Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures "Voyage to Kure" co-produced by KQED Public Broadcasting and Ocean Futures Society
June 15, 2006, Washington, DC - The historic announcement today by President Bush naming the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a national monument and the world's largest protected marine area was inspired in part by the PBS documentary series Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures "Voyage to Kure," which premiered April 5, 2006 on PBS stations nationwide.
In March 2006, Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of Jacques Cousteau, John Boland, Chief Content Officer for KQED, Julie Fasone Holder of series sponsor Dow Chemical Company and others were invited to screen the film at the White House for President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. The impact of this screening is apparent today in an unprecedented example of public television making a visible and lasting contribution to the world's environment.
After the screening, held in cooperation with the Council for Environmental Quality (CEQ), that night the President announced his support for federal protection of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and told John Boland, KQED, that he had learned a lot from the show.
"On behalf of PBS and KQED, we are delighted that Jean-Michel Cousteau's series played a role in this historic decision by the President. This monument will be a lasting treasure for generations to come," said John F. Wilson, Sr. Vice President, PBS Programming.
Jeff Clarke, President and CEO of KQED Public Broadcasting, adds, "This tremendous achievement exemplifies the success of working collectively in partnership with Ocean Futures Society and our corporate sponsor Dow Chemical Company. We also want to thank Dow for their ongoing support of this series including educational outreach."
The PBS broadcast of "Voyage to Kure" raised the visibility of this environmental crisis nationwide, as stations premiered the program in April to wide acclaim by critics and press. The next episodes of the series, "Sharks at Risk" and "The Gray Whale Obstacle Course," air Wednesdays, July 12 and 19 at 8pm on PBS stations. Both programs continue Cousteau's mission to raise awareness of marine life and ocean ecologies.
Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures returns to PBS this September with the series finale: a two-part special investigation of the 13 national marine sanctuaries in "America's Underwater Treasures," airing on September 20 and September 27 at 8pm. Cousteau, his son Fabien, his daughter Celine and his team of expert divers set out for the first time to investigate all of these exquisitely beautiful, distinct ecosystems. While discovering what makes each of them unique, the team also explores what threatens these sites and what is being done. Traversing thousands of miles, the Ocean Adventures team goes below and above the sea off the coasts of Michigan, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Massachusetts, California, Oregon, Hawaii and American Samoa in a quest to introduce Americans to these vibrant but fragile marine sanctuaries.
For more information about the PBS series, Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures, go to www.pbs.org/oceanadventures.
Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures is produced by KQED and Ocean Futures Society. The exclusive corporate sponsor is The Dow Chemical Company.
About KQED
Northern California Public Broadcasting operates KQED Public Television 9, one of the nation's most-watched public television stations during prime-time, and KQED's digital television channels, which include KQED HD, KQED Encore, KQED World, KQED Life and KQED Kids; KQED Public Radio, the most-listened-to public radio station in the nation with an award-winning news and public affairs program service (88.5 FM in San Francisco and 89.3 FM in Sacramento); KQED.org, one of the most visited station sites in public broadcasting; and KQED Education Network, which brings the impact of KQED to thousands of teachers, students, parents and media professionals through workshops, seminars and resources.
About Ocean Futures Society
Ocean Futures Society (OFS) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. With the motto, "Protect the ocean and you protect yourself," the mission of OFS is to explore our global ocean, inspiring and educating people throughout the world to act responsibly for its protection, documenting the critical connection between humanity and nature, and celebrating the ocean's vital importance to the survival of all life on our planet. OFS is based in Santa Barbara, California, with offices in Paris and Lucca, Italy. For more information, visit www.oceanfutures.org.
About PBS
PBS is a media enterprise that serves the nation's 348 public noncommercial television stations, reaching nearly 90 million people each week through on-air and online content. Bringing diverse viewpoints to television and the Internet, PBS provides high-quality documentary and dramatic entertainment, and consistently dominates the most prestigious award competitions. PBS is the leading provider of educational materials for K-12 teachers, and offers a broad array of other educational services. PBS' premier kids' TV programming and Web site, PBS KIDS Online (pbskids.org), continue to be parents' and teachers' most trusted learning environments for children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet.
About Dow
Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $40 billion, Dow serves customers in 175 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress, including food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its 43,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. Visit www.dow.com for further information.
Contacts: Yoon Lee, Associate Director of Communications, KQED
415.553.3338/ ylee@kqed.org
Carrie Johnson, Senior Director Primetime Publicity, PBS
703.739.5129/ cjohnson@pbs.org