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DISCOVERY HEALTH DELIVERS CONTENT THAT MATTERS WITH ITS 2008-2009 UPFRONT SLATE
-- Premiere Series and Specials Offer Audiences Real Human Interest Television --
LOS ANGELES, Ca., April 08, 2008 � The Discovery Health upfront slate for 2008-2009 combines top-quality content, true-life stories and esteemed experts to deliver viewers content that matters. Up through its transition to OWN: THE OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK later in 2009, Discovery Health will continue to provide audiences with relevant, premium programming that they can look to for entertainment, information and inspiration.
The 2008-2009 upfront slate features more of the network's most popular genres, including medical mysteries like DR. G: MEDICAL EXAMINER and MYSTERY DIAGNOSIS; signature baby programming such as the new hit series DELIVER ME and profiles of amazing and unique families like THE DUGGAR FAMILY. This content will have a fresh new look as part of Discovery Health's revamped primetime lineup. Each night will be themed to provide viewers with healthy portions of their favorite programming genres:
Monday: Vital Signs � Inspiring stories of perseverance and triumph
Tuesday: Crib Notes � Everything about babies from birth to first steps
Wednesday: Amazing Families � Profiles of amazing and unique families like the Duggars
Thursday: Live It! � Experts sharing the secrets of eating healthy and living well
Friday: Body Fantastic � Exploring the fascinating world of the human body
Discovery Health connects with the key demographic of women age 25 to 54, known as "Chief Family Officers" or "CFOs." This audience demands smart, innovative and credible content across multiple platforms, and Discovery Health engages them on television, online and On-Demand. Multimedia initiatives such as THE NATIONAL BODY CHALLENGE �entering its sixth year�put these viewers in control of their health and wellness, enabling them to feel mentally prepared, emotionally supported and physically able to tackle the joys and challenges of life. Strong relationships with premiere advocacy organizations such as the American Heart Association, March of Dimes and American Diabetes Association enable Discovery Health to play a meaningful role in local communities all around the country.
Discovery Health finds human beings inherently fascinating. In 2008 and 2009, Discovery Health will present content that features babies, families and other unique characters unlike those of any other network. These series and specials include the following:
SERIES
DR.G: MEDICAL EXAMINER Season 4 (4Q08)
There is nothing more compelling than watching a pro crack the case in a baffling mystery. DR.G: MEDICAL EXAMINER brings that suspense and fulfillment right to your living room. With her no-nonsense attitude, Dr. G will draw you into her world of mystery, forensics and relentless determination to find the answers to families' lingering questions after the death of loved ones. As a married mother of two, Dr. G also finds herself balancing her family life with her unique career.
DUGGARS FAMILY SERIES (4Q08)
The Duggars aren't your typical family. With 19 people�17 children and two parents�every day is another fun-filled large-scale adventure. Step into the life of this supersized and loveable family as they take part in a wide range of exciting activities, such as opening a used car dealership, creating their first family garden and managing a friend's farm for a week.
Mystery Diagnosis Season 6 (4Q08)
In this riveting series, determined patients and their passionate advocates refuse to take no for an answer as they and their doctors solve their personal medical mysteries. Heroic patients and determined medical practitioners join forces to unravel mystery diagnoses.
Deliver Me Season 2 (4Q08)
The frantic pull between work and family is never easy, but when you are an OB/GYN dealing with high-risk pregnancies, every day at the ER can mean the difference between life or death for an unborn child. Meet doctors Alane Park, Yvonne Bohn and Allison Hill, three former school friends, all raising small children, and partners in a busy OB/GYN practice. To the pregnant moms who depend on them�some of them with life-threatening conditions�these doctors are truly angels. Discovery Health takes you inside the lives of these three superwomen as they share the unbelievable joys, stress and drama of balancing family with a dynamic medical practice.
Fit to Live (4Q08)
In this four-week series, follow everyday people as they are put to the test to see if they are fit enough to survive emergency situations ripped from the headlines, from escaping a flash flood to surviving a blizzard. Participants quickly discover that they may not have what it takes to save themselves or their loved ones�even if they are not overweight. But Dr. Pam Peeke and a team of trainers put them through an intense strength training program before they are given another chance to run a real-world gantlet. In this series, Dr. Peeke asks viewers if they are fit to live�mentally, nutritionally and physically.
Deliver Me Daytime (Q109)
In this 30-minute spin-off of the primetime series Deliver Me, viewers get an up-close look at their favorite patients from the practice of Doctors Hill, Park and Bohn. Audiences will follow these moms' personal lives in the weeks leading up to their delivery, the big day itself and the aftermath.
SPECIALS
Bailey Conjoined Twins (4Q08)
Special within Amazing Families Anthology
Mandy and Tor Bailey are the proud parents of very young conjoined twins. The girls�who share the same heart and liver�weren't supposed to survive more than minutes or days after birth, but Emma and Taylor have beaten the odds. Currently 17 months old, the vibrant young girls continue to set milestones with each passing day � which creates a whirlwind of new scenarios to challenge the Bailey family.
Autism x6: THE KIRTON FAMILY (4Q08)
Special within Amazing Families Anthology
In this eye-opening hour, Discovery Health will follow a very special family as they traverse the world of autism. The Kirtons have six children, and all six of them have some form of autism. This one-of-a-kind family offers a rare opportunity to learn about autism in a very personal way. Join this unbelievably strong family as they experience the joys, obstacles and personal triumphs that make up daily life in a family with six autistic children.
