Tuesday, October 23, 2007

NBC's 'Green Is Universal' Initiative Nov. 4-10


NEW YORK -- NBC Universal announced details for more than 150 hours of environmentally themed content encompassing all of NBCU's divisions across multiple platforms for the week of Nov. 4 - 10.

Additionally, the company took further steps to green its own operations worldwide, and for the first time, will award funds from the NBC Universal Foundation to three environmentally-focused organizations. The announcements, part of NBC Universal's ongoing "Green Is Universal" initiative, were made by Jeff Zucker, President and CEO, NBC Universal and Lauren Zalaznick, Chairman, NBC Universal Green Council and President, Bravo Media.

"The environment has become both a corporate and cultural issue," said
Zucker. "As a leading media and entertainment company, NBC Universal has a
responsibility, both in our own operations and in driving awareness. Green
is good for the world and the bottom line."

"Starting with this launch week of programming, the ongoing 'Green Is
Universal' initiative will help reach hundreds of millions of NBCU's
consumers, raising awareness, entertaining and ultimately, driving
results," said Zalaznick. "This week reinforces NBCU's continued commitment
to help raise environmental awareness through what we do in front of the
cameras and behind the scenes, in our offices, and in how we interact with
the community."

Separate related announcements are being made today by NBC
Entertainment, NBC Universal Entertainment Cable, the Sundance Channel,
Universal Parks and the Telemundo Network. Highlights of the company's
efforts are listed below.

NBC Universal's corporate commitment to green its own operations
worldwide continues to grow with its recently announced creation of a new
West Coast News Headquarters and Content Center. The Center will be a
leading example of sustainable design, construction and transit-oriented
development under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED(R) rating system.
NBC Universal will seek LEED Silver certification for new construction for
the Center and will target LEED for existing buildings for its ongoing
operations. Completed in May 2007, the Universal Studios lot installed its
first solar energy system, the largest in the industry. Located on
approximately 2.5 acres of hillside property, NBC Universal's long-term
goal is to secure an increasing portion of its power from solar or wind
generators.

In 2007, a different car service was introduced in New York, resulting
in a 75 percent air pollution improvement over the old service and will be
further improved by yearend when 25 percent of the fleet is replaced by
Hybrid vehicles. Additionally, NBC Universal is in the process of deploying
multi- functional office machines to enable employees to scan and e-mail
documents, thus eliminating the need for multiple devices and reducing
paper use.

NBC Universal's office supplier now provides paper with 34 percent
recycled content. This equates to 145,000 gallons of water saved, 400 trees
saved and 81,000 KWH conserved, or the equivalent of providing electricity
to seven homes a year.

NBC Universal has been measuring greenhouse gas emissions since 2004
and in the coming months, the company has committed to conducting Energy
Conservation Surveys ("eco audit") that will identify and prioritize
additional internal environmental improvements. The company will work with
GreenOrder, a sustainability strategy firm to provide an independent,
quantitative analysis and verification of its environmental footprint.

Separately, the NBC Universal Foundation, which supports non-profit
organizations that concentrate on strengthening public secondary education,
has selected one national and two local environmentally-focused
organizations to receive grants to promote environmental education and help
employees get directly engaged in environmental efforts in their
communities. They are the Student Conservation Association
(http://www.thesca.org); New York Restoration Project (http://www.nyrp.org) and the Los
Angeles Conservation Corps (http://www.lacorps.org).

"The More You Know," NBC Universal's award-winning public service
campaign, will debut brand new environmentally-themed spots to be broadcast
across all platforms. The messages will focus on global warming, pollution
and recycling as well as provide viewers with ways to make a difference.
Participating NBCU talent include: Molly Sims, Josh Duhamel and James
Lesure ("Las Vegas"); Noah Gray-Cabey ("Heroes"); Christopher Meloni ("Law & Order: SVU"); Ann Curry ("Today"); Jesse Martin and Jeremy Sisto ("Law & Order"); Linda Cardellini ("ER"); Donald Faison ("Scrubs"); Tim Gunn ("Project Runway" and "Guide To Style," Bravo); Jeffrey Donovan ("Burn Notice," USA); Tricia Helfer ("Battlestar Galactica," Sci-Fi); Maria Celeste ("Al Rojo Vivo con Celeste," Telemundo).

The company will launch a digital home for NBC Universal's "Green Is
Universal" initiative -- http://www.GreenIsUniversal.com -- to bring an
environmental perspective to its networks, platforms, audiences and
communities. Kicking-off on Nov. 4 with seven days of environmentally themed programming, GreenIsUniversal.com will live on with green tips, green clips, and a fast- paced blog covering everything at NBC Universal, and beyond.

Highlights of the company's 150 hours of green-themed content for the
week of Nov. 4-10 include:

-- NBC Sports kicks-off "Green Is Universal" on Nov. 4 during the "Sunday
Night Football" game between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
NBC's "Football Night in America" host Bob Costas will explain the programming effort on NBC during the NFL studio show as NBC Universal's networks simultaneously turn their respective network logos green at 8 p.m. ET. The broadcast also will feature additional announcements about "Green Is Universal," as well as incorporate the themes throughout its broadcast on Sunday night.

