In the late 1980s, West joined Turner Broadcasting, with four of those years working in the sports division selling marketing and advertising packages and working with brands like the NFL, NBA, Braves baseball and the PGA Tour.
“In the mid-‘90s, there was a big wave of technology change that occurred,” said West.
“Around 1994, digital technology came into the cable business,” added West. “A dozen channels became 50, and 50 became 100. Specialty channels began to emerge like Outdoor Life Network and Speedvision (automotive).”
In 2016, West and long-time business associate, Nick Rhodes launched Obsession Media. In the fall of 2017, the duo launched Outdoor America.
“In the beginning, we had 30 broadcast stations airing our 2-hour content blocks,” said West. “Today, we have over 119 broadcast stations airing our 2-hour content blocks and the four shows making up those blocks change every quarter.”
Throughout the episode, Fuller and West discuss how the industry has changed coinciding with advancements in technology. In addition to discussing the evolution of specialty programming, West covers how Outdoor America has grown to become the largest multi-platform media brand. And also, he covers how their platform is providing an outlet for content creators to share unique content while also providing another marketing platform for brands looking to get their products in front of potential customers.
Episodes are available on Soundcloud and iTunes. Follow along on the TBA Outdoors Behind the Brand podcast page for episode descriptions and a complete collection of video episodes.
TBA Outdoors has niche category expertise and has been the driving force behind many national brands including Contender Boats, Outdoor America, FIREDISC cookers, Heybo Outdoors, BOTE boards, Fish Hippie, Williams Knife Co. and frogg toggs, developing and delivering tangible results that positively impact business in the outdoor industry.
To inquire about being a guest on the TBA Outdoors podcast, contact Todd Fuller at tfuller@tbaoutdoors.com. For more information about TBA Outdoors, visit TBAoutdoors.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Instagram.
