ID twist, this stunt focuses on hit series like WHO THE (BLEEP) DID I MARRY? and WICKED ATTRACTION, featuring relationship issues that are no match for couples
counseling.

MARCH BADNESS
Turn to ID for a marathon match-up of March Badness … where DEADLY WOMEN jump through hoops to get what they want and where fugitives take a shot at freedom in the slam dunk hit CUFF ME IF YOU CAN.

About Investigation Discovery
Investigation Discovery (ID), a division of Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISB, DISK) is America’s leading investigation network and the fastest-growing network in television. ID is the source for fact-based investigative content about culture, history and the human condition. Providing the highest quality investigative programming focused on fascinating stories of human nature from the past to the present to over 73 million U.S. households, Investigation Discovery’s in-depth documentaries and series challenge viewers on important issues shaping our culture and defining our world. For more information, please visit investigationdiscovery.com

Please visit the Press Website at http://press.discovery.com/us/id/
for additional press materials, online screeners, and photography.

# # #

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2011

Contact: Chris Finnegan: 240.662.7589
Chris_Finnegan@discovery.com
-OR- Joanne Schioppi: 212.548.5084
Joanne_Schioppi@discovery.com

THE ALL-NEW SCIENCE LAUNCHES AN EXPLOSIVE SLATE OF PROGRAMMING FOR THE 2011-12 UPFRONT

— SCIENCE Is Discovery Communications’ Home for Audacious Imagination —

(New York, NY) — Fresh off the announcement of its new network name, logo and on-air look, SCIENCE today revealed its 2011-12 Upfront slate. Discovery Communications’ home for the thought provocateur, SCIENCE, presented an all-new lineup of series and specials at the company’s Upfront presentation in New York. This latest content offering continues the network’s legacy of leadership in deep-science programming, while broadening the boundaries of the genre to incorporate humor, science fiction and sports.

“SCIENCE always has challenged viewers to look beyond the known and rethink their reality,” said Debbie Adler Myers, executive vice president and general manager of SCIENCE. “We are the home for audacious imagination – and we’re not afraid to take risks that expand your mind. This is reflected in our 2011-12 Upfront lineup, which is the strongest in our network’s history.”

Headlining the slate is the second season of the network’s highest-rated series ever, AN IDIOT ABROAD, featuring the minds behind “The Office” and “Extras,” Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. In AN IDIOT ABROAD 2: THE BUCKET LIST, Gervais and Merchant send their reluctant friend, Karl Pilkington, around the world to sample adventures that “you must experience before you die”. Also highlighting the lineup is the third season of THROUGH THE WORMHOLE WITH MORGAN FREEMAN, targeted for 3Q12. The second season of the series premieres on Wednesday, June 8, at 10:00 PM (ET/PT) on SCIENCE.

In late 2011, SCIENCE will premiere PROPHETS OF SCIENCE FICTION, led by Ridley Scott, the visionary director of “Blade Runner,” “Alien” and “Gladiator.” This epic, eight-episode series will profile the great minds of science fiction who influenced the future of technology. SCIENCE’s original franchise SCI SPORTS also returns, including fan-favorite specials, PUNKIN CHUKNIN and LARGE DANGEROUS ROCKET SHIPS, as well as all-new events, FLYING ANVILS and KILLER ROBOTS: ROBOGAMES 2012.

Full listing of programming below:

NEW SERIES

PROPHETS OF SCIENCE FICTION (4Q11)
(8×60)
Hosted by Ridley Scott – the visionary mind behind “Blade Runner” and “Alien” – PROPHETS OF SCIENCE FICTION reveals the secrets of the uncanny vision of science fiction’s founding fathers. Episodes include an intimate look into the minds of legendary figures including Isaac Asimov, Gene Roddenberry and George Lucas to examine how their work often inspired future discoveries decades before they took place.
AGENT OF INVENTION (2Q12)
(TBD)
Every backyard inventor has a million-dollar idea. They often pour everything they have into turning their dreams into a prototype. AGENT OF INVENTION follows the man that can make these dreams come true. He scours the country visiting the most insane “engi-nerds” looking for that one product that will be financial lightning in a bottle. The stakes couldn’t be higher, as viewers experience what it takes to find the next big invention.