LOUD Family (4Q08)
Special within Amazing Families Anthology
Who among us hasn't had the fleeting thought at the end of a hard day�I'd like to sell it all, quit my job and hit the road. This is the story of a family who did just that. The Evans family sold their house, sold the majority of their belongings, purchased an old RV and took all four of their children out of school to begin a new life of learning on the road. Take a ride with the Evans family as they find adventure driving across America and teaching their children about life, nature and the "real" world.
Dr. Oz - You: Looking Great (4Q08)
Beauty is only skin deep� or so they say. In this new special from Discovery Health, Dr. Mehmet Oz brings his enthusiasm, energy and common sense to one of society's biggest obsessions: beauty. Based on his book on the subject, this hour on how to look your best for your whole lifetime will offer unique insights into achieving and maintaining beauty. Dr. Oz will show us that it's not just what's on the outside that counts, it's also what we put into our bodies that makes a big difference in how we look.
DR. Oz - You: 100 Pounds Overweight (4Q08)
It's estimated that more than 9 million adult Americans are 100 pounds or more overweight and morbidly obese. Dr. Oz will show us exactly what that extra 100 pounds does to the human body. Using real-life examples of people who will be put through a battery of scientific and medical tests, along with 3-D animation, we'll see graphically just how much strain every organ in the body is under with the additional weight. We'll even see Dr. Oz himself don a "fat suit" to add 100 pounds to his own frame as he demonstrates how that affects his ability to perform a variety of physical tasks. We'll also profile people who have lost at least 100 pounds and examine how their medical condition has changed.
Dr. G: How Not to Die (4Q08)
Dr. G is America's favorite medical examiner, and she wants to keep you alive and healthy. In her new book, How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons for Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Dr. G will shake up viewers' expectations about what can and will harm us. With her offbeat humor and no-nonsense speaking style, Dr. G will offer insights into wellness through surprising and often bizarre stories she has encountered in her morgue.
Breast Cancer Special (4Q08)
Every three minutes a woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer. While offering insight into the latest scientific breakthroughs in this fast-moving area of research, Discovery Health's breast cancer special will paint an intimate portrait of women battling this devastating disease and making their way along an emotional and inspirational road to recovery.
Marathon Love (4Q08)
Lynne McGovern was in her prime. She was young, outgoing, and about to get married to the love of her life, Jamie Parks. In the midst of making final arrangements for their wedding, Lynne's life was shattered by a near-fatal car accident which left her in a coma. Doctors said that Lynn might never recover from her vegetative state, but Jamie stayed by her side, convinced she would find a way back to him. Seven long months later, against all odds, Lynn woke up from the coma. Unable to stand or walk, Lynne had to endure years of grueling physical therapy just to relearn how to talk. One day Jamie decided to start running marathons with Lynne, pushing her in a wheelchair as he runs, as a testament to all they have overcome as a couple. Follow Jamie and Lynne as they attempt to complete the Boston Marathon.
Mystery of Autism (4Q08)
One in 150 8-year-olds in America sits somewhere on the autism spectrum � and no one knows for sure why. In this groundbreaking special from Discovery Health we examine the science, known facts and theories of autism and the inspirational stories of families affected by this mysterious disorder.
Flo & Kay (4Q08)
Flo and Kay are autistic savants. They never forget a face, a date, a number or the details of one of their beloved game shows. Enter into the extraordinary world of these two charming identical twin sisters as they take a road trip across America to meet their game show idol Dick Clark.
National Body Challenge (1Q09)
National Body Challenge is back, bigger and better than ever. In this weeklong event, teams of participants who are 100 pounds overweight will compete for a prize. Working with doctors, psychologists, nutritionists and trainers, these participants will unlearn a lifetime of bad habits and dangerous attitudes toward food during a six-month-long weight loss competition.
Baby Event (1Q09)
Who doesn't love babies? This Discovery Health special event showcases the smallest humans in all their glory. From that first smile that melts your heart to that first step that keeps you on your toes, we'll explore the amazing world of babies from every angle. Chock full of developmental facts, useable parenting tips and humorous accounts of life with baby, the Discovery Health BABY EVENT is one that viewers won't want to miss.
Miracle Weddings (1Q09)
Two couples. Two incredible love stories. Two weddings that needed a miracle. Mercedes was off to celebrate her promotion with her fianc�, Jake, when the bridge she was crossing in Minneapolis collapsed. Travis and Tiffany were planning to be married when Travis returned from his second deployment in Iraq. Only weeks before he was scheduled to return, Travis' Humvee was hit with an explosive device that blew off his legs. This special follows the inspiring stories of love and perseverance that brought them down the aisle.
Mermaid Girl (4Q08)
Eight-year-old Shiloh Pepin has defied the odds to become one of only three surviving children with Mermaid Syndrome in the world. She is an active, happy, bubbly girl who has no desire to separate her legs, despite the health risks of keeping them fused. Now her family must decide whether to take on the painful and complicated surgeries designed to separate her legs and risk damaging Shiloh's unstoppable optimism and contagious sense of joy.
About Discovery Health Media
Discovery Health Media includes the Discovery Health and FitTV television networks and online assets including DiscoveryHealth.com, as well as its Continuing Medical Education (CME) business and Discovery's first stand-alone VOD service, Discovery Health On-Call. Discovery Health Media is part of Discovery Communications, the world's number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications is owned by Discovery Holding Company (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.
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