National Geographic Kids Brings Weird But True!, the Popular National Geographic Kids Magazine and Books Franchise, to Syndicated Television and SiriusXM Radio This Fall

Picture of Weird but True

National Geographic Kids announced today the multiplatform launch of Weird But True!, the magazine’s most popular fun facts feature and book series, to syndicated television and SiriusXM radio. Beginning Saturday, Sept. 10, Weird But True! will premiere as a syndicated series airing Saturday mornings primarily on FOX television stations. Additionally, the popular strand will be featured as an hour-long radio show on SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live channel 78 on Friday evenings starting in October.

National Geographic Kids is ringing in the weirdness in its first-ever Weird But True! live event on the National Geographic Kids Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Sept. 14. Tune in to see the Weird But True! facts come to life. Nat Geo Kids is continuing the weirdness online at NatGeoKids.com/WBT and on social media with #WeirdButTrueWednesdays, a regular stream of Weird but True! facts on Nat Geo Kids’ Facebook and Twitter (@NGKids) every Wednesday.

The new TV and radio program announcements come on the heels of hugely successful book sales for the franchise, with more than 21 titles published and over four million copies sold to date. National Geographic Kids magazine first launched Weird But True! in a section of the magazine showcasing wild and wacky facts with fun and vibrant designs and pictures in September 2004. It quickly became the most popular feature in the magazine every single issue.

“Kids consistently told us how much they loved Weird But True! every time we ran our facts in the magazine, so we listened to them,” said National Geographic Kids Creative Director Melina Bellows. “We hope they’ll be happy to see we now have expanded Weird But True!to TV, satellite radio, online, in bookstores and in our Weird But True! app!”

About the Weird But True! Syndicated Series

Weird But True! premieres as a syndicated series on Saturday, Sept.10 primarily on FOX television stations (check your local listings). Follow the talented science-loving sibling hosts Charlie and Kirby Engelman as they investigate the fun, strange and surprising ways our world works. From exploring shipwrecks to discovering how our senses work, no topic is off-limits for the curious duo.

Weird But True! is produced in partnership with Steve Rotfeld Productions, and is airing as part of a three-hour educational block of syndicated programming alongside popular programs Xploration Awesome Planet, Xploration Outer Space, Xploration Earth 2050, and two new series also debuting this fall: DIY Sci and Nature Knows Best. Xploration Station shows have been nominated for five Daytime Emmy Awards and five Cynopsis Kids Awards, respectively. The returning Xploration Station series were named by Common Sense Media as three of the Best Science Shows for Kids on TV.

“National Geographic sets the gold standard for factual programming,” noted Rotfeld Productions President Steve Rotfeld. “It is tremendously exciting to have Nat Geo Kids’ most popular franchise, Weird But True!, join our popular and critically-acclaimed Xploration Station block. We are loving this series and are proud to be partnering with the iconic Nat Geo brand.”

About the Weird But True! SiriusXM Radio Program

Debuting in early October on SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live channel 78, the Weird But True!radio show features National Geographic Kids Editors Becky Baines and Kate Hale, who have spent 12 and seven years, respectively, building the impressive database of the weirdest (but all true) facts on the planet. The radio show will air new episodes weekly on Fridays at 5 p.m. ET, with a replay on Sundays at 1 p.m. ET and two replays on Weird But True Wednesdays at 2 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET. SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live channel 78 is a 24/7 interactive talk and music channel featuring music and talk shows for kids, with live in-house concert events from the biggest names in kids’ music, live hosts to take song requests and fun, on-air games.

“Did you know that you can shine your shoes with a banana peel?” said Mindy Thomas, program director and host of The Absolutely Mindy Show on Kids Place Live. “Becky and Kate have been two of my favorite guests, who are always teaching our listeners something new, so when we had the chance to turn this into an official show, we jumped at the opportunity.”

About the Weird But True! Books Franchise

National Geographic Kids has been publishing Weird But True! books in response to the overwhelmingly positive reception kids gave the Kids magazine section and to date has published 21 titles and sold more than four million copies, making it the most popular franchise across National Geographic Kids. New books in the popular series include Weird But True! Sports (ISBN: 978-1426324673, May 31, 2016, .99), Weird But True! Sticker Doodle Book (ISBN: 978-1426324567, July 12, 2016, .99) and Weird But True! 8 (ISBN: 978-1426325595, November 8, 2016, .99) and are available wherever books are sold.

Visit the National Geographic Kids Weird But True! online hub (NatGeoKids.com/WBT) for more Weird but True facts and follow Nat Geo Kids on Facebook and Twitter on Wednesdays for #WeirdButTrueWednesdays.

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About Steve Rotfeld Productions

Steve Rotfeld Productions (SRP) is an Emmy Award winning television production and broadcast syndication company. Since its inception in 1985, its programs have appeared in national broadcast syndication, on TLC, ESPN, ESPN Classic, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, History Channel, FOX and other outlets around the world. Steve Rotfeld formed SRP after six years of working for his father’s TV production company, Greatest Sports Legends, Inc., where he won a National Sports Emmy Award for Writing on a Jackie Robinson documentary. In 2014, SRP launched Xploration Station, a revolutionary, new take on E/I programming. Xploration Station is the first and only broadcast destination dedicated exclusively to STEM-based programming for tweens, teens and their families. In its first two years on the air, Xploration Station has received five Daytime Emmy Nominations. In addition to Xploration Station, SRP and its sister companies have produced shows including The Haney Project and Donald Trump’s Fabulous World of Golf for Golf Channel, Wild Weddings for TLC, Wild About Animals, Awesome Adventures, Whaddyado, The Lighter Side of Sports for ESPN, and Greatest Sports Legends.

About SiriusXM

Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) is the world’s largest radio company measured by revenue and has more than 30.6 million subscribers. SiriusXM creates and offers commercial-free music; premier sports talk and live events; comedy; news; exclusive talk and entertainment, and a wide-range of Latin music, sports and talk programming. SiriusXM is available in vehicles from every major car company in the U.S. and on smartphones and other connected devices as well as online at siriusxm.com. SiriusXM radios and accessories are available from retailers nationwide and online at SiriusXM. SiriusXM also provides premium traffic, weather, data and information services for subscribers through SiriusXM Traffic™, SiriusXM Travel Link, NavTraffic®, NavWeather™. SiriusXM delivers weather, data and information services to aircraft and boats through SiriusXM Aviation, SiriusXM Marine™, Sirius Marine Weather, XMWX Aviation™, XMWX Weather, and XMWX Marine™. In addition, SiriusXM Music for Business provides commercial-free music to a variety of businesses. SiriusXM holds a minority interest in SiriusXM Canada which has approximately 2.7 million subscribers. SiriusXM is also a leading provider of connected vehicles services to major automakers, giving customers access to a suite of safety, security, and convenience services including automatic crash notification, stolen vehicle recovery assistance, enhanced roadside assistance and turn-by-turn navigation.

About National Geographic Kids

National Geographic Kids teaches kids about the world and how it works, empowering them to succeed and make it a better place. National Geographic Kids inspires young adventurers through award-winning magazines, books, apps, games, toys, videos, events and a website, and is the only kids brand with a world-class scientific organization at its core. You can follow National Geographic Kids on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.