The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: Michael Bane on May 21, 2008, 12:08:01 PM
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I had hoped I wouldn't have to make this post, but what I read not only on other forums, but here on our DRTV Forums leads me to believe that I need to clear up a few issues.
Let's just skip over the "he said; she said" on whether OUTDOOR CHANNEL or InterMedia pulled the trigger first on the non-renewal of InterMedia's shows, including G&A Television and PDTV. Instead, let's dip our toes into the Real World for just a moment. The minute InterMedia acquired controlling interest in the Sportsmen's Channel, they became a direct competitor of OC. The only reason one acquires a television network, even a small one (2-3 million homes, depending on how happy you want your numbers), is to have a place to present your own product. Even a deaf, one-eyed dog could figure out that one. So it was never a question of "IF" InterMedia would pull their shows from OC, only one of "WHEN."
Twice in the last 14 months I have gone to the executives of OC, for whom I work, and told them based on my sources within InterMedia and other information I was getting that InterMedia was very close to pulling their shows. What sort of info? How about a direct approach to me asking what I was doing when my current OC contract expired, and might I be interested in "other opportunities?" I think all you guys know that I don't do hunting and fishing shows.
Regarding PDTV, Tom Gresham and I have been friends for a long time, but we are both on one level, to put it in the kindest possible terms, janassaries, paid representatives of our principles...he is under contract to InterMedia; I am under contract to OC.
At one time, Tom, Jim Shepherd and I looked seriously at forming our own Internet company. At that time Tom and I had been released from our contracts at OC and were free agents, but our three "styles" of business were too different for us three to work together. I opted to go back with OC and simultaneously launch DRTV with Marshal Halloway; Tom went with InterMedia.
Two years ago I wrote a show summary for a personal defense show for OC. I felt it was a necessary companion show to SHOOTING GALLERY, the narrow focus matched against SG's broader pallet. I talked the show up a bunch in the industry...later, I was informed by Tom that he and I couldn't discuss my show because he was involved in a "similar launch." Ideas are what they are, and a personal defense show was an obvious idea. I opted to stand down on my show.
When the InterMedia shows weren't renewed, I moved immediately to launch my original show. Contrary to what you may be reading on other forums (or even here on DRTV). the industry was not "stunned" nor "shocked" by the cancellations — in the Real World, business is business and we all saw it coming. Instead, the industry has wholeheartedly embraced my new show at a level that has totally surprised me. I already have a name sponsor and two additional full sponsorships signed for the show,and I expect to fill all all the advertising slots within weeks. We will begin production in June for a Q1 2009 premiere.
Let me share with you a few of the instructors who have jumped to be on the new show:
• Ken Hackathorn — A legend in the training field and acknowledged as one of the masters of the short carbine.
• Rob Haught — Considered the top shotgun trainer in the world.
• Bill Murphy — SG regular, SWAT commander, author of the best civilian concealed carry guide out there, creator of the landmark SureFire low light training for law enforcement and civilians.
• Dave Spaulding — One of the most in-demand civilian and law enforcement trainers presently working; author of Defensive Living and Handgun Combatives.
• Bruce Siddle — Author of the most influential training book of the last two decades, Sharpening the Warrior’s Edge: The Psychology & Science of Training.
• Michael Janich — A regular on SHOOTING GALLERY, one of the American Masters of the Blade, instructor for federal agencies and author of more than a dozen books and videos on self-defense.
• The Staff of the GUNSITE Academy — GUNSITE is the foremost training facility in the world, and they have opened their doors to the new series.
Also joining us every week will be another legend in the training field and the single most popular instructor on SHOOTING GALLERY…Walt Rauch. Rauch is former Secret Service agent, former member of the Philadelphia Felony Squad, one of the founders of defensive pistol shooting in the United States and author of the landmark book The Real World — What Has Worked for Me. Walt will have his own slot every week.
My personal favorite comment was from Ken Hackathorn this weekend when I talked to him about the new show. "Dude," Ken said, Ken being the only person in the world who uses the word "dude" more than me, "Dude, just tell me it's not going to be dull!"
"Dude," I replied, "I don't do dull!"
