AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

Will ‘Bright Green’ Bring Discovery The Long Green? - The Wall Street Journal

Comedian Annabelle Gurwitch is trying to show a bunch of fraternity brothers the virtues of saving water. So, while a TV camera rolls, she strips down to gym shorts and bra, and jumps into a low-flow shower with one of them.

Ms. Gurwitch’s conservation-minded show is part of a two-year, $100 million push by Discovery Communications LLC to launch an around-the-clock TV network called Planet Green. If successful, its “eco-lifestyle” brand could prove lucrative, attracting advertiser-friendly viewers who are willing to pay extra for hybrid cars and organic food. But Discovery must avoid being snared in a potential green-marketing backlash — or, worse, found guilty of making boring TV shows.
[David Zaslav]

With Planet Green’s launch set for June 4, when it will replace the Discovery Home channel in more than 50 million households, executives are busy preparing a programming slate aimed at a mainstream audience they refer to internally as “bright green.” Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse will host “Emeril Green,” a cooking program set inside a 65,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market Inc. store in Fairfax, Va. Other celebrities are likely to appear in short-form series — many likely to appear on online — depicting their efforts to live a greener lifestyle. A docu-soap, executive produced in part by Leonardo DiCaprio, will chronicle a Kansas town that was leveled by a tornado, only to rebuild using eco-friendly techniques.

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