Where did all the tv gun shows go?

[Husqvarna]

Where did all the tv gun shows go?

is anyone of them on the air now?

surprisd that none of the big youtube channels have been picked up for TV.

[mdemetz]

Sportsman Channel on Thursdays, Outdoor Channel on Wednesdays.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Seasonal broadcasting.

[BarryLee]

I noticed they began to disappear a few years ago after some high profile criminal activities and the previous administration’s demonization of law abiding gun owners. As mentioned there are some specialized cable channels that carry shows, but very few left on the basic cable channels. This could be a temporary trend or a continued expansion of the “politically correct” culture and the fear corporations have of offending someone and the resulting social media storm.

[TruthTellers]

They were all lame and "hollywoodized" by the producers and I think people got bored of the shtick. The channels on youtube are much less contrive and deliver better quantity and quality, not to mention commercial free. In fact, I would think the big channels on youtube reach a larger audience than if they were broadcast on television.

Meh, the only thing I ever really cared for in those shows was Stephanie Hayden and Paige Wyatt.

[MarkCO]

I take it you are not really asking about "Gun Shows" but about "dramatized reality TV" with some gunshops or "pro shooters" involved.

Nobody wanted to deal with the people who wanted those shows, and three of those shows now have one or more "stars" doing time and the real gun folks trying to recover their reputations. A few folks (Metcalf for example) made some "political" faux paus and a few guys passed away.

The #1 Gun Show on TV for the last 16 seasons has been "Shooting Gallery". I just finished being a guest on the PCC episode, which is the finale of Season 17 and will be airing in March.

The gun industry bubble burst and it is in a retraction, reformation mode. That kills advertising dollars, which is what drives the vast majority of the shows. This might be the biggest reason for the shows that went away not being replaced.

[DaleA]

I just finished being a guest on the PCC episode, which is the finale of Season 17 and will be airing in March.

!

Congratulations, I'll watch for it.

I'll bet it was interesting. Did the TV folk treat you like you knew what you were doing or did you have to sit thru safety briefings 'don't load the gun until', 'don't point the gun at', etc. etc. You sure can't have too much safety, I'm just curious at what their procedures were.

[Rembrandt]

Top Shot started out as a pretty good show, testing who was the best all around shooter......then degenerated into a partner-up and knock out competitors that weren't part of your branch of service. Couple of guys took an intentional dive to help a hard luck guy win the prize money.

Later seasons were about as exciting as watching youngsters receiving participation trophies.

[g.willikers]

It might be because the internet in general has begun replacing tv.
It's a new world.

[MarkCO]

I'll bet it was interesting. Did the TV folk treat you like you knew what you were doing or did you have to sit thru safety briefings 'don't load the gun until', 'don't point the gun at', etc. etc. You sure can't have too much safety, I'm just curious at what their procedures were.

I have done several, at matches and for TV shows. These guys are pros and let us do our thing while they do theirs. The producer is actually a savvy gun guy and hunter, so they don't mess that part up. They have lights and cameras downrange, but actual manned cameras are never more than than on a 45 to me as a shooter. Sometimes I get a "too fast" or a "too slow", but most of the time it is not bad. It takes a few minutes to maybe 15 minutes to set-up each shot and sometimes I have to stand for a minute or so, on the marks with no gun for them to balance the composure and lighting. The high speed is the coolest part, but also takes the longest to set-up. I can't tell you how hard it is to be in a darkened room with lights in your eyes and shooting a dimly lit target 25 yards downrange. When you have a blazing run on steel and then the producer says..."Do it again, there was a shadow I did not like" and you know it won't make the final edit. The shooting part is actually pretty easy.

The oddity is they kind of do the show in reverse. We ist down with the producer and give him our thoughts, highlights etc that we think are important to cover and go from there. He works up the segments and we start. They film an open and a close, then have us shoot. But after we shoot, we intro the guns, gear that we just shot. There is not really a script, they tell me what points they want me to cover and then I have about 2 minutes to come up with the sentences and talk to a plate of glass 3 feet away. Michael Bane is a master and I enjoy learning from him. Took 11 hours for 19.5 minutes of actual show.

[DaleA]

Thanks Marco for telling us what it was like on the show. It's fun to find out what's going on behind the scenes.

