Hey, how'd fishing shows become infomercials again?

[Mike Pike]

Ya, so one of the earlier posts mentioned about a fishing show that was more like and infomercial and it got me to thinking; wasn't there a move by the C.R.T.C. to stop blatent product pushes on fishing shows?????

 

I know that it stopped for a while buy I'd say it's back to where it was and then some! Now, I've seen the disclaimer that runs before some shows that mentions something about the program may be payed for by the sposonsors or products mentioned in the show. So, is that all it took?

 

Either way, I enjoy watching pretty much anything fishing related on tv( I'm a bit of a junkie that way )so me beef isn't with any of the shows or the hosts. Just wondering if anyone new why product pushes are ok now.

[I'mHooked]

I must admit that while I'm a fan of the guys on Fish'N Canada, I'm getting tired of the seemingly endless Muskol "bits" which are blatant commercials, even when it's the guys making it look like it's a part of the show.

 

Enough already!

 

It really is seeming like 20 minutes of commercial with 10 minutes of content!

[basketclam]

My two cents is that the "infomercial" can actually make a better fishing show (it CAN - but that's not always the case).

 

My thoughts are thus. I hate watching a fishing show where the host just catches fish after fish, always amazed at how big it is, adrenaline rush for the entire episode, without actually showing or teaching the audience anything. I much prefer a show that teaches you something about fishing - that's what I'm watching the show for.

 

I want to know where you're fishing, what time of year it is, what time of day are the fish biting, what are the weather conditions, what type of tackle are you using and why, what type of presentation are you using, what depth are you finding the fish at, what structure are you fishing over. This means that every episode should have some sort of plug for a few products and a location, as a minimum.

 

That being said, I agree with you 100% that the plugs can be WAY too obvious, way to prevalent, and are especially annoying when they don't really have anything to do with fishing (i.e. insect repellant). In that case, I'd rather just watch someone catch fish over and over again. Yawn.

[DRIFTER_016]

Fishing shows are paid for by the sponsers.

Without the sponsers there would be no fishing shows on TV as the shows have to pay for air time.

Think of it this way, for a show to be made and go on the air the shows producers need to get sponsership money to pay for 1/ Travel 2/Production Costs 3/Air Time. There's probably a ton more that I forgot about but these are the main costs.

ALL Fishing Shows are Infomercials because they are 100% paid for by the show sponsers.

Granted some are less infomercially than others.

[JohnF]

It can be a pretty fine line between describing the gear used in a specific application and blatant product pandering. At times I like to hear the explanation of why mono is used instead of braid, or why a certain rod is particularly well-suited to the particular situation. I don't always agree but hey, if I knew as much as any of these fishing show dudes I'd be on tv too.

 

Too often, though, the explanation, instead of offering anything of value, turns into a sales pitch with no real information value. But then that's why we're lucky to have a forum like OFC. We get to hear the biased AND the objective. When the objective observers back up the guy with the vested interest then I get more interested in the product. But sometimes if there was no biased promotion we might never get into the objective discussion on other than the really really good and the really really bad stuff. The slightly better than so-so stuff would be overlooked.

 

All that being said I'm finding that in general the fishing shows are getting pretty bogged down in promo work. I don't mind JP's show because he says it up front that he's there to introduce gear, then he does a quick in the field application. And Mercer mixes in enough entertainment & fishing so any product plugs are okay, and sometimes even includes useful tips. Whoda thunk bass would get off on a squirt of scent in the yap as a reward for getting stabbed?

 

JF

[Lunker777]

I think the worst display of pushin a sponsor comes from Izumi....Example... The beginning of the show starts out and they are walleye fishin but seem to be nailin the smallies. Then at the end for some odd reason.... a 5 minute spot is thrown in and they are Musky fishin LSC with Drifters II charters..... "Oh well get that musky smell off your hands with this NO scent fish soap(It was the guests product ) " .... guest... "oh ok bob ! " ... Bob... "once your hands are clean, help yourself to one of these delicious Tim hortons donuts " As he turns holdin the box PERFECTLY open and everything ! Lik I mean COME ON... I understand they sponsor you and everything but really ???? That whole scene was just thrown in there to plug a few sponsors quick.... I think they caught one fish... BRUTAL !

[MCTFisher9120]

No sponsor's no fishing shows...that simple

[Garnet]

Don't forget these host need to make a living. House,wives,kids, mortgages, and put a good product on the air. Without advertising dollars none of this happens.

 

Garnet

[Harrison]

To sum it up:

 

The "show" buys the air time, usually 13 - 1/2hr spots.

The "show" sells the commercial time to aka. sponsors.

 

Included in commercial time is other perks for the "sponsors" i.e. trade shows, truck wrapping, web presence etc...

 

In show "sponsors" i.e. Frabil pays for segments during the show, "The Frabil tip of the day" etc...

 

Other equipment, usually fishing related, "sponsors" pay for thier use of product during the show with some other perks.

 

It is very difficult every year to hunt and maintain these "sponsors". Sometimes you have to do what you have to do to keep things afloat i.e. push product.

 

There is a fine line between "infomercial" and giving the "sponsors" what they pay for.

 

It would be nice if a network would pick up fishing shows, own them (pay to air the show) and insert their own commercials. Until that happens, putitng up with alittle flogging of product is worth having some fishing on the tube while your at home on a Sunday morning. IMO

Edited December 1, 2009 by Harrison

[craigdritchie]

TV fishing shows have always been infomercials. Fact is, Red Fisher never made much money from his TV show - his main income came from being a sales rep for Mercury Marine. Mercury paid a big chunk of Red's production expenses in exchange for guarantees that Mercury outboards would appear somewhere on the screen for a total of X-number of minutes each year. That's why most of Red's programs include scenic shots of him riding in the boat, or loading up his gear, or the guide running the motor. It was a contractual obligation, just as it is today for other TV hosts.

