Sci Fi morphs into Syfy by deadlockvictim

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Sci Fi morphs into Syfy

POSTED BY: DEADLOCKVICTIM
UPDATED: Sunday, March 22, 2009 16:11
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VIEWED: 6341
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Monday, March 16, 2009 4:51 AM

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/business/media/16adcol.html?_r=1

Quote:
Plans call for Sci Fi and its companion Web site (scifi.com) to morph into the oddly spelled Syfy — pronounced the same as “Sci Fi” — on July 7. The new name will be accompanied by the slogan “Imagine Greater,” which replaces a logo featuring a stylized version of Saturn.

“We couldn’t own Sci Fi; it’s a genre,” said Bonnie Hammer, the former president of Sci Fi who became the president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Universal Cable Productions. “But we can own Syfy.”

Another benefit of the new name is that it is not “throwing the baby away with the bath water,” she added, because it is similar enough to the Sci Fi brand to convey continuity to “the fan-boys and -girls who love the genre.”

...does this mean no more lame movies and ridiculous wrestling....??

It will take more than a name change to get me to watch Syfy....
Maybe if they had a wonderfully written and beautifully produced program about some, oh, I don't know.... Outlaws in space or something.... maybe

edit: or maybe it's just my spelling that is mediocre....

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Monday, March 16, 2009 5:40 AM

RIPWASH

The thing that turned me off Sci-Fi was that they seemed so confused. The only movies they showed were horror and it really ticked me off. So I gave up on them. The only thing I watch on there now is "Eureka" which is a great little show. I hope they bring it back for a third season.

But when a science fiction channel only shows horror movies . . . you gotta wonder what they were thinking.

Zoe: "Get it running again."
Mal: "Yeah"
Zoe: "So not running now"
Mal: "Not so much"
- Out of Gas

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Monday, March 16, 2009 5:58 AM

SAVEWASH

Now I am learning about scary.

Imagine greater ... what?

I imagine greater shows, but we'll see. It's an odd slogan.

"We need to keep our heads so we can ... keep our heads."

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Monday, March 16, 2009 6:30 AM

STORYMARK

Quote:
Originally posted by deadlockvictim:

...does this mean no more lame movies and ridiculous wrestling....??

I'd wager it means a good deal more. They've been trying to get away from Science Fiction for years, this just seems like the next step.

I think it's retarded, myself, but I stopped watching them when they cancelled Farscape, anyway.

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

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Monday, March 16, 2009 7:46 AM

ZZETTA13

Quote:
Originally posted by RIPWash:
The thing that turned me off Sci-Fi was that they seemed so confused. The only movies they showed were horror and it really ticked me off. So I gave up on them. The only thing I watch on there now is "Eureka" which is a great little show. I hope they bring it back for a third season.

But when a science fiction channel only shows horror movies . . . you gotta wonder what they were thinking.

Zoe: "Get it running again."
Mal: "Yeah"
Zoe: "So not running now"
Mal: "Not so much"
- Out of Gas

I am in total agreement with RW.

A si/fi station that shows wrestling as one of it’s main events? I used to be a member but haven’t been there in ages so I really don’t know what they are doing now.

Firefly should have been one of their shows. It could have been, but they chose not to include a Whedon show, they chose other crap. The Si/Fi channel needs to dig deep into it’s soul and find out who it is. It seems to be wandering through time and space searching for it’s identity. The youth of today is very in tune with science fiction and super heroes. They should check out Smallville if they want to understand what good writing is all about. Joss could have been their messiah if they didn’t have their head so far up their…..a$$

Z

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Monday, March 16, 2009 8:01 AM

RIPWASH

Heck . . . wasn't this the same channel that aired "Serenity" (BDM) and edited it to death? I was going to DVR it in HD, but forgot. Now I'm glad I didn't.

Zoe: "Get it running again."
Mal: "Yeah"
Zoe: "So not running now"
Mal: "Not so much"
- Out of Gas

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Monday, March 16, 2009 8:10 AM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

If only Forry Ackerman was still around, he could tell them how very, very disappointed he is.

