TRAVEL CHANNEL'S NEW ORIGINAL DOCU-SERIES "TRUCK STOP, MISSOURI" DROPS VIEWERS INTO THE CROSSROADS OF AMERICA
Special One-Hour Premiere Debuts on Wednesday, August 3 at 10 p.m., ET/PT
Chevy Chase, Md. (July 13, 2011) - Travel Channel will bring viewers to the crossroads of America with the launch of its new mid-summer original docu-series "Truck Stop, Missouri" premiering on Wednesday, August 3 at 10 p.m., ET/PT. Produced by Leftfield Pictures ("Pawn Stars"), the center of this 12 episode, weekly half-hour docu-series is the Midway Truck Stop -- a playground for truckers and tourists, located halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City on Interstate 70. In addition to being a "go-to" place for truckers who need to fuel up, grab a bite, and go, Midway is home to 12 separate businesses, from a fireworks store to a tattoo parlor. The customers come from all around the country, and include a cast of locals that have to be seen to be believed. In the special one-hour premiere event, featuring back-to-back episodes, viewers will come to know everyone from a 77 year-old granny who gets a new tattoo every birthday, to a billboard salesman who talks like Donald Trump with an Ozarks accent.
"Americans travel on the road more than ever these days. Who hasn't stopped for a quick cuppa joe and a bite to eat, but never really looked at where you are? This place is worth a second, third... even a twelfth look!" said Fred Graver, Senior Vice President, Programming & Development, Travel Channel. "Travel is all about opening your eyes to unfamiliar places, but also suddenly 'seeing' the things we take for granted. The people at Midway are a unique slice of America, in all of its fun and crazy glory."
In the special one-hour premiere, viewers meet central character Joe Bechtold, Midway Truck Stop's general manager, who once believed he could escape his family business, but has found himself right back in the thick of it, having moved his young family back home from Australia to preserve his father's legacy. An adventurous man with a dry sense of humor, it's everything Joe can do to hold Midway together from one day to another. For Joe, chasing down a rouge cow and breaking up a romantic rendezvous is all in a hard day's work - and that's just in the parking lot.
Midway offers an amazing variety of businesses on its lot including: a hotel, a convenience store, a tattoo parlor, an antique's mall, a fireworks store, a haunted house, an outdoor music venue, a chapel, and even a child care facility. Each week, viewers will be entertained by the diverse cast of characters who stop by Midway- from the biker grandma to the fisherman who tries to catch fish in the septic pond. These are the incredibly entertaining customers and compelling stories that unfold each day at the Midway.
Truck Stop, Missouri is produced by Leftfield Pictures for the Travel Channel. For Leftfield Pictures, the executive producers are Brent Montgomery and Colby Gaines. The executive producer for the Travel Channel is Stone Roberts.
TRAVEL CHANNEL (http://www.travelchannel.com) is a network and Web site that connects viewers to the power and joy of human journeys that inspire, surprise, and entertain. Travel Channel is the world's leading travel media brand, and the network is available in 96 million U.S. cable homes. Its Travel Channel HD(TM) simulcast is distributed to almost 37 million homes and is available on every major provider. Travel Channel is headquartered in Chevy Chase, MD, and maintains offices in New York and Atlanta. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), which also owns and operates HGTV (http://www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (http://www.diynetwork.com), Food Network (http://www.foodnetwork.com), Cooking Channel (http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/) and Great American Country (http://www.gactv.com), is the manager and general partner.
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