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Discovery Studios Develops original content for Planet Green and other Discovery media
Discovery Studios Discovery Studios is the recently-created division of Discovery Communications charged with developing and producing original series, specials, theatrical documentaries and short form content for Discovery’s television networks. Veteran television executive Nancy Daniels has been named Vice President of Development and Production for Discovery Studios. Based in Burbank, Calif., Daniels will oversee all West Coast production and development activities for Discovery Studios. Projects now under her supervision include programs for TLC, Travel Channel, Planet Green, Discovery Health Channel and others. About Discovery StudiosDiscovery Studios is devoted to the creation of original television series and specials, theatrical films and short-form content within Discovery Communications, the number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries.Through TV and digital media, Discovery's 100-plus worldwide networks include Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, The Science Channel, Discovery Health and Discovery HD Theater. Discovery Communications is owned by Discovery Holding Co. (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman. For more information about Discovery Communciations visit www.discoverycommunications.com. For more information about Planet Green visit planetgreen.discovery.com For more information about SUBMISSIONS visit submissions.discovery.com |
Discovery is introducing Planet Green, a cable brand promoted as the first 24-hour channel dedicated to eco-friendly living. The 24-hour eco-oriented lifestyle network will launch with 50 million cable homes. It is the highest-profile cable channel introduction of the year, and an equally risky one. By wrapping itself in the planet, Discovery is betting that “eco-tainment” will appeal to viewers.
The channel’s programming is studded with celebrities such as
- Chef Emeril Lagasse hosting a cooking show featuring organic and locally grown foods, and "Entourage" star Adrian Grenier living a green life.
- "Greensburg," a 13-episode documentary series, follows the story of a small Kansas community coming together after being hit by a 5-rated tornado in May 2007. The series is produced by Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, along with Craig Piligian's Pilgrim Films & Television.
- "Hollywood Green," a weekly entertainment magazine, will showcase earth-conscious celebrities.
- "G Word," a daily series hosted by two news correspondents
- "Wrecklamation," billed as recycling on steroids.
The channel has almost all original programming — partly because there was not an available vault of entertaining environmental programming to tap into. Part of their challenge has been educating the production community that may have had certain expectations of what green content is.
Planet Green's Target Audiences
Planet Green will speak to people who want to understand green living and to those who truly want to make a difference by providing tools and information to meet the critical challenge of protecting our environment. Planet Green's platforms include leading eco-lifestyle website TreeHugger.com and the recently launched solutions-oriented PlanetGreen.com.Discovery is also launching Discovery Education Green, a K-12 service that hosts dynamic media content correlated to state standards. Discovery Education Green will help teachers integrate Green lessons into their curriculum and empowers students to make more environmentally conscious decisions.
Planet Green's Promotion
Timed to the switch from Discovery Home to Planet Green, Discovery marketers are conducting “Random Acts of Greenness.” At the Indianapolis 500 last month, they handed out T-shirts and beach balls to consumers who exemplified green living, and sponsored the cleanup day after the race. The giveaways will continue in New York, Milwaukee; Washington; and San Diego, San Francisco and Oakland, Calif.On launch day, Wednesday, June 11, 2008. Mr. Zaslav will throw out the first pitch in Washington, and the stadium’s JumboTron will count down to the channel’s 6 p.m. debut. Also that day, all the Discovery cable networks will show green logos.
The New York Post is going green on Wednesday, too: the newspaper will turn its flag green that day and feature advertisements for the channel all week. The newspaper will also give away 250 bicycles with Planet Green branding.
“This is a new genre,” Ms. O’Neill said. “People don’t have any set expectations of what green media is, and we’re defining it — as really funny, engaging, entertaining and definitely credible.”
