TitanTV Network Launches Environmental News Channel, Titan Greens, and Comedy Channel, Titan Laughs, as Part of First Programming Slate

NEW YORK, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The TitanTV Network, the first of its kind digital media platform designed to connect local media affiliates and their advertisers to the digital world, is announcing the first of its slate of programming that will be offered to its member stations, it was announced today by Mark Effron, Senior Vice President of Titan TV. Its first program offerings (also available on http://www.Titantv.com) include Titan Greens, a digital channel with a fresh take on environmental news, hosted by former Plum TV correspondent Liza de Guia, and Titan Laughs, a comedy channel featuring the quirky comedy of comedian Michael Somerville, best known as Glamour magazine's male advice columnist "Jake."

Stations that join the Titan TV Network can enhance their viewers' digital experience with a station-branded TitanCast player. The player allows stations to manage content, to host and stream both their own video and unique original programming created by Titan's content team, to format video for the web and to provide access to out of market content with geo-appropriate advertising, among other services. The TitanTV Network offers broadcasters the tools to create a branded digital experience for their viewers while growing their revenue through nationally and locally sold advertising.

"Local affiliates' websites have been a place where viewers can go to get their news, weather and sports of the day," comments Effron. "Now they have an easy way to showcase both their own video and the diverse, entertaining slate of programming Titan produces, providing broadcasters the means to attract younger viewers who want their news and entertainment packaged in a non-traditional way. We are taking an irreverent, funny attitude that pervades a lot of entertainment reporting online and on television, and "mashing" it up with information that matters ... with our first targets being environmental news and self help programming."

Titan Greens is a programming channel that will offer eco-news you can use...with an attitude. "Daily Greens," its flagship series hosted by Liza de Guia, is a daily, lightning-fast and irreverent look at the environmental news and views of the day. The two minute newscast offers news of the day for the most appropriate environmental stories: global warning, eco-tourism, politics, companies doing good and not-so-good things, all delivered with insight, opinion and plenty of sass. The channel offers interviews with newsmakers such as Laurie David, Jean-Michel Cousteau and Robert Kennedy Jr.; a light hearted segment called Versus, which tests and myth-busts products, services and activities to see which is the most environmental choice; a daily blog by de Guia; and video vignettes that take a fresh look at some of the most intriguing environmental issues of the day. TitanTV is also pursuing several third-party content deals for Titan Greens.

Titan Laughs will feature comedy videos, series and vignettes that offer an irreverent perspective on everything from why men and women are so different to the minor irritants of daily life. First up is "Love, Somerville" a light-hearted and satirical advice show hosted, produced and written by Michael Somerville. With his good-natured sense of humor, Somerville walks viewers through such tips as "How to Break Up," "How to Hold Hands," "How to Answer Women's Questions," and "How to Get Out of Sleeping Together." Each episode features insightful thematic commentary by Somerville, who then practices what he preaches through a series of hilarious sketches enacting his tactics for dealing with the fairer sex.

Liza de Guia joins Titan Greens from Plum TV in East Hampton, NY, where she produced, edited, reported and hosted entertainment, human-interest, environmental and lifestyle programming for the channel. For three years, she hosted and produced a weekly food segment called "What's Fresh" where she harvested local farm crops with Hamptons' farmers, then showed viewers how to cook them up with the help of local chefs. Liza also created a weekly series called "The Art Of" profiling Hamptons' locals and their favorite outdoor activities. Her environmental coverage included documenting the capture and care of stranded seal pups by the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.

Michael Somerville has carved a unique niche in the entertainment field. He has appeared on Comedy Central, is a regular on VH1 ("Greatest Pranks," "Most Wanted Bodies," "Best Concert Moments") and hosts Starz's "Stand Up or Shut Up," Encore's "What Guys Want" and Nick at Nite's "Road Crew." His comedy CD Welcome to Somerville can be heard regularly on Sirius and XM Satellite radio, and over 2 million women read his dating column "Jake: A Man's Opinion" every month in Glamour magazine. Michael had also contributed material to Time and Maxim magazines.

Mark Effron has been at the cutting edge of electronic journalism for more than three decades. Prior to joining TitanTV Media, he was the vice president of daytime programming and breaking news at MSNBC, where he was responsible for attracting a younger demographic to cable news by creating programming and building news personalities more in tune with contemporary audiences. Prior to that, Effron was the vice president of news for Post-Newsweek Stations, the broadcasting division of The Washington Post Company, where he was responsible for creating and overseeing broadcasts that were number one or number two in their markets. Earlier, Effron was a news director and a station manager in the Post-Newsweek chain.

Mark Effron is Senior Vice President of Titan TV. Laura van Straaten is Managing Editor and Director of Original Programming. Jon Labes serves as Executive in Charge of Production for Titan Laughs. Morgan Jones serves as Executive in Charge of Production for Titan Greens.

About TitanTV Media

TitanTV Media is revolutionizing the way television content is searched, managed, delivered and watched on the Internet. Titan TV Media's technology has long served to bridge the gap between satellite companies and local broadcasters. The company's new products and content now provide a platform for broadcasters and original content owners to syndicate content delivery over the Web.

    -- TitanCast is the content delivery technology underlying The TitanTV
       Network. It allows television affiliates, independent producers and
       content users to upload and distribute news and entertainment via The
       TitanTV Network.
    -- MediaStar is a line of program management tools that help broadcasters
       conveniently manage program schedules and contract terms online
    -- TitanTV Guide is an online program guide used on the web sites of over
       1300 television stations. It gets 8 million page views monthly.
    -- SHVERA Compliance Tool and Antenna TechSpecs are ground-breaking
       applications that help television stations and Direct Broadcast
       Satellite (DBS) carriers work together within the confines of FCC
       regulations.

    Contact:  Randi Cone
              212-765-5154
              randicone@aol.com