Note: this is a reprint of a News Release issued by Discovery Wings Channel
DISCOVERY WINGS CHANNEL TO PROVIDE EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF THE FAI WORLD CUP OF SKYDIVING
IN ELOY, ARIZONA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2000
Contact:
Michelle Kirkwood or Tami von Isakovics
Goodman Media International
(703) 837-9500
Exclusive Partnership with FAI Includes Daily Updates During the Event and Series Episode in 2001
(Bethesda, Md.) - Discovery Wings Channel will offer viewers a chance to see the world's premier skydiving competition, featuring 200 of the world's top parachutists, when it takes to the skies of Eloy, Arizonafor the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale's (FAI) World Cup of Skydiving. Discovery Wings Channel's coverage includes daily, two-minute Wings "On Location" updates throughout the competition that will begin airing on Wednesday, November 8, and a one-hour special in the 2001 aviation sports series. The short-form updates will continue through Sunday, November 12.
"We are excited to 'dive' into our broadcast partnership with FAI for this extraordinary event," said Deborah Stewart, vice president of programming for Discovery Digital Networks. "Our coverage looks at the dynamic lives of the people competing, and reinforces our ongoing commitment to deliver up-to-date, in-depth sports news features for our aviation audience."
The FAI World Cup of Skydiving is the largest and most significant skydiving competition event of the year, featuring athletes from more than 20 nations competing for top scores. Discovery Wings Channel will capture everything from the technical elements that make the sport possible, to the personalities who are shaping it, providing viewers with a dramatic bird's-eye view of the aerial action through the use of remote microphones and point-of-view cameras in every corner of the sky. Viewers will be able to follow the competition and see how these athletes are subjected to vertical speeds of almost 200 miles per hour. Spectators and competitors alike will watch the action on large-screen televisions in a presentation theater, as the judges evaluate and score each team's performance.
The one-hour aviation series will follow world-class competitors through various aviation challenges and contests with behind-the-scenes footage of each event. Not only will viewers get a glimpse of the technical aspects of the races, but also at the human-interest side to explore the skills, personalities and rivalries of the competitors themselves.
The World Cup of Skydiving is hosted by the United States Parachute Association, which boasts one of the world's largest skydiving centers located in Eloy, Arizona, and sanctioned by the International Parachuting Commission of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. In addition to the on-air coverage of this event, Discovery Wings Channel is the exclusive North American broadcast partner with FAI for other upcoming events including the 2001 World Air Games from Andalucia, Spain.
Discovery Digital Networks, owned by Discovery Networks, is a family pack of distinct networks offering a world of quality, convenience and choice that appeals to all ages, genders and families including Discovery Science, Discovery Home & Leisure, Discovery Kids, Discovery Civilization, Discovery Wings and Discovery en Español. Discovery Networks, U.S., a unit of Discovery Communications, Inc., also owns and operates the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel and Discovery Health Channel. The unit also markets and distributes BBC America.
WAG 2001 :