They should just make it Skiffy, since many of us have been calling it that for years.

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Monday, March 16, 2009 8:12 AM

FREELANCERTEX

thats....the lamest thing ive ever heard. 'we dont own the genre so we're slightly changing the name'? @_@ ouch. i hurt in my heart.

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Monday, March 16, 2009 2:18 PM

PENNAUSAMIKE

Sci-Fi has been a mess for years.
For every BSG there are two dozen lousy Sci-Fi original movies.
Sci-Fi should have dropped the crappy movies and picked up Firefly back when Whedon was shopping it around.

They should do a series that follows the conventions.
They should follow some fan activities like fan films and charity events.
They should have in-depth "making of" shows.

They should have blocks assigned to different types of SF:
Time Tunnel-Land of the Giants-Lost In Space by Irwin Allen
Original BSG-Buck Rogers by Glen Larsen
etc., etc.
They should bring back the short-lived SF series blocks.
Have a Star Trek block.

Show old SF classics.
Show SF B-movies.
(And don't cut the crap out of them for no real reason!)

Its ridiculous to act like science fiction is too limiting.
Frankly, this channel has been mostly garbage for years.
I see this as more a way to show garbage like wrestling than a way to serve the SF niche audience.

Mike

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Monday, March 16, 2009 2:53 PM

FREELANCERTEX

this is why i rarely watch tv anymore, and dont have cable :P

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009 2:15 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

What this says to me is they will clone more "reality" shows like Ghost Hunters and The World's Greatest Gamer to fill their time slots and actual science fiction will pushed even further back on the back burner.

Pretty much given up on Sci Fi.

__________________________________________
Holding the line since December '02!

Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Fans:

http://www.richmondbrowncoats.org

Color Officer / Battalion O.I.C.

http://76thbattalion.homestead.com/index.html

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009 6:01 AM

RIPWASH

I just sent them a feedback message and told them to think of us as the citizens of Whoville: WE ARE HERE! WE ARE HERE! WE ARE HERE! WE ARE HERE!!!!!!

Couldn't resist.

Zoe: "Get it running again."
Mal: "Yeah"
Zoe: "So not running now"
Mal: "Not so much"
- Out of Gas

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009 6:34 AM

VECTREXER

Imagine even more infomercials starting at an earlier time?
Imagine even more ECW or even other night of wrestling? Imagine even more non-Science Fiction?
Imagine greater amount of BS?

I cannot imagine anything related Science Fiction coming out of "SyFy". Then best they could do would be to license Burn Notice.

Anyone here think that FOX management and SyFy management must have been cloned and raised by the same people?

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009 10:42 AM

STORYMARK

Quote:
Originally posted by pennausamike:
Sci-Fi has been a mess for years.
For every BSG there are two dozen lousy Sci-Fi original movies.
Sci-Fi should have dropped the crappy movies and picked up Firefly back when Whedon was shopping it around.

They should do a series that follows the conventions.
They should follow some fan activities like fan films and charity events.
They should have in-depth "making of" shows.

They should have blocks assigned to different types of SF:
Time Tunnel-Land of the Giants-Lost In Space by Irwin Allen
Original BSG-Buck Rogers by Glen Larsen
etc., etc.
They should bring back the short-lived SF series blocks.
Have a Star Trek block.

Show old SF classics.
Show SF B-movies.
(And don't cut the crap out of them for no real reason!)

Its ridiculous to act like science fiction is too limiting.
Frankly, this channel has been mostly garbage for years.
I see this as more a way to show garbage like wrestling than a way to serve the SF niche audience.

Mike

Well to fair, they have tried most of that stuff over the years. Problem being, no one watches it. Yeah, it's great to see an old scifi favorite on TV, but in most cases, it's a very small group who want to watch those. And the DVD market has killed rerun viewership over the last few years.

People didn't tune in for the true scifi, but they do, unfortunetly, tne in for Rasslin and Ghost Hunters.

And beyond that, there would be rights issues. The Trek rights are tied up for several more years, so they can't do that. Fan films would not be possible, either. Conventions, maybe - but even then, it's a stretch to think that that would appeal to any but a small group.

