By Greg Gearbox
The motorcycle industry celebrated a significant milestone on Sunday, May 15th 2005 when the 500th episode of Born To Ride Television aired. The weekly show which was started with a shoe string budget and a vision by a former heavy metal singer and wrestling promoter has been bringing the biker lifestyle to television sets in Florida for ten years. Ron Galletti wasn’t sure if his idea for a biker television show would even have a sponsor when he borrowed a film crew that he met at a wrestling match and headed to Daytona Bike Week to put together the first show. That early morning trip also provided the film footage that was used as the show’s intro in the early days; a biker riding along the beach at sunrise. It was 1995 and the cable channels were years away from discovering people’s interest in motorcycling. Ron and his wife, Debbie, were riding custom bikes at the time and attending local bike shows. They were amazed at how fanatical people were about motorcycles. At the time, there was a local biker show called Wheels in the Wind. Ron credits Stretch, who did that show, with being one of the true pioneers in this area.

But Ron had ideas for a show of his own. Using the marketing skills he had acquired from working both the heavy metal and wrestling circuits Ron flooded the local shops fax machines with a message, “Born To Ride Is Coming!” When he went looking for sponsors, they already knew the BTR name. The very first sponsor to sign up was Fletcher’s Harley-Davidson. Their check for that first ad was the start-up capital that put the first show on the air. Fletcher’s has continued to support the show and is the only advertiser to have a spot on every single episode since the beginning. The Barnes brothers and their shop on Hillsborough Avenue were also early supporters of the show. They bought the most expensive ad that was offered and also contributed the Tech Tip of the Week. Through the years there have been other stalwart supporters like John MacKay who have helped keep the show going. The early shows were aired on Channel V32 which was an independent station back then. The show has been broadcast by several stations and the time slots have moved around over the years before settling into the late night Sunday airtime on WTOG UPN 44. To kick off the debut of the TV show, they put together a big kick-off party at a place called GK’s. It had been raining for about 10 straight days before the party and Ron was getting real nervous as the day approached. On the day of the party, the sun came out and fifteen hundred bikers showed up. It’s been going strong ever since. That doesn’t mean that it’s always been an easy road to travel. Each week is a new show which means that it doesn’t matter if it’s a holiday or your birthday, there’s a show to be done. One goal of the show has been to document the biker lifestyle year round. According to Ron, it took a while to get the system down. “I found that it’s a communication process. You have to be a good communicator to insure you get the right interviews done by the right people and the right camera shots and such. If anything goes wrong, it comes back to me.

I really want to thank our current production company, Zero Gravity. They’ve been working with us for about 7 years now. It’s run by Dave Perich and Clark Hodges. That’s Clark’s voice you hear every week on the show.” Currently it takes about two days to put the show together though we spend many more hours preparing tape and deciding what will be on the show that week. It’s a team effort and the team goal is to make a better show each week. The shows not only cover the events in the area but also show the human side of bikers. One show followed along with a group of bikers who wanted to give a cancer stricken girl named Sydney a Merry Christmas. Another recent story was about Bob Moran, who has no legs but does have a passion for riding. The feature showed how a two-wheeler was converted into a trike to allow him to regain some freedom and enjoy riding like so many of us do. Ron has a passion for getting out the message about all the good things that bikers do for the community. He says, “You have to know how to tell a story, which we do. It may make them cry or laugh, or take them on an adventure. You never know what you’re going to get with Born To Ride.” Though the show has featured a ton of celebrities like Hulk Hogan, Evel Knievel, Jeb Bush, the legendary Daddy Rat, and many others, Ron says the theory behind BTR is that you don’t have to be a super-star to be on the show. “I’ve always said I could close my eyes and spin around and pick someone out of the crowd and get a great story.

The biker community is made up of such diversity. From blue collar to white collar, there are lawyers, doctors, truck drivers as well as the club members, who I believe are some of the few true bikers left out there. The common bond is an interest in motorcycles and wanting to be a part of the show. I think the normal person on the street is just as important as anyone else.” There have been ups and downs through the years but Ron believes that when things go wrong is when you show your strength. He’s quick to point out that much of his success is directly tied to the support that Debbie has given him. “There have been so many fine people who have contributed to the show over the years. Jim Miller has been with me since day one with his creative talent behind the camera and in many other ways. I couldn’t talk about BTR without telling you how important Radical Randy has been to our success. He was also here from the start and he’s probably one of the greatest motorcycle emcee’s you’ll ever see. I’m very proud to have him working with us and now he’s got his Radical Team together and his popular Bike Night events. I wish I had the time and space to mention everyone who deserves to be thanked for their contributions.” A lot has changed since that first episode of BTR aired. Bike shops have opened and closed, bike nights have come and gone but Born To Ride TV is out there every week putting the biker lifestyle on tape. With so much tape in the vaults it’s only natural that a Best of Born to Ride would be culled from the archives and put on DVD. A few volumes have already been completed and there are plans to offer a dozen that will show the evolution of the biker lifestyle from the mid-90’s to present day.

