Press Release

AERIAL AMERICA

SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL ORIGINAL SERIES PREMIERING NEW EPISODES BEGINNING JULY 10

Ground-Breaking Aerial Series Rolls Out Ten New Episodes Including Maine, Oregon, Washington, South Carolina, New York and More

Independence Day Weekend Marathon of Encore Episodes Sunday, July 3

New York, NY – June 27, 2011 – This summer Smithsonian Channel will premiere ten new episodes of its award-winning original high-definition series AERIAL AMERICA, beginning Sunday, July 10, at 8PM ET/PT. The most expansive aerial television project ever produced, AERIAL AMERICA provides rare glimpses of some of our nation's most treasured and unusual landmarks, telling stories that can only be revealed from the air.

From the dizzying heights of Oregon’s Monkey Face to the Guilded Age mansions on Rhode Island’s shores, AERIAL AMERICA delivers tales of each state’s unique history, culture and natural wonders from the ultimate “bird’s eye view.” It takes the viewer on an extraordinary journey, soaring over Civil War battlefields, following famous journeys like the Underground Railroad and revealing modern industrial wonders like New York City’s green skyscrapers from a unique perspective. The airspace over every state offers surprises that cannot be seen from the ground.

Over Independence Day Weekend, on Sunday, July 3, Smithsonian Channel will run a 24-hour AERIAL AMERICA marathon starting at 6 a.m. featuring encore presentations of previously aired episodes. States include Hawaii, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Arkansas, California, Connecticut and Virginia.

AERIAL AMERICA premiere episodes:

AERIAL AMERICA: MAINE – Premieres Sunday, July 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT

One of the most visually stunning states on the Eastern seaboard, Maine is the home of rocky shores, blueberry fields, lighthouses and lobster, and millions of acres of North Woods that blanket ninety percent of the state. Maine has attracted sailors, artists, presidents, and robber barons for centuries. Its storied past, rich resources, and varied cast of characters have helped shape not just the state, but also the nation.

AERIAL AMERICA: OREGON – Premieres Sunday, July 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PTTo see Oregon by air is to not only experience remarkable beauty, but also to witness its history in an entirely new way. Native Americans still fish for salmon along the Columbia River, their cultural base for thousands of years. From its picturesque coastline, one part of which is considered the “graveyard of the Pacific,” to Portland, the number one export hub for America’s wheat crop and a huge gateway for car imports, Oregon’s pioneering spirit has long been a part of its history. Carrying on this tradition is one of world’s most successful companies, the Oregon-based Nike.

AERIAL AMERICA: SOUTH CAROLINA – Premieres Sunday, July 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT It’s America's smallest southern state, but its stories are as big as the country itself. From Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War rang out, to Sullivan’s Island, where it’s estimated that 40% of enslaved Africans disembarked, to the cypress swamp where freedom fighter Francis Marion helped turn the tide of the Revolutionary War, South Carolina has played a major role in American history. These landmarks are explored, along with the pristine beaches, colorful cities and wild spaces that equally define the Palmetto State.

AERIAL AMERICA: MASSACHUSETTS – Premieres Sunday, July 31 at 8 p.m. ET/PT No other state has played as important a role in American history as Massachusetts. This aerial journey across the heart of New England flies over the coastal islands and towns that welcomed the passengers aboard the Mayflower, and over Boston, where the revolutionary Freedom Trail and the once “cursed” Red Sox define the city. With its stunning shores, colonial landmarks and autumn foliage, few states can match the Commonwealth’s beauty.

AERIAL AMERICA: GEORGIA – Premieres Sunday, August 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT

From Atlanta’s modern skyline to the rugged barrier island coastline, Georgia is a land of stunning extremes. It is a vivid tapestry of natural wonders, rough-hewn beauty and the monuments of the Old South. Once home to a mysterious ancient culture known as the Moundbuilders, then to Cherokee Indians, it still bears scars of the Civil War but has risen again to earn its title, the Empire State of the South.

