Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel (formerly The
Discovery Channel) is an American satellite and cable specialty channel (also
delivered via IPTV, terrestrial television and internet television in other
parts of the world), founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery
Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. It
provides documentary television programming focused primarily on popular
science, technology, and history. In the U.S., the programming for the main
Discovery network is primarily focused on reality television themes, such as
speculative investigation (with shows such as MythBusters, Unsolved History,
and Best Evidence), automobiles, and occupations (Dirty Jobs and Deadliest
Catch); it also features documentaries specifically aimed at families and
younger audiences. A popular annual feature is Shark Week.
On
June 17, 1985, The Discovery Channel was launched with $5 million in start-up
capital from several investors (including BBC, Allen & Company and Venture
America). It was initially available to 156,000 households and broadcasted for
12 hours between 3 p.m. and 3 a.m. About 75 percent of its content had never
before aired on U.S. TV. John Hendricks founded the channel and its parent
company, Cable Educational Network Inc., in 1982. In its early years, the
channel broadcast some Soviet programming, including the news program Vremya.
In 1988, the channel premiered the nightly program World Monitor (produced by
The Christian Science Monitor). The first Shark Week occurred in 1988 and has
since returned annually. By 1990, the channel was available in over 50 million
households.
On
January 4, 2006, Discovery Communications announced anchor Ted Koppel,
executive producer Tom Bettag and eight other former Nightline staff were
joining Discovery Channel. The network's ratings recovered in 2006, after a
drop widely attributed to an over-reliance on a few hit series such as Monster
Garage and American Chopper.[citation needed] Some critics[who?] said such
shows strayed from Discovery's mold[clarification needed] of helping viewers
learn about the world around them. In 2005, Discovery changed its lineup to
focus on themes of popular science and history. The network was nominated for
seven Primetime Emmy Awards in 2006 for shows including The Flight that Fought
Back (about United Airlines Flight 93) and Deadliest Catch (about crabs). In
2007, Discovery Channel's top series included the Emmy-award winning Planet
Earth, Dirty Jobs, MythBusters and Deadliest Catch. Discovery Channel's 2008
lineup included Fight Quest and Smash Lab
Discovery
Channel is (as of June 2012) the second most widely distributed cable network
in the United States, behind TBS. As of June 2012, it is available in 409
million households worldwide. On September 1, 2010, a man entered Discovery Communications
headquarters with a handgun, fired at least one shot, held hostages, and was
shot dead by police. He had published criticisms of the network at
Savetheplanetprotest.com....More >>