-- The following Saturday, Nov. 10, the Air Force vs. Notre Dame college
football game will feature the University of Notre Dame's students' and
professors' research for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2), from the emissions
of power plants, which could ultimately contribute to reversing the effects
of global warming.

-- Highlighted by the "Today" show's "Ends of the Earth" trip (see
separate release), NBC News will dedicate programming across many of its
platforms as part of the Initiative. "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams"
will feature a five-part green series -- dedicating each night to a single
topic: water, wind, grass, bio-fuels, nuclear, and how to "green your
house." NBC News' Environmental Correspondent, Anne Thompson, will
contribute to this series.

-- MSNBC will broadcast green-themed segments and programming all week,
including an emphasis on the politics of Green on "Super Tuesday," Nov. 6.
Throughout the week, the channel's "best and worst weather in America"
segments will focus on how environmental changes affect weather.

-- MSNBC.com will kick off its green series with special stories and
interactive features, including user-generated content showing what it's
like to be green in America. The FirstPerson eco-gallery will feature
videos and photos from consumers across the nation illustrating what
they're doing to help the environment. MSNBC.com will also feature
interactive slideshows, original stories, and video on a range of
environmental issues.

-- MSNBC.com's interactive features include "Warming World," a gateway
into compelling video, slideshows and stories about climate change around
the world. Consumers can also log on and learn about carbon trading, see
how the greenhouse effect happens, discover interesting engineering ideas
to cool the Earth, check out the greenest and meanest cars, and find out
about new and environmentally-friendly commuting options.

-- CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, will focus on investing
opportunities in the rapidly expanding and dynamic green movement covering
what Wall Street, venture capital firms and corporations are doing in such
areas as clean technology, alternative energy, and sustainability,
providing information for investors. In addition, CNBC will have
"conversations" with CEOs of top companies that are making a business in
the green space; large investors; environmental trailblazers in both the
private and government sectors; economic experts, as well as those who
question the business value of green. On Nov. 7, CNBC will report from the
Pacific Growth Equities 2007 Clean Technology & Industrial Growth
Conference in San Francisco; on Nov. 8, CNBC's housing reporter Diana Olick will report from Chicago and the Green Build Conference and Expo. That night, the network will broadcast a special green edition of CNBC's "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch" at 10 p.m. ET.

-- From the first and largest community of women online, iVillage's iGo
Green channel (http://www.ivillage.com/green) helps moms make the green lifestyle
work for them by featuring a wide variety and depth of green content, from
organic Thanksgiving ideas to eco-friendly gifts. In addition, iVillage's
gURL.com will feature a recycling game and Astrology.com will feature Green Scopes. Every day, new green content will be featured both on iVillage.com's main page and on its iGo Green channel, including opportunities to give green within iVillage Cares, with click-to-donate links for a variety of causes.

-- On November 1, iVillage.com will launch the iVillage Forest,
(http://www.ivillageforest.com), a virtual wintertime forest where visitors can help offset the 32 million trees that are cut down each December for holiday decorating. For each $5 donation, a virtual tree is planted in the iVillage Forest and a live tree is planted by The Conservation Fund (http://www.conservationfund.org).

-- The NBC Owned-and-Operated Stations will incorporate extensive
environmentally- themed stories throughout their newscasts and display
green logos and graphics on air. In addition, the group will run a
half-hour special on "Going Green at Any Age!" (check local listings). The
stations' Going Green websites will also have a green theme and will
provide calculators that can determine an individual's impact on the earth
according to carbon, water and energy use. Users can also download widgets
to get regional and national environmental news as well as the latest local
headlines sent to their desktops. Many of the stations will also continue
to partner with local organizations to promote green awareness in their
communities.

-- NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution's "Access Hollywood"
will report on Hollywood celebrities making an environmental difference,
with additional green interviews posted online at
(http://www.accesshollywood.com). On the Nov. 6 edition of "The Martha Stewart Show," (check local listings) naturalist, media personality and author David Mizejewski of the National Wildlife Federation, joins Stewart with several creepy-crawly friends to help educate her viewers on the growing importance of involving children in green activities and encouraging them
to spend more time outdoors. "Lyons and Bailes Reel Talk" will highlight Al Gore's Oscar-winning documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" on the November 10-11 episodes. Additionally, "The Jerry Springer Show," "Maury," "The Steve Wilkos Show," "The Chris Matthews Show," "The Wall Street Journal Report with Maria Bartiromo," "Your Total Health" and "Lyons & Bailes" are all participating in the effort.

-- Universal Pictures will prominently promote "Green Is Universal" on
http://www.universalpictures.com with a lead editorial placement and banner at the
bottom of the page. Universal Pictures also will send its more than 400,000 newsletter subscribers information on the "Green Is Universal" initiative, and GetOnBoardNow.org will be updated with current content. Universal Pictures will run the "Green Is Universal" PSA's as a post-roll on their online trailers during this programming week and as ads in theater lobbies.

About NBC Universal
NBC Universal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment
companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment,
news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May, 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric and 20% owned by Vivendi.

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