WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Washington Post Company and Maryland Public Television (MPT) today announced their intention to produce a half-hour weekly public television series devoted to health and environmental issues. The series will be underwritten by the Heinz Family Philanthropies and broadcast nationally over the Public Broadcasting Service.

The magazine-style series, scheduled to debut in early 1997, will feature:

• the week's top news in health, medicine and related environmental issues;
• field reports on cutting-edge research and health-care techniques;
• in-depth examinations of various medical conditions, diseases, treatment strategies and recovery issues;
• human-interest profiles of physicians, researchers, patients and other interesting people in the health field;
• segments on the "environment of health," ranging from fitness and nutrition to public policy and the economics of health care.

"This series presents a unique opportunity to provide millions of health-conscious public television viewers with up-to-the-minute information that will allow them to take better care of themselves and be better informed health-care consumers," said Alan G. Spoon, president of The Washington Post Company.

"We're particularly pleased to be associated in this new venture with Maryland Public Television, which has enjoyed extraordinary success in producing top-quality national and international programming," Spoon said. "Together, we intend to make this the best health program on television." Dr. Archie Buffkins, interim president and chief executive officer of MPT, said, "We are delighted to have this opportunity to work with The Washington Post Company in a partnership that will serve our viewers in Maryland and people across the country. Joining the outstanding reputation and resources of The Post Company with the national programming experience of Maryland Public Television is sure to produce a television series of special distinction.

"We have a wealth of health-related resources here in the State of Maryland and the Washington area," Buffkins said, "and we are confident that these resources will help make this series extremely compelling and useful to our audience."

Teresa Heinz, who chairs the Heinz Family Philanthropies, said, "Human health and the environment are two of the great cornerstone concerns of our foundations. Their interaction is not well enough understood, either by the medical profession or the lay person, and as a result the American public is missing opportunities to prevent disease and promote health.

"This series will address these issues with unprecedented frequency and depth," Mrs. Heinz said, "and it will empower people by the millions to deal with health issues more knowledgeably and effectively. We are delighted to be associated with The Washington Post Company, Maryland Public Television and the Public Broadcasting Service in this most important endeavor."

The Heinz Family Philanthropies fund research on key issues in women's health and the interaction between human health and the environment. Research programs include the Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning and the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment.

The Washington Post Company's previous ventures in network television production, through its Post-Newsweek Stations subsidiary, include "Secret Files: A History of American Diplomacy in the Middle East" (PBS, 1992), "Watergate: The Secret Story" (CBS, 1992), "CBS Reports: The JFK Assassination" (CBS, 1993), and "Newsweek American Achievement Awards" (CBS, 1995).

Maryland Public Television is the fourth-largest producing center within the U.S. public television system, producing such programs as "Wall $treet Week With Louis Rukeyser," "Motor Week," "Baking with Julia" (hosted by Julia Child), and "Kratts' Creatures."

MPT's six-station network provides programming to schools, colleges and universities throughout Maryland and the nation. MPT also produces major national educational series on literature, math and science.

The executive in charge of the new health series will be Patrick Butler, vice president of The Washington Post Company and former chairman of the public programs committee of the National Endowment for the Humanities. During Mr. Butler's tenure, the Endowment helped develop and finance such PBS-broadcast programs as "The Civil War," "Baseball," "The West," "FDR," "Eisenhower," and the forthcoming "The Great War."

John Potthast, MPT's vice president for national/ international programming, will be the executive in charge of production for MPT. The Emmy-award winning Mr. Potthast has produced many of public broadcasting's most popular series, including "On Stage At Wolf Trap" and cooking programs featuring Julia Child and Pierre Franey.

Contact

The Washington Post Company
Rima Calderon
(202) 334-6617

Maryland Public Television
Sharon Philippart
(410) 581-4083  
Heinz Family Philanthropies
Grant Oliphant
(412) 497-5775