Already posted previously, I just renamed.
QuoteHi Tommy,
I hope you are doing well. The story airs tomorrow night at 10pm, as of now. I'm sorry for the delay. Between conflicting schedules and rewrites, it became a lengthy process.
Best,
Chris
This was sent to me last night. So I believe this will be on tonight in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Can someone please record or I think it will be available on WFAA website after airing.
Tom,
Thanks for the update. I look forward to it.
Bill
I did'nt know it was going to air. :wb:
Just saw it on WFAA channel 8. My wife actually called me and said "come see this marksman thing" " I think it might be your Appleseed". I did and it was. I saw Scout, Larry and Dragit. Good little promo for us.
Way to go guys !!!!! A few hundred thousand people (millions ?) just saw that on the late news !!
On their website . . .
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Appleseed-Project-Turning-Americans-Into-Marksmen-105497258.html
Looks like another glass half empty/glass half full report. People will see what they want to see.
Following the template of the NYT article.
Some will see the Anti Defamation League talking about Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt concerning the Appleseed Program and militias.
Others will see Americans, learning about Rifle marksmanship and their Heritage.
This was seen by a lot of Texan's tonight. The ones that liked what they saw will join us at events in the future. The ones that saw Militia Bogeymen wont. Someday we will figure out how to reach them.
In the meanwhile this was big bucket that will fill a lot of glasses. And firing lines.
Good job all.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Appleseed-Project-Turning-Americans-Into-Marksmen-105497258.html
Ugh.
I know they say all publicity is good publicity, but I was very disappointed in the tone the piece started out with: ADL, militia, selected quotes from Scout, loving camera shots of the AK, and then the whole "shooting to kill" and "their target: government soldiers" lines.
:o Really? Really? Is that what the news crew got out of an entire weekend Appleseed? :'(
At least the news story tried to end on a high note. But they even took Tommy out of context in the "how many people could you alert?" question. Just...wow.
Makes me want to invite Ms Hawes out to one of our DFW area shoots to be a participant and leave the camera and her reporter hat at home. Maybe then she'd have a better appreciation for the project and the history. :)
Remember that News organizations need viewers to sell Ads. The ratings numbers drive content to a great extent.
Good news does not drive ratings.
Referencing the classic Eagles song They need dirty Laundry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxPJW4G6W3U (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxPJW4G6W3U)
A major benefit to any news exposure is Brand Awareness. A lot of people who never heard of Appleseed before last night, now have. I was working a Gun show in Las Vegas last weekend. And was surprised that the person had heard of Appleseed from the NYT article. He was excited about the program, and will attend as soon as he can schedule a weekend.
As to inviting Ms. Hawes to a shoot. If she didn't get the message delivered by Scout and the other instructors, she wasn't ready to attend. The good news is that she heard the message. And hopefully someday it will make sense to her and she will attend an event.
When the student is ready the teacher will appear. We will be there when she is ready.
Keep in mind the reporter may see us as favorable, but may have a program director that "directs" in another direction. Is that direct enough?
"Sigh." :wb:
I know it's mainstream media, but I really expect better in Texas. I guess the Houston affiliate also picked it up 'cause I just got a message from my mom that she saw it tonight. The only bad publicity is your obit.
Guy
the ignorance is baffling :o when the ADL gentlemen said he was "concerned" about AS and parroted what Scout said regarding the question of what do we do when our government gets out of control and society breaks down, he didn't say what he'll do or suggest what we all should do? he doesn't have an answer for that nor does he have any clue on how to protect himself much less his family. Or maybe he thinks what happened in 1939 Germany wasn't so bad :'(
that is the guestion and answer (lack of one) that should be first and foremost in the minds of the viewers of that story. As for me, it just inspired me to get that much more involved in AS and that much more proud to be associated yall ;D
First:
"The declaration that our People are hostile to a government made by themselves, for themselves, and conducted by themselves, is an insult"
John Adams (American 2nd US President (1797-1801), 1735-1826)
Second:
"A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation."
Moliere
We know what we are doing, and the more 'they' watch us, the less they will find the skeletons they are hunting for.
Carry On!
Just a thought, but shouldn't the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) be defending Appleseed from the defamation being suggested by Chris Hawes and Channel 8?