It sucks for fans of scifi, but as a business, it'd be daft of them to abandon what works for a model they've already proven doesn't.

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009 1:44 PM

MACBAKER

Name change or not, there is very little science fiction on that channel anymore. Kinda like Mtv. I remember when the M stood for MUSIC! I remember when SyFy had "Sci-Fi" on it!

Given the crappy horror movies, no more BSG (after this week), and even crappier reality shows, I think this name change makes perfect sense. Now I'm sure I'll avoid it completely!

I'd given some thought to movin' off the edge -- not an ideal location -- thinkin' a place in the middle.

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009 4:54 PM

MISSTRESSAHARA

The Canadian equivilent called Space so far has remained 99% sci-fi. Every Trek show, Stargate, and other series you can see it there.

I just hope the station doesn't change hands that think sci-fi's format is a good one.

{{{*~A footer is the closing of an article, not a kinky sex move~*}}}

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009 9:00 PM

PENNAUSAMIKE

Quote:
Originally posted by Storymark:
People didn't tune in for the true scifi, but they do, unfortunately, tune in for Rasslin and Ghost Hunters.

It sucks for fans of scifi, but as a business, it'd be daft of them to abandon what works for a model they've already proven doesn't.

I see your point.
Why show anything but American Idol and Dancing With The Stars and phony "wrestling" and ghost hunting? Why have 7 niche channels that appeal to 4 million viewers each when you can put on one show that draws 28 million viewers?

Its only about business.
Lowest common denominator business.
Why should any one bother to try to fill a niche market?
Go big or go home.

While we're at it, let's get rid of every store except Walmart.
Stupid niche stores.
Hobby shops, book stores that carry more than just the current best sellers, music that isn't the HOTTEST-THING-RIGHT-NOW; get rid of 'em all.

Sarcasm aside, I know entertainment is a business and they have to make enough money to keep the doors open. My complaint is that they frittered away assets in churning out one crappy Sci-Fi original "movie" after another. They never got science fiction. If 75% of Sci-Fi Channel was quality science fiction and nostalgic science fiction, and 25% was wrestling and Ghost Hunters and infomercials, it would still fly.
But the management wanted EVERYTHING to be lowest common denominator programming with mass mundane appeal for max profits and minimum effort.
It would be like the Speed channel showing only NASCAR cuz only NASCAR means big bucks.

I guess I feel that if you're going to create a vehicle to service a niche interest, then do THAT. If any of the suits who have run Sci-Fi thought it was going to be all Star Wars level blockbusters all the time, they obviously didn't think this thru very well. But it was never about servicing a 4 million viewer audience well; it was about climbing the corporate ladder on the backs of those stupid geeks: (and why don't they like our aliens-monsters-robots-of-the-week movies anyways?...stupid geeks)

I know Firefly doesn't have mass appeal, but I'm continually irked by the puke-tainted swill that is churned out to even less success than Firefly. Take the money spent on "The Mean Mummy" and "Toothy Walking Fish of Death" and give us some decent entertainment, gorramit!

Whew, rant mode off...

Mike

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009 11:17 PM

RALLEM

I have not been a Sci-fi Channel fan like most of you, for years and for the same reasons it seems, because they've shown very little actual science fiction. On the bright side though maybe another channel can take the moniker of Sci-Fi Channel and actually show them how it's done. I liked just about every idea posted above for what might have been, plus they could make more of their own original science fiction shows/movies from the more obscure authors such as Robert Heinlein. For those who might get offended at my calling Heinlein obscure, I only mean he is not of the mainstream, not today anyways. Also perhaps they could also look to Joss about doing a derivative of Firefly. It is true that not many watch the science fiction stuff they’ve been showing, but I disagree with their solution of changing their name so they can become even more diluted that they already are, and think they should have become more aggressive in their own production of original content. BSG worked out for them didn’t it?

http://www.swyzzlestyx.com/index.html

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Thursday, March 19, 2009 2:10 AM

MACBAKER

Quote:
Originally posted by rallem:
BSG worked out for them didn’t it?

