Escape On The Tube

Sun., Jan. 19, 1997

Staff And Wire Reports

Outdoor programming

Those who love outdoors television shows can look forward to a new year filled with good programs and a lot of them.

Among major cable networks TNN, ESPN and ESPN2, there are 15 hours a week of fishing, hunting and outdoors programming. Then there are the shows on the Outdoor Life channel, which isn’t received by as many homes as the above three networks. Add the programming carried by local cable stations and PBS affiliates and there’s enough on the air to tempt outdoors enthusiasts trade their canoes for a new couch.

According to ESPN spokesman Dave Nagle, the network’s top outdoors shows “perform upwards of a 1.0 rating, which is in the ball park of an NHL regular-season game.” Despite their popularity, odds are that the number of outdoors shows won’t increase. Neither TNN nor ESPN plans to expand its outdoors programming.

The good news is that outdoors shows will get better. Take “One More Cast,” a new TNN series featuring bass pro Shaw Grigsby. , DataTimes

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