Xploration Station is an American
syndicated programming block
Block programming (also known as a strand in British broadcasting) is the arrangement of programs on radio or television so that those of a particular genre, theme, or target audience are united.
Overview
Block programming involves scheduling a ...
that is programmed by
Steve Rotfeld Productions
Steve Rotfeld Productions (SRP) is an America television production, stock footage, and broadcast syndication company based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. The company was founded in 1985 by president Steve Rotfeld. SRP cur ...
, distributed by
Fox
Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush").
Twelve species ...
, and debuted on September 13, 2014. It airs weekends (typically on Saturday mornings), primarily on Fox-affiliated stations. Aimed towards teenagers, the block consists of six half-hour shows focusing on the
STEM fields
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context o ...
of
science
Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
,
technology
Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...
,
engineering
Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
, and
mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
. All of the programs in the three-hour block are produced to meet federally mandated
educational programming guidelines.
Boat Rocker Rights owns the shows' international rights.
History
On December 17, 2013, Steve Rotfeld Productions announced that it would launch a two-hour syndicated block of live-action educational programs under the working title ''Xploration Nation'', with
Fox Television Stations
Fox Television Stations, LLC (stylized as FOX TV STATIONS; also known as FTS) is a group of television stations in the United States owned-and-operated by Fox Corporation. It owns LiveNOW from Fox, Fox Local, and Fox Soul. It also oversees ...
and
Tribune Broadcasting
Tribune Broadcasting Company, LLC was an American media company which operated as a subsidiary of Tribune Media, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. The group owned and operated television station, television and radio stations thro ...
initially set to carry the block across their respective Fox owned-and-operated and affiliated stations. The block, aimed towards teenagers between 13 and 16 years of age, features programs focused on the
STEM fields
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context o ...
– such as
marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms that inhabit the sea. Given that in biology many scientific classification, phyla, family (biology), families and genera have some species that live in the sea and ...
,
astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
, and
animal science
Animal science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of humankind". It can also be described as the production and management of farm animals. Historically, the degree was called animal husbandry and the ...
.
Production on one of the four shows, ''Xploration Outer Space'', began in April 2014.
The block, by then renamed ''Xploration Station'', premiered on September 13, 2014.
On
Fox owned and operated stations, ''Xploration Station'' replaced ''
Weekend Marketplace
''Weekend Marketplace'' is a two-hour block of paid programming airing on Fox that debuted on January 3, 2009, replacing the 4Kids TV cartoon block due to the termination of the network's time lease agreement with 4Kids Entertainment. The bloc ...
'', a two-hour block of
infomercial
An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of di ...
s first introduced in January 2009 following the discontinuation of
4Kids TV
4Kids TV (often stylized as 4K!DSTV and formerly known as FoxBox from September 14, 2002 to January 15, 2005) was an American television programming block and Internet-based video on demand children's network operated by 4Kids Entertainment. ...
due to conflicts between Fox and the block's programmer
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (formerly known as Leisure Concepts, Inc. and later known as 4Licensing Corporation; stylized as 4K!DS ENTERTAINMENT) was an American licensing company. The company was previously also a film and television production ...
.
On January 20, 2015, Fox Television Stations renewed the block for the group's Fox owned-and-operated stations through 2017.
The block was made available worldwide with the pick up of non-US distribution by
Boat Rocker Rights in February 2016.
One of the more notable holdouts for ''Xploration Station'' in its first two seasons was Fox's largest affiliate group,
Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair, Inc., doing business as Sinclair Broadcast Group, is a publicly traded American telecommunications conglomerate that is controlled by the descendants of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. Headquartered in the Baltimore suburb o ...
. In September 2016, Sinclair began to carry ''Xploration Station'' on their Fox stations and two other Sinclair stations associated with a netlet under a five-year agreement with Steve Rotfeld Productions.
Starting in 2016, Xploration Station expanded its programming block to three hours.
Programming
NOTE: Some stations usually only air one program, or have a different schedule due to
public affairs, wanting to make room for other programs to air, or
news broadcasting
News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either video production, produced local programming ...
.
Current Programming
*''Xploration Awesome Planet''
(since September 13, 2014): Hosted by
Philippe Cousteau Jr., this series features a detailed look at earth science and geology.
*''Xploration DIY Sci'', also called ''DIY Sci'', (since September 10, 2016): A pop-science series featuring the host,
Steve Spangler
Steve Spangler (born December 8, 1966) is an American television personality, author and STEM teacher. He was the CEO of Steve Spangler Science until 2018 when the company was sold to Really Good Stuff, LLC, a division of Excelligence Learning C ...
, creating experiments using everyday items.
AB Groupe carries the show in France.
[
*''Xploration Outer Space'' (since September 13, 2014): This series focuses on various aspects of the ]space industry
Space industry refers to economic activities related to manufacturing components that go into outer space (Earth's orbit or beyond), delivering them to those regions, and related services. Owing to the prominence of satellite-related activiti ...
, including technology
Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...
, the prospects of a human mission to Mars
The idea of sending humans to Mars has been the subject of aerospace engineering and scientific studies since the late 1940s as part of the broader exploration of Mars. Long-term proposals have included sending settlers and terraforming the p ...
