ESPN's decision to dump its outdoor programming continues to send ripples through the industry. As expected, outdoor cable networks made moves, perceivably to better position themselves in the wake of the ESPN pullout.
InterMedia Outdoors brought in veteran cable executive Gavin Harvey to serve as CEO of Sportsman Channel, while rival Outdoor Channel announced a 30% staff reduction in its production services. Those layoffs were at Tulsa-based Winnercomm – a production firm acquired by Outdoor Channel in January 2009 – with the aim to better focus Winnercomm's efforts toward outdoor programming.
Winnercomm produced ESPN2 outdoor shows such as World's Greatest Fishing Show and Driven to Hunt.
And in the background, rumors of a BASS sale, perhaps to Outdoor Channel, or to private entities tangentially connected to Outdoor Channel, continue to escalate.
Remember that Winnercomm and BASS share lineage. Winnercomm once performed significant production services for BASS, and former BASS GM Don Rucks and current Winnercomm CEO Jim Wilburn are close friends. Additionally, it was Wilburn who helped facilitate the Citgo mega-sponsorship of BASS, when Rucks was Citgo brand manager.
Wherever the BASS winds eventually blow, one thing remains certain: Next year, ESPN2 will no longer be an outdoor-television destination, which means the heavy slate of shows that currently air on the network are in active search of a new home.
Velvick Hunting Another Show
The pro bass angler who's most heavily tied to ESPN outdoor programming is Byron Velvick.
The former Californian first dabbled with video when he created a swimbait how-to video, but found a rapid rise in fame when he was tapped to serve as TV's The Bachelor. From there, he was co-host of ESPN2's short-lived BassCenter, was a frequent analyst for Bassmaster Classic coverage, hosted a short segment within the ESPN2 outdoor block titled Weekend Angler and currently hosts his own show Going Coastal (Fischer Productions).
Velvick wasn't surprised by ESPN's decision to abandon outdoor programming – there were a lot of rumblings, he said – but he was taken aback by the timing. It all came a lot quicker than he'd anticipated.
His pro career's on the right track. He qualified for two consecutive Bassmaster Classics, won this year's Clear Lake Bassmaster Elite Series and is currently ranked 38th in the BassFan World Rankings. Still, he sees himself as only half-pro. The other half is the educator and entertainer who shares the fishing passion with a wide TV audience, celebrates the sport and helps people catch more fish.
He's got two events left in the BASS season, but much more significant work to do in broadcasting as he searches for a new show (ESPN owns the Going Coastal name) and a new network home for said show.
"ESPN is the only place where I've done my shows and I'm saddened that the outdoor block is going away," Velvick said. "Outdoor TV and programming is really a passion of mine. I love tournament fishing, but I also very much love being that guy who people recognize in the airport and come up and say hello and how much they love Going Coastal.
"I know now that Going Coastal is going away, so what's next for me? I'll be pursuing another show, coming up with another show, seeing if other shows are going to picked up by another network, finding a home for a new show. Rather than saying, 'That was a fun run, now I'll go back to just fishing tournaments,' I want to stay in it and pursue more outdoor programming."
Going Coastal offered an interesting twist on outdoor programming, because although Velvick was the host, he wasn't the talent. The guides each week were the talent, and it was Velvick's job to fish with them, interview them, find out why they catch more fish than everybody else, then relay that intel back to viewers.
Again, if he does a similar show on a new network, it won't be under the same name, although the format and Velvick's star power certainly seem strong enough to generate interest at another network.
And despite ESPN's sudden withdrawal from the outdoors, Velvick's appreciative for all the network gave him. Granted, if he wasn't already a nationally-recognized personality from The Bachelor he might not have been tapped for BassCenter, but no other pro has been more in ESPN2's spotlight over the past half-decade.
"It's been a great run," Velvick added. "ESPN gave me a fantastic platform and gave me a gift by making me one of their main people in the outdoors. I'm grateful for BassCenter, Weekend Angler, Going Coastal – they've given me a lot of airtime. And with The Bassmasters, some weekends I'd have two or even three shows airing. It's been nothing but a positive for me. The powers that be – guys like Greg Trager, Mark Quenzel, Jerry Vaillancourt, Jed Foster, Dan Bowen, Tom Ricks, Mark Shapiro – they've been instrumental in making me a known personality."
Provided he does land another show for next year, he wants it to be in the same vein as Going Coastal. He wants his "excitement and energy to be contagious" and truly help the viewer understand how to catch more fish.
Jose Wejebe believes that as one door closes, several others open.
Wejebe Sees Open Doors
For Jose Wejebe, host of Spanish Fly, ESPN's withdrawal is certainly the end of en era. Spanish Fly was the first saltwater show to air in the outdoor block a decade and a half ago. It grew to become the anchor saltwater show in the block and a fan favorite.
Like Velvick, Wejebe also grew into a role as an ESPN Outdoors personality. He was associated with the ESPN Saltwater Series, Madfin Shark, hosted short segments like Vida del Mar and more.
Also like Velvick, Wejebe wasn't surprised by the news. He sees it as a "business decision." With the expectation that ESPN would pull out, however, Wejebe started the wheels rolling on alternate plans a long while ago. And he owns the show, so there's no concern over losing brand image when he switches networks – a luxury Mark Zona and Velvick don't enjoy.
"We've had a great run on ESPN and it kind of sucks, but we've been waiting for this for a while and have some really exciting things happening that we've been planning," Wejebe said. "We've been the face of the saltwater portion of ESPN Outdoors for a while and the plan is to continue that where we go next."
Wejebe's shows are produced by Career Sports and Entertainment, owners of the former JM Associates group. The two are working together to negotiate a deal with a new network, but there's no news to announce yet, Wejebe said. He wouldn't indicate a timeframe of when fans could expect an announcement, but did say any news will appear first on his site – SpanishFlyTV.com.
"I'm going to hold the timeframe close to the chest, just because there are a lot of things this has freed us up to do," Wejebe said. "There are a lot of things going on. I imagine it'll be maybe 3 weeks or a month before we announce what we'll do or where we'll be.
"It's actually really cool. I've always been a firm believer that as one door closes, several others open. So I look at this as a good thing. I'm bummed because I really liked our home on ESPN. We had a long run and I think we made a statement out there in the world. But you know, change is inevitable. Either you embrace it or fight it, and we choose to embrace it."
Notable
> Both Going Coastal and Spanish Fly are showing this quarter on ESPN2. There will be no outdoor programming this Sunday due to World Cup soccer coverage.
