ATLANTA – The Natural South, a Turner South original series presented by Southern Company, has received four more national Telly Awards for environmental programming during its 2002 debut season. Seven Telly Awards were picked up earlier in the season.

Founded in 1980, the Telly Awards showcase and recognize outstanding non-network and cable television programming, commercials, video productions and films.

The awards are as follows:

• Silver Telly for “Great Smoky Mountains Return of the Elk” in the TV Cable Program Documentary category
• Silver Telly for “Snakes Alive!” in the TV Cable Program Documentary category
• Bronze Telly for “Restoring Balance in the Everglades/In Your Home” in the TV Cable Program Documentary category
• Bronze Telly for “Going Batty” in the TV Cable Program Documentary category

The Natural South, which started its second season in February, is a half-hour TV series that explores the South’s natural environment by featuring attempts to preserve the natural resources and wildlife of the Southeast, plus offering ways viewers can help by making changes in their own environment. The series is hosted by Cathy Sakas, a professional nature educator and Emmy-nominated television producer.

“The continued success of The Natural South series strengthens our efforts to help educate and encourage people across the region to learn more about the habitats of the Southeast, as well as to become more active stewards in protecting and enhancing the environment,” said Dwight Evans, Southern Company executive vice president of external affairs.

Check your local TV listings for airtimes of The Natural South.

Turner South, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.`s 24-hour regional entertainment network, presents a mix of original programming, movies, regional news and sports to cable and DBS affiliates in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and regions of North Carolina. Available to more than 6.4 million subscribers, the 18-time Emmy-winning network also offers games from the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks and is the official home of the NHL`s Atlanta Thrashers. For more information, access the Web site at turnersouth.com or AOL keyword: turner south.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., an AOL Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.

With 4 million customers and nearly 37,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier super-regional energy company in the Southeast and a leading U.S. producer of electricity. Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states, a growing competitive generation company, an energy services business and a competitive retail natural gas business, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are 15 percent below the national average. Southern Company has been named No. 1 on Fortune magazine’s 2003 “America’s Most Admired Companies” list in the Electric and Gas Utility industry. Southern Company has more than 500,000 shareholders, making its common stock one of the most widely held in the United States. Visit the Southern Company Web site at www.southerncompany.com.