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 By: David Robson Trust the world's most visited bodybuilding web site Bodybuilding.com, in partnership with some of the best media people and sporting personalities in the business, to develop a way to provide cutting edge bodybuilding and fitness information to the masses. At one point, the majority of fans would have gained their insights into the wonderful world of bodybuilding and fitness, through various publications and word of mouth. This often led to speculation, innuendo and plain falsehoods regarding the state of the sport and the various methods in which to become fit, healthy and muscular. However, with the advent of The Fit Show online video program and Pro Bodybuilding Weekly, a radio show devoted exclusively to hosting some of the sports biggest names along with all the latest news, devout fans and the wider bodybuilding and fitness audience, the world over, are able to watch and listen to various experts and personalities tell it like it is, as they (the experts and personalities) cut through all the irrelevancies to get to the essence of what the people want. It has been a long time coming, but now the people at the center of bodybuilding and fitness - the fans - from the comfort of their own home, can interact with their favorite bodybuilders and fitness experts in a way that once may only have been possible through one-on-one consultations, or at a seminar. Indeed, a common sentiment expressed by the viewing and listening audience has been,
"It is great to finally have the opportunity
to listen and watch my favorite pros in action." In fact, Pro Bodybuilding Weekly and The Fit Show have provided the first opportunity for many to actually hear the people they have been reading about for years, speak. For example, in the UK (where I am located) there are no shows even remotely related to bodybuilding despite the 800-channels on offer. This is staggering, given the relative popularity of bodybuilding and fitness on the world stage. Well, the fans now have what they want, as the world of bodybuilding and fitness is vastly more accessible than it once was, thanks to a group of talented, dedicated, individuals with a passion for promoting the bodybuilding and fitness lifestyles. Who are these people, and why have they decided to make such a significant impact on the fitness industry by improving the accessibility of valuable bodybuilding and fitness information? Why has The Fit Show and Pro Bodybuilding Weekly been so successful, and what does the future hold for these shows? Read on for the answers to these questions, and interviews with some of the key people responsible for improving the future of bodybuilding and fitness through the aforementioned online shows.
Brainchild of executive producer Dan Solomon, Pro Bodybuilding Weekly is aired live on Monday's at 8pm (U.S. east coast time), and is available as a re-broadcast exclusively at Bodybuilding.com The show is absolutely free, the only requirement being an ability to access Windows Media Player or Real Player. Hosts:
Format:
Popular Aspects Of Pro Bodybuilding Weekly:
Aired online, with a news/television show type format, The Fit Show also features bodybuilding event coverage, training tips and routines, diet and supplement information, and the latest bodybuilding and fitness news. Hosted by Pro bodybuilders Gunter Schlierkamp, Richard Jones, Bob Cicherillo and Kim Lyons, The Fit Show is into its 15th episode and shows no signs of slowing down. The show is produced by the Chapman Media Group and Bodybuilding.com. President of the Chapman Media Group, Travis Chapman, feels The Fit Show will better connect the wider bodybuilding and fitness public to the personalities and events that comprise the bodybuilding and fitness industry. "I want this show to spark a positive interest in the bodybuilding lifestyle," says Chapman. Positive Aspects Of The Fit Show:
Into their 11th and 12th episodes respectively, The Fit Show and Pro Bodybuilding Weekly have become stronger, and will only continue to grow according to Producers Dan Solomon (Pro Bodybuilding Weekly) and Travis Chapman (The Fit Show). Content shown so far has well and truly lived up to the pre-screening hype, and has presented fans, and listeners in general, with the best the bodybuilding and fitness industries have to offer.
Flex magazine's Shawn Perine also made an appearance, and spoke of the latest bodybuilding developments as published in his magazine. Since this first episode, Pro Bodybuilding Weekly has consistently maintained its high standards with the following interviews:
In addition to these interviews, all pro bodybuilding events since June have been covered in detail. Event coverage has also included Shawn Ray's charity golf invitational among others. Bodybuilding news featured on the show has included the latest developments in IFBB judging criteria, contest rules and regulations, print media developments, and personal information on the pros.
With the Fit Show, bodybuilding and fitness television has truly arrived. Show one kicked off with an interview with retired IFBB pro and sought after nutritionist Tom Prince. Subsequent high quality content has included:
As alluded to throughout this article, the future of Pro Bodybuilding Weekly and the Fit Show looks very bright indeed. The response from fans and professional industry insiders alike has been overwhelmingly positive, and as the bodybuilding and fitness industries continue to grow, The Fit Show and Pro Bodybuilding Weekly will continue to feature high profile athletes telling it he way it is, as well as all the latest news. Pro Bodybuilding Weekly's Dan Solomon Says his show will continue to grow and improve.
"We just renewed our contract for another 13 shows and the show will reach new levels in terms of overall production,"
says Dan. Dan feels that no other media platform can offer the opportunity for advertisers to reach a captive audience on a mass scale, week in week out. "I feel we are unique," he said. Although the current focus is on the ongoing improvement of the shows production, Dan says that Podcasting, where one can download the show to their MP3 player to listen to anytime, will be available in the future. Satellite radio as a way to capture a greater audience is also likely at some point according to Dan. As with Pro Bodybuilding Weekly, The Fit Show looks to be a permanent weekly fixture. With its current focus on training techniques, diet, supplementation and news, The Fit Show has established an excellent formula for continued success. Producer Travis Chapman says the Fit Show will eventually become the best thing to hit bodybuilding since protein.