There are three producers of shooting shows — me, Jim Scoutten and InterMedia. Jim Scoutten and I are fierce competitors and have been for years, but the thing we share is that we are both unequivocally committed to quality. We are not part of a giant media conglomerate like Intermedia, which owns a magazine empire, a television network, television shows and heaven knows what else...our names are on our shows, and we live or die by that quality. I sat down for a few minutes with Jim at the NRA Show, and he and I are on the same page...we have and will continue to provide the best shooting sports programming out there.
The new show will be 100% Internet-integrated (as will SG and COWBOYS by 2009), so you will be able to watch the show, then hit the Internet for even more training info, where to purchase what you've seen on the show, forums to discuss show topics, regular live blogs with show experts.
So that's where we are right now. I'm excited and a little scared as well. This is a major expansion of what we're doing. But, as always, my goal is to lead.
Thanks for your support!
Michael B
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Press on!!!
And think, you have a large contingent of "average shooters" to bring on and train. hint, hint; Forum give away idea; "Join MB on (insert show name here) for a lesson from...." ;D
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This is all very interesting in that the market for these shows is actually expanding! I welcome more variety and I'm glad your show is not moving from OC. I look forward to the new series on Personal Defense.
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I'm going to miss PDTV but I am sure you will more than fill the void. I have shot with Rob and Walt and have shot and trained with Ken and am sure they will bring nothing but the best (READ NOT DULL) to your show. Have enjoyed DRTV, SG and all that goes with it and wish you the best with your new venture.
Richard
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As one that enjoys your programs, Jim Scoutten's programs and the InterMedia programs, I hope that OC and the Sportsman's Channel wil refrain from scheduling these programs at the same time, forcing us to choose which one to watch.
Jim
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I see an increase in DVR sales comming.
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Good Luck MB. Anything you, Marshall and M'ette lay your hands on IS quality.
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I REALLY gotta get the outdoor channel now...... Sounds like the new show will be awesome, dude!!!! 8)
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MB, thanks for the update. Sorry you had to even say some of the stuff you did. But FTA - "I already have a name sponsor and two additional full sponsorships signed for the show,and I expect to fill all all the advertising slots within weeks. We will begin production in June for a Q1 2009 premiere."
OMG, that is absolutely awesome and fantastic news. And you are right on the money - great reaction from the industry to get it just that fast. We are all waiting with baited breath. Opps, sorry, you don't do hunting and fishing shows, so we're waiting with locked and loaded breath.
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This is a good thing.
This is not a bad thing. Whenever a show can go somewhere else to be picked up and another fills the vacuum it is a good thing for our sport. More shows about shooting is better. It would be great if the networks broke up shows again and again all the time adding more until the point that shooting shows became a draw on the big "3" networks.
I have a TIVO and I'll be loving it. If you can't record on two channels simultaneously....I suggest you make preparations to do so. This is gonna be good!
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Lord I hate corporate politics almost as much as I HATE BILL GATES!
When I read the original announcement it was obvious to me when Intermedia said they owned SC that this was just a business move. The rest was just BS.
It will create opportunities and competition and diversity (sorry, best word I could come up with) so in the end, we the consumers will benefit and decide the winners.
We KNOW MB will come out with a quality and interesting program and if Mr. Rauch is on it, in my book that makes it a winner already!
We are all waiting with baited breath. Opps, sorry, you don't do hunting and fishing shows, so we're waiting with locked and loaded breath.
GROAN!! (http://www.mazeguy.net/sad/melodramatic.gif)
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If I knew the name of the new show and I could set my DVR that far ahead, I'd set it to record the series now.
It's great to hear that all of you guys (Scoutten, Gresham, and you) are feirce but friendly competitors with OUR education and entertainment in mind. We appreciate what all of you do for our sport, passion, hobby, and ultimately our RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS!
Can't hardly wait!!!
-TexGun
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It's an expanding universe in Shooting Sports and Self Defense, and I want to say to Michael, thanks for filling the gaps created by Intermedia; and to Intermedia, best of luck and I'll keep an eye out for your shows on the Sportsmans Channel. I know I'll miss the continuity and enjoyment of PDTV and G & A on Wednesday night at the range, but Michael has things well in hand and my universe will expand just a bit more as everyones products come together.
