Haddonfield, NJ -- (ReleaseWire) -- 04/04/2007 -- Roots Television, LLC (http://www.rootstelevision.com) wants everyone to flaunt their roots! Launched just a few months ago, this first-ever online home for family history programming boasts 20 channels of great shows for the roots-enthusiast – all available 24/7 and almost all for free. And now viewers have the opportunity to submit their own video through the freshly introduced RootsTube channel and win $500!

Yes, it's finally here! The perfect way for millions of genealogists around the globe to share their sleuthing adventures, family reunion mishaps, cemetery explorations, interviews with WWII vets, trips to the old country, or even the local society's monthly lectures. With a few easy-to-follow instructions, anyone can put their video out there for fellow roots-lovers to enjoy.

To celebrate the launch of RootsTube, Roots Television™ is holding a Wild Roots! contest. While submissions of all things genealogical are welcome, viewers are invited to tell the world about the craziest thing they ever did in their quest to learn about their heritage. Did you accidentally pull an all-nighter at your computer? Did you cross a field with a bull in it to get to an old cemetery? Did you purposely get yourself locked into a library overnight? If so, we want to hear about it. You can tell your tale directly to the camera, re-enact it, animate it, use hand puppets or whatever appeals to you. Do it by yourself or with your sister, research buddies, fellow society members, or that 6th cousin of yours in New Zealand. All countries and languages welcome! On May 15, 2007, Roots Television will select and announce the winner of the Wild Roots! contest.

While you're at it, why not take a few minutes to explore what else Roots Television™ has to offer? Check out our recently unveiled new look that makes it easier than ever to navigate around our 20 channels that include DNA, Military, Kids, Dearly Departed, African Roots, How To and more. Watch your favorite speakers at national conferences, peek over Flat Stanley's shoulder as he does his roots, or see how Bob Zins used DNA testing to find out who his real father was. Browse the program guide to see what must-see video you might be missing. While you're there, subscribe to the Og Blog or our newsletter to keep up on the latest programs – and keep an eye out for an exciting new original series coming soon!

About Roots Television, LLC
Headquartered in Utah, Roots Television, LLC is an independent media company that is the brainchild of national media producer Marcy Brown and professional genealogist Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak (yes, her real name).

Largely a virtual operation with partners scattered around the globe, Roots Television™ takes a broad view of family history and is committed to providing programming – both original and from talented producers and independent filmmakers around the world – that appeals to avid genealogists and family history lovers of all stripes.

Whether you're an archives hound, scrapbooker, cousin collector, roots-travel enthusiast, Civil War re-enactor, DNA fan, reunion instigator, sepia-toned photos zealot, Internet-junkie, history buff, old country traditions follower, cemetery devotee, story-teller, multicultural food aficionado, flea market and antiques fanatic, family documentarian, nostalgia nut, or mystery-solver, Roots Television™ has something for you -- and that "something" is quality programming.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Haddonfield, NJ -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/23/2006 -- When Roots Television(TM) (www.rootstelevision.com) debuted on September 29, 2006, it was a quiet launch in beta mode intended to draw enough traffic to test the site and work through the inevitable technical bugs that accompany new ventures into cyberspace. That "quiet" launch quickly became an international roar, as word spread lightening-fast and Roots Television(TM) drew viewers from five continents in the first 24 hours! Not surprising really, since family history commands one of the largest and fast-growing markets in the world.

Perhaps what is surprising is that no one thought of launching a family history channel sooner. After all, there's a golf channel, a wine channel, a sailing channel, a horse channel, and poker channel, and even a shipwreck channel. Why not a channel for what's said to be the second most popular hobby?

Today, roots fever is hotter than ever, with over 113 million Americans interested in their family history, and roots-sleuthing running at near-epidemic proportions in other countries, such as the U.K. Yet this audience has been largely neglected by television. Roots TelevisionTM is uniquely positioned to be one of the first media outlets to take advantage of the inevitable merge between television and the Internet -- and in so doing, serve this global and long-ignored audience.

What People Are Saying about Roots Television(TM) According to Family Tree Magazine, Roots Television(TM) is "TV That Won't Rot Your Brain." Their review noted, "We give it two thumbs up, but the addiction potential is high, so get hooked at your own risk." And here's a sampling of viewer reactions so far:

I just discovered Roots Television today. . . How am I supposed to work on my family roots while watching yours? I enjoyed it tremendously and it is now 2 a.m., so I have to go to bed . . . It has been just great watching and I will be back.

It's about time someone came up with this idea . . . I am notifying all of my cousins to come on board.

Thank you so much for coming up with this idea. So many people will love it. CONGRATULATIONS on a job just started but well done so far!!

Thank you for providing this wonderful product . . . I am so excited to see that my profession now has a venue for producing quality programs.

About Roots Television, LLC
Headquartered in Utah, Roots Television, LLC is an independent media company that is the brainchild of national media producer Marcy Brown and professional genealogist Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak (yes, her real name).

Largely a virtual operation with partners scattered around the globe, Roots Television(TM) takes a broad view of family history and is committed to providing programming -- both original and from talented producers and independent filmmakers around the world -- that appeals to avid genealogists and family history lovers of all stripes.

Whether you're an archives hound, scrapbooker, cousin collector, roots-travel enthusiast, Civil War re-enactor, DNA fan, reunion instigator, sepia-toned photos zealot, Internet-junkie, history buff, old country traditions follower, cemetery devotee, story-teller, multicultural food aficionado, flea market and antiques fanatic, family documentarian, nostalgia nut, or mystery-solver, Roots Television(TM) has something for you -- and that "something" is quality programming.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Note: Announcement to be made at 3:00 p.m. on September 15, 2006 at The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, 122 East 58th Street, New York, NY 10022-1939.

New York, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/07/2006 -- It's a classic case of truthiness. For years, we've chosen to believe an oft-told myth about Ellis Island when the truth was readily available. But on September 15th, that will change.

13-year-old Annie Moore was the first immigrant to enter our country via Ellis Island. She tripped down the gangplank on January 1, 1892 along with a pair of younger brothers, and was greeted with much fanfare. Officials welcomed her arrival and presented her with a $10 gold coin in commemoration of the special event.

Her statue stands both at Ellis Island and the Cobh Heritage Centre, the Irish emigration counterpart in Co. Cork. Everything from Irish-American cultural awards to pubs has been named after her, but she remained a mystery until the 1990s when Ellis Island was refurbished and opened to the public. Then we learned what happened to Annie after Ellis Island -- how she ventured to New Mexico, married a descendant of an Irish patriot, had a handful of children, was widowed, became a businesswoman, and died in an accident.

It was a terrific go-West-young-woman tale tinged with tragedy. Just one problem. It was wrong.

40 percent of all Americans have at least one ancestor who entered the country via Ellis Island, and in the midst of our current immigration debate, politicians allude to their Ellis Island roots on a daily basis. It's part of the fabric of American history and who we are as a people – and yet, we've got the wrong Annie.

That irked genealogist Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak (her real name) when she accidentally discovered that the much-touted Annie was actually born in Illinois. Determined to learn the truth, she launched an online contest with a $1,000 prize for the first proof of what became of the right Annie. It took only six weeks and an eager gang of amateur, history-mystery detectives to uncover the real story.

The true story will be shared by Smolenyak, Brian G. Andersson (Commissioner, NYC Department of Records), and family members of the real Ellis Island Annie at 3:00 p.m. on September 15, 2006 at The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society (http://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/).

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm