• by Paul Gough , May 20, 2003

For one of its largest-scale programming efforts ever, Outdoor Life Network is going to extremes.

If all goes well, the network's hand-picked crew and climbers will reach the summit of Mount Everest and become the first to broadcast live from the dangerous, 29,035 foot mountain. The multi-million-dollar adventure has been building to this week's climax with a series of adventures at remote locations throughout the world since late last year.

President/CEO Roger Williams said Global Extremes: Mount Everest - 4Runners of Adventure is one of the most ambitious project the eight-year-old network ever undertaken. For Williams and SVP/Advertising John West, Global Extremes is a prime example of an integrated advertising campaign between OLN and the primary sponsor, Toyota Motor Sales USA.

OLN isn't a stranger to outdoors events, with coverage of the Tour de France and other activities. But this would be the largest-scale series of programs that the network has yet attempted. And it doesn't start with a climb of Everest by longtime climbers. A year ago, the network placed ads for amateur climbers to become involved in a competition that would, ultimately, place them in position for a chance to climb Everest. More than 600 responded and 50 were brought to Moab, Utah, for the first round of outdoors competitions in November. Twenty-four were brought to the Rocky Mountains near Aspen, Colo., for the second round, 12 went to the Kalahari Desert, 11 competed in Costa Rica and 10 in Iceland. Five were picked for the Everest climb but one dropped out a few months ago after arriving in Nepal. The five are not professional climbers but well-conditioned and prepared amateur Americans, the network said.

Viewers have been along every step of the way, with several one-hour specials airing since January documenting the competition and, in the past two weeks, the preparation for the climb and a look at base camp 17,060 feet up the mountain. Monday night's one-hour special was live. Thursday's telecast will begin at 3:30 p.m. and will follow the climbers' final 1,600 feet to the summit. An OLN host will be live in the network's studios in Norwalk, Conn., with several in-studio guests providing commentary; another OLN host will broadcast live from base camp with two other expert Everest climbers.

Williams acknowledges the risks involved.

"Everest is certainly no walk in the park, as many people know. It's the ultimate extreme location on the planet. There's nowhere you're going to get to where the air is thinner and there's more potential peril and risk," Williams said.

He said that everything has been set up to do whatever's possible for the safety of the climbers and crew, including three camera operators - with 12 summit climbs between them - who will climb ahead of time and will be set up in time to provide live coverage of the climbers. All have been well-trained and prepared, mentally and physically, he said. There will be a Sherpa guide for each of the climbers and crew making the trek up to the summit and everyone knows the priority is making sure everyone's safe.

"They have the strictest instructions that safety is paramount, safety is first and television is second," Williams said.

The idea for Global Extremes came up about a year and a half ago, when Outdoor Life Network executives sat down with a longtime programming supplier to figure out a big event they could create for the network. At the same time, the network's sales executives were meeting with charter advertiser Toyota and learned that the automaker was looking for some big for the relaunch of its sports utility vehicle Toyota 4Runner. West said that Toyota wanted something where they could take advantage of OLN's adventure base and make a connection, demonstrating the new 4Runner's capabilities within an adventure backdrop.

"We hadn't even told them about Global Extremes," West said.

Toyota became involved in the project, contributing the name and an opportunity for integration forward and backward. Toyota wanted to demonstrate the capabilities and ruggedness of the vehicle in extreme conditions, and OLN obliged by putting the vehicles into the content of the production. The Toyota 4Runners were used in the earlier competitions as the contestants trekked across Costa Rica and tested GPS navigation in the desert. The SUVs are being used to transport gear and satellite equipment. The organic nature of the integration made it natural, West said.

"It was not crammed down the viewer's throat in a way that's artificial," he said.

Other advertisers who have signed up for spots in the Everest production include the U.S. Marine Corps, Yahoo!, Subway and Expedia. West said that some are existing clients although others - including the Marines and Subway, are new.

Williams said the series has, so far, done well in terms of viewership, going above its average primetime rating of 0.2. He said that OLN wants to do Global Extremes next year, too, although he wouldn't say where they were planning to go in the future. He said that OLN has perhaps found a niche with providing coverage of live expeditions.

If, for some reason the Everest ascent isn't completed, Williams didn't close the door on that becoming the destination for next year's Global Extremes, too.