National Geographic January-December 1990. I-II. [antikvár]

THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY PUTTING AN EYE to the camera: Who can resist? Not four-year-old Ali, star of a National Geo- graphic TV Special last year. The touching story of Ali and his family—as told in their own words—introduced millions of viewers to the van- ishing ways of hunter-gatherers in the rain forest of Cameroon. It was documentary television at its best. We've been producing such programs for 25 years now. Since our first Specials in 1965, we've won the hearts and minds of viewers by following our conviction that television ought to offer more than sex, violence, sports, and situation comedies. We've done it by giving people reality. We've taken them to real places, introduced them to real cultures, re- vealed the behavior of sharks, tigers, chimpan- zees, and other living crea- tures. We've proved the power of documentary films to expand our hori- zons. And now, through a series of developments, we're making it possible for audiences around the world to put their eyes to our cameras. "It's an exciting time for television," says Tim Kelly, vice president and director of the Society's television division. "With the rise of cable TV, _ broadcast syndication, home video, and international coproduction, we've seen new pathways opening up to a worldwide audi- ence. And it's a great time to be doing this, a pivotal time in terms of world politics and global environmen- tal concerns. Now more than ever, we have a great opportunity to carry out the Geographic's mission." Thanks to Tim and his staff—and the support of Chevron and Turner Broadcasting, who've shown great confidence in us over the years—the Society has emerged as one of the world's l eading makers of docu- mentaries. Of the 25 most popular shows on PBS, our Specials hold 20 places—including the first 13. During the past few years, our television division has virtually exploded: Twenty-five years ago we produced four hours of programming a year; today, some 60 hours. Many of our films are now made for EXPLORER, our two-hour magazine-style program carried each LISA SILCOCK, DJA RIVER FILMS From short features to full-length filmsy the Geographic has become one of the leading producers of documentaries in the world. week on TBS SuperStation. Hosted by oceanogra- pher Bob Ballard, EXPLORER can be seen in nearly 51 million homes in the United States. Ballard's own "Secrets of the Titanic" ranks as the single highest- rated basic cable program ever. A growing number of EXPLORER films are being coproduced with partners such as the British Broad- casting Corporation and Central Independent Television in the United Kingdom, and the Tokyo Broadcasting System in Japan. Through such co- operation we have not only expanded our foreign audiences but also gained access to new ideas and producers. We also release at least a dozen of our best films a year on videocassettes, both here and abroad. In addition, Specials from past years can be seen on the Best of National Geographic, a syndicated series on broadcast televi- sion, and selected EX- PLORER films can be viewed on the syndicated series On Assignment. Today, more than ever, viewers can afford to be more selective in what they watch. By taking a few moments to review television listings in ad- vance, they ought to have no trouble finding quality programs. Our own 1990 Specials, coproduced by WQED/ Pittsburgh, premiere January 10 with "Amazon, Land of the Flooded Forest," followed by "Bali, Mas- terpiece of the Gods" on February 7, "Journey to the Forgotten River" on March 7 (about wildlife in Botswana), and "Voices of Leningrad" on April 4— another season we can be proud of. When we first entered into television a quarter cen- tury ago, we did so slowly and deliberately. We knew the electronic media held great promise for us, and we wanted to be ready when the right moment came along. That moment has arrived —and we're making the most of it to meet the growing demand for quality geographic information.