[jmr40]

Seasonal broadcasting.

This is the biggest reason. Locally there are lots of shooting/hunting shows on starting in late summer through Jan. 1. After that most of the programming is fishing shows.

[rickyrick]

I rarely watch anything that would be considered "television". I have rabbit ears for local news, everything else comes from the Internet.

Most shows must align themselves with the state sponsored political party (tin foil jab, lol)

probably demographics change, who watches traditional TV anymore?, most folks I know don't.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

One problem for me is that the two major gun show outlets would necessitate me buying a cart load of useless other channels.

Moving them to other media is the wave of the future until 'TV' breaks the package model and that's coming on strong.

Thus, I ditched them.

[MarkCO]

FWIW, Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel is rolling out their new digital platform...at the NRA show. If you stop by their booth, they will give you a free month.

AFAIK, they were saying around $5/month for all of their content.

[Sevens]

MarkCO, your "insider" thoughts are some of the most purely interesting things I've read on these pages in a while... likely because you're talking about things that NOBODY ever talks about! Pretty cool info!

The thing that always made me scratch my head about many of these shows and "Top Shot" in particular is how/why they STILL end up in occupied territory, i.e. California. Yes, sure, 95% of all TV anything gets done out in California for the most part... but this is a very real divide in the gun culture. And seems cheap or at the very least, a little "dirty" to stay in California for gun-themed programming.

I also wondered if they get some special "permits" to actually use some of the different firearms we see in the shows. It being Cali and all...

[MarkCO]

Thanks Sevens.

I just consider myself a guy who likes to shoot and I have been fortunate to be able to see behind the curtain.

Film crews...most are in CA, NY and FL. There are a few scattered here and about, but ones that will deal with guns are not as plentiful. Without getting any of my friends in hot water, I will just say that some of the things they have to do in order to bring you all shooting shows is at times, sacrifice to say the least. As for permits...most of the guns you see on TV and in "reality" shows out of CA are owned by one of two prop houses, and or private individuals. For instance, in John Wick 2, most of the guns are from TTI. Taran both provided the guns and trained Reeves. He is an FFL and those guns are not personally owned by anyone. In other cases, yes there are things that have to be done. If I have any question, I first call my local ATF agent. In some cases, ask and answer, no worries. I have had to have a few questions bumped up and then I get an answer from an ATF attorney out of DC. But most of the time, for me, I am shooting my personal guns when I am in an episode of a series.

When I did my contract for American Marksman, one of the things I insisted on was that I get the final say on everything having to do with the actual stages, officiating and anything that could impact the shooters ability to have competitive equity. There were a few tense discussions with some non-shooter folks and in a few circumstances, my final answer was "because I have a contract that says I do."

[locnload]

Admittedly, I don't watch a lot of TV so I don't much care what packages my wife signs up for with the satellite company. Recently I have been laid up with an infected leg wound, and have found that, A; daytime TV stinks, B; the same shows are on two or three of my "choices" of channels at the same time, and C; most of what's on, I have seen already, at least twice, despite the fact that I don't spend much time in front of the tube. My point, TV is killing itself, and firearms related shows are no exception.

I am a red blooded American capitalist, and I understand the need for sponsorship to put these shows on the air, and the need to get the most out of your time, as time is money. But when you are doing TV for serious "gun people" and sportsman, how about cutting all the "princess drama queen" crap that is so popular in other "reality TV". Even "Top Shot" got so much into having some clown with zero humility and an ego bigger than his brain, just so they could play up the inter personal drama with the contestants. I don't care about that, I didn't tune into "Dance Moms" or "Real Housewives", give it a rest.

Next, it seems that in a 60 minute show, there is about 15 to 20 minutes of real footage, the rest is teasing what you are going to see next after the commercial break, and replaying what you already saw before it. I'm sure they film hours of actual interesting footage on these shows, quit leaving most of it on the cutting room floor and replaying what's already been seen to fill time.

Last, they could be more selective with their sponsors if at all possible, they know the demographic that watches it, don't insult us with the adds that portray every husband/father as a bumbling soft skinned dolt. And if I have to watch another stupid Progressive Insurance "Flow" commercial, I'm going to choke on my own vomit.

In short, if "Outdoor" and "gun related" TV is to survive, make it worth watching.

END OF RANT