The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: ericire12 on January 16, 2009, 01:21:52 PM
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"Well the first thing you know old Jed's a millionaire...." ???
http://www.downrange.tv/artman2/publish/news/395.shtml
Outdoor Channel Acquires Top Internet Destination for Firearms and Shooting Enthusiasts
By Press Release
Jan 16, 2009 - 12:31:30 PM
TEMECULA, Calif., Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Outdoor Channel, America's Leader in Outdoor TV, has acquired the leading firearms and shooting sports online portal, Down Range Television (DRTV). Founded by Outdoor Channel personality and journalist Michael Bane and cowboy action shooter Marshal Halloway, www.downrange.tv is one of the most successful online communities for shooting and firearms enthusiasts with a robust offering of video, active forums and industry coverage.
"This is a logical step in Outdoor Channel's mission to become the top, complete destination for shooting, hunting and outdoors information both on TV and the Internet," said Tom Hornish, COO at Outdoor Channel. "With our production and technology capabilities, we will boost DRTV to the next level, cementing its place as the top destination for shooters and firearms enthusiasts on the web."
As the premier online source for gun owners, sport shooters and hunters to access valuable information about the gun industry, related products and services, DRTV reaches 150,000 to 200,000 visitors each month. Among the site's many features, www.downrange.tv offers original streaming video, weekly audio podcasts and gun giveaways, as well as the ability to socially interact with fellow gun owners, show hosts and columnists.
DRTV was founded in 2006 by Halloway and Bane, who share a rich history on the World Wide Web. In 1995, Halloway launched CAS City at www.cascity.com, the first viable online firearms community. Bane, one of the strongest voices in the shooting industry, was a columnist for the first firearms portal site, GunWeb, in the early 1990s. More information about DRTV and its founders is available online at www.downrange.tv.
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I hope they don't forget about us "little" guys now that they are rich and famous. ;)
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I emailed M'ette to ask if we missed a memo .
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sounds cool
however, hope it will NOT change how the forum is run, and that it stays the same
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sounds cool
however, hope it will NOT change how the forum is run, and that it stays the same
Yeah, I'd hate to see things go into the crapper just because DRTV sold out to corporate. ;D
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We might have to act our ages,tow the line rrrrrr or not ???
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We might have to act our ages,tow the line rrrrrr or not ???
LOL. I'd pay a dollar to see that ;D
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I've only been frequenting this board for a few months but from the begining, it appeared to be a marketing tool and advertising banner for the three M's and all of their sponsors. With the addition of Mr. Pincus and a few others, that pretty much verified it for me.
It is a means to make a living for all involved which I have no problem with. I'm pretty picky with what I spend my money on and outside influence generally takes a back seat to what I end up buying. Defense training and tactical training is not something that excites me because I don't have a paranoid feeling of doom and gloom and if things get so bad that I actually need that sort of thing, well then maybe society will never recover from it anyway.
If the three M's make a gazzilion, bajillion, lalapalooza pile of dollars from this sale to the Outdoor Channel, good for them. It's capitalism at it's finest and it's what makes the world go round. I wish them the best, thank them for their contribution to my entertainment and move on to something else.
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Timothy I agree with you. This still is a capitalistic society thanks god. But my sales detector is always up and its been firing away the last couple of weeks more than even normal. :( Oh well, I'll just go back to my own blogging.
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I hope they made a boat load ;D. They deserve every penny. I've been here since almost the beginning and it's always been great. Without all the work the 3 M's put in we all would have never been able to share, rant, tease, and yes flame. But more importantly we had a place to discuss our views and lives. I'll be around a while, if nothing else, to see whats next. Good luck to the 3 M's, I hope they stay around for us little people.
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They can go do whatever they want as long as they leave M'ette here !
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;D
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Are they still going to be sticking around though? :'(
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Are they still going to be sticking around though? :'(
correct, as I said earlier, I hope this forum dose not change
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Howdy folks!
Rich? Hell, yeah.... on resources and long term commitments to make DRTV better. This has been in the making for some time and a natural step 2 for us.