WILL WRIGHT FUTURE PROJECT (3Q12)
(TBD)
See history and the butterfly effect through the mind of gaming genius Will Wright. We will race forward and backward through time to see the causes and effects of some of the most important and minute moments in our collective history. Each episode will unravel as a mystery as we explore worlds that have been, those that will be, and those that will never exist because of the choices that we make.

WEIRD TRAVEL(TBD 2012)
(TBD)
Casting the strangest people and places hidden from the world. From the moonshiners of
Appalachia to the Bigfoot hunters of Southern Florida, WEIRD TRAVEL exposes some of the strangest subcultures found anywhere.

RETURNING SERIES

AN IDIOT ABROAD 2: the BUCKET LIST (1Q12)
(8×60)
In the first season of AN IDIOT ABROAD, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant conducted the grandest social experiment in television history, as they forced their close-minded friend, Karl Pilkington, to travel around the globe to experience the Seven Wonders of the World. AN IDIOT ABROAD 2: THE BUCKET LIST again finds Pilkington sent out on a forced quest. This time, Gervais and Merchant send their reluctant friend around the world to sample adventures that “you must experience before you die.” The only problem is that the trip might kill him.

METEORITE MEN: SEASON 3 (4Q11)
(8×60)
In search of extraterrestrial treasures, meteorite hunters, Geoff and Steve, are on the hunt for space rocks buried for thousands of years and older than the Planet Earth. The third season of the popular franchise will take viewers on some of the wildest adventures yet to find treasure from outer space.

HOW ITS MADE: SEASON 11 (4Q11)
(26×30)
Dive into one of SCIENCE’s signature shows for its eleventh season to find out how the everyday objects people use become the things they are.

THROUGH THE WORMHOLE WITH MORGAN FREEMAN: SEASON 3 (3Q12)
(TBD)
Hosted by Morgan Freeman, THROUGH THE WORMHOLE explores the deepest mysteries of existence — the questions that have puzzled mankind for eternity. What are we made of? What was there before the beginning? Are we really alone? These questions have been pondered by the most brilliant minds in history. Now, modern science may be able to provide us with answers.

MANTRACKER: SEASON 6 (3Q12)
(TBD)
MANTRACKER is the ultimate game of wise wits meets survival skills: Two people take off into the bush with a map, a compass and a head start. Mantracker is on horseback, armed with a local guide and an arsenal of forensic skills. The challengers have 36 hours to reach a finish line some 25 miles away without getting caught, but how they escape is up to them.

SPECIALS

SCI SPORTS – Punkin Chunkin (4Q11)
(1×120)
For 24 years, the great pumpkin has been at the center of the World Championship Punkin Chunkin, where "backyard engineers" test the limits of pumpkin physics during a three-day festival in Bridgeville, Delaware.

KARL BUSHBY PROJECT
(1×60)
Bushby is a British ex-paratrooper, walking adventurer and author, currently attempting to be the first person to completely walk an unbroken path around the world. Leaving his family behind, Bushby has spent the past 12 years on this quest. SCIENCE has exclusive access to his original footage fro
m the most remote locations in the world over this time period.

SCI SPORTS: Killer Robots (2Q12)
(1×60)
Every year robot maniacs from around the world converge in San Franscico for Robogames, a three day event that celebrates the culture of extreme robotics. The marque event is the Heavyweight Combat Division, the Super Bowl of robot fighting where 220 pound robots warriors fight to the death, with the last robot standing being crowned the king of killer robots.

