“THE STATE OF THE PLANET’S OCEANS” NEW EPISODE OF JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH PREMIERES MARCH 18, 2009 AT 8 P.M. MATT DAMON RETURNS AS HOST

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Screenscope, Inc. is pleased to announce that “The State of the Planet’s Oceans,” the next episode in the award-winning environmental series, Journey to Planet Earth, will be broadcast on PBS on March 18, 2009 at 8 p.m., with Matt Damon returning as the on-camera host/narrator. Produced by Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Hal and Marilyn Weiner, the Journey To Planet Earth series reports on the most important environmental and sustainable development issues of the 21st century.

“This will be the eighth Journey To Planet Earth episode narrated by Matt Damon and working with him has turned into a true partnership, " says producer Marilyn Weiner. "He's Harvard educated and an Academy Award winning writer — what more can you ask for in a collaborator?” “The State of the Planet's Oceans” investigates the health and sustainability of the world's oceans, with a special emphasis on issues affecting marine preserves, fisheries, and coastal ecosystems in the United States and worldwide. Some of the stories and issues that are featured include: the significance of rapidly increasing glacier melt in Greenland, the loss of sea ice in the Arctic and its world-wide affect on fisheries and wildlife, the effects of climate change and unsustainable fishing on coral reefs, the success of marine preserves in the Florida Keys and off the coast of Belize, and a first person essay by world-renowned oceanographer Sylvia Earle.

An educational outreach campaign is being developed in association with South Carolina ETV. It features the participation of Journey To Planet Earth museum and aquarium partners who will receive advance copies of the new show as well as support material for promotional use within their communities. In addition, an edited 25-minute version of the program will be produced and made available to environmental organizations as well as schools and colleges throughout North America. Both long and short versions of the episode will include a leader’s guide.

Journey To Planet Earth is one of the most successful environmental series in the world, with episodes broadcast in most major overseas television markets, including Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, China, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Brazil and Canada. The series currently yields a worldwide television audience of over 75 million viewers per year. There are also over 5,000 videos of the series in educational media libraries yielding an annual audience of approximately 1.2 million students.

The State of the Planet's Oceans is made possible by a major grant from the National Science Foundation with additional funding from the Munson Foundation and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.