A free market is just that...free, and competition is the best way to improve.
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Damn you Michael for getting me all excited for your show, and then with holding it until January of 2009! And where were you on Saturday! I went by the ODC booth and chastised them for not giving you an hour while they had expanded Jims offerings. I spent about 4 K $ at the NRA show. Lets hope that Steyr can come through with the AUG this year!!!
Addict
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I was encouraged at the NRA Convention to see both the OC and the Sportsmans Channel there. That can only be a good thing in this election year. On my Directv I have the ESPN, OC, Vs, local PBS and the Hunting Channels. All with outdoor shows available. When the Sportsman Channel is available I will subscribe to it as well. The point is that all of this activity shows that we sportsman/shooters/flyfishermen/ etc are in fact a large enough market to matter. McCain has noticed this as shown by his showing up at the NRA. The Democrats have a way to go -- but they do read the polls. And some democrats are running to the right of the republican candidates according to the WSJ.
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The more programs about shooting sports the better! It just means more people are joining us in the shooting sports, AIN'T IT GREAT. ;D
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MB your show has always been the best in my poor old eyes, not only do I watch it but it definitely is on my DVR. You and the all the others are to be thanked for doing a great job on not just SG bit this forum also. I know that what ever venturaes that you seek and have our full support. I just bet that we are more excited than you! (well maybe)
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I will greatly miss Tom's show, and look forward to Michael's. I'd prefer to have acces to BOTH, but my cable company tells me that won't be happening.
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Michael,
Thanks for the update. It's always good to have a more info. Best of luck with the new show and look forward to great things coming in the future.
Bill
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Mike,I am also glad that you will have a self defense show on tv. I am also going to miss Personal Defense and I am wondering if you will ever have Massad Ayoob on your shows. I love your shows Mike esp...... the machine gun shoot in Kentucky. rich642z,Omaha,Ne. 8) 8) 8)
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Michael, best wishes for the new endeavor. I'm quite sure you'll do the subject justice. I'm equally sad to see Tom Gresham, Garry James, etc. at the short end of the corporate stick. I enjoyed their shows and wish them the best in all their future projects.
Like rich642z, I too hope you'll include Mas Ayoob as a regular guest. He has a tremendous amount of experience and insight in the subject, far too much to exclude.
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<Jugernaut>Location:Southern California; Though I hate network politics,great shows seem to always change a lot even when things are perfect!! Best of luck, I await the new show with a pang in my heart,after all you guys are the best of the best !!
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Special Note to the Gun Talk Truth Squad
May 20, 2008
Personal Defense TV, Outdoor Channel, Misinformation and Spin
Several members of the Truth Squad have contacted me about the "news" that the
Outdoor Channel has dropped Personal Defense TV. You'll note the quotation
marks around the word "news" because the simple fact is that this is not what
has happened.
Here's the skinny as it was told to me by a key participant.
Personal Defense TV is one of 10 television shows produced by Intermedia
Outdoors (IMO). This is the company which publishes Guns & Ammo, Shooting
Times, Petersen's Hunting, and a bunch of other magazines. IMO also purchased
The Sportsman Channel about a year ago. Over the last few months, IMO has been
in negotiations with the Outdoor Channel (OC) about the shows IMO produces, and
last Wednesday, according to my sources at IMO (and I get this from the very
top), they hit the wall. Increased prices and unrealistic demands from OC made
it impossible for IMO to continue. Wednesday night, a top IMO manager informed
OC that the company would not be renewing any of its shows with Outdoor
Channel. In other words, as each show's contract runs out, IMO was pulling its
top-rated shows.
TV shows from IMO consistently rate in the top 10 shows on the network.
Up to this point, it was just corporate negotiation and decisions, which are
usually out of sight of the public. Then it got ugly.
The Outdoor Channel then put out a news release which contained more than a
suggestion that the channel actually was removing the award-winning Intermedia
Outdoor shows (Guns & Ammo, Petersen's Hunting, In-Fisherman, Personal Defense
TV, etc., etc.) to improve the quality of programming. In other words, it was
dumping these crummy shows.