Planet Green: planetgreen.discovery.com
Discovery Studios: www.discoverystudios.com
MARYLAND
1 Discovery Place
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: +1 (240) 662-2000
LOS ANGELES
2600 West Olive Avenue
5th Floor
Burbank, CA 91505
Tel: +1 (818) 333-5255
Green Products Under Scrutiny
Many manufacturers claim their products are environmentally-friendly, but how green are they? Priya David reports.The segments of REFERENCE hit hardest by the increasing availability of information online are the core staples of reference.
Multi-volume encyclopedias, such as Encyclopedia Americana, have largely seen their day.
Online distribution and volumen also are changing players: Wikipedia dwarfs its competition. The English-language Wikipedia surpassed 2.3 million entries last month; Britannica Online claims 120,000 articles.
The National Geographic Society reports that cartography is another category hit hard by the Internet. Maps and pocket atlases have been severely hurt. But big atlases haven't been dramatically affected in the same way.
Online dictionaries and thesauruses are displacing print predecessors.
Some observers believe that online upstarts can't compete with the depth, context and authority that traditional publishers can offer.
“Wikipedia, or any free information resources, challenge reference publishers to be better than free,” says Random House's Russell. “It isn't enough for a publisher to simply provide information, we have to add value. Yes, you can find free information anywhere online, but reference publishers still have plenty to add to the conversation.”
“Some things Wikipedia doesn't do. It's not a 'how to'; it doesn't offer judgment. By and large, it can't have image-heavy articles. It's an overview,” he explains.
Recently questions have bubbled up from the L.A. Times and others about whether an operation the size of Wikipedia as a nonprofit with no advertising can sustain itself mainly on donations. For the moment, though, it remains just that.
“Wikipedia has no interest in keeping people on the site. It has no need to be sticky,” Broughton says, referencing the fact that Wikipedia often functions as a gateway to other sources of information—such as newspapers—in the form of the citations used to document articles. “To the extent that publishers commit resources to content online, a link may actually drive users there. There is a synergy with some traditional media in that way.”
The Solution?
Traditonal publishers are increasingly promoting their reference efforts online and incorporating multimedia elements.
For National Geographic, that can mean elaborate online book trailers for upcoming titles, showcasing the beautiful photographs and video the brand is famous for.
Editorial synthesis is also adding value to traditional publishing. Reference books that actively add context and commentary, like offerings from Barron's that provide ranked lists in various categories, are continuing to be strong sellers.
SOURCE: Publishers Weekly
The findings from the nationwide survey conducted among more than 3,000 women reveal key insights on the female psyche across topics including health and well-being:
When it comes to health, women are more concerned about
diet/weight (56%) and eating right (36%)
than they are about
cancer
(23%), cardiovascular/heart health (20%), and diabetes (18%)
- Many women are skipping important medical examinations, including annual physicals and cancer screenings
- Less than two-thirds (59%) of all women get an annual physical, even lower among Gen Y women (44%).
- Nearly one-third of Boomer women are not getting their important annual mammograms, cholesterol checks or physicals.
- 62% of women regularly give themselves a breast self-examination, while only 14% of all women get a skin cancer screening at least once a year.
Four in 10 women report that they are more than 20 pounds overweight
- Gen Y women are more likely than Gen X and Boomer women to say they are at their ideal weight (29% vs. 9%, 7% respectively).
- Relatively few (4%) overweight women say they would consider surgery as a weight reduction strategy; a substantial number say they would consider exercise (76%) and improving their diet (75%) to lose weight.
Still, when it comes to achieving a healthy lifestyle, more women
opt for simple strategies like “drinking more water” and “eating more
fruits and vegetables” than more disciplined approaches like
“exercising three times a week”, “lowering calorie intake”, “watching
their sugar intake” and “using portion control”
- Not surprisingly, women are sensitive about their own weight, with 4 in 10 (40%) who say it’s wrong for a man to tell a woman that she’s overweight
- However, relatively fewer women think it’s wrong for a woman to tell a man he’s overweight (32%) or a parent to tell a child he or she is overweight (26%).
