The Weather Channel Premieres PYROS Tonight, 6/19

The Weather Channel(C) Companies (TWCC) announced today that it has greenlit "Pyros," "Iceberg Hunters" and "Reefmakers." The three miniseries join "Turbine Cowboys," "Iron Men," and "Lights Out" (premiering Aug. 14) as the latest installments in "Braving the Elements," a new docu-series anthology revealing the work, subculture and characters of professions exposed to the elements and impacted by the weather.

"The appeal of these shows is that they give viewers a look into the lives of hardworking people who battle the toughest weather conditions to provide things that we perhaps all take for granted - I think they'll see these people and their efforts in a whole new light after watching these shows," said Michael Dingley, senior vice president, content and development for The Weather Channel.

"PYROS"

"Pyros" follows an elite team of pyro-technicians, led by Maude Furtado, at Montreal's Groupe Fiatlux-Ampleman who battle greatly varying weather conditions while producing large-scale fireworks displays around the world. The group travels to exotic locations, powering through exhausting schedules and harsh weather, solving complex technical glitches on the fly, all with the intention to inspire and entertain the masses with the magic of fireworks. With tens of thousands of dollars on the line and hundreds of thousands of people expecting stunning skies, the group has no room for error. Whether it's lighting off a fully loaded fireworks site by remote, trying to control explosions in wind just steps away from a crowded parade route, or the stress of setting up over 10 shows in one day, "Pyros" shows what it takes to play with fire and not get burned in the process. Produced by Omni Film Productions Ltd. ("Ice Pilots"), "Pyros" will feature 8x 60-minute episodes and premieres tonight, June 19, at 9 p.m. ET.

"ICEBERG HUNTERS"

Set in the Arctic Circle, "Iceberg Hunters" follows a group of men who travel through "Iceberg Alley," the world's most densely packed gathering of icebergs, off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Once out on the open seas, the crew is at the mercy of Mother Nature, facing storms, ice sheets, hypothermia-inducing waters, dense fog, rough seas, and unpredictable massive icebergs. They search for, wrangle and harvest ice, and bring it back to land for the production of pure bottled water and vodka. Produced by Rogue State Productions in association with Lionsgate Television ("Mad Men," "Weeds"), "Iceberg Hunters" will feature 4x 30-minute episodes and premieres Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 9 p.m. ET.

"REEFMAKERS"

Set off the Coast of Alabama, "Reefmakers" follows a family of experienced divers and demolition experts who work to reduce erosion and pollution and to restore the area's once thriving ecosystem by creating artificial reefs - sinking everything from a Vietnam-era plane to a local shrimp boat. The Gulf of Mexico is a breeding ground for bad weather and conditions that change suddenly. Often battling hurricane-force winds, these men and women risk life and limb to sink custom reef systems to enhance the Gulf of Mexico's ecosystem. Produced by Gurney Productions ("Ragin' Cajuns," "American Guns,") "Reefmakers" will feature 4x 30-minute episodes and premieres Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 9 p.m. ET.

The "Braving the Elements" docu-series anthology is part of TWCC's growing original content lineup, which includes "Coast Guard Alaska," "Lifeguard!," and "Ice Pilots," as well as upcoming series "Hurricane Hunters" (premiering June 11), and "Coast Guard Florida" (Oct. 2012).

The Weather Channel companies (TWCC) are made up of The Weather Channel(R) television network, The Weather Channel digital properties, and WSI. The Weather Channel is based in Atlanta and is seen in more than 100 million U.S. households. TWCC also operates Weatherscan(R), a 24-hour all-local weather network; The Weather Channel Radio Network; and The Weather Channel HD. The most popular source of weather news and information, TWCC properties reach 60 million monthly Web consumers (weather.com and Desktop) and 32 million monthly mobile users (mobile Web and applications) and offers the second most popular mobile app on all smartphones. WSI, headquartered in Andover, MA, primarily provides business-to-business weather services, particularly for the media, aviation, marine and energy sectors. TWCC is owned by a consortium made up of NBC Universal and the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. For more information, visit www.weather.com.

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