The reaction was quick, and interesting to watch. Jim Shepherd, a veteran
television manager and creator of the Outdoor Wire and Shooting Wire (highly
recommended) called BS on the OC release. At the NRA Annual Meetings in
Louisville, KY, last weekend, people in the firearms industry saw through the
spin. It was a case of "You didn't dump me. I'm dumping YOU," and everyone
recognized it for the silliness it was.
PDTV is NOT Going Away
So, what now for Personal Defense TV and other shows? Not to worry. Clearly,
they will appear on The Sportsman Channel. Now that IMO has cut the apron
strings to OC, it can get about its work to increase the distribution of
Sportsman Channel. Expect to see news releases on deals putting SC on cable
systems around the country, and possibly on one or both of the satellite
services. Click Here if you would like to contact your local network provider
and request The Sportsman Channel (or visit www.thesportsmanchannel.com and
click on "GET THE CHANNEL"). There's also the very real possibility that
you'll see some IMO shows, including PDTV, on other networks (in addition to
SC).
Personal Defense TV was my idea. It was tough to get the show on the air. Even
gun makers were nervous about it at first. Because I knew what people wanted to
talk about on Gun Talk Radio, though, I knew that personal defense is the
number one topic -- period. Nothing else even comes close. I'm proud to be able
to break ground with this show and it has been really well received.
We are almost finished shooting Season Three of PDTV, which will feature Massad
Ayoob, Clint Smith, the world-class instructors at Gunsite, Tiger McKee of
Shootrite (a new addition to PDTV), and a new weekly feature I think you'll
enjoy. That begins airing in October. You'll see Heidi Smith and Il Ling New on
the show this year, too. We bring the best instructors to you.
And...you didn't really think that after three years of bringing you the
ground-breaking instruction on PDTV we were going to leave it at that, did you?
Stay tuned for even more programs about the topics which you hear on "Tom
Gresham's Gun Talk" radio show every week.
HUGE ATTABOYS!
Just as Gun Talk Radio was ground-breaking, and PDTV was ground-breaking, so,
too, is the Gun Talk Truth Squad. You folks have really jumped on the "no
shrug" policy, and you are sending letters to newspapers all over the country,
and they are being printed.
Believe me when I tell you that this makes a difference. Just look at the
comments made online at newspaper web sites whenever a Truth Squad member gets
a "truth missile" printed. Others step forward with positive comments about
firearms ownership, the common sense reality of protecting yourself and your
family, and the need to protect (and take back) the Second Amendment. Keep it
up. It's working!
It's not me. It's you. And YOU are getting it done.
-- Tom Gresham
I hope my tivo knows to tape all personal defense TV shows. The most encouraging notion is who would have thought 2 different channels would be broadcasting shows of this caliber (no pun intended) 10 yrs ago. More is better, the word is getting out.
Dave
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Looking foward to all the new show's for 09 .And old show's in new places or not.
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The more programs about shooting sports the better! It just means more people are joining us in the shooting sports, AIN'T IT GREAT. ;D
From a viewer's perspective, this is exactly the bottom line and outcome of last week's maneuvers by the networks.
When one door closes because of corporate decisions, another opens up. In this case, we are talking about more than one door.
For us, being involved as hosts, producers and promoters, we deal with changes all the time and we adjust, adapt and move on. But we never lose sight of the main goal. That "main goal" NOT being, to take the changes and make them a personal thing. But to continue marching on, promoting and preserving the shooting sports, hunting and the second amendment. When we are forced to make changes, we are also forced to think outside of the established mindset, and to be more creative.
There has been a whole lot of buzz -- negative and positive that has been created around this topic.
In my opinion, it has established positive new communication lines and brought about new ideas, which will be beneficial for you as viewers.
Michael B, Tom G, , Jim S. and all the rest of us working on and behind the "sets" to deliver shows, videos and related campaigns from the industry, will keep moving on with a positive attitude, bringing to you the best information and entertainment that we can.
You as viewers will benefit from all of this no matter what.