SCI SPORTS: Flying Anvils (3Q12)
(1×60)
While most people may not know what the sport actually is, anvil shooting is entwined in American history. Dating back to the Civil War, anvil shoots were originally a method of celebration and used to commemorate American independence. For this special, we’ll dig deep into the culture of anvil shooting and focus on the premiere event, the national Anvil Shootout, where fanatic anvil crafters compete to see who can design the most aerodynamic piece of steel and launch it the highest.

SCI SPORTS: Large Dangerous Rocket Ships (3Q12)
(1×60)
Every year, rocket enthusiasts from around the country descend upon Lucerne Valley, CA for the ultimate event in competitive rocketry — LDRS, otherwise known as Large, Dangerous Rocket Ships. From incredibly powerful rockets reaching altitudes of up to 100,000 feet to flying Port-O-Potties, these amateur engineers are here to show NASA how it’s done.
RIDLEY SCOTT’S PROPHETS OF SCIENCE FICTION is produced by Ridley Scott for SCIENCE. SCI SPORTS – Punkin Chunkin, Flying Anvils, LDRS and Killer Robots are produced by Sharp Productions. THE KARL BUSHBY PROJECT and THE RIDE are produced by Relativity Real. Season 3 of Meteorite Men is produced by LMNO productions. HOW ITS MADE Season 11 is produced by Maj Productions. How Do They Do It Season 9 is produced by Wag Productions. Iron Doctors is produced by Departure. Agent of Invention is produced by Intuitive Productions. The Michael Crichton Project is produced by New Animal. The Will Wright Future Project is produced by Raw TV. Through The Wormhole with Morgan Freeman Season 3 is produced by Revelations/Incubator.

About SCIENCE

SCIENCE, a division of Discovery Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), is home for the thought provocateur, the individual who is unafraid to ask the killer questions of “how” and “why not.” The network is a playground for those with audacious intellects and features programming willing to go beyond imagination to explore the unknown. Guided by curiosity, SCIENCE looks for innovation in mysterious new worlds as well as in its own backyard. SCIENCE and the SCIENCE HD simulcast reach more than 68 million U.S. households. The network also features high-traffic online and social media destinations, including ScienceChannel.com, facebook.com/Science Channel and twitter.com/Science Channel.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2011

Contacts: Chris Finnegan: 240-662-7589
Chris_Finnegan@discovery.com
-OR- Joanne Schioppi: 212-548-5084
Joanne_Schioppi@discovery.com

SCIENCE TO PREMIERE RICKY GERVAIS’ AN IDIOT ABROAD 2: THE BUCKET LIST
–Karl Pilkington Returns for More Punishment in Early 2012–

–AN IDIOT ABROAD Season One Is the Top-Rated Series in SCIENCE History–

(Silver Spring, Md.)—SCIENCE today announced that it is U.S. production partner for AN IDIOT ABROAD 2: THE BUCKET LIST, featuring Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington. Premiering on SCIENCE in early 2012, the second season is the follow-up to AN IDIOT ABROAD, which is the network’s highest-rated series ever. Since its premier in January 2011, more than 20 million viewers have watched AN IDIOT ABROAD on SCIENCE.

"We’re thrilled to return to SCIENCE for another grand experiment. It was hard work getting Karl to agree to another torture session, I mean series,” said Ricky Gervais. “It was time to give him a piece of the pie. It will most probably end up in his face. Most people think that the name of our production company, RiSK, is a combination of our initials. It’s also because there is a small chance that Karl could die.”
In the first season of AN IDIOT ABROAD, Gervais and Merchant conducted the grandest social experiment in television history, as they forced their close-minded friend, Pilkington, to travel around the globe to experience the Seven Wonders of the World. AN IDIOT ABROAD 2: THE BUCKET LIST again finds Pilkington sent out on a forced quest. This time, Gervais and Merchant send their reluctant friend around the world to sample adventures that “you must experience before you die.” The only problem is that the trip might kill him.

