BREAKS RECORDS FOR HISTORY™
FIRST NIGHT OF THE SPECIAL BECOMES THE NETWORK’S HIGHEST-RATED & MOST-WATCHED OF ALL TIME
New York, April 26, 2010 – The first night of AMERICA THE STORY OF US has become the highest rated, most watched special in network history, it was announced today by Nancy Dubuc, President and General Manager, HISTORY™. The first night was watched by 5.7 million total viewers and drew a 4.0 household rating. Last night 8-11pm will go down as HISTORY's best night ever across the board.
AMERICA, THE STORY OF US - 9-11PM
HH Rating: 4.0
Total Viewers: 5.7 million
A18-49: 2.6 million
A25-54: 2.7 million
M18-49: 1.6 million
M25-54: 1.6 million
“We’re thrilled by the launch of AMERICA THE STORY OF US,” said Ms. Dubuc. “The success personifies the hunger for information and the desire to re-connect with our past. Ultimately there’s no story more dramatic and gripping than the story of America itself. We’ve tried to present this incredibly diverse narrative in a way that is engaging for people today. We’re very pleased with the response and look forward to sharing the upcoming episodes with the American public.”
AMERICA THE STORY OF US is an epic six-night television event – new episodes premiere on HISTORY™ this Sunday, 5/2 at 9pm ET and with new episodes premiering Sundays at 9pm and culminating on Memorial Day 9pm ET.
This Sunday, May 2, 9-11pm ET, AMERICA THE STORY OF US follows westward expansion in WESTWARD (9pm Eastern) and as America experiences rapid change in trade, transport and manufacturing, quickly turning America into one of the wealthiest nations on Earth there is increasing animosity between North and South in DIVISION (10pm Eastern).
In conjunction with the broadcast, HISTORY has launched its largest ever educational outreach initiative and is for the first time offering a DVD of the entire 12-hour series to every single school and accredited college in America – free of charge. The series is being presented by Bank of America® and narrated by Liev Schreiber.
AMERICA THE STORY OF US tells the extraordinary story of how America was invented, looking at the moments where Americans harnessed technology to advance human progress— from the rigors of linking the continent by transcontinental railroad, the internet of its day, to triumphing over vertical space through construction of steel structured buildings. The series is also a story of conflict – with Native American peoples, slavery, the revolutionary war that birthed the nation, the Civil War that divided it and the great world war that shaped its future. This is a look at the forces that have shaped our nation - the people, places and things that created this most astounding country. It’s a tough and thrilling adventure.
In addition, back-to-back premieres of PAWN STARS in the 8pm hour averaged a 3.6 HH rating and 5.0 million total viewers, up 24% and 28%, respectively, from the Season 2 to-date average.
AMERICA THE STORY OF US is produced for HISTORY by Nutopia, a new production company started by Jane Root, former President of Discovery Channel. Prior to that Jane ran BBC2, and was a founder of the production company Wall to Wall Television. Jane Root is Executive Producer, Michael Jackson is co-Executive Producer and Ben Goold is Series Showrunner. For HISTORY, Nancy Dubuc, David McKillop and Julian P. Hobbs are Executive Producers.
