Wild America

Wild America is a documentary television series that focuses on the wild animals and wild lands of North America. By the mid-1970s, Marty Stouffer had put together several full-length documentaries that were licensed as prime time network television specials. At that time, he approached the programming managers at Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) about a half-hour-long wildlife series, the first to focus exclusively upon the flora and fauna of North America. PBS signed for the rights to broadcast Marty Stouffer's series Wild America in 1981. The series went on to become one of the most popular aired by PBS, renowned for its unflinching portrayal of nature, as well as its extensive use of film techniques such as slow motion and close-ups. Stouffer earned as much as $250,000 per show from PBS.