High resolution images are below

Pressroom

• Media Contacts
• Press Releases
• ETV Management Team
• Logo Farm
• ETV Style Guidelines
• Stock Photos

South Carolina ETV

• About ETV
• History of ETV
• Testimonials
• Annual Reports
• Schedule a Tour
• Weather Center
• Contact Us

Stay Connected

Like Nature Itself, ETV's "NatureScene" Proves Its Resiliency
with New Special Episodes Beginning in March

For Immediate Release
February 23, 2010

Columbia, SC… This year, one of ETV's most popular and enduring programs, "NatureScene," will have its first new episodes since the series ended its 23-year run in 2001.

NATURESCENE: A LOOK BACK

Kicking off the occasional series is a new "Carolina Stories" documentary, "NatureScene: A Look Back" which premieres on Thursday, March 11 at 7 p.m.

The program chronicles the history of the program, including its surprising origin. While most people picture host Rudy Mancke when they think of "NatureScene," it was actually longtime co-host and ETV star Beryl Dakers who originated the concept.

"'NatureScene' is a tribute to my mother, a high school science teacher. When I worked in commercial television, she always said that I underused the resource. That if she had the opportunity, what she'd do is take the camera out into the field so people could really experience things firsthand," revealed Dakers during the 30-minute program. "And at the same time, I interviewed this young man who was the curator of natural history at the SC State Museum. His name was Rudy Mancke and he would bring things into the studio and we'd look at them and he'd say, 'Gosh, this is just not as good as it would be if we could see it in the wild.' And we talked about it and we both resolved that if we ever had the opportunity, we would create a program where we could do just that--take the cameras and the audience into the field."

However, in October of 1978, when the pair finally got their chance, it was, by all appearances, off to a dubious start. Dakers and producer Allen Sharpe admit they were troubled upon arrival at the very first location Mancke had selected--a power line right-of-way along Bluff Road in Columbia. But all questions were answered by the end of that day, when the pair realized that Mancke had been able to give them more than enough great footage for that episode without traveling 100 yards.

This 30-minute program is full of archival clips and intimate interviews with all the principal players, including co-host Jim Welch, who joined when "NatureScene" went national, and who says his time on the show was the best part of his long broadcasting career.

NATURESCENE: BUTTERFLIES

Immediately following is the first in the occasional series of new "NatureScene" specials, "NatureScene: Butterflies." Shot in high definition, Mancke once again spins his encyclopedic knowledge of the natural world to inform and excite viewers about some of the most delicate creatures on the planet.

From the American Copper to the Red Admiral and from the Painted Lady to the American Lady, this episode offers extreme close-ups of these beautiful and graceful animals. While they often catch our eye and grab our attention, we rarely stop to think about their stages of development or about their sometimes surprisingly short life spans.

With his trademark conversational style and overflowing enthusiasm, Mancke imparts his fascination and takes us beyond the simple aesthetic beauty to a deeper appreciation for the butterfly, its seemingly miraculous metamorphosis, its annual migration covering thousands of miles, and even the dangers it faces – including showing the "bite" marks on its wings from hungry birds.

Upcoming shows in the series will be devoted to snakes, reptiles, birds and insects, with a new episode premiering two to three times each year.

"NatureScene" By the Numbers:

0........ Scripts written for each show
5........ Crew members
4........ Hats worn by crew member Allen Sharpe: producer, director, editor, cameraman
8........ Hours spent to produce early episodes for a 30-minute final product
23...... Years in production
32...... Continuous years "NatureScene" has aired on ETV
50...... States visited
100.....Yards traveled while taping first episode
1978... Debuted on ETV
1985... Began broadcasting nationally
2001... Ended regular production

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

###

For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.

(l to r) Co-host Beryl Dakers and host Rudy Mancke in February 1979, taping one of the very first episodes of NatureScene. Photo Credit: Allen Sharpe/ETV

Rudy Mancke, host of NatureScene, in the ETV studios in Dec. 2009 for the taping of the "Carolina Stories" documentary, "NatureScene: A Look Back."

Beryl Dakers, the original co-host of NatureScene, in Dec. 2009 for the taping of the "Carolina Stories" documentary, "NatureScene: A Look Back." Photo credit: Mark Adams/ETV

This photo was taken at the site of an abandoned carnival in the city of Pripyat, in the Ukraine, which was near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Before the carnival had a chance to finsh setting up, the sirens went off and the entire town was evacuated, never to return. NatureScene visited the site in 2002 and pictured (l to r) are Rudy Mancke, host; Jim Welch, co-host; Allen Sharpe, producer/director, Beth Rickenbacker, audio tech; and Sherry Beasley, production coordinator. This was the final episode of NatureScene.