Most women think the battle of the bulge starts at the schools at an early age; the majority of moms claim that while their child(ren) eat junk food, it’s “not when I’m around”
Top 10 Health Concerns (across all generations)
1. Diet/weight control (56%)
2. Eating well/nutrition (36%)
3. Allergies (27%)
4. Aging process (26%)
5. Mental health (25%)
6. Arthritis (24%)
7. Cancer (23%)
8. Cardiovascular/heart health (20%)
9. Diabetes (18%)
10. Menopause (18%)
Medical check-ups:
- Less than two-thirds (59%) of all women get an annual physical, while more than two-thirds get an annual blood pressure check-up (67%) and visit the dentist at least once a year (66%).
- Only 44% of Gen Y women get an annual physical, compared to 69% of Baby Boomer women.
- 62% of women regularly give themselves a breast self-examination, while only 14% of all women get a skin cancer screening at least once a year.
- Nearly one-third of Boomer women are not getting their important annual mammograms, cholesterol checks or physicals.
Non-traditional approaches to health & wellness:
To improve health and well-being, some women have taken the following
non-traditional approaches: natural herbs and supplements (26%),
bought/adopted a pet (25%), meditation (11%), acupuncture (4%), visited
a hypnotist (1%).
What Women Want: To Look and Feel Good
Dissatisfaction with physical appearance/energy levels:
While most women like who they are inside and are satisfied with
their “identity and development as an individual” (68%), only 4 in 10
women say they are satisfied with their physical appearance (40%)
and/or energy levels (37%).
Professionals Women Would Want to Hire*
1. Personal Trainer (47%)
2. Personal Chef (34%)
3. Financial Advisor (31%)
4. Live-In Housekeeper (31%)
5. Professional Masseuse (29%)
6. Nutritionist (28%)
7. Professional Organizer to de-clutter your living space or office (24%)
8. Stylist (19%)
9. Interior Decorator (15%)
10. Career Counselor (13%)
*allowed up to 5 choices
Women’s Lifestyles:
Most women don’t want to work too hard to achieve a healthy
lifestyle, opting for simple solutions like drinking more water or
eating more fruits and vegetables over the more disciplined approaches
like exercising regularly, counting calories, and using portion control
(see chart below)
What Women Do to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle*
- Drink more water (80%)
- Eat more fruits and vegetables (70%)Read nutritional labels (49%)
- Avoid foods that are high in fat (47%)
- Make a conscious effort to lower calorie intake (44%)
- Watch my sugar intake (44%)
- Exercise at least three times a week (43%)
• Women with children are especially likely to say that “it is difficult for me to find time to take care of my physical appearance” (28% vs. 22% total women).
Overweight Women:
- The vast majority of American women (84%) feel they are overweight.
- 13% of women feel that they are the ideal weight, while 23% feel they are 21-50 pounds overweight and 16% report being more than 50 pounds overweight.
- Older women are more likely than younger women to report they are overweight and to join weight management programs
- More Gen Y women (29%) feel they are the ideal weight, compared to Gen X women (9%) and Baby Boomer women (7%).
- Gen X women (22%) and Baby Boomer women (20%) are more likely to get involved in weight management programs to improve their health and well-being than Gen Y women (14%).
- On the other hand, Gen Y women (24%) are more likely to do yoga or Pilates to improve their health and well-being than their Gen X (18%) and Boomer (8%) counterparts.
Among women who feel they are overweight, exercise (76%) and improving diet (75%) are the top two strategies for weight reduction, while taking medications and/or dietary supplements (17%) and undergoing surgery (4%) are less popular methods.
READ MORE"It is particularly important for marketers in the health and wellness category to have a clear understanding of women's behaviors, motivations and thoughts so that the messaging they create will resonate and have enhanced impact," said Debbie Reichig, Senior Vice President, Market Development, NBC Universal. “We are thrilled to be able to make this information available to them.”
Watch a 6-minute trailer for the DVD "Planting the Vision" below.
