Branson taps national television exposure

Posted online July 8, 2007 | 11:00 pm

The Branson area is receiving national TV exposure this month with CBS’ airing of “As the World Turns” episodes that were taped in June in Branson. But that is just a taste of what viewers can expect with original TV programming coming out of Branson to air nationally during the next few months.

The “As the World Turns” episodes taped in Branson were scheduled to run July 5, 6, 9 and 10.

Branson entertainer Jim Stafford also is venturing into TV with a comedy special called “Knuckleheads.”

On July 1 at his theater, Stafford taped two, one-hour segments featuring a dozen local comics, such as Terry Wayne Sanders as Grandma Beulah and Perry Edenburn as Harley Worthit, along with entertainers Mickey Gilley and Buck Trent.

“It’s been a vision of Jim’s for quite a while now,” said Matt Ennis, assistant producer of the show. “The bulk of it has been pulled together over the last four months. He wanted to bring all the comedians together to have fun and to honor the country comedian in its art form.”

Stafford will tape two more segments at his theater Sept. 16.

Both “Knuckleheads” and another new show produced by Stafford, “At Home with Jim Stafford,” will air on cable channel RFD-TV at an undetermined date.

The second show is a talk format, where Stafford interviews other entertainers. Stafford will use an in-house crew and his private home studio for the taping, Ennis said. “Our goal was to have intimate moments with Jim where (viewers) feel like they are sitting in his living room,” he added.

Currently airing on RFD-TV Network is BransonFest, a showcase of Branson entertainment, which RFD-TV taped in April.

The Omaha, Neb.-based cable channel has offices in Nashville, Tenn., and Branson, where it opened the Branson RFD-TV The Theatre in March.

“We’re just scratching the surface of what we can do in Branson,” RFD-TV President Patrick Gottsch said. “We can do what the Nashville Network did for Nashville.”

Rural Media Group Inc., which owns RFD-TV, announced June 25 that it will add a second high-definition cable network known as RFD-HD this fall. Gottsch said the network is investing between $1.5 million and $2 million to upgrade the Branson theater’s production facility for a high-definition launch Sept. 1.

“This will be tied into our Nashville facility,” Gottsch said.

Along with the 1080i high-definition format, the new network plans to create more original programming from both independent producers and in-house productions. It will broadcast remotes from a mobile HD production truck, as well as weekly shows from the stage of RFD-TV The Theatre in Branson.[[In-content Ad]]