Planet Green Network Won't Be What You Might Expect
By David Bauder

Viewers who tune in the new Planet Green network expecting a sober documentary on the plight of the yellow-breasted whooping finch will be in for a surprise.

Instead, they'll see celebrities such as Tommy Lee, Ludacris, Tom Bergeron and Adrian Grenier � and absolutely no lectures, promises Eileen O'Neill, the network's president.

Planet Green debuted last week and runs counter to type. The environmentally conscious network will soft-sell its mission, making entertainment a bigger priority than education. O'Neill calls it "eco-tainment."

The network will immediately be available in 50 million homes, nearly half the nation's cable or satellite customers, because it replaces Discovery Home. Parent Discovery Communications is the latest corporation to realize that a "green" message sells, and guesses that a network devoted to the idea might do better than one lost in the glut of home renovation programming. The channel is available in the Bay Area. (Go to planetgreen.channelfinder.net to find your provider.)

The immediate assumption is that Planet Green's programming would be largely educational, or similar to the sister Discovery Network's highly regarded "Planet Earth" series. But Planet Green executives saw that as a dead end.

"The network is not only not finger-wagging, it's sexy, it's interesting, it's irreverent," O'Neill says.

Planet Green doesn't want to be a network that appeals only to tree huggers and will always resist a heavy-handed approach, she says. Instead of scolding people not to waste paper by using juice boxes, the network will profile a person who built a business upon recycling them.

Most fledgling networks are built largely upon reruns of old network shows because money is tight. Since there was little existing material that fit its idea, Planet Green is starting with an unusual amount of fresh, original programming.

Fortunately for Planet Green, no place is greener than Hollywood.

Lee and Ludacris will star, beginning in August, in "Battleground Earth," a series of competitions between the rocker and rapper to determine who's the greenest. HBO "Entourage" star Grenier is host of "Alter Eco," where he and a team of experts show celebrities and ordinary people "the way to a hip green lifestyle."

"Supper Club with Tom Bergeron" brings a chef who cooks a "green meal" � whatever that is � while special guests talk about what's new in the environmental movement.

Although he's not on camera, Leonardo DiCaprio is behind the series "Greensburg," which profiles the Kansas town devastated last year by a tornado. Greensburg is being rebuilt in an eco-friendly fashion.

In "Wa$ted!," Annabelle Gurwitch illustrates ways homeowners can simultaneously save money and be friendly to the environment. "Hollywood Green With Maria Menounos," made with "Access Hollywood" as partner, showcases celebrities helping the environment. Bill Nye shows what happens to everyday items before and after they're consumed, on "Stuff Happens." Traditionally souped-up vehicles are pitted against eco-friendly counterparts on "Mean Green Machines." Steve Thomas of "This Old House" is host of "Renovation Nation," about changes made by green homeowners.

"I totally understand somebody starting a television network wanting to keep it entertaining and not too serious because anything too serious doesn't attract a wide audience," says cable industry analyst Paul Kagan. "If you make a television network for intellectuals, it's not going to attract a wide audience and it's not going to pay for itself. That's why most television is the way it is."

One need only check newsstands or track investments to see the popularity of the subject Planet Green is tackling, Kagan said.

"Because they're in the right place at the right time with the subject matter, I think they have a good shot," he says.

O'Neill says she recognizes that the approach may initially seem jarring to committed environmentalists, or the "dark green" community. But she believes most will see this as the best way to get their message across to the most people.

I like that channel!

I does have a host of renovation programs, hell last night it has American chopper on, and they were making an ethanl bike!

Not to bad a channel so far. Have even gotten a few good ideas from it.

LOL I think they just had to find a channel that could handle the likes of 'Living with Ed.'! (Ed Begley) Saw him here in KC at the home show selling bio-cleaning product of his.

On that note, lol, do you see a simlarity, for those who can remeber them, the 70's?

What would this world be like now if the peace love and harmonizers of the 70's would have been the norm, and everyone woulda swung that way?

(Much much better me thinks!)

I don't think I have that channel sadly  Comcast is mean

I, in typical Gemini fashion of two minds on this. I am so happy that the issue is now on the front burner in the thoughts of America, but I cant help but to think that if we had the atittudes way before this we would not be in the spot that we are in. It is sad it takes a major blow to everyones wallet to wake people up. We had the solutions for over a hundred years. The US has patients for engines that have MPG of over a 100 miles on file. If we would have used that technology we back when we might have alot better gas mileage. Henry Ford had patients for a engine that ran solely on ethenol, but didnt produce it cuz we was baught by the oil interest groups. When you see all the technologies that are on TV about how to be green one has to ask why arent these more in place all over. I saw on the discovery channel that if we place 1000 acres of solar panels in the Mojave Desert we can power the US main power grid without having to use fossile fuels. Oil and fossil fuels are a drug and the Oil Barons are our dealers... But I am glad that going green is now chic with hollywood maybe we can swing the popular mindset more in favor of the planet not rich overstuffed special intrests.

I would agree it is the right time (in fact overdue) for a channel like this. If the programming is not preachy and overly intelectual they will attract the people who need to see it most....the general public.
Anytime you do something heavy handed you will alienate and or confuse people who would like to learn and contribute to a positive solution.
To be honest when I saw it pop up on my TV guide my first thought was one looooonnng infomercial.I am happy I was wrong in this case.