Mon. – Wed., Aug. 31-Sept. 2, from 9 – 10 p.m.
**3 Nights Live** on Ch. 5.1
A PBS and BBC Co-Production, Brings Majestic Marine Life of the California Coast to U.S. Viewers in a 3-Part Television Event
From The Monterey Bay Aquarium & Aboard
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Vessels
TEACHERS: Educational Online Component – Please Scroll Down
Digital and Social Hub for BIG BLUE LIVE is www.PBS.org/BigBlueLive
— Use #BigBlueLive Across Social Media —
In a first-of-its-kind multimedia coproduction, BBC and PBS present BIG BLUE LIVE. Scientists, filmmakers, photographers and other experts will come together to film some of the world’s most charismatic marine creatures — humpback whales, sea lions, dolphins, elephant seals, sea otters, great white sharks, shearwaters, brown pelicans, blue whales and more — gathering at this time of year in Monterey Bay to feed on the abundance of food in these waters.
Monterey Bay’s unique underwater geography, with a deep ocean canyon close to shore, brings species by the thousands into the once endangered, now thriving, ecosystem of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California.
Viewers can watch one of nature’s great reality shows, delivered through state-of-the-art filming technologies and live reports from air, by boat and below the waves. The multi-platform event will be anchored by two anchors, Dr. M Sanjayan, host of EARTH A New Wild (recently broadcast on PBS), senior scientist at Conservation International, and UK-based science broadcast journalist Liz Bonnin, known for BBC science programs BANG GOES THE THEORY and STARGAZING LIVE, in addition to many other scientists.
BIG BLUE LIVE will broadcast from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and from aboard Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary vessels, as well as from Monterey shoreline locations.
In addition to the live portions of the programs, BBC and PBS crews have been filming footage over the course of the summer, which will be rolled into each broadcast to expand upon what is being seen live.
BIG BLUE LIVE airs live over three nights; some of what audiences can expect to see include:
Episode 1 – Follow migrating whales, sharks and various birds as they join sea otters, sea lions and other species that live full-time in Monterey Bay. Watch reports from Monterey Aquarium and NOAA research vessels and get facts about humpback whale anatomy.
Episode 2 – Dive into the hidden world of Monterey’s sea lions and hear about the bay’s rejuvenation through sea otters’ return. Join a scientist who’s trying to help solve the mystery of shark migration and study the anatomy of white sharks and elephant seals.
Episode 3 – Follow the team on the water and in the sky as they search for the giant of the sea: the blue whale. Venture inside the whale with Dr. Reidenberg and join Sanjayan on an incredible journey to get up close and personal with these giants of the deep.
FINDING BIG BLUE LIVE ONLINE
The multi-platform, digital experience for BIG BLUE LIVE will be at www.PBS.org/BigBlueLive
where users can watch the live streaming simulcast of each night’s broadcast and interact with a series of live marine wildlife cameras throughout Monterey Bay. The site will also serve a social hub, by helping the audience discover, explore and join the national conversation about the series, including perspectives from the local communities of PBS member stations.
Photographs, videos, animated GIFs and live streams via Periscope will fuel social media integration of BIG BLUE LIVE with PBS, BBC, Monterey Bay Aquarium and NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. To participate in the conversation, and for a chance to have their post featured on the website’s social mosaic, viewers are encouraged to use #BigBlueLive across social media.
TEACHERS / HOME SCHOOLERS:
This fall, BIG BLUE LIVE will extend its reach into classrooms through PBS LearningMedia, a free media-on-demand service for educators, students and homeschooling families nationwide. Through a suite of newly created resources including interactives, lesson plans and videos, students will be able to make deeper connections to marine science and conservation topics. In addition, On Tuesday September 1 at 7:00pm ET, PBS will be hosting a live, interactive discussion where students can submit questions using #BigBlueClass to be answered by the experts at Monterey Bay. For more information follow @PBSLrnMedia on Twitter or visit http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/events/
A special DVD version of BIG BLUE LIVE will be available from PBS Distribution: ShopPBS.org; 800-PLAY-PBS, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.