APT WORLDWIDE SECURES REPRESENTATION RIGHTS TO RICK STEVES TRAVEL COLLECTION

PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Kevin McKenna
(617) 338-4455, ext. 143
Kevin_McKenna@aptonline.org

Boston, Mass. (March 23, 2009) APT Worldwide, the international sales division of U.S. public television distributor American Public Television, has secured the international representation rights to the entire collection of Rick Steves’ Europe programs hosted by travel expert and author Rick Steves, including the recent special Rick Steves’ Iran. In the programs, Steves shares his extensive knowledge of European history, art and culture as well as documenting his intriguing travels throughout the ancient country of Iran. An advocate of smart, independent travel, Steves showcases the world’s greatest cities, as well as the cozy villages far off the beaten path in order to illustrate the meaning of travel.

Whether he’s biking the back lanes of wonderful Copenhagen, waltzing through the Habsburg glory of Vienna or being tenderized by a burly masseuse under a Byzantine dome in Istanbul, Rick Steves’ Europe brings a fresh perspective to the art of traveling throughout the diverse continent. A best-selling author of more than 30 European travel books, including the classic guide “Europe Through the Back Door,” Steves offers viewers practical travel advice designed to help novice and experienced travelers connect more intimately with their destinations, often for a fraction of what mainstream tourists pay.

When in Iran, Steves provides a present-day look at some of civilization's most important historical sites, as well as a sense of Iran's 21st-century culture. Shot in Tehran, Shiraz, Esfahan, Persepolis and villages in between, the program illustrates a rare, candid, and humanizing look at a powerful and perplexing nation that Steves claims is, "the most poorly understood yet fascinating land" he has ever visited.

APT Worldwide
APT Worldwide, located in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., is a major supplier of quality non-fiction programming to broadcasters around the world. It is a division of American Public Television, a leading distributor of television programming to public television stations in the United States. For more information, visit APTWW.org or contact Kevin_McKenna@aptonline.org.

About American Public Television
With more than 10,000 hours of programming in its library, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for the nation’s public television stations for 47 years, distributing more than 300 new program titles per year. APT milestones include distribution of the first HD series on public television and the 2006 launch of Create – the TV channel featuring the best of public television’s lifestyle programming. Known for its leadership in identifying innovative, worthwhile and viewer-friendly programming, APT has established a tradition of providing public television stations with program choices that strengthen and customize their schedules, such as Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert, Battlefield Britain, Globe Trekker, Rick Steves’ Europe, Great Museums, Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way, America’s Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Broadway: The Golden Age, Lidia’s Family Table, California Dreamin’ – The Songs of The Mamas & the Papas, Rosemary and Thyme, P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home, The Big Comfy Couch, Monarchy With David Starkey, and other prominent documentaries, dramatic series, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies.