AnimalZone TV series expands to Cox Television’s national market
Mitch Telson, left, former Petco president, holds a tortoise with AnimalZone host Arthur von Wiesenberger .
Calling all animal lovers — this one’s for you.
AnimalZone is now expanding to Cox Television’s national market.
The TV series features host Arthur von Wiesenberger who meets animal lovers, learns tips and tricks for giving animals the best lives possible and introduces audiences to loving friends looking for their forever home.
In February, Season 5 of AnimalZone will begin airing weekly, and with the new expansion, in primetime at 9 p.m. in Florida, Nevada, Virginia and Louisiana every Saturday evening.
Other expanded markets include Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., reaching a total of 4,126,000 households.
The series also continues to air on TVSB Channels 17 and 71 on Sundays at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Mr. von Wiesenberger, the host and News-Press co-publisher, is entering into his third year of filming AnimalZone with his camera crew.
“What’s really exciting about it is they moved us from the 5-5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. time slot, which is prime time,” the TV show host told the News-Press. “That will really help get the word out to the nation. Our goal is to help educate, hopefully entertain and inspire people to rescue animals and care for animals — that’s really been the goal of the show since we started.”
He said the series is very family-oriented, and even pets enjoy watching the show because they get to see other animals.
He himself owns many rescued and adopted animals, including three cats, one of which was rescued from a ranch in the Sequoia National Forest; two donkeys rescued from roundups; and one mule that was given to him by a neighbor. The cat rescued from the Sequoias, according to Mr. von Wiesenberger, “would probably not be alive had she not been rescued, because living in the wild in Sequoias is not a long-term proposition for small animals.”
“We practice what we preach,” he said. “There’s nothing that can beat an animal’s affection. This sort of unconditional love is really so special and so heartwarming.
“It’s one of the greatest gifts we could have.”
The animal lover said that while adopting an animal is a commitment and takes time, the hardest part is that “they don’t live as long as we do, so it becomes a horrible day when you’ve got to say goodbye.”
He also hopes to break stigmas surrounding certain animals with his show, one being the stigma that donkeys are not very intelligent.
“Donkeys are one of the most underrated animals by the general public because they’re always aligned with being not bright, but I think they’re some of the brightest animals,” Mr. von Wiesenberger said. “As far as situations go, they’re not reactionary. They think things out.”
He also owned a pitbull, who used to be the mascot of AnimalZone for the first three seasons. Unfortunately, the pitbull passed away when he was 9.
“It’s interesting when you get into how some of our preconceptions about animals are fashioned incorrectly by either the media or other things,” he said. “Being a pitbull, they get such a bad rap. He was a really beautiful dog… He was the best gift ever.”
Mr. von Wiesenberger said if he could adopt all the animals in the world, he would, but he added, “What happens in life is animals find you. You don’t find them.”
The AnimalZone host said he believes it’s for the love of animals that sponsors and supporters have propelled the show and believed in its purpose.
“We want to continue spreading the word about animals and how important they are to our lives,” he said. “The way we treat them says a lot about our society.
“The better we treat animals, the better we treat each other.”
Season 5 of AnimalZone consists of 13 half-hour episodes beginning on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. After the 13 weeks, it will be rebroadcast for another 13 weeks.
All the episodes are also available on AnimalZone.org. Visit the website for more information about showtimes and to find resources on adoptions and rescues.
email: gmccormick@newspress.com
