New Berlin, Wisconsin – The Sportsman Channel is pleased to announce the following nominees for the 2008 Sportsman Awards. The winners will be announced on Friday, January 16th during the 5th Annual Sportsman Channel Awards event held during the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Orlando, Florida.
- Best Show Open Nominees: Christensen Outdoors, Hunting with the Pros, Own the Zone TV
- Best Graphics or Visual Effects: Africa with Craig Boddington, All Outdoors with Alan Probst, Whitetail Properties
- Best Videography: Africa with Craig Boddington, FlatsClass TV, Trijicon’s The Outfitter
- Best Video Editing: FlatsClass TV, Hunting with the Pros, Own the Zone TV
- Best Informational/Educational Episode: Africa with Craig Boddington, New Age Outdoors, RNT-TV
- Best Small Game or Turkey Episode: Predator Quest, Shoot Straight with Chad Schearer, C’Mere Deer’s Spiritual Outdoor Adventures
- Best Upland Bird or Waterfowl Episode: Cabela’s Ultimate Adventures, Jay’s Outdoor Magazine with Mike Avery, Open Season
- Best Freshwater Fishing Episode: Fly Rod Chronicles, Patagonic Waters, C’Mere Deer’s Spiritual Outdoor Adventures
- Best Saltwater Fishing Episode: FlatsClass TV, Hooked on O.C., Wild Adventures
- Best Whitetail Deer Episode (new category): Cabela’s Ultimate Adventures, C’Meer Deer’s Spiritual Outdoor Adventures, Whitetail Properties
- Best Big Game Episode: Christensen Outdoors, Hunting with the Pros, The American Outdoorsman
- Best Combination Show: A-Way Outdoors TV, Own the Zone TV, Red Arrow
- Best New Series: Africa with Craig Boddington, Own the Zone TV, Red Arrow
To be nominated, producers had to submit their best episode for each category to The Sportsman Channel (TSC). TSC’s Director of Programming, Jim Seeley, sorted through the abundance of submissions and narrowed down the entries before TSC staff and InterMedia Outdoors Board of Directors decided on the final nominees and eventual winner for each category. “Each year it becomes increasingly more difficult to choose the winners from our producer audience,” said Seeley. “The awards are coveted by our producers as it helps secure sponsors for the coming year and tells viewers that this show is the best of the best.”
The Viewer Favorite Awards are chosen by The Sportsman Channel viewer’s via an online voting process that begins two months prior to the awards. “Our viewers are very passionate about who they like to watch,” said Seeley. “We can never guess who is going to win this award – it is part marketing and PR on the producer side and part dynamic charisma from the host on who will be chosen.”
- Viewer Favorite Hunting Show Nominees: Predator Quest, Arrow Affliction, Back Country Quest
- Viewer Favorite Fishing Show: Fly Rod Chronicles, In-Fisherman TV, Addictive Fishing
- Viewer Favorite Combination Show: Cabela’s Ultimate Adventures, Red Arrow, Family Traditions with Haley Heath.
- Viewer Favorite Personality: Les Johnson of “Predator Quest,” Haley Heath of “Family Traditions with Haley Heath,” and Chris Brackett of “Arrow Affliction.”
The most coveted award is the Sportsman of the Year Award. This is chosen by The Sportsman Channel staff and owners on the one producer who went above and beyond assisting the channel in marketing, promotions and branding for 2008. This year’s nominees are: Alan Probst of “All Outdoors with Alan Probst” (recipient of the award in 2007), Chad Schearer with “Shoot Straight with Chad Schearer,” Haley and G.O. Heath of “Family Traditions with Haley Heath,” and Mike Avery with “Jay’s Outdoor Magazine with Mike Avery.”
About the Sportsman Channel
Launched in 2003, The Sportsman Channel is the only network fully devoted to the more than 82 million sportsmen participants in the United States, delivering 100 percent hunting, fishing and shooting programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Acquired by InterMedia Outdoors Holdings in 2007, TSC is now a part of the nation’s largest multimedia company targeted exclusively to serving the information and entertainment needs of outdoors enthusiasts. Check out TSC’s new, interactive website and sign up for a free program guide/magazine at www.thesportsmanchannel.com.