> Watch the Natural Heroes Fruit Tree Tour Promo on the Natural Heroes site
InnoCentive
was set up by Eli Lilly in 2001 as an experimental way to farm out some
of the giant drugmaker’s biggest product development challenges by
posting them on the Web and inviting people around the world to submit
competing solutions, with a substantial monetary prize as the reward
for the winner.
Two years ago, Lilly spun out the company as an independent venture, and it has since diversified beyond the life sciences to a range of disciplines, such as computer science and cleantech. And today, the organization announced that it’s raised a new pile of venture money—$6.5 million altogether, which it will use to upgrade its platform and expand its network of “solvers,” people who submit solutions in hopes of winning awards that range from $10,000 to $1 million. To date, solvers have collected over $3 million in awards, according to InnoCentive.
It works like this: Companies (called “seekers”) work with InnoCentive to craft a well-defined challenge and pick a dollar amount for the award. InnoCentive then alerts its network of solvers, and those who choose to engage in a particular challenge are given access to online project rooms containing proprietary details about the seeker’s project. At the end of the challenge period, the seeker evaluates the solutions and chooses one as the winner; InnoCentive then helps transfer the rights to the solution from the solver to the seeker’s organization.
It isn’t “crowdsourcing” in the typical Web 2.0 sense of throwing
open a problem and soliciting thoughts and contributions from thousands
of random Internet surfers. It would be more accurate to describe
InnoCentive’s platform as a mechanism for soliciting RFPs (requests for
proposals) from a much broader cross-section of experts than any
company could reach through the traditional business consulting
process.
Planet Eureka
Companies like Procter & Gamble use Innocentive’s system to find new product ideas faster than they might on their own, and the model has even inspired imitators such as Ohio-based Planet Eureka, which launched last in April 2008.
READ MORE: xconomy.com
Movies and television are the key drivers to toy sales
Lionel Emerges From Bankruptcy As Entertainment FirmThere are lessns to be learned here for green companies that conduct research and development. Products are inherently appealing to consumers...but not all companies that are expert in research and development of products are also experts at marketing, distribution and corporate finance for global marketplaces.
The Wall Street Journal
Lionel LLC, which emerged from bankruptcy-court protection last week, will be an entertainment company and not just a toymaker, according to CEO Gerald Calabrese, a former Marvel Comics executive who shepherded the 108-year-old company through bankruptcy. "We're not the distribution and sales mechanism anymore," he says. "We're the intellectual property.
Breaking into the broader toy market is key to Lionel's growth, Calabrese says. During the company's stint under bankruptcy protection, sales for Lionel starter sets--kid-friendly systems that range in price from $129 to $300--more than doubled. Developing new products that appeal to children and getting them on the shelves at big retail outlets is only part of what Calabrese calls the pop-cultural segment of the toy market. He says that in today's marketplace, movies and television are the key drivers to sales.
Transition is also being faced by print media, and maybe there are lessons we can learn from these highly public companies that are having to make significant changes in full light of their communities:
Print-Online Transition Is Possible
The New York Times
Among the big questions currently hovering over the media industry is can print media survive the transition to the Internet? The question has taken on new urgency, as the tanking economy places even more pressure on newspapers and magazines (whose customers and advertisers were already heading to the Internet in droves even before the recession).
The experience of International Data Group, a technology publisher, suggests that it can be done. The privately held company claims to have successfully migrated its publications to the Internet, where online ad revenue now surpasses that of print. However, the transition was not seamless: It took years of investment, upheaval and changes in its journalism practices.
"The excellent thing, and good news, for publishers is that there is life after print - in fact, a better life after print," said Patrick J. McGovern, the founder and chairman of I.D.G. InfoWorld, the company's flagship publication, completely moved its operations to the Web a year ago. In April 2007 it generated ad revenue of $1.5 million on a slight operating loss. Today, the Web site makes $1.6 million a month with an operating profit margin of 37%. Overall, 52% of the company's revenue is from online ads, while 48% comes from print. SOURCE: NYTimes.com
It can take months of waiting nervously to see if significant changes take root and survive infancy to flourish:
The biggest single step in I.D.G.’s online shift came in 2007, when the last print edition of InfoWorld appeared and it became a Web-only publication. The technology publisher has not just stabilized its business, but is also growing at about 10 percent a year.