We are still in charge of running the site and there are no plans on changing or maybe I should say fixing something that is not broken. Which btw includes the forum.
DRTV and our services have been developed based on what we personally think is the right thing to do. It is one of many Internet options for gun people to visit and for the industry to use as a marketing tool.
Based on the reactions on the floor here at SHOT Show and emails, I think we have succeeded towards both groups.
DRTV is run by gun people for gun people and we are all proud to have developed it and we are excited to be a part of it in the future.
The comment about the 3Ms using DRTV as a marketing tool for themselves.... Yep, of course we do!! You can't survive in this business being shy. ;D
So.... we are not talking about change, but additions. With new resources at hand, we are now able to reach many of the goals we have had from day 1. More coverage of the shooting sports and other events, a lot more content, news and articles. Stay tuned folks.
This will be a heck of a ride!
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"Love what ya do and never work another day".....!
We should all be so lucky!!! ;)
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Does this mean MB will now be able to do DAILY podcasts?
HEHEHEHE
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Maybe Michael can finally get Trail Safe reprinted? :D
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I'm stayin'.......................Ya can't get rid of me. Do you all think that I would leave this place so you guys can drink Hazeritas and run around naked without supervision? ( and with me missing out on it? )
uhhhhhhh I don't think sooooo..... (http://www.cascity.com/howard/animations/wink.gif)
We've all become pretty close in a cyber family kind of way.. so I feel I can say this.
This really isn't anyone business, but since we (kinda) got a couple negative comments, I'll share this with you :
Michael, Marshal and I have built this site... with 100% of our own resources. It started as a dream..then turned into a valid "can we really do this? " idea.. then ......... to a reality.
It took LOTS ( and I mean LOTS of hard work and long long hours and plenty of talks with our angels hoping our hard work would pay off and our bankers would hold out and extend our personal loans a bit longer ( and even add to them several times)
We just kept hammering away hoping Down Range could continue to hang in there until it proved itself worthy of the gun market, advertisers and the people who hopefully would want to come back time and time again.
Several times we almost had to call it quits... but the 3 of us were too damn stubborn to give up.. and because of it..( and you) Down Range became what it is today.
Marshal and Michael so very much compliment each other in this business.. and not only are they great at working together.. they respect each other as professionals plus they are good personal friends. What a GREAT combination!
So because of that( and also because they are workaholics ;)) it works.
And yes.. even though we love what we do.. it is still a business. I wish each and everyone of us could do what we do every day and not have to have income.. but sadly ..........that just isn't the case. So, to everyone's advantage, Down Range is now part of the Outdoor Channel, but is still and will continue to be run my Michael, Marshal and me. We are going to continue just as always to keep making this site the best that there is. We are planning on giving you more videos.. more on site interactions.. more give-aways and lots of cool stuff that will be happening. Hopefully the same wonderful great people who make Down Range what it is.... will stay on and keep enjoying this site as always.
For that part.... One Million times THANK YOU'S to all of our friends and loyal users of Down Range. We PROMISE you that we will continue working our tails off to make Down Range the best place to be.
PS~~ THANKS for all the positive comments on this. We appreciate it more than you know. :-*
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My Sweetie said that if I was going to be a successful entrepreneur in television and the Internet, couldn't I have chosen a segment of television and the Internet that would make us filthy, obscenely rich?
Fair question, I suppose. Instead, I decided that more than anything else in the world I wanted to be "in guns."
As Marshal said, if you want the big bucks, this isn't the place to be...heck, if I had done as many episodes of any "real" show as I have with SG alone (more than the magic syndication number of 100), I'd be set for life. OTOH, I have an the lifestyle I dreamed about as a little kid reading G&A and AMERICAN RIFLEMAN, some really nice guns and the greatest friends in the world. Also great partners in Marshal and Teresa...I am perhaps not the easiest person to work with...that is perhaps an understatement...but together we have been able to build something exceptional. We haven't even killed each other...so far...
