Sportsman Channel’s “Saving Private K-9” Introduces New Host Lt. Col. Oliver North in Season Two Premiere – Thursday, April 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

NEW BERLIN, WI (April 17, 2015) – Jony, a Belgian Malinois with a “rough around the edges” reputation, teams up with two-time Purple Heart recipient Sgt. Brian Riddle on deployment in Afghanistan. Together they work astonishingly well as a bomb detection team, but Jony and Riddle quickly learn even the most skillful must prepare for the unexpected. Lt. Col. Oliver North, host of Sportsman Channel’s Saving Private K-9 presented by Kel-Tec, introduces the indestructible duo and tells the tale of a routine foot patrol gone awry in the premiere of the award-winning original series.

Season Two of Saving Private K-9 presented by Kel-Tec begins Thursday, April 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT exclusively on Sportsman Channel.

Jony and Sgt. Riddle are required to “lead the pack” while on deployment in Afghanistan, as their bomb-sniffing skills help clear the way for fellow soldiers. Jony’s detection skills led to the discovery of more than 3,800 pounds of explosives, so it was no surprise when the Marine Corps chose them to lead the way on a mission thought to be one of the more dangerous in the area. Jony and Sgt. Riddle embark on a routine foot patrol to begin a search that would – unknowingly and unpredictably – change their lives.

“We were briefed that there was a major operation coming up,” explained Riddle. “We were going to be going to a compound that was a major headquarters for the Taliban and we knew that this was going to be a pretty serious operation. Jony and I were on the first wave in on a CH-47, and all I could do was say the Lord’s Prayer one more time before landing.”

About Pilgrim Studios: Craig Piligian’s Pilgrim Studios produces a wide variety of unscripted and scripted programming for television, including hit series Fast N’ Loud, Misfit Garage and Street Outlaws for Discovery; Ghost Hunters for Syfy; The Ultimate Fighter for FOX Sports 1; Down East Dickering for History; Swamp Pawn for CMT; Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s and Raising Whitley for OWN; David Tutera’s CELEBrations for WEtv; Wicked Tuna and Wicked Tuna: North vs. South for National Geographic Channel; Amazing America with Sarah Palin and Saving Private K-9 for Sportsman Channel; Bring It! for Lifetime; Somebody’s Gotta Do It with Mike Rowe for CNN; and the recently launched My Big Fat Fabulous Life for TLC. The company also produced the breakout movie Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives for Discovery’s 2013 Shark Week, as well as the movie Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine and the special Megalodon: The New Evidence for the channel’s Shark Week 2014. In the scripted realm, Pilgrim has produced the pilot Recovery Road ABC Family, recently picked up for a full season. The company’s original movies for Lifetime include Amanda Knox: Murder On Trial In Italy; Abducted: The Carlina White Story, which earned a 2012 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing In A Motion Picture; and the crime thriller Stalkers.

About Sportsman Channel: Launched in 2003, Sportsman Channel/Sportsman HD is a television and digital media company fully devoted to honoring a lifestyle that is celebrated by millions of Americans. A division of KSE Outdoor Group, Sportsman Channel delivers entertaining and informative programming that showcases outdoor adventure, hunting and fishing, and illustrates it through unique and authentic storytelling. Sportsman Channel embraces the attitude of “Red, Wild & Blue America” – where the American Spirit and Great Outdoors are celebrated in equal measure. Sportsman Channel reaches more than 36 million U.S. television households. Stay connected to Sportsman Channel online at thesportsmanchannel.com, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

To find Sportsman Channel in your area click here.

********

MEDIA CONTACT:

Shannon Kolpin, Sportsman Channel, P: 262.432.9100 ex 102, skolpin@thesportsmanchannel.com