 

Cortland was another big sponsor of Red's TV program. Why do you think he had Ted Williams as a guest so often? Ted worked for Cortland, and used his appearances on the show to generate interest in fly fishing. It was all bought and paid for. Just like today.

 

Now I agree that's all pretty tame compared to what we see now (I love it when the one guy lands a fish and credits it to his dependable xx-brand oil filter). But the fact is TV fishing hosts have always been bought and paid for by one company or another. If it gets to be overkill, just change the channel or turn the dumb thing off.

[asdve23rveavwa]

I think the most blatant push of products I have seen was on Charlie Wray's Fishful Thinking...I would hear the word Okuma, or Mustad, or.....you get my drift....in my head for about an hour after watching it. That said, I still watched...I have nothing against the guy, great fisherman...doing what he loves to do. Like Craig says, if you don't like it...switch channels.

[lew]

I remember one episode where Charlie Ray was trolling for muskies on St. Clair.

 

As soon a fish hit and he stood up and grabbed the fish'n pole, he said that if it wasn't for his quiet Honda outboard he'd never have been able to sneak up on the fish, and with his stable Crestliner he'd be safe fighting the fish in the big waves, and he was using his Mustads so it wouldn't get off and his Okuma reel would have no trouble reeling the big girl in and the Okuma rod was plenty strong and the Seguar flouro leader was invisible and that's why he hooked the musky and yada yada yada.

 

In the short time it took him to land the fish he'd advertised 6 different products and I'll never forget that episode. I don't even watch that show anymore, it's just brutal

[asdve23rveavwa]

Just had to laugh out loud at lew's rundown on a Fishful Thinking episode...that pretty much sums it up.

[Governator]

Really doesn't bother me at all, I just wish more shows were available in HD but that comes back to money available.

[bigugli]

Would you have the shameless product plugs or would you rather have sporting shows as pay per view TV.

[asdve23rveavwa]

Great point...we all pay too much for televison as is.

[perchslayer666]

I remember one episode where Charlie Ray was trolling for muskies on St. Clair.

 

As soon a fish hit and he stood up and grabbed the fish'n pole, he said that if it wasn't for his quiet Honda outboard he'd never have been able to sneak up on the fish, and with his stable Crestliner he'd be safe fighting the fish in the big waves, and he was using his Mustads so it wouldn't get off and his Okuma reel would have no trouble reeling the big girl in and the Okuma rod was plenty strong and the Seguar flouro leader was invisible and that's why he hooked the musky and yada yada yada.

 

In the short time it took him to land the fish he'd advertised 6 different products and I'll never forget that episode. I don't even watch that show anymore, it's just brutal

 

 

 

 

That’s called being a great salesman and pitchman. These guys have a dream job of being paid to fish and receiving free gear and tackle, they gotta pay the bills somehow.

I have no problem with it, I actually think it’s kind of cool that he can land huge fish and talk about the gear he is using. Think about the Vince the Shamwow guy, and then think about doing that while battling trophy fish….it’s an art as much as it is a job.

[Terry]

no buddy does it like Charlie Wray's Fishful Thinking

NOBUDDY

[Greencoachdog]

Uhhhhh.... er...

[Garry2Rs]

Lew, you just made my day with your description of Charlie Ray trolling for muskies!

 

I guess that we can all agree there are some great fishing show out there and there are others that are real duds. I'm sure all of these TV guys can catch fish, but some shows drive me nuts! Spare me the ones that have such poor production values that they look like your kid shot them on a pocket camera! And, what's with these guys who are poor public speakers? Sometimes I wish they could just spit it on a wall, so I can read what they are trying to say!

 

It bugs me when the host, instead of talking about what they are doing and why, constantly tries to make funny remarks. Even worse, is when they go into an insane falsetto hee, hee, hee, hoo, hoo, hoo laugh pattern when a fish is hooked. The funny laugh thing was Jimmy Houston's trade mark, and it's annoying even when he does it!

 

Thankfully, there are guys, like Al Lindner and Kevin Van Dam who speak so clearly about what they are doing and why, you always feel that you're learning something.

 

In Arizona there is a local guy called Johnny Johnson. His format is everything I hate, and he has the worse "fish-on" laugh I have ever heard. However, his show doesn't have any "fishing " sponsors. Because of this, while looking for a pattern, Johnny will often work his way though a number of well known baits of different brands. This can be very informative.

 

I don't mind the host plugging the latest product, I'm here to see what's new...so long as he then takes some time to demonstrate how and explain why he's using this bait...

 

In my mind the best shows have a number of short, informative segments...Good graphics and underwater shots of techniques, in action, also help. The most boring shows, are the 30-minutes-in-the-boat ones.

 

This is where we get to watch Host X and Guest Y throw new lure C...Let's face it, most of the time there just isn't enough to say about Lure C to fill a show!

 

At sometime I think a producer must have suggested that these "fishing" shows needed to appeal to a wider audience, that the host needed to be more "entertaining."

 

As a fisherman, I think that this is wrong! I want to see what's new, and how a Pro uses it. I want their input, and I will be entertained if I am being educated...So TV hosts...Spare me the smart-ass remakes, and the goofy laugh, I'm here for your fishing knowledge!

Garry2R's