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DISCOVERY CHANNEL NAMES NBC NEWS’ WILLIE GEIST AS HOST OF ‘EVEREST JUMP LIVE’ AIRING IN MAY WITH THE WEATHER CHANNEL’S JIM CANTORE AS CHIEF METEOROLOGIST

Chris Jacobs and Kyle Martino to Give Live Updates From Mt. Everest

March 20, 2014

Contact - Laurie Goldberg
EVP, Communications
310.975.1631
Contact - Phil Zimmerman
Vice President - Publicity, Discovery Channel - Communications
310.975.5975

(Los Angeles, Calif.) - Discovery Channel has announced NBC News' Willie Geist as host of EVEREST JUMP LIVE, a two hour epic event in which climber Joby Ogwyn will attempt the first wing suit flight off the summit of Mt. Everest. Geist will also be joined by The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore, who will serve as chief meteorologist and track Everest's highly unpredictable weather conditions, along with Chris Jacobs and Kyle Martino giving live updates. EVEREST JUMP LIVE will broadcast live on the Discovery Channel in 224 countries and territories in May and is produced by NBC News' Peacock Productions.

This past summer, Geist gave the play-by-play account of Nik Wallenda's historic tightrope walk over the Grand Canyon during SKYWIRE LIVE WITH NIK WALLENDA. Cantore was also based on the rim of the Grand Canyon tracking its erratic weather patterns, which included strong gusts of wind that clocked in at 48 mph just before Wallenda began his walk. For EVEREST JUMP LIVE, Geist and Cantore will be based at a studio in New York City designed specifically for the event incorporating the latest interactive technology and high-tech equipment with live coverage by Jacobs and Martino at Mt. Everest. Geist is a co-host of "TODAY'S Take" the 9 a.m. hour of NBC News' "TODAY" show and the co-host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe." He is also a contributor to NBC News programs and to the NBC Sports Group, where he reports for NBC Olympics and NBC Sports Network. A pop culture, sports, and political expert, in addition to his television duties, Geist is a New York Times bestselling author.

Known for his live reports from severe weather events, Cantore embodies the passion and knowledge of The Weather Channel that makes him a leading authority on weather. He has covered every major weather event of the past 27 years, including Hurricanes Katrina and Irene and Superstorm Sandy. When not in the field, he covers forecast and weather news on "Weather Center Live" weeknights. He is also is a frequent contributor to NBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams," "TODAY," as well as for NBC affiliates nationwide and multiple MSNBC shows. Jacobs has numerous television credits, including co-hosting Discovery's and Velocity's OVERHAULIN'. He also served as host of The Insider from 2009 to 2011 and was a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight. Most recently, Chris served as online host for Discovery Digital during CHOPPER LIVE, GOLD RUSH LIVE and SKYWIRE LIVE WITH NIK WALLENDA. Martino is a former professional athlete and the lead analyst for the Major League Soccer on NBC. Martino made his Olympic debut as an in-game analyst at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. As a soccer star, Martino played a combined six seasons with the Columbus Crew and Los Angeles Galaxy. EVEREST JUMP LIVE is produced by NBC News' Peacock Productions for Discovery with Gretchen Eisele, Colleen Halpin, Benjamin Ringe and Knute Walker serving as Executive Producers. Sharon Scott is President and GM of Peacock Productions. Howard Swartz serves as executive producer for Discovery with Executive Producers Denise Contis and Andrew Jackson. Discovery Education will bring the wonder of Everest to students nationwide with interactive content, digital learning experiences and resources found on its suite of digital classroom services.

To learn more, go to www.discovery.com/EverestJumpLive, on Facebook at Facebook.com/discovery and on Twitter @Discovery.