Actually, it really hasn't. Battlestar's ratings have been marginal at best. It's had a smaller average audience than Firefly or Enterprise. If BSG was on a network, it would have never made it past the mini-series.

I think Universal (who owns Sci-Fi and BSG), let it continue, because they see it as a product with long legs. It should be a decent long term revenue stream in both reruns and DVD sales.

I'd given some thought to movin' off the edge -- not an ideal location -- thinkin' a place in the middle.

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Thursday, March 19, 2009 2:24 AM

CELLARDOOR

Well, I can't say the announced change to SyFy will change my viewing habits of the channel. Like several before me, I had pretty much stopped watching a few years ago (unfortunately I missed BSG after the miniseries, so I guess I'll have to DVD that). I'll punch in the channel on my remote, see another episode of Ghost Hunter, and then usually switch down to Scrubs or NCIS or SVU which are somewht entertaining and seem to be on no matter what time of day. "Sci-Fi" had been an enormous disappointment in the past several years, and I think it's about time they admit they are not what their name misleadingly claimed for so long...

Too bad; I'd probably have watched the channel if they had more quality material. At least they aired Serenity though!

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Thursday, March 19, 2009 4:46 AM

RALLEM

Maybe the browncoats should make a basic cable science fiction channel to actually make original creation science fiction shows as a primary form of entertainment and show other science fiction shows in sindication as back up or filler. That way there won't be crap from other genres filling our airwaves.

http://www.swyzzlestyx.com/index.html

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Thursday, March 19, 2009 5:59 AM

DEADLOCKVICTIM

Here is a pretty good opinion piece from your friends over at Zaius Nation.... with some interesting links provided...

http://zaiusnation.blogspot.com/
second story this morning - titled "No More Giant Snakes Please"

Quote:
This is ridiculous. The Sci Fi Channel is changing it's name to the "SyFy Channel". A stupid name to go with it's stupid giant snake and giant insect programming. What they really need is some executives that actually like science fiction, and understand the depth of the subject matter.

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Thursday, March 19, 2009 1:01 PM

DREAMTROVE

Quote:

...does this mean no more lame movies and ridiculous wrestling....??

Naw, it means MORE!

Now, we will have psychics wrestling ghosts of dead shows while being stalked by the serial killer from the infomercials...

Siffy. Are You Ready To Suck?

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Thursday, March 19, 2009 8:02 PM

CELLARDOOR

Sci Fi

SyFy

SyFy Imagine Greater

Imagine SyFy Greater

Imagine SyFy Less

Imagine SyFyless

Imagine Syphilis...?

Hehe, the possibilities...

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Thursday, March 19, 2009 10:22 PM

FREEBROWNCOAT

They were good when they started. But when they sold out to the networks it began being run by marketeers instead of SciFi buffs. To me that is the source of all their problems.

Now it's giant snakes again and again. Ghost hunters, witholding the giggling with severe effort, Pirates of the Caribbean, anything to put on air time. There is no quality, there is no effort to make good stuff. When Stargate came to a conclusion a few years ago they went to the old standby of having an eeevvilllllll enemy rather than explring change.

Pretty sad.

Put Firefly on. Put all the old Star Treks on. Anything but spooooky houses and giant snakes.

Cathartic. Won't change a thing. More giant snakes. If we're really lucky maybe it'll be Robbie the Robot.

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Friday, March 20, 2009 8:41 AM

RIPWASH

The only real reason to watch this channel now is "Eureka". Great little *GASP* science-fiction show about a top secret government town populated by the smartest people in the country who are employed by the government front company Global Dynamics. The sheriff is FBI agent and the not-as-smart-as-the-rest-of-them everyman trying to hold things together. The only cheesy thing was the Degree deoderant tie-in last season. Kind of hokey but still a very good show.

Zoe: "Get it running again."
Mal: "Yeah"
Zoe: "So not running now"
Mal: "Not so much"
- Out of Gas

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Friday, March 20, 2009 8:58 AM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by Freebrowncoat:
Anything but spooooky houses and giant snakes.

