When I click the you tube link for Conroe it says "this video was removed by the user".

We had to fix something that was wrong in the old video so here's the updated link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfnqKxAIkuA

Spin it however you want, its still half the shows, I've quit watching.

I guess I don't get ROOT sports, although I have a ton of stations. I was disappointed and will look forward to next weeks show. On another note I'm adding the Tim Horton show to some other fishing shows I will no longer watch, I like the guy but I don't care to see the porch of his house for 10 to 15 minutes of a 30 minute show!!

It's your TV, iPad, Laptop or phone so you're entitled to tune it in or out. If not having the show each week makes you out that's cool.

I posted this response to another thread in the freshwater fishing section, so I'll copy and paste it here. This is the best I can do to explain our position and overall strategy.


I'll answer a few of the questions and comments here and hope to provide some insight. First off, to my knowledge Honey Hole has ALWAYS been a for profit business from its inception, so for anyone here who thinks it is/was a charity you're mistaken. With that being said, the show for much of its existence wasn't extremely profitable and it owes a lot to both Jerry Dean and Randall Boyd for their efforts in keeping it alive. Maybe more to Randall Boyd than anyone because there were times where he went into his own pocket to make sure the show survived. I'm blown away at times at the sense of entitlement people have for something that they haven't made any real investment in but it's clearly a tribute to Jerry/Randall/Bill/Dirk and all the sponsors who've been a part of the show since inception.

When we purchased the show in 2013 it was in a tough place. Sponsorship was lagging, it wasn't profitable, it was in SD, the website experience was tough, zero social media platforms/reach and Dirk was working with very old systems/software and camera equipment. In short it needed a major overhaul. So we laid out a three year plan to remedy all of the above with the most important of all of these items being stabilizing the sponsorship base and getting the show into the black so that it could survive.

During that time we've polled our viewers, read thousands of emails with comments and feedback and worked with our sponsors/partners to create a platform that provides the reach and the content that serves both the viewer and our partners. We knew that change was necessary and that there was going to be some resistance to the change and challenges along the way. Regardless, we've been laser focused on creating better content, growing our viewer base, increasing the value we provide in each show and being profitable. When someone post a comment that it's "all about the dollar" I don't even know how to respond to that. What for profit business isn't focused on their bottom line?

Here's some food for thought. Since 2013 our viewership is up over 400%. Our social media channels are up over 1000%. Our YouTube and Vimeo channels get more views than the entire airings on the networks for the year. Our sponsorship revenue is up 50%. We've invested in new camera equipment twice already since we purchased the show and upgraded Dirk's entire computer system. There are more ways to see the show now than ever before and all of them but one are free. So if you're keeping score and evaluating the health of Honey Hole I'm not sure how you can look at this as anything but a positive for the show.

With regards to this years reduction to 26 weeks of episodes and the addition of our Vimeo on Demand, we've had hundreds of viewers over the last few years ask for more. They want more detail, longer episodes, more teaching, etc. So in order to do that we needed to take more time with each show to provide that value and information. We've done just that with the VOD series and hundreds of our viewers have taken advantage of the content that's there. It's been a huge success and one that we are very proud of. I've not received one email from anyone who's purchased the VOD content that said they felt it wasn't worth every penny. If the VOD isn't for you, simply watch the free show on FOX, Facebook, YouTube or right here on the TFF and enjoy. I can't for the life of me figure out how anyone can say they don't have access to our show given that there's more access to it now that at any time in its existence.

There you have it gents. Either that works for you or it doesn't but it's pretty simple. We purchased this business to improve the content/delivery, grow our viewer base, expand our sponsorship base and keep the show alive through profitable operations. I think we've done just that. I'm proud of the show and the work Bill and Dirk do and thankful for all our viewers and the feedback good or bad.

Keep doing what you're doing, Mark. The show is great and I will continue to go watch it however I can. Some of us are aware of the effort and time that goes into it and are happy with the strides being made to continue improving it.

I'm not upset there are half the shows there used to be, and I'm sure the quality of the show is just as good but when its only on twice a month but... you know what they say out of sight out of mind. I'm just telling you the truth take it FWIW, I don't watch the show anymore and part of that reason is on 50% less than it used to be, others have told me the same.

i miss ol' deb and jerry dean.

They started taping every other week, won't be long let will probably be gone in the near future

Lol, I think we're going to be okay.

I would think it would be very difficult to produce a show every week. You have to go out and catch the fish from different lakes then do all the editing and put it on the air. That is a lot of work. Like I said, we got the subscription and love the extended version.

To quit watching a show because now it is on half as much as it was before is just plain silly but some people are just that way.

I got rid of satellite and all that nonsense last year. I bought the subscription for less than 1/3rd of what my satellite bill was a month... but the best thing, it is a show I enjoy instead of a bunch of channels in languages I don't speak. That and I have caught fish off of Bill's waypoints from the extended version.

The Honey Hole subscription is the way to go...

Thanks gents! At the end of the day this deal is easy, it's simply about catching fish and learning.

Here's ole Bill at it today on Ray Hubbard.

Nice!