HISTORY™ and HISTORY HD™ are the leading destinations for revealing, award-winning original non-fiction series and event-driven specials that connect history with viewers in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. Programming covers a diverse variety of historical genres ranging from military history to contemporary history, technology to natural history, as well as science, archaeology and pop culture. Among the network's program offerings are hit series such as American Pickers, Ax Men, Battle 360, How The Earth Was Made, Ice Road Truckers, Pawn Stars and The Universe, as well as acclaimed specials including 102 Minutes That Changed America, 1968 with Tom Brokaw, King, Life After People, Nostradamus: 2012, Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed and WWII in HD. HISTORY has earned four Peabody Awards, seven Primetime Emmy® Awards, 12 News & Documentary Emmy® Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History® campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. Take a Veteran to School Day is the network's latest initiative connecting America's schools and communities with veterans from all wars. The HISTORY web site, located at www.history.com, is the definitive historical online source that delivers entertaining and informative content featuring broadband video, interactive timelines, maps, games and more.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Press Release: Premiere Night Ratings for America The Story of US
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
America: The Story of Us Trailer
Source: Electric Artists
History Channel and America: The Story of Us Foursquare Contest
Featured Cities Include New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Chicago, Seattle, Austin, Denver, Phoenix, Detroit and Minneapolis
Randomly Selected Users Will Win AMERICA THE STORY OF US Prize Package
AMERICA THE STORY OF US PREMIERES on SUNDAY, APRIL 25 at 9:00 PM ET on HISTORY
New York, April 14, 2010 – Across the country, users of foursquare, the popular location-based social media platform for mobile phones, will be “checking in” to sites associated with American history in their local communities with the April 19 launch of the America The Story of Us Sweepstakes on foursquare. The promotion was created through a partnership between foursquare and HISTORY channel in conjunction with the network’s upcoming premiere of AMERICA THE STORY OF US, an epic 12-hour television event and education initiative that tells the tough and thrilling adventure that is America's 400-year history. The series debuts on Sunday, April 25 at 9pm ET on HISTORY.
Those interested in participating can download the foursquare application on their mobile device and or follow HISTORY at: www.foursquare.com/historychannel
Upon checking-in to select locations, users will receive a “Fun Fact Pop Up” with interesting information about the location by HISTORY. For example: users in New York who check in to St. Paul’s Chapel will discover George Washington worshipped there on his Inauguration in 1789 and users in Los Angeles who check in at the Cinerama Dome will find out it opened in 1963 with the premiere of 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World' and that it’s the world’s only concrete geodesic dome. Users are also encouraged to leave their own comments about the sites for others to discover.
"Teaming up with foursquare for the AMERICA THE STORY OF US promotion reinforces the HISTORY brand's 360 degree approach of aggressively reaching our viewers in new platforms," says Chris Moseley, SVP of Marketing for HISTORY. "The connection to AMERICA THE STORY OF US is a perfect fit as it will allow users of foursquare to discover the history in their own cities as well as leave historical tips for others to experience."
Ten randomly selected foursquare users will win HISTORY prizes each week from April 25-June 6. Winners will receive a History sports bag filled with prizes such as a Classic 1935 Monopoly Game, portable cooler, grilling tools, picnic set, and more.
Narrated by Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, A View from the Bridge), AMERICA THE STORY OF US is the most in-depth television series ever produced by HISTORY, as well as the broadest educational outreach initiative the network has ever undertaken. It is the first television event in nearly forty years to present the history of America, and the most elaborate and ambitious in the scale of its cinematic vision.
Source: Electric Artists
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Brokaw on the Road
A couple of years ago, USA Network capitalized on the popularity of quirky Monk by instituting its "Characters Wanted" theme. It's perfect for this nation of individuals who both conform to the norms, yet seek their unique personas. USA's idea expands beginning Wednesday, May 27 at 7:00 PM ET/PT, USA Network will present character sketches as Tom Brokaw travels meandering highways to provide viewers with "Dispatches from the Road." It's part of Brokaw's work on his upcoming documentary, "Tom Brokaw Presents: American Character Along Highway 50," slated to premiere January 2010 on USA. The initial vignettes from "Dispatches" will be featured on NBC televison and online at later dates.
The first episode begins in Maryland, where Brokaw meets Amanda Bramble. She's trying to live her version of the American dream by opening a seafood restaurant in Cambridge, Maryland, a fishing town near Chesapeake Bay. "Everyone thought I was crazy, and so did I," she offers in a candid interview. Bramble shares the plight of local fisherman forced to leave the waters to support their families and recounts the difficult personal challenges created by the recession. Denied financing from the banks, Bramble's passion compelled nine investors from the community to pool their cash and sweat equity to make her culinary dream of Jimmie & Sook's a reality. "Everyone here is giving when there is nothing to give," Bramble says, commenting on the true American grit of the town. "Like crabs, we cling to each other and wait for a place to settle."
The first installment and more about the series can be found at Highway50.tv.