1: MRH Publisher Joe Fugate (left) and TrainMasters
TV Executive Producer Barry Silverthorn (right) met to
discuss TMTV in this exclusive MRH feature story.
1
Joe:
Okay Barry, let’s say you are in the MRH booth at a
train show, and somebody says, “I see you’re promoting this
TrainMasters thing. What’s that?”
Barry:
TrainMasters TV is a new way to experience the hobby
unlike anything you’ve seen before. Think of it as a network TV
showmade just for people who like model trains, but instead of it
being on cable, it’s on the Internet.
TMTV is a 60-minute plus show with a lot of bonus content that’s
too long or too oddball to make it into the program. Because you
have so many media choices these days, we make TMTV to be
entertaining, informative, and hold your attention.
Joe:
I think the entertainment aspect is vital. Some on
the MRH forum described TrainMasters’ programming as
entertainment on a subject they really enjoy, which of course
is model railroading.
Another key aspect of TMTV is the tag-line: “Becoming a better
modeler one video at a time.” What are your thoughts on that?
Barry:
This is one of the many places where we differ from
something like MR Video Plus (MVP). I see MVP as a basket
of different videos. They do have some multi-part videos and
some series titles, but they seem to be more of a potpourri of
video topics and have less of a common show thread theme.
TMTV’s packages all the stories into a complete show, which
has a different – and we believe a more special feeling to it. Of
course you can go to the TrainMasters website and search for
a particular video on a specific topic, because we do break the
show down into individual videos, too.
First and foremost, TMTV is a TV show you can watch over the
Web. It’s a magazine in video format, as opposed to being just
a potpourri of videos.
Joe:
Yes, that’s a good distinction. Here at
Model Railroad
Hobbyist
we’re about helping modelers do the hobby well.
There’s a big “people” component to everything we do.
Barry:
I’m looking forward to the variety of faces that will be
appearing on TrainMasters. Although we do have our famil-
iar hosts, our Backshop Clinic segments, for instance, feature
different guests. This means you’ll get fresh perspectives and
you’ll always be learning new ways to do things.
One of the wonderful things about TMTV is there’s no small
select group telling you there is only one “right” way to do
something. You can make up your own mind about which is the
best technique for you. TMTV’s variety of guest experts on the
show brings a lot of compelling value to it.
MRH introduces TrainMasters TV - 2
MRH-Dec 2013
