I cover some 'Top Shot' stuff here and there on the blog... I will also be interviewing the winner of season 3 coming up soon... (submit your questions here). But for the most part, it doesnt do much of anything to drive traffic here at the blog. So, I found it very interesting that the post I did on Thursday covering the news of Ashley Spurlin's claims that the outcomes on 'Top Shot' are all being controlled by the production staff has been generating traffic like gang busters.
Now, there is no question that 'Top Shot' has been a resounding success over the past three seasons... And I cant really speak for the traffic it is creating for other bloggers and website owners, but I thought it was very telling that it never really did anything for my site. I really dont think it has captured the hearts and minds of the online gun community who continually bemoan the "drama llama" aspect of the show as being a real deal breaker for them. I get that... and because of that, I usually have only watched the first episode or two of each season as well as the finales. I think its an interesting idea for a show, but the drama gets to me after a while. I guess that (for me) its just one of those shows that I will enjoy watching if there is nothing better on, but its certainly not something I will plan my day around.
I am also starting to be under the impression that the vast majority of their viewing audience must be non-gun folks/casual gun owners. I dont think that the hardcore gunnies are really all-in for the show because of the deviation from just pure honest to goodness shooting/competition. If this is true, I think this show has been doing even more good for the gun culture than any of us have surmised. We have all talked about the recent mainstreaming of guns and shooting in our culture and how it is creating a "new gun culture". I definitely think that 'Top Shot' has contributed to that. Its certainly an entertaining show, and if they can accomplish that within the context of a show about shooting... that is going to be a big win for our side.
I also think that we have officially arrived at the point where gun shows are indeed the flavor of the month. Just like how we saw Alaska become the flavor of the month shortly after Sarah Palin came on the national scene, Hollywood is realizing that gun shows are the place to be right now, and that just about anything about guns is going to really drive ratings. For a while there, we saw dozens of shows that focused in on Alaska and what the state and culture up there had to offer. Now that seems to have started to wain. Then there was a little push to do the same with Louisiana and the Bayou, but that never really caught on. Now, guns are the ratings maker and Discovery, History, and several other channels are making it a clear objective to turn out as many gun themed shows as quickly as possible.
How long this will last is very hard to say. It may be right on par with how long the Alaska fad lasted, and the novelty for the viewing audience may fade in a similar time frame. On the other hand, this might be the perfect storm of something that lasts for generations. We all know that the "new gun culture" is for real. Obama brought more new gun owners into the fold than the NRA could have ever dreamed they could do, and this ratings bonanza centered around gun shows may be more of a true desire for a programing shift rather than just curiosity over something new and different. I think these shows are going to sell a lot of people on gun ownership. Whether it is only for the desire of getting involved in shooting competitions, the need for personal defense, or just the pure cool factor of guns and shooting... this "new gun culture" is going to be very positively effected by all the gun shows on TV right now.
Hmmmm.... I guess this also means that the "new gun culture" really hasn't gotten vested in the online gun community yet either... thats gonna be fun to watch when it hits.
Now, there is no question that 'Top Shot' has been a resounding success over the past three seasons... And I cant really speak for the traffic it is creating for other bloggers and website owners, but I thought it was very telling that it never really did anything for my site. I really dont think it has captured the hearts and minds of the online gun community who continually bemoan the "drama llama" aspect of the show as being a real deal breaker for them. I get that... and because of that, I usually have only watched the first episode or two of each season as well as the finales. I think its an interesting idea for a show, but the drama gets to me after a while. I guess that (for me) its just one of those shows that I will enjoy watching if there is nothing better on, but its certainly not something I will plan my day around.
I am also starting to be under the impression that the vast majority of their viewing audience must be non-gun folks/casual gun owners. I dont think that the hardcore gunnies are really all-in for the show because of the deviation from just pure honest to goodness shooting/competition. If this is true, I think this show has been doing even more good for the gun culture than any of us have surmised. We have all talked about the recent mainstreaming of guns and shooting in our culture and how it is creating a "new gun culture". I definitely think that 'Top Shot' has contributed to that. Its certainly an entertaining show, and if they can accomplish that within the context of a show about shooting... that is going to be a big win for our side.
I also think that we have officially arrived at the point where gun shows are indeed the flavor of the month. Just like how we saw Alaska become the flavor of the month shortly after Sarah Palin came on the national scene, Hollywood is realizing that gun shows are the place to be right now, and that just about anything about guns is going to really drive ratings. For a while there, we saw dozens of shows that focused in on Alaska and what the state and culture up there had to offer. Now that seems to have started to wain. Then there was a little push to do the same with Louisiana and the Bayou, but that never really caught on. Now, guns are the ratings maker and Discovery, History, and several other channels are making it a clear objective to turn out as many gun themed shows as quickly as possible.
How long this will last is very hard to say. It may be right on par with how long the Alaska fad lasted, and the novelty for the viewing audience may fade in a similar time frame. On the other hand, this might be the perfect storm of something that lasts for generations. We all know that the "new gun culture" is for real. Obama brought more new gun owners into the fold than the NRA could have ever dreamed they could do, and this ratings bonanza centered around gun shows may be more of a true desire for a programing shift rather than just curiosity over something new and different. I think these shows are going to sell a lot of people on gun ownership. Whether it is only for the desire of getting involved in shooting competitions, the need for personal defense, or just the pure cool factor of guns and shooting... this "new gun culture" is going to be very positively effected by all the gun shows on TV right now.
Hmmmm.... I guess this also means that the "new gun culture" really hasn't gotten vested in the online gun community yet either... thats gonna be fun to watch when it hits.
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