[RTTY] Tower Dogs TV program

[Bill Turner]

Not topic-related exactly, but probably of interest to subscribers:

"DATELINE" PRESENTS "TOWER DOGS" -- A NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN LOOK AT THE MOST
DANGEROUS JOB IN AMERICA -- MONDAY, JULY 21 AT 10 PM 
 
(New York) - July 16, 2008 - An upcoming "Dateline Presents" takes a
never-before-seen journey into the perilous world of the tower climbers
who
work on the frontlines of America's high-tech communications system.
They
scale heights of up to 2,000 feet, in all types of weather, to install,
maintain, and upgrade cell phone, Internet, and broadcast towers coast
to
coast. And according to figures cited by OSHA, these so-called tower
dogs
have the highest death rate per capita of any occupation in the
country. 
 
The hour-long broadcast goes up close and personal to give a
no-holds-barred
look at tower dogs' lives - up in the air and on the ground. We
experience
their on-the-job tension and watch them work hard, play hard, and mourn
when
they lose one of their own. In a twist on all the dangerous-job programs
viewers have already seen, "Tower Dogs" follows an unusual subcontract
crew
boss: a woman named Nikki Collins, a single mom, former cheerleader, and
the
person keeping her tough-guy charges in one piece. 
 
There are approximately 9,500 tower climbers working at any given time,
and
they spend about 300 days per year on the road. A "Dateline" team worked
with veteran tower dog Doug Delaney for four months documenting this
group
of tower climbers as they worked their way through 40 towns and cities
in 24
states. During this time there were seven fatalities nationwide,
including
five deaths in a 12-day period in April. 
 
"Tower Dogs" airs on Monday, July 21st at 10:00 PM/ET. David Corvo is
the
executive producer. 
 # 
 
 Aliza Nadi 
 Dateline NBC 
 30 Rockefeller Plaza 
 New York, NY 10112