One strategy that transitioned over time is adopting an “online first” business model. Three years ago, the editorial staff was divided into three people who worked on the Web site only and the rest only on print. Today, there are no print and Web barriers. The total staff size, at 23, is one fewer than in 2005, but now most of them spend 80 percent of their time on the Web, while a handful of writers spend 80 percent of their time on the long centerpiece articles in the print magazine.That same strategy can work for traditional companies that are transitioning into the green space. By building an inside team who work through the transition one step at a time, they build the infrastructure, the corporate intelligence, and prepare the new managers for the new world.
Larger, traditional companies have the luxury of this kind of transition, notwithstanding a corresponding problem that arises out of a fast transition to climate change regulations that necessitate a speedy response.
Smaller companies that are "totally green" don't have that traditional revenue behind them...nor do they have the legacy staff, the legacy shareholder expectations, or the legacy management to convince every step along the way.
But what is clear in the board rooms around the world, is that the green transition is of as great, or greater seachange than the Internet. The survival of entire cities and corporate land holdings are just one of the dangers that are driving this transition.
Penguin Classics set up a blog where anybody can post a review of one of their books. Well, not exactly anybody. The selection process is random because they have a limited number of books. But if you win their lottery, type away about how you feel about Virginia Woolf.
ABC.com hopes to generate as much ad revenue as it does from its on-air programming. To keep viewers interested in ads ABC has found that ads should be created specifically for the Internet and not repurposed commercials from broadcast TV. ABC research that revealed better results for ads that promoted interactivity like casual gaming.
Slide.com layers social content applications on top of Facebook, Orkut, Friendster and more. Slide enables you to make a slide show onliine, personalize your pics with stickers and graffiti, have a personal Guestbook, frame your YouTube videos with snazzy borders, upload your images, and get screensavers. All designed for "engagement" so that you'll use their website and drive up their community engagement for advertisers who want comsumer eyeball time.
My question is...what do green consumers want? Do they want to spend more time on their computers, just like their not-so-green siblings? Do they want to belong to a virtual community with similar values? What do YOU want from your green online media?
Seriously, I'd love to hear from you. Send an email or call me. I'm an approachable editor searching for common sense ways to share green solutions around the digital campfire. Carolyn Allen: 310-827-2510 or email at CAROLYN (at) CaliforniaGreenSolutions.com
... or add your questions, suggestions, observations in our COMMENTS. Let's talk!
Contact: Carol Goldberg (202) 265-7337
NEW JERSEY MODEL FOR PRIVATIZED TOXIC CLEAN-UPS FAILS AUDITS
Serious Violations Found in More than Two-Thirds of Audited Massachusetts Sites
Trenton — More than two out of three privately supervised toxic clean-ups in a Massachusetts program that New Jersey wants to adopt failed audits with serious violations, according to records released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Despite these red flags, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is rushing to embrace further privatization of its troubled toxic remediation program as a cost-free panacea.
PEER argues that DEP has an unrealistic view of its plan to license private sector consultants to replace state employees in overseeing remediation of contaminated sites program by overlooking –
- The need to hire new state employees to license and oversee the private consultants. DEP is under a hiring freeze and does not have surplus employees to assign to run this new program;
- Privatization does not mean the program is free. DEP has disclosed no plan to plan for financing the program nor is it clear how the state will save any money in its operation; and
- Perhaps most importantly, DEP has failed to prioritize any of its more than 16,000 toxic sites – something DEP is legally required to do and has promised to do for the past two years. Without a ranking system, public health will remain secondary to developer interest in deciding where to invest scarce resources.
