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History On The Road Again With An American Original - Ice Road Truckers Returns June 8
News posted on 2008-05-12 20:42:50 | News |
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HISTORY™ ON THE ROAD AGAIN WITH AN AMERICAN ORIGINAL
ICE ROAD TRUCKERS RETURNS WITH TRUCKERS ATTEMPTING TO CONQUER NEW FRONTIER 200 MILES NORTH OF ARTIC CIRCLE
Season Two of Hit Series That Chronicles History of Arctic Region Premieres Sunday, June 8 at 9pm ET/PT
New York, MAY 12, 2008 – ICE ROAD TRUCKERS, a History™ American Original series, will premiere its second season Sunday, June 8 at 9pm ET/PT. The new season follows some of the truckers from last season, along with new drivers, as they haul essential equipment and supplies to remote outposts across one of the world’s last great frontiers, the vaunted winter ice road that runs over the frozen Arctic Ocean and the Mackenzie River in the farthest reaches of the Northwest Territories. The long history of survival here during the grueling winter months has been and still is dependent on these ice roads. Although technology has changed how they deal with the titanic forces of nature of the Arctic Circle, the native people of the region still live by their traditions and rich history.
For a brief window during the coldest part of the winter, the only way to reach the remote communities and natural gas exploration sites of this region, which lies more than 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, is by driving over an extraordinary ice road that winds along the Mackenzie River. Contending with Arctic storms that hit without a moment’s notice, even the most seasoned truckers find themselves challenged by the extreme polar conditions, isolation and the lack of basic comforts. Temperatures during the winter months here can dip as low as -60.
Last season in Yellowknife, our truckers had narrow land bridges to escape to. This season it’s ice all the way, no land, no sanctuary. Four familiar faces return to see if their ice road experience translates to this more imposing river and ocean ice road. Hugh Rowland, Rick Yemm, Drew Sherwood and Alex Debogorski are all on an even playing field and Hugh is no longer the boss of Rick and Drew. New truckers will be introduced throughout the season, including Erik Refrine, and field supervisor Jerry Dusdal, veterans of the Arctic ice road.
Ice Road Truckers focuses on six drivers and the history of this rarest of professions. Returning to Ice Road Truckers are:
Hugh Rowland – Hugh “Polar Bear” Rowland, an animal on the ice road, is one of the toughest and most experienced ice road truckers on the planet. This year he’s on ice roads that he hasn’t seen in over twenty years, in an Arctic environment far more desolate and isolated than the roads out of Yellowknife, but he’s undeterred. Hugh is used to be being the boss, and now he has a new employer to contend with. He hasn’t had to prove himself in years, and now he’s a newbie to the Arctic ice roads.
Alex Debogorski - The legend of the Yellowknife ice road trucking community, he is entering his 27th year as a driver, but first on this ice road. Although he’s the most capable of drivers, he is out of his comfort zone, which could make for an interesting season. He’s just another rookie here and he has to learn a whole new set of skills for driving these dangerous ice roads.
Rick Yemm – Fired by Hugh last year, Rick is now an equal up in the Arctic working the same ice roads for a different company. This year, Rick is out to prove that he is a true ice road trucker. He is a tattooed, loudmouth, lively character and showed up this winter sporting a bright blue Mohawk.
Drew Sherwood -Last year, Drew Sherwood quit early during his rookie season on the Yellowknife ice roads. Drew is looking to show that last year was a fluke and that this experienced highway driver can make it through a full season on the ice road.
The newcomers include:
Erik DuFresne – A French Canadian and an Arctic enthusiast, he’s driven the ice roads every year since the age of 19. Erik is one of the most safety-minded, collaborative, and environmentally conscious drivers on the ice roads. He loves to turn up the music and rock out in his cab, has a great sense of humor and loves to take in the natural beauty of his surroundings.
Jerry Dusdal – On the “oilpatch” of the Arctic ice roads, Jerry is the big dog. As field supervisor, or “truck push,” of Mullen’s Trucking, he’s in charge of every truck that leaves “the lease” and the safety of his truckers. Jerry is instinctually masterful at this highly-demanding job. He misses driving the big rigs, but makes it his business to personally look after every machine and every trucker behind the wheel. Says Jerry, “I don’t have any kids, but out here I have thirty of them.”
The Ice Road Truckers minisite, www.history.com/iceroadtruckers, provides profiles on the people and places featured in the new season. The site will include full episodes, exclusive short-form videos, an interactive Ice Road Backdrop Builder that allows users to create and download custom wallpapers, a Cold Weather Survival Guide, in-depth information about the towns of Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, trivia, exclusive interviews and more.
Executive Producers for History™ are David McKillop and Dolores Gavin. ICE ROAD TRUCKERS is produced by Original Productions. Executive Producers for Original Productions are Thom Beers and Philip Segal.
