Some outdoors hosts changing channels
If you’re looking for your favorite outdoors television show but can’t find it, it could be because it’s moved to a different network or time slot.Among the changes this month are the addition of “PigMan: The Series,” hosted by Brian Quaca of Texas, which will appear on the Sportsman Channel. Also on the network is “Big Game in Argentina,” hosted by Craig Boddington and believed to be the first big game hunting show shot entirely in Argentina.
The Pursuit Channel added Drury Outdoors and its new show, “Natural Born Killers,” to its growing lineup that includes “Mossy Oak Classics” and “Alan Warren Outdoors” as new additions.
Television shows move for different reasons, including loss of sponsors, the chance for a better time slot, low ratings that mean a move to a less-prominent time slot or the chance to change networks.
Locally produced shows have been found for years on the “Big 3” traditional networks — NBC, CBS or ABC — on local affiliates. These sometimes have odd time slots, such as 6 a.m. or 10:30 p.m. on weekends, outside of prime time or when that time period cost isn’t as high. Local shows also may have a strong following because they focus specifically on a few counties or a state instead of a larger region.
Shows found on the Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, Versus, Pursuit Channel and ESPN often are more regional or national in scope. As with prime-time shows on the traditional networks, they encounter the same need for ratings and, relatively speaking, greater expenses for production as their popularity grows.
“It’s sponsorship dollars and a chicken-egg deal,” says Mark Davis, host of “Penn’s Big Water Adventures” on the Outdoor Channel. “The bigger the network, the more money you have to have, and as you build your program you will need more. That’s just the way it is.
“When I was (handling PR) with Shakespeare, we had guys who would come from a regional network and want to move to a larger network, but they needed more money. If we believed in the show and felt it had a good chance, we might commit to them. If not, we had to make a decision. Those kinds of discussions go on every year.”
Jim Shepherd, executive producer of “Guns & Gear” on Versus and a 30-year veteran of television including years with CNN, said mainstream shows with a good following, such as “Jericho” or “Star Trek,” may not earn strong enough ratings for big advertising dollars but can move to specialty networks and build on their viewership through syndication and spin-offs.
“Some outdoors shows are the same way, the hardcore fishing or hunting shows with impact shots that are good enough to survive on a limited budget on a limited network,” Shepherd said. “So they move. The first year they’re on one network and the show doesn’t produce the numbers the network wants. It’s a time-buy and they can’t get the money to stay on the big network. So they move to a regional network.
“A show that may be more stable and has better advertising might move into a better slot, or may move to a theme block. Sometimes shows in the theme blocks may have good numbers alone, but coupled with other shows they all do better. Or they can’t produce consistent numbers by themselves, yet if they lump them together they can get better numbers. It’s a head game.”
The block format has been successful in part because shows highlighting specific seasons, game species or fish can be promoted to viewers and advertisers. Weeknight and Saturday or Sunday blocks are popular.
“A producer’s job is to be a hunter, and he’s chasing the consumer (the viewers), and they’re slippery suckers,” Shepherd said. “But if you can figure out when they bed down or eat you’ve got them, so to speak. You get them at the bedding site at night and they’re feeding on Saturday morning. If you can demonstrate you can hold them over a block, you’ve got something.”
