NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Emmy-winning 'Explorer' to move to cable channel

NEW YORK (AP) -- The much-traveled "National Geographic Explorer" documentary series will move to National Geographic's cable channel in January.
The show, which has aired with the "Ultimate Explorer" tag on MSNBC, will revert to its original name.
"National Geographic Explorer" received eight news-and-documentary Emmy nominations last week, more than any other show, for reports on Brazilian cowboys, wolf packs, killer cats and Liberia.
The show premiered in 1985 on Nickelodeon, moved to TBS the next year and was shifted to CNBC in 2001. Last year, it surfaced at MSNBC.
But the show has never appeared on the National Geographic Channel, which started three years ago and is seen in nearly 50 million homes, a little less than half of the nation's homes with TV.
"It makes a huge amount of sense to have it on our channel," said Dennis Patrick, president of National Geographic Ventures. "To be honest, it was a bit confusing."
Laureen Ong, the channel's president, said she was getting tired of telling people where she worked, then having them say how much they liked Lisa Ling, the "Explorer" host.
Under MSNBC, "Ultimate Explorer" has moved in a newsier direction, with shorter stories. When it resurfaces on the new channel, it will likely revert to longer reports less dependent on the news, she said.