The Weather Channel Orders Full Season of Docu-Series IRON MEN

The Weather Channel Companies (TWCC) announced today it has ordered a full season of IRON MEN, a docu-series profiling the iron workers who spend their days battling weather conditions hundreds of feet above New York City to build skyscrapers, bridges, arenas and other major structures. In addition to the four episodes currently airing, nine new episodes have been ordered that will premiere later this year. New episodes will take place at the 4 World Trade Center site inaddition to the Barclays Center, the new home of the Brooklyn Nets, and theAlexander Hamilton Bridge (note: watch construction progress at 4 WTC via TWC's exclusive live webcam at www.weather.com/IronMen). "Iron Men" is produced by Pipeline39 (formerly known as KPI), the producers of "The Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero," "MonsterQuest" and "MegaStructures."

"This line of work isn't for the faint of heart, and it's truly fascinating to live vicariously through these iron workers and the perilous conditions that they consider 'business as usual,'" said Michael Dingley, senior vice president, content and development for The Weather Channel.

"Iron Men" first premiered on May 8, 2012, as part of "Braving the Elements," a new docu-series anthology revealing the work, subculture and characters of professions exposed to theelements and impacted by the weather. The series will now be a standalone series outside of "Braving the Elements," moving into its own timeslot on Thursday, Aug. 30, at 9 p.m. E.T.

The new episodes premieres fittingly just before Labor Day, as "Iron Men" follows the men and women of Local 361 and Local 40, two of the world's most respected ironworking unions. The series reveals their challenges and successes as they race to stay on schedule against weather hurdles on a multitude of projects, from the first footing to the final bolt - on a skyscraper, a bridge, or stadium. Beyond fighting the wind, snow, and rain, an iron worker in New York has to battle the East Coast's bone-chilling cold as they walk Steel Beams hundreds of feet off the ground. Every day, each member puts his or her life in the hands of co-workers, which creates an unbreakable bond but also high stakes and natural tension.

"Iron Men" joins TWCC's growing slate of original series, including "Coast Guard Alaska," "Lifeguard!," "Ice Pilots," "Hurricane Hunters" (premieres June 11) and "Coast Guard Florida" (Oct. 2012), as well as upcoming "Braving the Elements" miniseries "Pyros" (premiering June 19), "Lights Out" (Aug. 14), "Iceberg Hunters" (Sept. 18), and "Reefmakers" (Oct. 2012).

About The Weather Channel Companies

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 30 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.