NGTI ANNOUNCES PRE-SALE FOR NEW MIPCOM SHOW

Published: 17 October 2005

National Geographic Television International (NGTI) arrives at Mipcom today with a major pre-sale to French broadcaster M6 for its new programme THE DAY THE BIG EASY DROWNED.

The hour-long show, made by National Geographic Television & Film, will provide a detailed scientific analysis of the destructive nature of Hurricane Katrina and why it had such a devastating impact on the city of New Orleans. It will also take a look at what the future holds in store for the city and how it could be protected from future hurricane seasons.

National Geographic Television & Film producer Lawrence Cumbo, himself a New Orleans native, returned to his home town to produce THE DAY THE BIG EASY DROWNED and this, combined with exclusive access to the Corps of Engineers and to Joe Suhayda, an engineer who only last year predicted with startling accuracy the impact of a hurricane on New Orleans, provides National Geographic Television & Film with new insight to the disaster and what could have been done to avert it.

Edwina Thring, head of programmes at NGTI, was responsible for negotiating the pre-sale. She comments: “While there have been a number of news programmes on this topic, the detailed scientific analysis in The Day the Big East Drowned, coupled with exclusive access to experts and National Geographic’s heritage in producing excellent natural disaster programmes, will ensure that this show becomes a defining programme on the subject. M6 were impressed that NGT&F was one of the first documentary crews in the city and that the team’s local knowledge would give an added edge to the show.”