AERIAL AMERICA: WASHINGTON – Premieres Sunday, August 14 at 8 p.m. ET/PT

A place of staggering natural beauty, it is home to some of America’s highest mountains, including Mount St. Helens. Washington is a state covered in endless forests and its logging industry helped build the nation. It is where a company started by William Boeing makes airplanes, where a few inspired high school teachers launched Starbucks, and where a native son who fell in love with computers built one of the world’s largest fortunes under the name of Microsoft.

AERIAL AMERICA: NEW HAMPSHIRE – Premieres Sunday, August 21 at 8 p.m. ET/PT For centuries, tourists and artists alike have been drawn to the ancestral home of the Abenaki Indians to experience New Hampshire’s stunning mountains and majestic waterways. In the 1840s, Henry David Thoreau was inspired to write his first book — part travelogue, part meditation — after a journey down the state’s famous Merrimack River. And today more people climb New Hampshire’s Mount Monadnock than any other peak in the country. This episode explores the majesty of a state known for its passion

and its politics, a state that lives up to its revolutionary cry “Independence now and independence forever.”

AERIAL AMERICA: MARYLAND/DELWARE – Premieres Sunday, August 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT This aerial journey covers Maryland and Delaware – two states small in size, but rich in history. Maryland, situated on the Eastern Seaboard and encompassing the Chesapeake Bay, offers many scenes of natural beauty. It covers 12,000 square miles, including the towns where Harriet Tubman, Babe Ruth and Edgar Allen Poe once lived. Delaware, the nation’s second-smallest state, is the home of the DuPont family and their fortunes. It’s also the site of numerous forts and lighthouses that bring to life stories of a colonial era when life was full of jeopardy.

AERIAL AMERICA: NORTH CAROLINA – Premieres Sunday, September 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT Aerial America follows in the wings of the Wright brothers who perfected their flying machine over its sunlit Outer Banks and gave the state its slogan “First in Flight.” It’s a state of unspoiled beauty, ranging from a coastline where pirates once reigned and Blackbeard lost his head to the Smoky Mountains that have guided travelers for centuries. But its history is just as captivating. There are the pioneers who settled its shores, four civil rights heroes in Greensboro who dared challenge its rules and the speed demons who made NASCAR one of the most popular entertainments in the country.

AERIAL AMERICA: NEW YORK – Premieres Sunday, September 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT

On the tenth anniversary of the tragedy that changed its skyline forever, this show celebrates the resilience and beauty of the Empire State. It explores the stories behind New York City’s Central Park, its tallest skyscrapers and greatest fortunes, as well the state’s mighty rivers, pristine forests and natural wonders. Among other places visited is the route that 17th century explorer Henry Hudson took up north via the river that bears his name, traveling from the islands where Dutch fur traders first settled to the state capital, Albany.

Full episodes of California, Virginia and Vermont will be available on a revamped AERIAL AMERICA series page on smithsonianchannel.com. The expanded site features an interactive map that charts the progress of the AERIAL AMERICA production crew as they film new states. Users can explore each state by checking out video clips, aerial photos, wallpaper downloads, fun facts and discussions, and are also encouraged to offer tips on future locations worth filming.

The AERIAL AMERICA Tumblr blog will give fans another opportunity to look into what states have to offer, providing up-to-date reports from the production crew and from bloggers around the country who can share what’s great in their state.

Smithsonian Channel is also launching a brand page onFoursquare, featuring tips associated with sites and physical locations all around the country that are showcased in Aerial America.

In addition, Smithsonian Channel is running a photo contest on Flickr that will ask photographers to submit photos from their states. Winners will not only get the chance to

have their work be recognized and seen on Smithsonian Channel's platforms but will also be eligible to win prizes.

ABOUT SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL

Smithsonian Channel is a joint venture between Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution, formed to create a network featuring programs largely inspired by the assets of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum complex. Smithsonian Channel features award-winning original documentaries, series, and groundbreaking programs highlighting America’s historical, cultural and scientific heritage. Smithsonian Channel brings the American experience home in high definition and Dolby Digital 5.1 and is available to customers of DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications, Cablevision, Verizon, AT&T, and more. Learn more at www.smithsonianchannel.com.

Contact:

Josh Gross
212-708-1578
j.gross@smithsoniannetworks.com