History™ and History HD™ are the leading destinations for revealing, award-winning, original non-fiction series and event-driven specials that connect history with viewers in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. Programming covers a diverse variety of historical genres ranging from military history to contemporary history, technology to natural history, as well as science, archaeology and pop culture. Among the network’s program offerings are hit series such as Ax Men, Battle 360, The Universe, Cities of The Underworld and Ice Road Truckers, as well as acclaimed specials including King, Life After People, 1968 with Tom Brokaw, Lost Book of Nostradamus, Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed and Sherman’s March. History has earned four Peabody Awards, three Primetime Emmy® Awards, 10 News & Documentary Emmy® Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History® campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. Take a Veteran to School Day is the network’s latest initiative connecting America’s schools and communities with veterans from all wars. History’s website, located at www.History.com, is the definitive historical online source that delivers entertaining and informative content featuring broadband video, interactive timelines, maps, games podcasts and more.
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Read more at the source: www.history.com
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Fox drives 'Truckers' to bigscreen
News posted on 2008-02-13 14:55:50 | News |
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Twentieth Century Fox has closed a rights deal to use the premise of hit History Channel reality series "Ice Road Truckers" as the basis for a tentpole action feature.
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Read more at the source: www.variety.com
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ICE ROAD TRUCKERS season extended!
News posted on 2007-08-09 18:09:34 | News |
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New York, NY, August 6, 2007 – The highest rated non-scripted cable series this summer among adults 25-54, ICE ROAD TRUCKERS, is kicking into overdrive with three additional episodes. The History Channel® will premiere THE ICE ROAD: THEN AND NOW, a one-hour historical retrospective on the ice roads of Northern Canada on Sunday, August 26th at 9pm ET/PT. A two-part reunion special, ICE ROAD TRUCKERS: OFF THE ICE, which will bring together the truckers for the first time since the season ended last winter, will air on consecutive Sundays, September 2nd and 9th at 9pm ET/PT.
Prior to the bonus episodes, on Sunday, August 19th at 10pm ET/PT, the 2007 ice road champion will be revealed as the grizzled veterans Hugh “Polar Bear” Rowland and Alex Debogorski go head-to-head for a year’s worth of bragging rights.
An average of about three million viewers have tuned in every Sunday night since June 17 to follow the high octane exploits of Hugh, Alex, T.J., Rick, Jay and Drew as they attempted to conquer the terrifying ice roads that serve as the route to the diamond mines of Canada’s Northwest Territory. Hauling a year’s worth of supplies over frozen lakes that double as roads for only two months out of the year, has not proven to be easy, as each driver has contended with broken down trucks, intense whiteouts and the specter of going down with the constant sound of ice cracking beneath their trucks. Most of these truckers have taken nothing for granted and if they did, they weren’t long for the ice road.
THE ICE ROAD: THEN AND NOW on Sunday, August 26 at 9pm ET/PT:
This one-hour special will explain how trucks were specifically fitted for sub zero temperatures in the 1930's, and how the gold mines operated in the 1940's in contrast to how the diamond mines operate there now. THE ICE ROAD: THEN AND NOW will also provide and in depth examination of the changes that have taken place in Yellowknife and the ice roads of the region over the past 75 years, from its geological history to the origins of the indigenous Eskimos that have inhabited the land for hundreds of years.
ICE ROAD TRUCKERS: OFF THE ICE on Sunday, September 2 and 9 at 9pm ET/PT: This two-part reunion special will reunite the six truckers, bringing them together for the first time since the ice road season ended last winter. Tensions are sure to be high as both Rick and Drew have not spoken to Hugh since leaving the ice roads prematurely. T.J., the rookie, has had time to reflect on his time up north and will discuss whether or not he’ll be back up on the ice roads next year. Alex and Jay, full-time residents of Yellowknife, are sure to have some thoughts on how the locals feel about the spotlight that has been shined on their small town.
And Friday, August 17 at 3pm ET History.com will host LIVE chat with Hugh Rowland. History.com has been taking ICE ROAD TRUCKERS into the digital realm with a multi-faceted minisite that features interviews and maps; short-form pieces on topics such as female ice road truckers and what daily life in Yellowknife is like; “Pimp Your Rig” allows users to create their own virtual ice road truck; and a driving game where users can test their skills driving loads over virtual ice.
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Read more at the source: www.history.com
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The History Channel® Hauls in Huge Numbers With #1 Original Telecast of All-Time
News posted on 2007-06-19 00:17:24 | News |
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New York, June 18, 2007 – The series premiere of ICE ROAD TRUCKERS, which debuted Sunday night at 10pm ET/PT on The History Channel®, hauled in a record number of viewers, making it the number one original telecast in network history, based on Nielsen’s Fast Cable Ratings.
ICE ROAD TRUCKERS has driven in as the network’s #1 telecast of all time in Adults 25-54 and is also its #1 telecast ever in Adults 18-49. The series premiere achieved 3.4 million total viewers, the most ever for an original program on The History Channel.
Nancy Dubuc, Executive Vice President and General Manager, The History Channel, said. “We couldn’t be more pleased with the premiere of ICE ROAD TRUCKERS. This is a great start to a series that showcases why history is so fascinating.”
ICE ROAD TRUCKERS:
Ø Overall Household Rating of 2.6
Ø #1 telecast of all time in A25-54: 2 million impressions
Ø #1 telecast of all time in A18-49: 1.8 million impressions
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Read more at the source: www.history.com
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