BTR is also offering a free copy of the first volume with the first 500 subscriptions to the Born to Ride magazine. The magazine will also be celebrating in May with it’s First Anniversary issue which you’re holding in your hands. Though Ron produced about 7 issues of a magazine when they had the Born To Ride Saloon on Nebraska Avenue it just wasn’t feasible at the time. The second attempt has been an overwhelming success. The magazine was intended to take a real approach to the biker lifestyle and focus on the people and charities. Ron‘s also a businessman and sees the benefits of being able to offer different formats to his advertisers. “Having a TV show, the website and the magazine is a powerful multi-media punch”, according to Ron. “We can put people’s products in a direct market and offer them great packages and terrific service.” There have been rumors for years that Born To Ride Television was going to go national. Ron doesn’t rule it out but says, “I’ve had people who’ve been interested in taking the show to a national level but I think I’ve been a bit hardened by the industry and some of the deals. It’s about networking and getting the right people at the right time. I’m really glad I’ve held onto control of Born to Ride for myself. It puts me more in control of my own destiny. There are some people opening doors for us and we’ll keep an eye on things to see how they develop”. Tune into Born to Ride Television and you’ll be the first to know.

Twenty-five years ago they were the devil may-care, long-haired, tattooed, leather-wearing outlaws of the open road featured in the song, " Born To Be Wild " and in the film " Easy Rider " with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper.

Today, said motorcycle enthusiast Ron Galletti of Brandon Florida, People riding Harley's are more likely to be Doctors, Lawyers or Accountants as well as leather wearing long haired ex hippies. More than a few are Grandparents! Motorcycling has hit the mainstream.

It was this 1990's resurgence in motorcycles that motivated Galletti, with the help of his wife Deb, also a motorcycle enthusiast, to start his own company, Born To Ride. Galletti, a one time lead singer of a Heavy Metal band called Nasty Savage and a former professional wrestler and wrestling promoter said it was an opportunity just begging to be tapped.

Galletti decided to put the marketing experience he'd gained as a wrestling promoter to the test and created a television program geared to the motorcycle-riding public. In 2004, Ron will produce the 500th episode of "Born to Ride"..

In addition Born To Ride Productions is responsible for organizing and sponsoring a number of local, (Tampa), and State wide charity events involving Bikers. Bringing the Biker community in contact with some of the largest children's charities in the state.

"Bikers get a bad rap because of the old stereotype image." said Galletti. "But now people from all walks of life are involved and the market continues to grow. Women make up a third of the market now." Contrary to the bad-boy image, Galletti said bikers are some of the nicest people he's ever met. " Bikers are always willing to help kids and people who need it. They're willing to give back to their communities and they're always happy to come to the aid of a fellow Biker (Brother) who has been injured in an accident," he said. " there's a lot of people doing a lot of positive things in the Biker community."

One Message that Ron would like to get out to the motorcycle community is, "to lighten up, have fun and live your life. It's better to have a lot of friends than a lot of enemies. Stop the bickering that exists in the Biker community. This Yuppie vs. Hard core, Harley riders vs. import rider, Abate vs. Hog and Cruisers vs. Sport bike riders is stupid! We're all on two wheels by choice and that is what makes this a great country. We need to stick together as Motorcyclists and not as single parts of the big picture.
All riders no matter what they are riding are......Born To Ride"

It was a TV producer's dream come true! A day of shooting Promo's and Interviews with Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage for a feature on Born to Ride TV in Ybor-City, FL. Ron Galletti has had many other superstars on the show including, Evel Knievel, Jerry Springer, o Diddly, John Lynch, Chuck Mangione, Playboy Playmates (Dahm Triplets, Susan Stokes, Crista Nicole), President Clinton, Gov. Busch, Peter Fonda, Chris Jericho, Rob Van Damn, and the list goes on...... maybe you'll be next!

(Sunday) Tampa / St. Pete, Florida WTTA MYTV 38 - 11:30PM

(Sunday) Savannah, Georgia, Hilton Head, South Carolina, Jacksonville, Florida WGSA CW 13 - 11:00PM

(Friday) Orlando, Florida Bright House Networks Channel 21 - 9:30PM
(Saturday) Orlando, Florida Bright House Networks Channel 21 - 9:00PM
(Sunday) Orlando, Florida Bright House Networks Channel 21 - 12:30PM

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