USA TODAY and National Geographic Channel Partner on Special Tabloid Edition: Your Guide to the National Parks

MCLEAN, Va., May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- USA TODAY and National Geographic Channel have partnered on a special tabloid edition:  Your Guide to the National Parks. The special edition captures the beauty and majesty of the parks in words and photos.

The 64-page all color special edition includes:

• A guest essay by noted documentary filmmaker Ken Burns on how visits to national parks bond families in warm memories. Burns produced the PBS series The National Parks: America's Best Idea in 2009. The guest essay is also available in today's editions of USA TODAY.
• Profiles of one park from every state, including the top 10 most-visited national parks--ranging from great Smoky Mountain and Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon and Yosemite. The story on the only state without a national park, Delaware, looks at efforts to establish one there.
• A guest essay by Karen Bass, series producer of National Geographic Channel's latest documentary, Untamed Americas. She talks about the breathtaking natural wonders and exotic wildlife in this part of the world.
• An opening letter by John Fahey, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the National Geographic Society, discussing nearly a century of partnership with the National Parks.

The special edition is on newsstands now and can also be ordered online at http://service.usatoday.com/specialeditions. This is the second special tabloid edition that USA TODAY and National Geographic Channel have partnered on in 2012. The first was the Titanic – 100 years later tabloid which published in March.

Additional National Parks coverage on USATODAY.com and on USA TODAY mobile apps include a video interview with Ken Burns on why the parks are such a gem as well as individual park profiles with photo galleries.         

Untamed Americas premieres June 10-11 on National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD and Nat Geo MUNDO.  For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com/untamedamericas.

Additional USA TODAY coverage includes a Life cover story on Untamed Americas as well as video clips from Untamed Americas on USATODAY.com.

About National Geographic Channels

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Cable Networks.  The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission.  Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD.  In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled.  The Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in over 83 million U.S. homes.  Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in 435 million homes in 173 countries and 37 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.

About USA TODAY

USA TODAY is a multi-platform news and information media company. Founded in 1982, USA TODAY's mission is to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Today, through its newspaper, website and mobile platforms, USA TODAY connects readers and engages the national conversation. USA TODAY, the nation's number one newspaper in print circulation with an average of nearly 1.8 million daily, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper website launched in 1995, reach a combined 5.9 million readers daily. USA TODAY is a leader in mobile applications with more than 14 million downloads on mobile devices.  The USA TODAY brand also includes USA TODAY Education and USA TODAY Sports Weekly. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).

SOURCE USA TODAY