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(Silver Spring, Md.) - On Saturday, July 12 at 6PM ET, Bob Woodruff of ABC News returns to the anchor desk for a new weekly eco-newscast, Focus Earth with Bob Woodruff, on Planet Green. Each week on Focus Earth, Woodruff covers the environmental news of the week, looking at subjects ranging from climate impact, environmental policy, political debate and world events, as well as how climate change affects religious and cultural views and issues. Woodruff and the Focus Earth news team narrow the lens on these issues to present news and information the average American can use in their daily life. Produced by ABC News for Planet Green, Focus Earth draws on the global resources of ABC News and its reporting team around the world.
In the premiere newscast, Woodruff presents a special report from the American prairie, also known as the Northern Great Plains. Most people conjure up images of polar bears on melting glaciers or the endangered species in our vast oceans when they hear about climate change. In this special report, Woodruff explores the direct impact in the U.S., bringing the issue home to many Americans. Approximately 99% of the non-urban landscape in the Northern Great Plains is either farmed or grazed. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is now working to save the prairie and its animals including, rattlesnakes, cougars, prairie dogs, wild ferrets, bison, antelope and elk. Within our own borders, these are just a few of the animals threatened. Viewers will ride along with Woodruff and the WWF as they reintroduce baby bison into the wild, catch and count rattlesnakes and more, to help make sense of what this means to our delicate homeland eco-system.
Also in the July 12 episode, ABC news correspondent John Berman reports from the campaign trail. Where do Barack Obama and John McCain stand on major environmental issues? What are their plans to ease gas prices?
These and other campaign issues will be explored and discussed with a follow-up in-studio roundtable, including a discussion with Kevin Wall, producer of Live Earth. It's been one year since the global concert event, which was the vision of Al Gore to shed light on major environmental issues. What's happened during this past year and how far have we come in the U.S. and around the world since these issues were raised on the global stage?
Focus Earth reunites Woodruff with ABC News executive producer, Vinnie Malhotra. Woodruff and Malhotra met in 1999 when they were in ABC's Washington Bureau when Woodruff was ABC's Justice Department correspondent. After 9/11, both were sent to Islamabad, Pakistan, where Woodruff served as the London correspondent and Malhotra was a producer for ABC World News. After that the pair worked together all over the world, including Afghanistan, Jerusalem, Iran, Iraq, Italy (Conclave) and England (London bombings). Malhotra was with Woodruff in Iraq in 2006 for the fateful IED bombing, and has remained by his side throughout his recovery and return to reporting.
Since joining ABC News in 1996, Woodruff has covered critical world events from the war in Iraq to the nuclear showdown in North Korea. Woodruff's coverage has earned ABC News critical acclaim and numerous industry awards including an Alfred I. duPont Award and the George Foster Peabody Award. He was named co-anchor of ABC's World News Tonight in December 2005. On January 29, 2006, while reporting on U.S. and Iraqi security forces near Taji, Iraq, Woodruff was seriously injured by a roadside bomb that struck his vehicle. In February 2007, just 13 months after being wounded, Woodruff returned to ABC News with his first on-air report, To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports. Today he continues to cover stories around the nation and the world for all ABC News' broadcasts and platforms.
Focus Earth with Bob Woodruff premieres on July 12 and airs weekly on Saturday evenings at 6PM ET. For ABC News, Vinnie Malhotra is executive producer and John Green is executive producer of special programming and development. For Planet Green, Timothy Kuryak is executive producer and Eileen O'Neill is executive in charge of production.
More Americans get their news from ABC News than from any other source. Through its platforms on television, radio, the Internet, and a 24/7 digital channel, ABC News reaches on average nearly 180 million people in a given month. ABC News programs are seen in 88 countries worldwide. Visit ABCNews.com around the clock for comprehensive news and analysis.
Planet Green is Discovery Communications' global, cross-company initiative with a commitment to document, preserve and celebrate the planet, including the first-ever 24-hour eco-lifestyle television and entertainment network in more than 50 million homes as of June 4, 2008. Planet Green is the multi-platform media destination with a mission. It's the center for the new green conversation, speaking to people who want to understand green living and to those who truly want to make a difference in meeting the critical challenge of protecting our environment. Planet Green's unique content, tools and information will enlighten, empower and most importantly, entertain. Planet Green's platforms include leading eco-lifestyle website TreeHugger.com and the recently launched solutions-oriented PlanetGreen.com.
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