PROGRAMMING UPDATE
National Geographic Channel Adds New Show for Memorial Day Weekend
“Brokaw, Ballard, Ambrose: Reflections on War”

(WASHINGTON, D.C.-May 14, 2001) The National Geographic Channel today announced that it will air an original program, “Brokaw, Ballard, Ambrose: Reflections on War,” on Sunday, May 27, at 7:00 p.m. ET/11:00 PT. (This program replaces the previously announced program titled “National Geographic Today Special Edition: Bob Ballard.”) This show rounds out the Channel’s evening of original programming in honor of Memorial Day, which includes “National Geographic Channel Presents Pearl Harbor: Legacy of Attack” at 8:00 p.m. ET/ PT and “National Geographic Beyond The Movie: Pearl Harbor” at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

“Brokaw, Ballard, Ambrose: Reflections on War” offers a compelling and far-ranging look at World War II, from three unique perspectives. Deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard and historian Stephen Ambrose, both National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence, will be joined by NBC News anchor and author Tom Brokaw for the program that will originate from National Geographic Channel’s studio in Washington, D.C. Robert Ballard, world renowned for his discovery of the Titanic and the Bismarck, has studied World War II through its underwater relics at the Pacific Ocean battle sites of Pearl Harbor, Midway and Guadalcanal. Best selling author Stephen Ambrose has studied the war as a historian, chronicling its events and the profound changes they produced. Brokaw has written two books on the subject, “The Greatest Generation,” about the Americans who came of age during the Great Depression and fought in the Second World War, and the recently released “An Album of Memories: Personal Histories from the Greatest Generation.”

“Reflections on War” will feature taped pieces illustrating the passion these three men have brought to their study of World War II. Each piece will give them an opportunity to approach the subject from their own perspective: Brokaw on the greatest generation, Ambrose on the events that led up to D-Day, and Ballard on what may have been the last great naval war. The three will come together in National Geographic Channel’s “base camp” studio, located within National Geographic Society’s Washington D.C. campus, for an insightful discussion of the war and its global and national consequences. These in-studio discussions will be interspersed between, and inspired by, each of the individually taped segments.

Based at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel is a partnership between National Geographic Television and Fox Cable Networks Group. National Geographic Channel debuted to an initial 10 million homes in January 2001, and is now available in nearly 12 million homes. The National Geographic Channel enjoys carriage commitments with partners AT&T Business & Internet Services, DirecTV, Charter Communications, Adelphia Communications, the National Cable Television Co-Operative, Ameritech New Media, Classic Cable, and others to boost its overall reach to 32 million homes over the next five years, or about 40 percent of the nearly 80 million homes now receiving broadband television.

Media Contacts:

Russell A. Howard, National Geographic Channel,
202 912 6652
Nord R. Wennerstrom, The Fratelli Group, 202 822 9491

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May 2001