CYBERCHASE Scores Top Marks With Kids, Critics, and Parents.

Entertainment Editors/Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 5, 2003

Second Season of Hit Series on PBS Kids Debuts March 31 With More

Math Mysteries, More Guest Stars, and More Online Games

Season two of the math-mystery cartoon CYBERCHASE(SM) launches Monday, March 31, 2003 (check local listings) on PBS KIDS with exciting new stories.

This season introduces hilarious new characters voiced by guest stars such as Al Roker (The Today Show) and Jane Curtin (Saturday Night Live). Christopher Lloyd and Gilbert Gottfried reprise their respective roles as the dastardly Hacker and the loveable cyber-bird Digit in the critically acclaimed series produced by Thirteen/WNET New York and Corus Entertainment's Nelvana.

The season opens with a high-stakes extreme sports competition in "Totally Rad" where the kids bike, board, and blade their way to victory against Cyberspace's greatest "radsters." New storylines take the team on thrilling adventures where they must unlock the secret of a ghostly treasure in "All the Right Angles," and reverse the spell of the "Mean Green" to thwart Hacker's villainous plans to take over the virtual universe. As always, math saves the day. In addition to Roker and Curtin, this season's guest voices include Bebe Neuwirth, Jasmine Guy, Geoffrey Holder, and others.

CYBERCHASE Online, where kids continue the math adventure, is setting records at pbskids.org/cyberchase with nearly 200 million page views since its launch, making it a top Web destination for kids. And research completed during season one shows that CYBERCHASE turns kids on to math in a way that's compelling and entertaining.

TV Guide proclaimed CYBERCHASE as one of the top ten new children's shows in the October 2002 "Parent's Guide to Kids TV" edition. The series also received a four-star review in Child Magazine, its highest rating. And Newsweek recently gave kudos to CYBERCHASE and PBS for going where other programmers of kids' fare do not - daring to create an educational show for older kids that they will want to watch.

Executive producer Kristin Martin explains, "We've had an incredible viewer response, including over 17 million fans who go online to get more CYBERCHASE. And we're going into our new season knowing that the show really works. Independent research studies over the past year show that our viewers improve their confidence in problem solving and increase their math content skills the more they watch CYBERCHASE."

"This season we're presenting new shows based on our viewers' requests for more mysteries and colorful characters," adds executive producer Sandra Sheppard. "We've tapped into their fascination with fantastic creatures, sports, science, and pop culture. And we continue to send kids the message that math is everywhere and everyone can be good at it."

"CYBERCHASE fills a critical void in children's television programming in mathematics," said Hyman Field, Ph.D., senior advisor for public understanding of research at the National Science Foundation, a major series funder. "In an entertaining way, it communicates important math ideas and a positive message about the value of mathematical thinking."

But the most telling comments come from viewers and parents. A youngster says, "I hope your show stays on the air forever! Thanks for teaching me great new math everyday!" One parent wrote, "My daughter loves the show and Web site; it helps her to get over her math fears." Another writes, "My son watches CYBERCHASE every day and sometimes even twice per day. He loves the show because he says it teaches you to really think."

At the wildly-popular CYBERCHASE Online (pbskids.org/cyberchase) kids play interactive games, send colorful e-cards, download free stuff, check out the back story, watch a clip of CYBERCHASE for Real, meet the characters, and experience original adventures. There are also lesson plans and activities for parents and teachers.

CYBERCHASE is about motivating students to succeed by offering new inroads into math. In classrooms and after-school programs, a national outreach campaign extends the impact of CYBERCHASE with a special focus on underserved children. Partners in this effort include the American Library Association, the Association of Science and Technology Centers, EQUALS/Family Math, the National Urban League, the Boys and Girls Clubs, and many others. A CYBERCHASE magazine for kids, teacher guides, parent workshops, and much more are available through public television stations.

CYBERCHASE is produced by Thirteen/WNET New York and Nelvana. Executive producers are Sandra Sheppard, director of children's and educational programming at Thirteen, and Kristin Laskas Martin, former executive producer of the award-winning Magic School Bus.

Major funding for CYBERCHASE is provided by the National Science Foundation, PBS, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by The Kettering Family Foundation and the Volckhausen Family.

Additional press materials and high-definition images are online for media use at www.thirteen.org/cyberpresskit.