Part of the deal with DRTV was that Marshal, Marshal'ette and I continue to run it exactly as we have been, but with the backing to take the site to the next level. We're really excited about what that next step is going to be...today we struck a deal in principle for live streaming Internet coverage of the NRA show on DRTV. Marshal and I are committed to figuring out the right way to present the shooting sports. I want to grow .50 BMG shooting — the new Dillon progressive press will help! — and help show the world the diversity of the shooting sports. So many plans...
BTW, I believe in training, not because of doom and gloom but because a large part of my life has centered around the old Boy Scout maxim of being prepared. I'm proud of what we've done for and with the training community — we show the gold standard. And on a personal note, I have looked at human beings over gun barrels, and thanks to my training I have never had to pull the trigger...that simple fact alone is worth whatever I have spent on training.
In the end, we all do what we do. I have been lucky enough to have a series of enviable careers, from rock critic to war correspondent to semi-famous author to motivational speaker to manufacturing expert to professional adventurer to high-tech correspondent during the explosive birth of personal computing. I've been blessed enough to spend time at both GUNSITE and the MIT Media Lab, where the future is invented; with not only Ayn Rand and Willie Nelson but Jim Cirillo and Walt Rauch. I have always believed that the greatest power a human being has is the power to morph, to invent his or her own future out of thin air.
In the meeting today talking about a live streaming NRA Show, I was excited to see the eyes of the other people in the meeting light up as I outlined what we'd like to do, to create. They asked whether we could actually do what what we were talking about, and I answered that I had no idea, but heck, it not our first rodeo!
If I may be permitted yet another of my endless quotes from Lord of the Rings, one from Frodo to Sam, "Remember what Bilbo used to say, 'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road and if you dont keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept of to.'"
Indeed! And away we go...
Michael B
PS: TRAIL SAFE goes to the printer this month...we'l have a special eBook deal ONLY for Forum members...and, GOOD LORD, one podcast a week is about all I can handle!!!
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Congratulations with the site's success, and your future plans for it sound awesome!
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My congrats to the 3 M's for running with the BIG DOGS! I have enjoyed what you have done so far and look forward to what you have in store for us to see. Keep up the good job. ;D
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Thanks for clearing that up ;D
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I posted a long time ago on a thread far away, that this site would grow and grow to the point where I was concerned of it getting "too" big and lose its charm as a smaller forum with "regular" folks who post often.
After almost a year as a DRTV member I can truly say the 3M's have been amazing! I remember when the site was hacked, and Marshall put the cyber smackdown on his a**.
Given the current political climate, having DRTV become more of a mainstay in larger circles of the firearms world, as Martha Stewert says: "Is a good thing." ;D
Thank you Marshall, Marshal'ette, and MB, its your review of the Sig 556, here on DRTV, that made me get one last Feb. USSA-1, just gave it his thumbs up. Glad I did, and glad I'm a member here.
(http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm182/twyacht/sFi_machinegunsdual.gif)
Let's have a great 09.
Tom W.
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I want to echo the congrats and the hope that the forum stays the same. I joined about two months after DRTV started and have enjoyed every part of it.
What will be the next big project for the 3M's?
Many Thanks!
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Congratulations on seeing your dreams come to fruition. I know it has been (and will continue to be) hard work.
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Based on what the 3 M's have to say this sounds like a good deal for all of us.
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No bail out here, thank you 3M's for your hard work.Looking foward to the future. 8) ;D 8) ;D
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Michael, I am beginning to become concerned about you. It seems like you just can't hold a job!!! ;D
Congratulations to all 3 of you on achieving this step of your dream or plan - pick whichever one is closest. Pick 'em both, I really don't care.
You do care, and it is evident in the quality of the work you produce, and the innovations of your shows and this site.
Well done, and I for one look to the next level!
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Based on what the 3 M's have to say this sounds like a good deal for all of us.
I expect to be paid per post! ;D
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I expect to be paid per post! ;D
I'll take mine in ammo! ;D
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Looks like a "win-win" situation for ALL involved.
With the backing of TOC, our niche of the shooting sports can maybe be more accepted in the 'mainstream' arena.
