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KCET, Link TV and Thomson Reuters Foundation Announce Lineup for New Season of Acclaimed Environmental Series EARTH FOCUS

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Allison Gray

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KCET, Link TV and Thomson Reuters Foundation

Announce Lineup for New Season of Acclaimed Environmental Series

EARTH FOCUS

From Solar Energy in Zanzibar to Oceans Struggling to Adapt to Global Warming,

The New Season Looks at Communities in Transition Due to Environmental Change


(Photo Courtesy of KCET)

kcet.org/earthfocus

linktv.org/earthfocus

Streaming on YouTube, Amazon, Roku and Apple TV.

Burbank, Calif. – Mar. 27, 2019 – KCET, Southern California's home for award-winning original public media programming, and Link TV, the national independent non-commercial satellite television network, today announced the episode lineup for the new season of Link TV’s acclaimed original environmental series EARTH FOCUS in partnership with the Thomson Reuters Foundation. EARTH FOCUS features investigative reports and in-depth stories about our changing environment and how it affects people around the world. In the new season, EARTH FOCUS examines how communities are transitioning and adapting from different energy sources and how the laws of supply and demand affect the environment and people in different ways. The new season of EARTH FOCUS premieres on Tues., Apr. 23 at 8:30 p.m. PT on KCET in Southern California and on Wed., Apr. 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV Nationwide (DirecTV 375 and DISH Network 9410) with streaming on kcet.org/earthfocus and linktv.org/earthfocus

Launched in 2007, EARTH FOCUS is the longest-running investigative environmental news program on U.S. television. The series provides audiences with urgent local and global environmental coverage that spotlights in-depth reports on key issues such as endangered species, climate change, environmental health and sustainable practices.

With new episodes focused on the global concerns of protecting our oceans, exploring the devastating environmental impacts of different communities and the growth of the solar industry, EARTH FOCUS continues its commitment to educate audiences about the global issues impacting our planet.

EARTH FOCUS will air as follows (*schedule subject to change):

Fueling Change”- Tues., Apr. 23 on KCET and Wed., Apr. 24 on Link TV.

The global demand for oil and gas is enormous. Take a look at the communities supplying this demand and examine the long-term impact in Alaska and California where the homes of native species are being opened for oil exploration and drilling. While the power in the communities is in the hands of those who feel exploration and extraction is essential to their economy the controversial plan has no shortage of opponents.

“Eating Water” – Tues., Apr. 30 on KCET and Wed., May 1 on Link TV.
Follow the cost of a food fad for the Petorca province, a poor community in Chile, where the popular demand for avocados, once considered an “exotic” item, is having a devastating impact. Lying within one of the largest avocado producing regions in the country, Petorca avocado plantations are currently battling over water rights while claims of illegal water diversion from villagers facing serious drought is creating civil unrest.

Building a Future” – Tues., May 7 on KCET and Wed., May 8 on Link TV.

Wood is found in countless products that consumers use every day and a country’s importation of lumber tends to rise in correlation with its gross domestic product. Travel to the frontline of the illegal lumber trade in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest and see how indigenous groups are now organizing to protect what forest remains.

“Drinking Responsibly” – Tues., May 14 on KCET and Wed., May 15 on Link TV.

Faced with historic droughts, dairy communities are finding innovative alternatives to lessen their environmental impact. Travel to a village in Kenya where an alternative milk is becoming big business. Drought in the Sub-Saharan region has long made dairy farming virtually impossible, but it has also made the commercialization of milk made by camels a viable solution.

“Lighting a Path” – Tues., May 21 on KCET and Wed., May 22 on Link TV.

In unexpected places, solar power is changing lives. At the Barefoot College in Zanzibar, Muslim women who have traditionally been marginalized in the workforce are learning solar installation – an opportunity that is dramatically improving the lives of many by bringing light to villages who have, up until now, only had candles and paraffin lamps. In East Los Angeles, former gang members and parolees are earning a place in the lucrative solar industry as they are being trained to install solar in low income neighborhoods and educating underserved communities about the advantages of solar power.

“Dying Oceans” – Tues., May 28 on KCET and Wed., May 29 on Link TV.

The ocean bears the brunt of global warming, but teams of Californians are scrambling to save this precious resource. Rising sea temperatures, acidification and pollution are killing important species that ensure ecological biodiversity. Travel with various teams – scientists and diver volunteers – who are committed to protecting various underwater species threatened by the invasion of sea urchins.

KCET and Link TV previously announced a full month of environmental programming during the month of April to honor Earth Day. Additional programming coming to KCET includes a curated series of documentaries focusing on environmental challenges and solutions called EARTH FOCUS PRESENTS with topics that range from ecological responsibility and climatic change to the future of our species. Link TV, with its goal of engaging, educating and activating viewers to become involved in the world, demonstrates its commitment to the environment by hosting a comprehensive lineup of planet-friendly programming that includes new episodes of BIONEERS featuring social and scientific innovators with both practical as well as visionary solutions for the world’s most pressing challenges.

Join the conversation on social media using #EarthFocus

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

EARTH FOCUS is supported by the Orange County Community Foundation, the Farvue Foundation and other generous institutional funders. The EARTH FOCUS series was created by Raisa Scriabine. 

EARTH FOCUS is further supported through "Elemental: Covering Sustainability" — a collaboration between public radio and television stations in Colorado, Arizona, and California — in which digital content will be produced to expand on the issue of oil and gas and the shift to renewable energy.

ABOUT KCET

On-air, online and in the community, KCET plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its 54-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. KCET is a donor-supported community institution. For additional information about KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org. Select original programming from KCET is also available for streaming on Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon and Roku platforms. For more information please visit kcet.org/apps. KCET is a content channel of the Public Media Group of Southern California, formed by the merger of KCET and PBS SoCal.

ABOUT LINK TV

Founded in 1999, Link TV is an independent viewer-supported media organization dedicated to providing programs that engage and educate its audiences with unique perspectives and activate them to become involved in the world.  Reaching more than 34 million U.S. satellite households nationally, Link TV (DirecTV channel 375 and DISH Network channel 9410) connects American viewers with people at the heart of breaking events, organizations at the forefront of social change and the vibrant cultures of an increasingly global community. For additional information about Link TV productions, web-exclusive content and program schedules, please visit linktv.org. Select programming from Link TV is also available for streaming on Apple TV, YouTube and Roku platforms. For more information please visit linktv.org/about/apps.

ABOUT THE THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION

The Thomson Reuters Foundation is the charitable arm of the world’s largest news and information provider. It acts to promote the highest standards in journalism and spread the practice of legal pro bono worldwide. The organisation runs initiatives that inform, connect and empower people around the world: access to free legal assistance, editorial coverage of the world’s under-reported stories, media development and training, and Trust Conference, a world-leading human rights forum.

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