Anne Kramer’s DartsMad USA – Darts in The Media

Posted on February 21st, 2012

Hi again and welcome to the second edition of Darts in America. Today’s article is going to focus on a few new methods of darts promotion that have been going strong in all of 2011 and look promising for 2012, with the majority of listeners in America, however, everything is available to anyone in the world.

Introducing, first, the “podcast”. A podcast is a type of digital media consisting of an episodic series of audio or video files subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication. Podcasting is both a converged medium bringing together audio, the web and portable media players.

First, I would like to introduce you to the pioneer podcast group, Darts Around the World. Founded in August of 2010, Darts Around The World was made up of founding members, Evan Waterman, John Ronnholm and David Hascup. The show began with what seemed like morning radio shock jocks hyped up on caffeine with the overwhelming need to upstage each other. Adam Smith, author of The Thorn Report, joined on as a travel writer giving listeners insight into the travel side of darts. L. David Irete joined shortly after taking on the role as Director/Producer of the weekly podcast bringing a much needed balance and direction.The show today is bringing a whole new standard to the level of communication amongst the darting community by offering a voice to anyone who wishes to speak. With formats ranging from roundtable discussions with top minds in darts to on-site coverage of major events, including exhibitions and tournaments. The show also travels to cities to tour and cover local darts and brings an in depth narrative to the masses. Darts Around The World can be listened to live at home or on the go thanks to revolutionary streaming technology. With smartphones being widely adapted around the world, the show can be heard on demand anytime, anywhere. After 40 years of production experience in major network television, L. David Irete is making it possible for the guys to bring a full high def video production to all aspects of the show including the broadcasting of future major events in North America.

Recently, part of the crew traveled to Ireland for the WDF World Cup event and because of their hard work and dedication, people in North America were provided up-to-date information regarding the event itself, as well as live interviews with players.

Our second introduction is for a new online radio program called Dart Talk, which was created and hosted by fellow dart player, Stephen Panuncialman.

Dart Talk is more of a weekly discussion of different dart topics that are popping up in the darting world today. Subjects can range from interviews with players, questions from fans, or specific commentary on subjects such as player sponsorships, seeding at tournaments and what people can do to bring a higher standard to the game.

Dart Talk was started by Stephen because he felt that the sport of darts wasn’t getting the respect or attention it deserved. In traveling around the country to tournaments, he realized that very few people thought of darts as a sport. In America, the notion of darts has always been “If you can’t make a decision, throw a dart at the board.”

The last straw, Stephen says, was the Zoosk commercial, where some on-line dater tries to masquerade as a professional darter. Knowing firsthand the types of sacrifices the dedicated players make to the sport of darts, he felt that we needed some vehicle to convey to America that darts was a real, honest-to-goodness sport, and that the events we participate in contain all the drama of any other athletic competition.

Lastly, Stephen felt that if his team covered the sport as journalists–addressing issues, reporting results, interviewing players and the like, they could start to getting the sport taken seriously, and enhance everyone’s understanding of the game.

The other most amazing influence to the growth of darts that I have seen over the last 2 years was the influence of Facebook and social networking. Together with tech savvy players, Facebook and other forms of social networking such as Twitter has taken the ability for players to interact with each other to an entirely new level. Now event results are live and as they are happening, rather than waiting for someone to post the results on someone’s website the next day.

The final introduction to the darting world that I see making a huge impact is the addition of live streaming video of events going on all over the world. This allows people everywhere to enjoy the same experiences as those in the live audience, most times with a much better view. This I feel has created so much more exposure to the game and it’s players from all over the world.

So, there you have it. These are some of the most important and interesting things that are going on in the darting world today here in America, and even beyond. What do you feel is the most important with your area? Where do you feel there are avenues for growth? What are your strongest assets for the growth of the game in your area? Do you feel that seeding a tournament is important? Do you think America will ever develop it’s own professional tour? All these questions and more are constant topics of conversation on Facebook, on Dart Talk and on Darts Around the World. Stop by all and join in on the fun.

Find out more about Anne on her own website SleepyKramer.com