, and the growing space tourism
Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes. There are several different types of space tourism, including orbital, suborbital and lunar space tourism. Tourists are motivated by the possibility of viewing Earth from space, ...
industry. The program is hosted and produced by Emily Calandrelli
Emily Dawn Calandrelli is an American science communicator, engineer, author, and television presenter. She is the host and an executive producer of '' Xploration Outer Space'' and previously '' Emily's Wonder Lab''.
Early life and education
E ...
, who was scouted by Steve Rotfeld from her YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
productions for West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...
's engineering college. The program was picked up by AB Groupe
Mediawan Thematics (formerly known as AB Groupe) is a French television channel business and audiovisual distribution group in the field of broadcasting that is owned by Mediawan.
History
Mediawan Thematics had its roots under the name of AB P ...
in France and AMC in Central and Eastern Europe in June 2017.
*''Life 2.0'' (since August 12, 2020): This series covers how new technological advancements are going to impact humanity in the future, such as life extension
Life extension is the concept of extending the human lifespan, either modestly through improvements in medicine or dramatically by increasing the maximum lifespan beyond its generally-settled biological limit of around 125 years. Several resea ...
and exploration to Mars. The show features Michio Kaku
Michio Kaku (; ; born January 24, 1947) is an American theoretical physicist, Science communication, science communicator, futurologist, and writer of popular-science. He is a professor of theoretical physics at the City College of New York and ...
, David Andrew Sinclair
David Andrew Sinclair (born June 26, 1969) is an Australian-American biologist and academic known for his research on aging and epigenetics. Sinclair is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and the founding director of the Paul F. ...
, and Shara Evans.
*''Second Chance Pets'' (since September 4, 2021): Hosted by Jim Alaimo, the series focuses on animals with disabilities who are in need of prosthetics
In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder). Prosthe ...
.
Former Programming
*''Xploration Animal Science'' (formerly ''Animal Science'') (September 13, 2014 – 2016[) – This program was originally broadcast in syndication in 2012, and was retooled for broadcast as part of Xploration Station.
*''FabLab'', became part of the ''Xploration Station'' programming block in early 2016] as an apparent mid-season replacement for ''Animal Science''.[ The show has 4 hosts, 3 girls as it is focused toward female tween and teens.][
*'' Weird But True!'' (September 10, 2016 – 2020): A co-production of Rotfeld Production and National Geographic Kids and is based on the magazine's most popular fun-facts feature and book series.
*''Countdown to Apollo'' (2019): 8 episodes of 30 minutes length.
*''Xploration Earth 2050'' (September 13, 2014 – 2019): This series covers enhanced technology products for the next 3 decades. The first season of the series was hosted by ]Joe Penna
Jônatas de Moura Penna, best known as Joe Penna (born May 29, 1987), is a Brazilian filmmaker and musician, known from both his YouTube channel MysteryGuitarMan and his feature films. He resides in Los Angeles, California.
Film
In March 2016 ...
. Seasons 2, 3, and 4 are hosted by Chuck Pell, with Season 4 (2018) winning a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Series is an Emmy award given to television programs that do not "fall into other established categories." Prior to 2000, the category was referred to as Special Class Program and both series and ...
, the first Emmy win for Xploration Station.
*''Xploration: Nature Knows Best'' (September 10, 2016 – 2020): Marine biologist Danni Washington
Daniell "Danni" Washington is an American activist, artist, and presenter who campaigns for cleaner, plastic-free oceans. She founded the Big Blue & You, a non-profit organization. Washington presents the STEM-themed TV show '' Xploration Natur ...
hosts this show about nature based technological advancements. AB Groupe carries the show in France while AMC in Central and Eastern Europe does.
Reception
''Animal Science'' was nominated in 2014 for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Series was an Emmy award given to television programming aimed towards children. Children's television had been recognized at the Emmys since the inaugural year. In 1995, a separate award for pre- ...
.
At the 45th Daytime Emmy Awards
The 45th Daytime Emmy Awards, presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), "recognizes outstanding achievement in all fields of daytime television production and are presented to individuals and programs broadcast fro ...
, ''Xploration Earth 2050'' won the award for Outstanding Special Class Series. At the 46th Daytime Emmy Awards
The 46th Daytime Emmy Awards, presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), honored the best in U.S. daytime television programming in 2018. The ceremony was held on May 5, 2019, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pa ...
, ''Weird but True!'' won the award for Outstanding Education or Informational Series.
''Second Chance Pets'' broadcasts on Hong Kong–based station ViuTV
ViuTV is a Cantonese language Generalist channel, general entertainment television channel in Hong Kong operated by HK Television Entertainment (HKTVE), whose parent company PCCW also operates the IPTV platform Now TV (Hong Kong), Now TV and the ...
.
''Xploration Awesome Planet'' broadcasts on New Zealand's TVNZ Duke
TVNZ Duke, formerly Duke and stylized as TVNZ DUKE or DUKE, is a New Zealand television channel run by state broadcaster Television New Zealand. It screens programming targeted at a male audience. It was launched on 20 March 2016 to replace TVN ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Fox Kids
Television programming blocks in the United States
Television series by Boat Rocker Media