"With the latest technological advances we will be able to do more and more, and our passion for bodybuilding and fitness drives us to produce the best show we can,"
says Travis. The upcoming Mr. Olympia will provide The Fit Show with an opportunity to where no show of its kind has gone before. "The broadcast at the Olympia will be huge," says Travis. "The technology we will be using is so cutting edge it makes life hell because you have to just try a million different things to get it perfect."
Live streaming video on location is something the Fit Show will be featuring more of, as well as the usual line up of top athletes and other experts. A third segment is also planned, which will cover anything else the show so far hasn't screened, making it a more complete production.
Pro bodybuilding Weekly and The Fit Show would not have become the successes they are without the efforts of those who produce and develop every installment. The two men primarily responsible for running these shows, Dan Solomon and Travis Chapman, work tirelessly to bring the best the bodybuilding and fitness industries have to offer directly to the fans. No article about either of these shows would be complete without input from the men who made them a reality. I asked Dan and Travis to give me the inside word.
In the past, we only had magazine and internet articles. But now, the radio show is giving the athletes a rare chance to communicate directly with the fans. Our guest list so far has included the biggest names in the sport, such as Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray, Dexter Jackson, Monica Brant, Darrem Charles, Melvin Anthony, Lee Priest and the list goes on. Our guest list for upcoming shows is very exciting... stay tuned!
The local radio host was interviewing a Major League Baseball player. I thought to myself - this is exactly what the sport of bodybuilding needs! I then decided that the show would only work if it was available to fans throughout the world. Clearly, a local radio show would have a limited impact. I negotiated a broadcast deal with a major online radio production company. They have done a great job helping us with the technical side. We have also received tremendous support from the gang at Bodybuilding.com. They have provided us with a built in audience and some promotional support.
The show is a very unique opportunity for advertisers to communicate verbally with a captive audience of serious bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts. There is currently no other media platform that can offer that. We have also received tremendous support from the various magazines which will ensure ongoing increases to our audience reach.
He was extremely excited and grateful to the radio show for providing a rare opportunity to hear directly from Shawn. These comments validate the entire reason I created the show. The athletes now have a voice!
This will enable fans to listen to the show while doing their cardio at the gym. We are also looking into some satellite radio scenarios to further expand our reach. In the mean time, our focus is on the ongoing improvement of the show. My co-host, Bob Cicherillo, and I have taken this project very seriously. Bodybuilding talk radio has finally arrived and the future is very exciting.
The Fit Show is still a work in progress as far as what is in the works, but so far I think we have done well creating something for the fans to watch and learn about bodybuilding and fitness.
You just don't get much better than Milos demonstrating training technique. His training is so informative and people have really responded to that.
The in the kitchen segments will be great too. We are fine-tuning them more and more. I see a bright future for those segments. I think there is a place for the interviews and fun stuff as well, just as long as some information is there to go along with them. The feedback we get is a big help too. I check for it every day and send it to all my staff. It is what we go by to improve the show.
We had video inside and were moving closer to making video a big part of the magazine. I had spoken to Russ Deluca about maybe helping us promote it a bit and he told me he was interested in having more video footage on Bodybuilding.com. My first thoughts were to just have a lot of great video clips, but he mentioned a 30 min show. I wasn't going to tell Russ that would be too hard, so The Fit Show was born. I spent a couple of months developing the show and figuring out how it was going to work. It was so much harder than I thought it was going to be. It still is, but we are getting closer to the format we want. Everything so far has just been trial and error. I think there is so much potential for The Fit Show with the participation of the athletes and supplement companies. I get a lot of feedback saying thanks for the show because it is helping people get in shape. At the end of the day I think I have done a positive service for a few people out there. That makes me feel good.
A lot more live streaming video on location will be in our future for sure. I highly recommend watching us from the Olympia. It will be a sight to see.
As far as everything else, we have a great line up of athletes in the months to come. We will also have a third segment for everyone, to cover all the other random things that our training and nutrition segment don't, and I hope to see a bigger studio in the future. That may take a while though.
 Click To Enlarge.A Mock Design Of The Live Broadcast At The Olympia.
Shawn Ray, Milos Sarcev, Monica Brant, Melvin Anthony, Bob Cicherillo, Tom Prince, just to name a few. They really are great people and that helps a lot.
I enjoy working with my team also. Hannah (pretty blond host), Tony, Geoff, Melanie, I don't get a chance to tell them much between running around getting everything ready, but without them in place, the show would suck. They really take a lot of extra time to make it what it is, and will be.
We eat sleep and breathe The Fit Show, trying to make it everything the fans want it to be. Between the feedback and the brainstorming we do, what you see now is just the beginning. We love bodybuilding so it's the passion that dives us, not anything else. No one can ever compete with that, or take it away. Not to mention as technology advances we will be able to do more and more. I think ultimately it will grow to become a place where once a week millions of people tune in to see what's new and who is on the show in order to stay motivated. A TV show just for the fitness fanatic.
As stated throughout this article, Pro Bodybuilding Weekly and The Fit Show have lived up to all expectations and shown that a good idea with the right backing will endear itself to a mass audience. Both these shows have demonstrated, in light of gaining massive amounts of positive feedback, the popularity of the bodybuilding and fitness industries. Indeed, Pro Bodybuilding Weekly and The Fit Show have, and will by all indications, lead the way, as a link between the experts and personalities that comprise the bodybuilding and fitness worlds, and the fans who make these industries a reality.
Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here! Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
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