have the freedom to just go to Tennessee, for example, to
cover the Oak Ridge Horn Honk – if we think something’s a
great story, then we’ll do it. There’s no TV executive sitting at a
desk somewhere going, “Oh I think we’d lose viewers if you did
that story.”
Joe:
Formula production says, “If it doesn’t interest a large
audience, then we won’t do it.” I’m sorry, but that’s not the
MRH way.
Barry:
And in the network TV world I’m from, if a show like
TMTV gets picked up, because the audience is so general, the
content has to be dumbed-down. It’s so refreshing to do a
series about trains and not have to spoon-feed the audience – I
don’t have to treat them like dummies!
Joe:
I support covering the hobby well with TrainMasters. I’ll
pick on a particular interest: Traction. They don’t like me saying
this, but traction is a hobby niche interest. The audience is not
nearly as large as, say, for class 1 transition-era railroads.
Yet that won’t stop me from doing an article on traction in
the magazine, and that should never stop us from doing a
TrainMasters segment on a traction subject.
I want to cover the hobby well. If that means we do a seg-
ment that appeals to a tiny audience at times, then
fine!
Barry:
Good, I want to do a feature on PCC trolleys (street cars).
Joe:
Go for it! Since TrainMasters does not have ads per se,
then for hobby vendors, what, if anything, does TrainMasters
have to offer them?
Barry:
I start by asking what a particular vendor has to offer
TrainMasters. There are many great stories that involve
manufacturers.
