ESPN Dumps Outdoors But Keeps BASS – BassFan.com

There’d been rumblings for a few weeks that things weren’t quite right with the ESPN2 outdoor blocks, but today’s news that the ESPN network would dump all its outdoor programming at the end of this year was nonetheless a shock to the entire outdoors industry.

And with the news comes logical speculation over the future of BASS, which the network owns.

It’ll be weeks or months until the full ramifications of the news materialize, but clearly, the unstable world of outdoor media was dealt another serious blow today.

Elite Series Remains

ESPN’s “Outdoor Block” was a long and storied cornerstone of outdoor programming. It grew from the first broadcast of The Fishin’; Hole in 1980 to encompass a wide array of fresh- and saltwater fishing, as well as hunting varietals.

The Fishin’ Hole, although now off the air, is still the second-longest running show ever aired on ESPN networks, bested only by SportsCenter. ESPN offered outdoor programming for 30 years as it grew from genre pioneer to powerhouse. It brought an integrity and worldwide reach to the genre that had never been there before.

The network giant even formed a separate ESPN Outdoors division to focus on the market and in 2005, aggressively branched into competitive bass programming with shows like Loudmouth Bass, BassCenter, Bass Tech and same-day coverage of Bassmaster Majors. Although those shows went by the wayside after a short run, ESPN did continue with BASS-centric programming like Day on the Lake.

But as the network proceeds with a core mission to focus on live and event-based broadcasting, such programming is out the window. The weekend block will now be filled by other properties, such as English Premier League soccer, NASCAR and SportsCenter, which are all either live or event-based programs.

Thus the only show in the current outdoor block that will continue to air on ESPN2 is The Bassmasters, which focuses on Elite Series events, as well as Bassmaster Classic programming.

The ESPN-owned Saltwater Series will not air on ESPN2.

The news does revive rumors that ESPN is actively engaged in an effort to sell BASS. Earlier this spring, there was significant talk about a potential sale of BASS to the Outdoor Channel. No confirmed news surfaced, but highly placed industry officials firmly believed that talks between the two companies did take place.

If ESPN is divesting itself of outdoor programming, that would seem to indicate that its interest in BASS lies only within a potential to broadcast BASS events. BASS’s membership program, print media, or youth, conservation and grassroots programs would not seem to fit into that equation.

And sale chatter did noticeably intensify today, with many industry sources noting that BASS and the Outdoor Channel are deep in talks, but that BASS’s print business is something the Outdoor Channel might not be willing to invest in.

A BASS official addressed the rumors of a potential BASS sale by saying: “There’s nothing there to announce right now. As with any business, the potential for a sale exists. It’s a coveted property. People are looking into it. But again, there’s nothing to announce there.”  Click Link Below for Full Story!

via BassFan.com.