Congrats on all your hard work paying off.
:)
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Looks like a "win-win" situation for ALL involved.
With the backing of TOC, our niche of the shooting sports can maybe be more accepted in the 'mainstream' arena.
Congrats on all your hard work paying off.
:)
In the fight for our civil rights this gives us a stronger tool to spread the message of education without the perception of bias and politics many of the uninformed attach to anything involving the NRA.
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Good on ya, 3Ms.
Well done and we look forward to more great things.
Bill
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I THINK IT'S GREAT! ;D ;D
I thinks this a great deal for them and I hope they get to do what they envision, it should be awesome. Keep up the good work!
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Maybe the site can have a bunch of shows from the outdoor channel on it. I'm sure I'm not the only one here that doesn't get TOC and would like to see what we've been missing.
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Maybe the site can have a bunch of shows from the outdoor channel on it. I'm sure I'm not the only one here that doesn't get TOC and would like to see what we've been missing.
+1
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Michael, Marshall & Teresa:
Thanks for all your hard work, your candor, and most importantly your friendship. Your plans sound exciting, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking all the rest of us from your little "family" along for the ride!!
God bless!!
Tom
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Congratulations on achieving the plateau...this will hopefully make it a little easier for you all continue to do the great job you are already doing.
This is an example of the American Dream...building something from nothing and making it stand up...and all without a federal infusion of TARP money! In these times any of our resources that become stronger is a good thing, and I'm glad to be a part of such a great group.
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Am ready to pitch two new shows (BLACK GUN NATION & HANDGUN HUNTING) next week. A new gun book in the works when Trail Safe gets G&A k from the printer...downloadable audio projects...the DVD companion for Trail Safe...
I wish I could think of something to do!!!
Thank you all for the Good Karma !
MB
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Am ready to pitch two new shows (BLACK GUN NATION & HANDGUN HUNTING) next week. A new gun book in the works when Trail Safe gets G&A k from the printer...downloadable audio projects...the DVD companion for Trail Safe...
I wish I could think of something to do!!!
Thank you all for the Good Karma !
MB
So what are you going to do with all your Spare time ? ;D
Hand gun hunting seems like a real good idea. But I REALLY want to see you get the go ahead for "Black gun Nation" that will work wanders fighting the anti's attempts at an AWB. Keep up the good work and keep the Faith.
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Sounds to me like you need an over-paid assistant. I could be available for that. :)
And I could be the overpaid "equipment carrier"! We can get a whole crew together just from the forums.
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Am ready to pitch two new shows (BLACK GUN NATION & HANDGUN HUNTING) next week. A new gun book in the works when Trail Safe gets G&A k from the printer...downloadable audio projects...the DVD companion for Trail Safe...
I wish I could think of something to do!!!
Thank you all for the Good Karma !
MB
Hay mate
to go along with the over paid assistant and over paid equipment carrier
I could be the over paid (full time) Australian Correspondent ;)
sounds like a very cool idea
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Thanks for the explanation guys (you too M'ette)!
Great to see so much interest in this in the last few days. It must let you know we LOVE it here.
Now that I'm outta my Hazaritta haze I need to go find some pants ... I didn't know M'ette had a camera hidden in here :-[
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Congrats 3 M's
After all three heads are better than one ;D Hard work really does pay off. Sounds like DRTV is only going to get better!!!!!
I'm glad to be a part of it.
Black Gun Nation & Handgun Hunting 8)
Thank God I have a DVR ;D
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Everything I know about working like a crazy person I learned from Alf the Wonder Beagle, to wit, power naps!
mb
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Ditto what PegLeg and others have already eloquently stated. The more firearms are seen used as the tools that they are rather than as the insidious machines the pantswetters would have the peeps believe that they are, the better off we all will be. If M, M and M can generate some coin in the process, outstanding. It benefits all of us on the right side of the argument. Nice seeing you guys, btw; just don't go all Hollyweird on us :)
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Everything I know about working like a crazy person I learned from Alf the Wonder Beagle, to wit, power naps!
mb
A man after my own heart. ;D