king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Hunting Illustrated Magazine Dec/Jan 2008 - Coyote Crazy! - Index

M any
MOR Goes Under!
Have you been wondering where the
Men’s Outdoor Recreation Channel went?
have been shocked to fi nd their favorite hunting show gone from
their TV sets. How can this happen? The sudden collapse of the
Men’s Outdoor Recreation (MOR) network has left many watchers,
outdoor manufacturers and advertisers in shambles. Unfortunately whoever
has the bigger hand calls the shots. Satellite carriers Direct TV and Dish
Network were holding all of the cards when they decided to pull the plug
on MOR. It started fi rst with Denver-based EchoStar, parent company to
Dish, which dropped MOR and then Direct TV shortly followed suit. MOR
was left to not much more than static and the consequence was a plummeted
distribution of an estimated 34 million cut to roughly 4 million just like that.
MOR declared bankruptcy shortly afterwards.
Is there an unsettling fate to outdoor/hunting programming? For
VERSUS (Comcast Corporation) and ESPN2 (Disney), their fate looks
secure as they have the power of their respective parent companies to back
them. Through the turmoil, the Outdoor Channel has been able to benefi t as
they have dramatically
increased their rates as
the infl ux of dropped
shows from MOR are
looking for valuable
airtime and distribution.
Is this the chance for
some smaller networks
to fi ll in the void left by
MOR? Only time will
tell, but hopefully big
brother doesn’t come in
and pull the plug on our
favorite programming.
5FRESH SIGN5
Edited by David King
N u m b e r s
87 Million
Number of U.S. residents
16 years old and older
fi shed, hunted, or wildlife
watched in 2006
120 Billion
Amount of money
wildlife recreationists
spent in 2006
75 Billion
Amount of money
sportsmen and women
spent on hunting and
fi shing in 2006
12.5 Million
Number of people
who hunted in 2006
December/January 11