I'd even take that old crappy Logan's Run series over the snakes.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Sunday, March 22, 2009 7:19 AM

PEACEKEEPER

Keeping order in every verse

Quote:
Originally posted by Storymark:
Quote:
Originally posted by deadlockvictim:

...does this mean no more lame movies and ridiculous wrestling....??

I'd wager it means a good deal more. They've been trying to get away from Science Fiction for years, this just seems like the next step.

I think it's retarded, myself, but I stopped watching them when they cancelled Farscape, anyway.

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

Here here when it comes to Farscape. Im still bitter about that now.

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Sunday, March 22, 2009 10:53 AM

ISROUSRO

To me the best thing about this is that the networks people never did a check about what Syfy means.
"Stinking mess, syphilis, zits and scum" are just some of the things that syfy is in Polish.
Kind of what the channel has turned into.
Was wondering if some ex Fox suits went to work there.

passoniatetly indifferent

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Sunday, March 22, 2009 12:01 PM

SHADESIREN

it's a silly maneuver. I get the idea - but I think it's possibly more than figurative. I wouldn't be surprised if they couldn't LICENSE the phrase SciFi anymore because it's an actual regular word now - a genre, like she says. if it was "NBC:SciFi" like it's "Starz:Action" I bet they could.

And in (and this is hard to do, as I do NOT like these movies) but in defense of the BAD movies Sci Fi Shows all the time, they're practically fan films already. I read about how they purchased like 20 films from some company and then showed them as "SciFi Originals" when they were just finished films they bought. They were already DONE - so it's not like SciFi actually CHOSE those scripts or those special effects, they just bought up a pile of timeslots to put ads in.

All that said, SciFi is a channel we RARELY ever watch, and we're both sci-fi geeks. We played frikkin star wars music at our wedding and actually own a phaser universal remote. We like Sci-Fi! but not the channel. Farscape, Battlestar, Eureka, these we watched. I'll watch Eureka when and if it makes it back. I won't watch the SG nonsense. (I have strong personal feelings as to the stupidity of linking an original show with an established movie, then crapping all over said movie. I can't change it, it's just how I feel.) I see now they're bring out SG-U. I want to want to like it. Especially cuz some of the people in it look very cool, but the whole SG part just makes me cringe.

It seems to be the age of the superhero again - maybe we need to just enjoy it, and know that we'll be visiting space again soon. Soon as we get the capes out of the way so we can see them.

You know you want it - http://www.shadesiren.com

You know you need it - http://www.oberonrpg.com

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Sunday, March 22, 2009 1:15 PM

CELLARDOOR

Irony:

You're channel surfing and come across Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. You look in the corner of the screen where the channel appears and it says Spike. Mentally taking note in case nothing else is on, you press the next channel button, still looking at the corner. Hey, it's Sci-Fi! Let's see what they're putting up to compete for Star Wars! Well what do you know, they're showing Star Wa... I mean, wait... Raging Sharks...?

True story today.

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Sunday, March 22, 2009 4:11 PM

DREAMTROVE

*They* didn't cancel Farscape and Lexx, Bonnie Hammer did. Why they let "Lifetime" barbarian Bonnie Hammer through the gates, it was all about money. She said she hated science fiction, and though that occultism was cheaper to produce and would widen the profit margin. Now they are shedding her, which is a good thing. But the face that they are changing the name to an internet search word is symptomatic of reality: Television is dead. 75% of homes have TV service, 45% have broadband internet service, that's a change from 95/15 10 years ago. 5 years from now those numbers will meet in the middle around 50%, just following trends, and this will be close to an exact match. A household will typically have one or the other, no more than 10% will have both.

While logically, stations will try to move online, increasingly, the balance of viewship will be those who still have cable and no broadband will be putting in their same 40 hour a week of viewing, and the broadband crowd will put in less than 10. This means that in terms of hours, the TV only crowd will have at least 80% of the watching hours, and probably 90%. This means that's who the advertisers are going to target. These groups are going to follow demographics: The not technically inclined, the elderly, the low wage, and the full time employed with no free time and overall the people with no internet presence. The programming that this audience will want to see is not going to be science fiction.

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