“I’ve never understood the ‘things to do before you die’ idea,” said Pilkington. “If I was ill, I’d be in no mood to have a swim with a dolphin.”

“AN IDIOT ABROAD was an absolute game-changer for SCIENCE. It brought humor to our network, and our audience responded in a huge way,” said Debbie Adler Myers, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SCIENCE. “This new season will be even bigger—Karl’s bucket list will be full of some of the most hilarious and ridiculous situations ever captured on television. Ricky, Steve, Karl and their team at RiSK Productions are putting their demented minds to good use.”

An Idiot Abroad is produced for SCIENCE by RiSK Productions and Mentorn International. For SCIENCE, Brian Lavin is network producer and Bernadette McDaid is Vice President of Production. For Mentorn International, Dan Goldsack is executive producer.

About SCIENCE

About Mentorn

Mentorn’s output has a breadth and quality that ranks it as one of the UK’s foremost producers. Established in 1985, Mentorn Media is one of the UK’s longest established independent television production companies, making thousands of hours for broadcasters in the UK and worldwide. With offices across the UK, they produce programs across a range of genres. “Question Time” and “Underage and Pregnant” are recognized brands in the BBC’s output, placing Mentorn as the sixth biggest supplier in terms of hours to the BBC in 2009. Over the last couple of years, Mentorn has produced two series: “The School Musical” and, in 2010, “An Idiot Abroad” with Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington for Sky 1HD. Mentorn USA has been established for 10 years in Los Angeles and has produced award-winning Bravo US series “Work Out”; “Paradise Hotel,: which ran on FOX, Fox Reality and MyNetwork; “Chef Academy” for Bravo US and “American’s Worst Driver” for the Travel Channel. Mentorn International is the distribution arm of Mentorn and Mentorn USA, leading independent producers in the UK and North America, with successful international formats and award-winning programming for the UK and worldwide. Mentorn International sells formats and licensed programs, including reality, entertainment, factual entertainment and factual genres.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2011

Contacts: Chr
is Finnegan 240.662.7589
Chris_Finnegan@discovery.com
-OR- Brittany Whiteford 240.662.6089
Brittany_Whiteford@discovery.com

DISCOVERY FIT & HEALTH ANNOUNCES COMPELLING LINE-UP OF PROGRAMS FOR THE 2011-12 UPFRONT SEASON

— All-New Series and Specials to Headline Slate for America’s Leading Health Lifestyle Network —

(New York, NY.) –Discovery Fit & Health today announced its slate of upcoming programming for the 2011-12 Upfront season. All-new programs slated to premiere beginning 4Q11, will provide a candid look at what happens when health, family, and human emotion collide. Seven new titles headline the Upfront for the all-new Discovery Fit & Heath, which launched on February 1, 2011.

“Discovery Fit & Health programming chronicles riveting stories of where medical drama meets everyday emotion” said Laura Michalchyshyn, president and general manager of Discovery Fit & Health. “The network features unforgettable characters who bring their own authentic, raw storytelling to the screen. Our viewers will be front row to watch the events unfold in what is truly captivating and powerful television.”

Discovery Fit & Health’s upcoming slate will feature profiles of people facing challenging – and often life-changing – health and lifestyle situations. Highlights include: DR.G: MEDICAL EXAMINER, the fan-favorite forensic thriller that takes viewers into the morgue to find answers from the beyond the grave. BIZARRE ER shares the shocking stories of emergency room mishaps straight from the doctors and nurses who witnessed it first hand. UNDER 18 AND UNDER THE KNIFE and UNDERAGE AND HAVING SEX are the revealing docu-drama about teenagers who have made the decision to grow up too fast.

