Global Financial Firm UBS Becomes Exclusive Corporate Sponsor of Thirteen/WNET New York's GREAT PERFORMANCES Series On PBS

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global financial firm UBS has assumed exclusive corporate sponsorship of the upcoming 2006-07 season of Thirteen/WNET New York’s GREAT PERFORMANCES series on PBS. The prestigious arts showcase is the longest-running performing arts series on television.

“This partnership reflects our firm’s long-standing commitment to the arts and our strong belief in giving back to the communities in which we work and live.”

The UBS commitment begins Wednesday, October 11 with the GREAT PERFORMANCES’ telecast of Carnegie Hall Opening Night 2006, an evening of Mahler and Mozart featuring German bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff and Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes. Franz Welser-Möst leads the Cleveland Orchestra.

“This award winning series has entertained audiences for more than three decades and UBS is proud to be part of that,” said Mark B. Sutton, chairman and chief executive officer, Americas UBS. “This partnership reflects our firm’s long-standing commitment to the arts and our strong belief in giving back to the communities in which we work and live.”

“We’re delighted to welcome UBS as exclusive corporate sponsor of GREAT PERFORMANCES this season,” said William F. Baker, president and chief executive officer of Thirteen/WNET. “UBS’s support of our landmark showcase for the performing arts will give millions of people the best seat in the house to inspiring performances and cultural experiences all year long.”

“In giving American viewers a front-row seat to performances they might not otherwise experience, and in helping to promote and preserve the performing arts in our lives, GREAT PERFORMANCES plays a unique role in our cultural landscape,” said Barry Schulman, executive producer of GREAT PERFORMANCES. “We are pleased to have UBS supporting us in our work and we look forward to presenting a season of unforgettable performances to PBS viewers from coast to coast.”

GREAT PERFORMANCES programs have garnered more than 60 Emmy Awards, four George Foster Peabody Awards, and virtually every other major world television honor. The series remains the nation’s only prime-time showcase for music and dance.

Highlights of the upcoming season include Beverly Sills: Made in America, a performance retrospective of the beloved American soprano (November 23); A Tribute to James Taylor, featuring Bruce Springsteen, Dixie Chicks and other longtime James Taylor friends and fans (November 29); Jerry Lee Lewis: Last Man Standing, an all-star December concert saluting The Killer; Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home New Year’s Eve (December 31); and From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2007, with Zubin Mehta leading the Vienna Philharmonic (January 1, 2007).

David Horn is series producer for GREAT PERFORMANCES, with Judy Kinberg and John Walker as senior producers, Margaret Smilow as director of culture & arts documentaries, and Bill O’Donnell as director of program development. Barry Schulman is executive producer. The series, which is produced for PBS by Thirteen/WNET New York, also receives major funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Arts, public television viewers, and PBS. Additional funding is provided by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Arts Fund, the Irene Diamond Fund, the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust, and the Starr Foundation.

UBS is one of the world’s leading financial firms, serving a discerning global client base. As an organization, it combines financial strength with an international culture that embraces change. As an integrated firm, UBS creates added value for clients by drawing on the combined resources and expertise of all its businesses. UBS is the world’s largest wealth manager, a top-tier investment banking and securities firm, and one of the largest global asset managers. In Switzerland, UBS is the market leader in retail and commercial banking. UBS is present in all major financial centers worldwide. It has offices in 50 countries, with about 39% of its employees working in the Americas, 37% in Switzerland, 16% in the rest of Europe and 8% in Asia Pacific. UBS’s financial businesses employ around 72,000 people around the world. Its shares are listed on the SWX Swiss Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE).

Thirteen/WNET New York is one of the key program providers for public television, bringing such acclaimed series as GREAT PERFORMANCES, Nature, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, Wide Angle, Secrets of the Dead, NOW With David Brancaccio, and Cyberchase – as well as the work of Bill Moyers – to audiences nationwide. As the flagship public broadcaster in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut metro area, Thirteen reaches millions of viewers each week, airing the best of American public television along with its own local productions such as The Ethnic Heritage Specials, The Thirteen Walking Tours, New York Voices, and Reel New York. Thirteen extends the impact of its television productions through educational and community outreach projects – including the Celebration of Teaching and Learning – as well as Web sites and other digital media platforms. More information can be found at: www.thirteen.org.