Sample Press Release
Rick Steves New Vive La France Pledge Special
Rick Steves will be hosting a two-hour Vive La France Pledge Special beginning this March on KXXX. This special will get you intimate with the unique ways locals embrace life in Provence, the French Riviera, and Normandy — proving once again that public television is the next best thing to a plane ticket.
The show follows host/producer/writer Rick Steves' travel philosophy, encouraging Americans to delve deep into Europe and become "temporary locals," learning not only about major cities but also about cozy "Back Door" villages away from tourist-trampled routes. As in Steves' 30 best-selling travel books, Rick Steves' Europe helps American travelers connect much more intimately with Europe — and Europeans — for a fraction of what mainstream tourists pay. The series is filled with visually and historically rich and entertaining adventures that are unique to Steves' style for teaching travel.
Since 1990, Steves has become a top pledge-drive host for public television, raising over one million dollars for them annually. A best-selling author, Steves self-published the first edition of his travel skills book Europe Through the Back Door in 1980 (now in its 23rd edition/Avalon Travel Publishing). Among his other books: 12 country guidebooks, nine city and regional guides, and six phrase books. His Italy guidebook is the best selling international guidebook in the U.S. Steves also pens columns in the media, and is a contributing writer at ABCNews.com.
The Rick Steves' Europe film crew consists of Steves, co-producer Simon Griffith, and editor Steve Cammarano. The show is produced by Back Door Productions based at Steves' corporate headquarters, Europe Through The Back Door Inc., in Edmonds, WA. Oregon Public Broadcasting presents the series, and is distributed through American Public Television. To learn more about Rick Steves' books, bus tours, and television projects, visit www.ricksteves.com.
For review tapes, photos, interviews, contact Brooke Burdick at Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door, 130 Fourth Avenue North, Edmonds, WA 98020, Tel: 425-608-4233 / Fax: 425-771-0833 / mediarequest@ricksteves.com