Saturday, May 17, 2008

NRA Saturday!

Another excellent day!

First, I want to make a couple of announcements. I recently mentioned that Richard "Tequila" Young, the host of our COWBOYS series had ridden off into the sunset, leaving a really big pair of boots to fill. I'm proud and happy to announce that Ron "Tupelo Flash" Stein has been tapped to fill those boots!

You've seen Ron before on COWBOYS, several times. He's a veteran top cowboy action and Western 3-Gun shooter, match director last year for the great Gunfight Behind the Jersey Lilly cowboy match in California and at one tme in his checkered career one of the top Elvis impersonators in Vegas and touring the world. The Tupelo Flash will become a regular presence on DRTV over the summer, so watch for him.

Best saddle up, Tupelo...it's time to ride!

Secondly, I've gotten some email queries about Outdoor Channel's decision not to renew the shows produced by Intermedia, including GUNS & AMMO TELEVISION and PERSONAL DEFENSE TV, effective 1 January 2009. I'm not a Boss, nor do I play one on TV. I'm a producer, but I also know that nature — and television — abhors a vacuum. This weekend I asked OC to dust off a treatment I'd written almost two years ago for a series on self-defense for regular people, and it looks like that new series is going to be a go. Right now, my plan is to produce the series, not host; some of the names already committed to work with me on the series include Ken Hackathorn, Dave Spaulding, Rob Haught, Michael Janich...essentially a "Who's Who" of the top trainers in America.

As usual from me, no bullshit, no lab coats, no histronics, no "contractor casual" nonsense...just solid information that you can use to live a better and safer life. I hope to be making formal announcements in the next week or so, and by then I'll have several more names you're going to recognize from people who weren't here in Louisville. I'm pretty excited about this...nearly broke my heart when it got shelved because of conflicts with outside shows!

So far, initial industry response to the new series idea is spectacular...wonderful!

I spent a bunch of time today talking to the .50 Caliber Shooting Association, of which I am a member in good standing, on our upcoming DRTV Everything You Wanted To Know About The Big 50 series to be filmed this summer in conjunction with my friend Ronnie Barrett...this is going to be so much fun...and, as usual, another ground-breaking innovation from DRTV. I also want to make it clear that we have a POLITICAL agenda as well...the .50s are the sharp point of the spear, the lightning rod for antigun weasels. As well as educating people on .50s, we'll be providing resources for the .50 BMG community to help them in their — and our — fight. We are in the fight 100%; there's a storm coming, and we'll do everything in our power to help our community be ready for it!

BTW, on gunny stuff, I got to hang out a little today with Bruce Siddle, the new owner of Detonics. You guys know I really like the little Detonics CombatMaster, which has always been the gold standard for small 1911s. I despaired for a little bit that Detonics might not survive into the next iteration, but my fears were misplaced.

Bruce is showing a majorly enhanced — and well thought out — Detonics line. We'll have video for you on DRTV (duh), but let me just tell you about the top end of the line...a series of Detonics pistols spec'ed by my good friend and master gunsmith Wayne Novak. These pistols are hot, and I can't wait to get my hands on one of the Novak Detonics CombatMasters...great looking and great handling little guns! There's also Commander and full-sized models available. Watch for the videos.

Hey, it's after midnight and there's a clear and present danger of turning into a pumpkin!

More tomorrow!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Should we get a pool started to choose the date this latest version of Detonics goes belly up?

As for your show on self defense, one of the best SG ever was the one with Walt Rauch discussing the snubby revolver. If you can keep your new show as real and useful as this it will be doing shooters a service. You should appoint someone to smack you upside the head if it begins to become a Walter Mitty NinjaRambo fantasy show.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry to hear about the changes at the Outdoor channel. Well, to be more accurate, I am sorry to hear to Tom's Personal Defense TV is not getting renewed. I thought he had a good selection of guests and that the show took an honest look at some very important issues.

I am looking forward to your new show Michael and I hope that Tom will find his way back into Wednesday Nights on the Range again real soon.

Anonymous said...

I am looking forward to the new 'cowboys' shows! Also looking forward to your personal defense show. I hope you are able to keep that entire Wednesday night at the range lineup packed!

Eric said...

I will definitely not miss G&A TV. I stopped recording that one last year. They simply tried to squeeze too much into a 30 minute show, and when they added the torture test segment, they lost me.

I will miss PDTV, especially Mas Ayoob's segment. Michael - if you can work in a Walt Rauch "prickly man" segment into the new show, I'll definitely watch!

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, no labcoats? I may not watch. I will not watch if you reject the hair pomade thou, gotta have that. Esp with a former Elvis impersonator hosting Cowboys. < G >

Correct me if I am wrong, but G&A TV and PDTV aren't going away, just to another network, right MB? That's what I heard anyhow.

Later.

Aaron Geisler said...

Looking forward to new Cowboy episodes. I miss PDTV and look forward to your new show.

Anonymous said...

From the local media in West Palm Beach, FL. A wonderful, wait scratch that, a one-sided atrocity. I am not sure how they justify printing these opinions, but I will provide the link with no further comment. I just felt you would want to see this.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/05/18/a1e_mo_gabor_0518.html

Anonymous said...

Hmmn... Ken Hackathorn, and Walt Rauch.... Hmmn...??

Pardon my cynicism or skepticism, but are these guys really good trainers as you say they are OR have they just been really good at self promotion for the past 10 or 20 years so much so to the extent that things have snowballed that they have become legends (in their own minds?)?

As far as Mike Jannich goes, I really enjoyed his segments. Several of us here locally want him to come and put on a local class.

Mike, isn't there somebody younger and more up on current going's on's in the good guy vs. bad guy world, who won't come off as "it's my way or the highway, what I say is the gospel." ?