A full list of acquisitions and descriptions can be found below:

DR.G MEDICAL EXAMINER: SEASON 6
6×60
Jan “Dr. G” Garavaglia has become an institution after overseeing hundreds of investigations and closing some of the most mysterious case files ever on television. From rare diseases, to toxic overdoses, to shocking murders, Dr. G gives the dead a voice and offers closure for their loved ones. In each of these all-new episodes, viewers will go back to the morgue at the District 9 Medical Examiner’s Office in Florida to learn how cases go from unsolved to unscrambled – all in a day’s work.

MY SECRET BODY
12×30
Each episode of MY SECRET BODY presents an emotional journey towards healing and redemption for people who literally cannot accept themselves in their own skin. Severe body image disorders plague these individuals, as counselors and doctors help guide each patient to a life of happiness – whether it involves surgery, therapy or both.

BIZARRE ER
40×30
This series goes behind the scenes to reveal remarkable, often shocking, real life emergency room cases. Witness some of the most extraordinary, jaw dropping injuries and learn weird and wonderful accident-related facts and statistics.

TEEN TAMER
5×60
Behavioral specialist Lorrine Marer has worked with some of the nation’s most challenging teens – whatever the problem, she’s seen it, heard it, and dealt with it before. Each episode documents Lorrine’s intervention with outrageous, unruly teens as she uses practical psychology techniques and exercises to help get them back on track.

MY TEEN’S A NIGHTMARe: I’M MOVING OUT
8×60
Loud music, shouting, swearing, smoking and drinking – teenagers can be some parent’s nightmare. Suppose you could just pack your bags and let someone else pick up the pieces? MY TEEN’S A NIGHTMARE: I’M MOVING OUT gives overwrought parents the chance to do just that, when teen expert Sarah Newton moves in for four days to give teens a behavior makeover.

MY MOM AND ME
1×60
This special tells the story of an extraordinary mother daughter relationship between plastic surgery obsessed model Alicia Douvall and her -well-balanced 14-year-old daughter, Georgia. Should Georgia follow her mom’s advice and exploit her sex appeal to get money, power and a rich husband, or should she finish her education? MY MOM, THE CENTERFOLD is a shocking yet heart-warming story of a mother and daughter whose relationship speaks volumes about the values of our looks in a fame-obsessed society.

UNDER 18 UNDER THE KNIFE
1×60
This special profiles two 16-year-old girls pursuing their dream of getting cosmetic surgery. After UK surgeons refused to operate on the two minors, they chase their dream to America, travelling to Texas to meet cosmetic surgery king Dr. Peter Driscoll. Before they go under the knife, both of the girls and their parents get a crash course on plastic surgery, including witnessing another teen go through the procedure. Will the girls go forward with their surgery after this experience, or will they have a startling change of heart?

UNDERAGE & HAVING SEX
1×60
Despite clear warnings about high rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, never before have so many young people embarked on the emotional rollercoaster to have sex at a young age. This film offers a frank and uncensored look at the sex lives of teenagers today as three sets of parents navigate the minefield that is today’s teenage culture and grapple with their daughter’s sexual activities.

DR. G MEDICAL EXAMINER is produced for Discovery Fit & Health by Atlas Media. BIZARRE ER is produced by Maverick Television. MY MOM AND ME is produced by Firecracker Films. LOVE TRANSLATED is directed by Julia Ivanova. TEEN TAMER is produced by talkback Thames. MY TEEN’S A NIGHTMARe: I’M MOVING OUT is produced by ITV Studios. UNDER 18 UNDER THE KNIFE is produced by Brighter. UNDERAGE & HAVING SEX is produced by Love Studios.

About Discovery Fit & Health
Discovery Fit & Health, a division of Discovery Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), entertains viewers with gripping, real-life dramas, featuring storytelling that chronicles the human experience from cradle to grave. Network programming includes forensic mysteries, amazing medical stories, emergency room trauma dramas, baby and pregnancy programming, parenting challenges, and stories of extreme life conditions. Discovery Fit & Health also features popular online and social media destinations found at DiscoveryFitandHealth.com, facebook.com/DiscoveryHealth and twitter.com/disc_health.

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