The TV Tour Guides

In 1989, Scott Earls and Stan Bess were working in KYTV's video production department. As they taped in the Branson marketplace, they noticed a niche marketing opportunity in the Branson area.

"We felt there was a lot of opportunity in the market to provide more information to the visitors than they were currently receiving," recalls Bess. "Especially in terms of television - nobody was doing that at all."

The duo left KYTV and founded The Vacation Channel.

The new network's scope was wider than just Branson. It also operated stations in Eureka Springs, Ark., and Colorado. Earls and Bess chose the name The Vacation Channel so that they could expand their brand into any vacation market.

Then on Dec. 8, 1991, CBS News' "60 Minutes" aired a segment on Branson, proclaiming it to be "the live music capital of the entire universe." And the world took notice. Branson experienced a surge in popularity as stars and entrepreneurs moved in to open more theaters and attractions.

The Vacation Channel was in the right place at the right time, says Bess, now The Vacation Channel's vice-president.

"We were very fortunate we were here and operating before the boom," he says. "We're very fortunate we're still here running a successful business many years later."

As Branson expanded, The Vacation Channel gradually closed down its other stations to focus exclusively on Branson - though for branding reasons, it retained The Vacation Channel name.

The Vacation Channel operates a low-power UHF TV station on channel 38 with a range of about 35 miles. It reaches more than 22,000 hotel rooms and 23,000 residential and commercial units through cable networks in Stone and Taney counties. It recently has expanded into Christian County, and now airs a variety of tourism information and local programming.

"We receive a number of comments throughout the course of the year saying when (vacationers) check into the hotel, the first thing they do is tune in The Vacation Channel," says Ross Summers, president and CEO of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau. "They've been doing it for years and find it very informative and entertaining."

The chamber works with The Vacation Channel to produce a weekly half-hour show, called "Branson Community Connection," featuring local entertainment, business and community leaders.

"We (serve) the local community with local programming, so we are and consider ourselves to be Branson's TV station," Bess says, noting that programming decisions are made with more than tourists in mind.

The Vacation Channel also rebroadcasts Branson High School football games on Tuesday nights and shows them on demand online at www.viewbranson.com. The Vacation Channel also carries College of the Ozarks and Branson High basketball in the winter, as well as a coach's talk show.

The Vacation Channel also operates an in-house video production facility, which it uses to create advertisements and promotional videos for area businesses. Bess declined to disclose The Vacation Channel's yearly revenue, but he did note the majority of it is generated through advertising and promotional videos.

Clients include Silver Dollar City, Reish Shoes and Boots, and Dick's 5 & 10 - all of which have been running ads on The Vacation Channel since its inception. Another longtime client is Cool Dog Productions, a Las Vegas-based trained-dog act that has used The Vacation Channel's services for 15 years, according to Cool Dog President and founder Lou Mack.

Mack learned of The Vacation Channel while performing at Silver Dollar City, and he has used the business in several of his promotional packages since. "I liked the fact they were thorough, they were very professional, and they were reasonably priced," Mack says.

As The Vacation Channel celebrates its 20th anniversary, officials have added five staff members within the last six months, increasing the size of its sales, promotions and billing teams.

Also in recent months, President and General Manager Earls has returned as the station's day-to-day station manager. Earls has been active in radio with Branson Stations KRZK and KOMC and a Lake Taneycomo land development called Trophy Run.

"Scott is a great visionary, one of those guys who's always on. He's always working," Bess says. "It's a good thing for us as a company, and we're very excited to have his influence on a daily basis."

Early next year, The Vacation Channel plans to convert to high-definition digital broadcasting. The station already tapes some of its commercials and shows in HD, but was not required to switch over in February as were the higher-powered network stations.

One of these changes will come in March, when the Vacation Channel changes to high-definition digital broadcasting.

"Television is an ever-changing business," Bess says, pointing to the March conversion date. "Technology is one of the things right now that is growing and changing faster than you can stay up with."[[In-content Ad]]