Whats the point/purpose of the ADL anyway and were they the only watchdog group they could find to help cast asparagus on AS ++)
No, the SPLC has their foggy left eye on us too.
Guy
At the DIVA clinic yesterday we did have several people mention they saw the WFAA piece on us. Several were excited we were getting press, others were agreeable that it was a poor attempt at a smear job, and still others saw right through it with comments like "well you gotta consider the source".
Overall, it will be positive for us. As Scout said, after every media exposure for us, our numbers only grow.
The first half of the piece made me groan - a lot of over the top assertions and out of context quotes. The second half seemed much better.
Agreed that this kind of exposure is actually good for us, as it is probably more likely to pique the curiosity of people who are thinking about going to an Appleseed than to turn them off from going.
Remember - you can judge a man by his enemies, as well as by his friends.
If you're doing what's right, the folks in the wrong ain't gonna like it.
Enough cliches.....where's my ball and powder?
Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. The media piece was just that- a media piece. Even that will draw more people.
I was one of the guys there that weekend. I am the overweight, bald, old guy with bad knees who couldn't get down into seated position. And I shot a 209! I am the guy in the red shirt and the yellow electronic earphones who is on the initial thumbnail.
During the shooting the film crew asked if it was OK to film me and I said sure. So they spent quite a bit of time videoing me. After Saturday was over they came up to me and asked if the could do an interview. Again I said sure. So they picked a place to do the interview. There was a WWII Army truck in the parking area and they wanted me to be behind it. No problem I said. So while the camera guy was setting up, the reporter, Chris (?), said she wanted to go through the question she wanted to ask me. And she did. Where did I hear about the? What did I find interesting, lots of general question.
Then when the filming started, they asked all of the questions she had mentioned and then they threw in a few extra. Do I believe that all Americans should on gun and why? My answer after some thought, was, Yes, because we have all seen what happens in something like Katrina and you can't just wait for the government to come help you. Then she asked about the Texas Border Patrol.
I was confused and said what? She pointed at the baseball cap I have. I said, Oh that, I haven't a clue. I got this hat at a gun show for free. At that time she shut down the interview and said thanks.
I didn't think about it till later but when I got home it came to me that they must of thought I was some sort of malitia member or something and expected me to say something "interesting".
So I fully believe that Chris came down to the Appleseed hoping for a malitia angle.
Maybe that is why not a single work from my interview made past the cutting room floor.
But I do look good in the two still shots at 15 seconds of scattered video.
The news story ran all across Texas that day and the next, several million viewers. It was really just what I was expecting so I had no grief with it. Thank to all of the folks who participated. I spoke to Chris many times over the last couple of months and she had to keep rewriting the story to get it on the air, so I have no doubts it had to keep getting ramped up to make it. Not a problem right? You all know what we are doing, the people we want to come know what the news station is doing, anyone else you can give them an explaination and soon we will be a well know name and everyone will know whatr we are doing.
We are getting a lot of airtime which is great. We are keeping the airtime in Texas so we are going to keep on pushing it.
I have three more interviews lined up for us. Next will be the CBS station coming to the RBC here in Davilla on the 14/21 They will probably come out on two occasions. Once to film the RBC and instructors and then again to cover the Appleseed.
We have FOX coming in either Dec. or Jan. and then an NBC team is coming in Jan/Feb. I am also speaking woith a German News Agency company about doing a story on us for their National News Agancy. Why a German news agancy? They are interested in what we are doing and everytime we get air/print time it gets splashed all over the social media pages. Every time you have a new URL to link to you have another opportunity to post it on twitter/facebook etc.
I am also shopping around for one of the shooting channel shows to do a story and hopefully the movie company that filmed the Appleseed shoot in Fredericberg will have the movie out soon and that should also give us a push.
Make sure you are loooking at opportunities to use local radio shows to get the message out. Thanks Guys!!
Scout
PS My wife and five daughters were featured on a CBS news story about raising girls (the same crew is coming out in Nov).
http://www.kwtx.com/blogs/keshasblog/Is_The_Age_of_Innocence_Lost_106153033.html
Rebecca would not let me dress the girls in their rifles , but out bags and LBE ;)