sponsored by
Zeiner's Angler Supply
The Kansas Angler Online
and Swim Tail Lures |
THE FISHIN' HOLE PRESENTED BY
STIHL
AND FAMED HOST JERRY MCKINNIS
TO CONCLUDE LEGENDARY RUN
Jan. 9, 2007 - CELEBRATION, Fla. After a
44-year stretch that has seen The Fishin, Hole presented by
Stihl visit extraordinary locations such as Zimbabwe and
the Kola Peninsula in Russia with luminaries such as NCAA Basketball
coach Bob Knight and MLB Hall of Famer Ted Williams, the show
and its affable host, Jerry McKinnis, will entertain viewers
with its final season of programming in 2007.
New episodes of The Fishin, Hole currently
air on ESPN2 Saturdays at 7 a.m. ET., through the end of March.
McKinnis' retirement will mark the end of a partnership of more
than 20 years between ESPN and the famous outdoorsman.
A destination for outdoors enthusiasts, The
Fishin, Hole has enjoyed a longer run on television than
Gunsmoke (20 years), Dallas (13 years) and both
Cheers and M*A*S*H (11 years).
"There isn't a show out there that can boast
the longevity and continuity that we have had, the 69-year-old
McKinnis said. "I am so proud of every episode that we have
produced.
The program joined ESPN in 1980 and moved to ESPN2
in 2001. In that time, the ESPN networks have aired more than
300 original episodes of the groundbreaking show. The Fishin,
Hole is the second-longest running show on ESPN behind SportsCenter.
"I'm overwhelmingly proud that Jerry and The
Fishin, Hole have been a part of the ESPN family for so long,
said Steve Anderson, ESPN executive vice president of programming
and technical operations.
McKinnis was just 25 years old when he first began
filming The Fishin, Hole. He was working as a fishing
guide on Arkansas, Lake Maumelle and wanted to supplement his
guide income with an outdoors television show.
It wasn't until 1980 that then-fledgling cable
network ESPN and McKinnis agreed to the landmark partnership.
While McKinnis has enjoyed a number of high-profile
trips to exotic locations including Australia and Africa, the
Little Rock, Ark., resident says that the simple trips- often
with local guides on small bodies of water- are the memories
that he treasures most.
McKinnis' favorite episode occurred in the early
1990s when he visited Russia and the Kola Peninsula with both
Williams and Knight. The trio enjoyed optimum fishing conditions
and caught a number of Atlantic salmon during the two-week trip.
"I personally have never had a better friend
than Jerry McKinnis, said Bobby Knight , Texas Tech University
men's basketball coach and three-time NCAA basketball champion.
"Jerry's attention to detail was what made the The Fishin,
Hole tremendously successful and so well received by countless
viewers for so many years.
Since its inception in 1980, ESPN Outdoors has
strived to inform and entertain anglers, hunters, campers and
people of all ages who enjoy the outdoors. ESPN Outdoors is committed
to increasing awareness of, and participation in outdoor activities,
a direction best exemplified by television programming on ESPN
and ESPN2.
Each year, ESPN Outdoors stages more marquee events
including the Bassmaster Classic and the Bassmaster Tournament
Trail. ESPN Outdoors comprises BASS, the worldwide authority
on bass fishing that sanctions more than 20,000 events through
the BASS Federation Nation. ESPN Outdoors also features Bassmaster.com,
ESPNOutdoors.com, programming on ESPN2 as well as a growing array
of promotions and activities that deliver a clear message of
conservation and ethical sportsmanship.
Back to
Zeiner's Angler Supply | Kansas
Angler Online |
Swim Tail Lures
|