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KCETLink's New 'EARTH FOCUS' Episode Uncovers Critical Ocean Issues

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Burbank, Calif. - September

4, 2014 - Oceans support life, yet they are overfished, polluted and, due to

global climate change, increasingly acidic. KCETLink, the national independent public transmedia organization,

presents "Tackling Ocean Challenges," a compelling, new EARTH FOCUS investigation that explores some of the critical threats to

ocean health. The new episode premieres Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 8:30 p.m.

Pacific time on KCET (Southern California) and nationally on Thursday, Sept. 11

at 9 p.m. ET on Link TV (DirecTV 375, DISH Network 9410).

After the massive Deepwater

Horizon oil spill in 2010, there was extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats in the

Gulf of Mexico, severely affecting the fishing and tourism industries in the

region. The emergency response was hampered by outdated clean-up technology,

which had not been improved since the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska 20 years

earlier.

In "Tackling Ocean Challenges," viewers explore the communities that were affected by the oil spill and learn about

the "Oil Cleanup XCHALLENGE," a contest presented by the XPRIZE Foundation, a global leader in incentivized prize

competitions, and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt, which encouraged teams from

around the world to develop new clean-up technologies. In 2011, $1.4 million

was awarded to the winning team that demonstrated an oil recovery clean-up rate

four times greater than the industry's previous best recovery rate.

Currently, a new Wendy Schmidt Ocean

Health XPRIZE is encouraging innovators to deepen our understanding of ocean

acidification, which threatens the growth of shellfish and coral reef.

More than 20 teams are competing for $2 million in prizes to

develop accurate and affordable pH sensors that will help measure the

changes in ocean chemistry as a result of pollution, and the warming of the sea

due to climate change.

EARTH FOCUS is weekly half-hour program that is the longest-running

environmental series on American television. The groundbreaking series features

investigative reports on the state of

our planet's environment and its impact on people around the world. Funding for

EARTH FOCUS is provided by grants from the Marisla Fund, Wallace

Genetic Foundation, Park Foundation and individual donors. 

For more information about EARTH FOCUS and to watch episodes online, visit: www.linktv.org/earthfocus

or www.kcet.org/earthfocus.

ABOUT KCETLINK

KCETLink, formed by the

merger between KCET and Link Media, is a national independent, nonprofit,

digital and broadcast network that provides high-quality, culturally diverse

programming designed to engage the public in innovative, entertaining and transformative

ways. With a commitment to independent perspectives, smart global

entertainment, local communities, and opportunities for engagement and social

action, KCETLink depicts people and the world through a lens unavailable

elsewhere in U.S. media. A viewer-supported 501(c)(3) organization based in

Burbank, CA, KCETLink content is distributed nationally via satellite on Link

TV - DIRECTV channel 375 and DISH Network channel 9410 - and on KCET in

Southern and Central California via broadcast and cable, as well as through

various digital delivery systems.

For additional

information about KCET and Link TV productions, web-exclusive content,

programming schedules and community events, please visit www.kcet.org or www.linktv.org.

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