PBS to Premiere New Environmental Series

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 5: In
2009, PBS will premiere “The State of the Planet’s Oceans,” the next episode in
Screenscope’s environmental series Journey to Planet Earth, with Matt Damon returning as the on-camera
host/narrator.

Produced by Emmy
Award-winning filmmakers Hal and Marilyn Weiner, the founders of Screenscope, Journey
To Planet Earth reports on
significant environmental and sustainable development issues of the 21st
century. The episode “The State of the Planet's Oceans” investigates the health
and sustainability of the world's oceans, with an emphasis on issues affecting
marine preserves, fisheries and coastal ecosystems in the U.S. Some of the
stories and issues that are featured include the significance of rapidly
increasing glacier melt in Greenland; the loss of sea ice in the Arctic and its
worldwide affect on fisheries and wildlife; the effects of climate change and
unsustainable fishing on coral reefs; the success of marine preserves in the
Florida Keys and off the coast of Belize; and first-person essays by
oceanographers Sylvia Earle and Roger Payne.

An educational outreach
campaign is also being developed in association with South Carolina ETV. It
features the participation of Journey To Planet Earth museum and aquarium partners who will receive
advanced copies of the new show, as well as supporting material for promotional
use within their communities. In addition, an edited 25-minute version of the
program will be produced and made available to environmental organizations, as
well as schools and colleges throughout North America. Both long and short
versions of the episode will include a leader’s guide.

Episodes of Journey To Planet Earth are broadcast in markets like Western and Eastern
Europe, the Middle East, China, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Brazil and Canada.

“The State of the Planet's
Oceans” is made possible by a major grant from the National Science Foundation.

“This will be the eighth Journey
To Planet Earth episode narrated
by Matt Damon and working with him has turned into a true partnership,” said
Weiner.

—By Irene Lew