[mysticguido]

Might want to get the word out on this to the members.

-----------------------------------------------------

This is the documentary that The Bear Group, Lynda Smith was invited to participate in to give the show a fair balance and when she didn't like the fact that the people attacked or confronted by bears told their stories with simulated back-up, she put a blitz on the njn network to pull it off because she did not want her name associated with it.
Try to have as many people as you know watch this it is very good.


This May 21st on “The Outdoor Channel”


In the spring and summer of 2003 residents of North Western, New Jersey experienced unusual
bear encounters. Hear the stories for the first time from the people who lived them.
Directed by Tom Phillips

Produced by Steve Marchand & Tom Phillips


A Marchand Media /Amovie Company Inc. production.
Copyright, 2005 Amovie Company Inc.


“2004 International Bronze Omni Award Winner”

“2005 Silver Telly Award Winner - Documentary”

“2005 Bronze Telly Award Winner - Cinematography”

“2005 Bronze Telly Award Winner - Editing”

“2005 Silver Telly Award - News”

“2005 AEGIS Award Winner - Documentary”









Check “DIRECTV” and local cable company guide for time



--

 

[JerseyJim]

Cool! Good post Mystic![up]

 

[Bacs]

From what I understand it is going to be edited. The Anti's segment is going to be removed & replaced with biologists.

This is what I've heard, hope that it isn't true. Would like to see this in its' entirety.

 

[bloodtrails]

Anti's will still be in it acting crazy. Just not Lynda, Lynn Rogers or Stu spewing lies. I hear it's much better now.

 

[JerseyFJ40]

I gotta get my tivo to record that!!

 

[bloodtrails]

Cable TV to air controversial bear program

NJN canceled documentary after protests from animal rights advocates

Tuesday, April 26, 2005
BY BRIAN T. MURRAY
Star-Ledger Staff

A documentary on Garden State bears, which New Jersey Network pulled from its program schedule in February in the face of protests by animal rights groups, will now reach a national audience on cable and satellite television.

The Outdoor Channel picked up the film "Bears, Too Close for Comfort" after hearing about the dispute between NJN and Tom Phillips, the producer of the film.

Advertisement






The 30-minute documentary, which has won five television industry awards, chronicles the conflicts between bears and Garden State residents in 2003 that led to New Jersey's first black bear hunt in over 30 years.

"We heard about it being canceled on public television and tracked it down from there. We felt it was an important enough story that needed to be told, said Chris Chaffin, a spokesman for The Outdoor Channel, yesterday. The documentary is scheduled to air May 21 at 10 p.m.

But animal rights activists said they were unimpressed.

"We were right. This shouldn't have been on public television, and I think we are vindicated by the fact it has been picked up by what is essentially a hunting channel," said longtime activist Stuart Chaifetz. "This isn't Animal Planet, it's a hunting channel. As for the four people in Arkansas who will see the documentary, good for them."

The Outdoor Channel reaches about 24 million households via cable and satellite. Chaffin said his channel's programming is 75 percent fishing and hunting shows but includes segments ranging from gold prospecting and woodworking to monster trucks and hot rods.

Animal rights activists bombarded NJN with protests earlier this year after Chaifetz and Lynda Smith of the anti-hunt Bear Education and Research Group in West Milford were given a preview by Phillips.

Smith, who had been interviewed for the program, claimed the final cut demonized bears and looked more like an episode of "When Animals Attack."

NJN pulled the program citing "technical concerns. " The network said it received about a thousand e-mails and telephone calls in protest of the film.

Yesterday, however, an NJN spokeswoman said the network is reconsidering a new broadcast date, largely because Phillips revised the documentary by cutting interviews with people who objected to his film -- Smith and renowned bear behaviorist Lynn Rogers of the North American Bear Center.

"We have seen it. We plan to meet with the producer first ... and we are looking at airing it," said Janice Selinger, deputy executive director for production at NJN.

She added that if it decided to air the documentary, NJN plans to immediately follow the program with a discussion on New Jersey's bears.

Smith was unavailable for comment yesterday.

But Phillips contends the entire controversy left him with a better product.

"The reason is that I now have more of the bears' point of view -- why they do what they do and why they get into conflicts with humans. 'Too Close for Comfort' refers to what bears have to fear from humans as well as the problems humans in New Jersey are having with bears," he said.

Added to the revised documentary were interviews with Dan LeGrandeur of the Canadian Bear Alliance, a bear preservation group, and Brian Bachman of the North American Bear Foundation, which supports protecting bear habitat but is not opposed to hunting.

The focus of most objections to Phillips' original documentary was the first few minutes of the film, where dramatic music scores punctuated interviews with people who recounted face-to-face encounters with aggressive bears. Chaifetz also claimed Phillips overstated the number of bear conflicts with humans.

The interviews remain in the new version, but the music is toned down. The added interviews also build on Phillips' theme that New Jersey's bear population is growing and that bears can be dangerous but that bears have more to fear from human encroachment than humans have to fear from bears.

The original version won a salute from the Omni Intermedia Awards, a film industry program that annually recognizes quality production, design and content in film and video. The revised version also has been awarded a 2005 Aegis Award for outstanding television production, which is bestowed annually by a committee of producers, directors, cameramen and editors in the video and film industry.

The bear documentary also has won a 2005 Silver Telly Award for documentary and two 2005 Bronze Telly Awards for editing and cinematography. Telly Awards, since 1978, have honored outstanding local, regional and cable television commercials and programs and video and film productions.

 

[mysticguido]

thanks BT for that post

 

[bloodtrails]

It just won it's 7th award. Too good for NJN.

 

[JerseyFJ40]

Too good for NJN.

I think it's about time someone got their just deserts for caving into anti-hunting pressure. It looks like NJN is getting theirs. They must be kicking themselves now!!

 

[JerseyJim]

Another link: http://www.ussportsmen.org/interactive/features/Read.cfm?ID=1538

 

[mysticguido]

13 more days till "Bears, Too Close for Comfort" airs on the OutDoor Channle May 21, 2005 @ 10:00pm

 

[JerseyJim]

Please post us a reminder the day of the show! I don't want to miss it! Thanks! [up]

 

[JerseyFJ40]

I'm calling direct TV today to get the outdoor channel. Then I'll let tivo do the work... I may be in NY that weekend fishing for browns.

 

[Bacs]

For any Cablevison suscribers.........
Cablevision now offers TOC & OLN.......
At 4.95/month as a part of a sports package.

 

[mysticguido]

Next Saturday Night the 21st on The OutDoor Channel

 

[mysticguido]

I was looking at my guide on Directv on Monday May 16th @ 4:00PM and it said " Bears: Too Close for Comfort " But when I went to directv.com it shows a different show. Anyone else have a channel guide that can go to Monday the 16th for the OutDoor Channel?

 

[Guest]

mystic, thanks for the info, just called cablevision and ordered the THE SPORTS PACKAGE!!!!!

 

[mysticguido]

Well I was right and the show "Bears: to close for comfort" was on at 4pm today on the outdoor channel. I taped it but it's not a good copy. The show was great and it is a must see.

 

[bloodtrails]

Mystic,

Was the audio all screwed up for you too? I think ODC got a bad copy of the tape.

 

[bloodtrails]

I just heard from the producer. ODC messed up the tape. They will have it fixed by 5/21.