Overqualified? Never. A Deeper Look at “Sportsmen” TV
This is a guest post by our Communications Intern, Greg Brey. He wasn’t sure if PR/Communications was his “thing,” but I think he has a great start with excellent storytelling skills!
A close friend of mine was laid off from a high-ranking position at a phone company last year, joining the now 14.6 million (9.5%) unemployed Americans. With an array of skills second to none, she proceeded to look for jobs that fit her level of expertise.
Guess what – No offers.
The search continued “down the totem pole,” so to speak, until a pay grade that a fortunate High School student would have an opportunity to make.
She was immediately asked the question, “Do you think you’re overqualified for this position?”
Anticipating the question she said, “No, there is always something new to learn; there’s ways to improve. For one thing, the job description says I need to maintain a copy machine. I don’t know how to do that – I only know how to use a copy machine. No one is ever overqualified.”
The answer was spot on.
After thinking about this ideology, I realized that it can be applied to literally anything. Hunters and Anglers immediately entered into my mind – sportsmen are always trying to better themselves, and it shows. Viewers watch hunting/fishing/shooting shows for three distinct reasons.
- After reading many comments on news sites, blogs and social media sites over the past two months, I discovered that a large majority of people watch hunting/fishing/shooting television to get tips and advice that they can apply to being a better, more efficient sportsman.
- Most of these people watch shows that are most similar to their hunts (i.e. location, type of animal. If you aren’t going to hunt for elephants, why would you watch it?). People like to watch hunts that relate to them so they can take something away from it.
- The next group of viewers watches because of a show personality. There are only a handful of popular show personalities, but these few shows are most definitely a huge hit among sportsmen.
- The last group watches for a shock value; the opportunity to see something that is either a once in a lifetime hunt, or a monster of an animal or fish.
Bottom line (back to my point): People are constantly in search to better themselves, and it’s no different in a sportsman’s world. With the numerous social media sites (facebook, twitter, blogs, forums, etc.) and T.V. shows, any sportsman can be immersed in the sport 24/7. The “fuel” to the growth of these websites and TV shows are the hunters and anglers drive to improve their hunting and/or fishing skills. As long as people continue to seek improvement in their hunting and/or angling skills, this “niche market” will continue to grow because it will make it easier for a person to enter into the hunting or fishing scene.
Photo courtesy of Greg Westfall
Here’s another theory from Multichannel news on why hunting and fishing shows are more relevant nowadays – and some interesting statistics.
What do you all think of this post? I think Greg did a great job of capturing our viewership.
Greg, nicely done. You’re right, hunters and anglers are always trying to improve and become proficient while keeping it personally satisfying along that journey.
This is precisely why I started my blog – to help others find success by sharing my experiences and tips. Some of which were passed on to me from my mentors over the years. I enjoy helping new hunters reduce the learning curves associated with bowhutning. It can be daunting and overwhelming to say the least.
One of my mentors was a top ranked tournament archer in his younger days. On the topic of winning his father once told him, “don’t focus on how good you are; focus on how good you can be.”
That stuck with me much like it stuck with him over the next few decades. And I have shared this with my two daughters. That’s the simple yet powerful value of wisdom. A lifetime of learning can be shared with another person in one simple phrase or anecdote. And it can profoundly change someone or how they approach a situation or activity, such as bowhunting, bass fishing, or making your own fly rod.
Excellent points Greg and great job. Even those who aspire to and have become a part of the network can often be the biggest fans of the network. Each producer/host/editor learns from their counterparts as well by witnessing what works and what doesn’t work, thus only improving the level of quality in programming. The end result is a viewer who is rewarded with a lineup of shows that carry their best interest at heart. Those shows who can capture the true pulse of the people and what they want to see are the shows that will remain as an integral part of SC’s programming for many seasons to come. Again, great job and I hope to see more!
– JC
Thanks PRNBowhunter for the comments! I will add your blog to my blogroll as you have great topics on your blog. And I love the quote you included in your comment – saying the same as “let’s not focus on the past – but look the future.” Look forward to conversing more with you!
Thanks Justin for commenting! I heartily agree that as producers, you should all try to “one up” each other b/c then everyone is a winner! As a network, we are certainly striving to “one up” other networks to be the best channel for outdoor programming.