If they really want to change their "geeky" image, they should stop airing such crappy shows and movies. THAT'S what's "holding them back," not the spelling of their name. If the network presented some quality pogramming beyond BSG, they might have more "cred."
This. This is the channel that cancelled MST3K so they could play more classic Sci-Fi Original Movies like Mosquito!" and "Big Fucking Snake II: The Snakening." I think appearing cool is the least of their worries.
I'm certain whoever was behind that reboot of Flash Gordon is responsible for this. Why not just add an Xtryme! to it as well. I was in the marketing dept of a geeky entertainment arm and while I heard some wacked out things, nothing as shoot-in-the foot as this. I think I need a drink. (I don't drink!)
Here's my icon, soon to be a SYFY Or1g14l! ANGRY TENTACLES! THE SASHIMI REVOLT!
If anyone ever wondered how a network could take something as marvelous as the Earthsea series and turn it into utter crap, all one need do is to contemplate that fact in light of this latest idiocy.
"Oh, but fantasy stories don't have black people in them. And black people don't like fantasy - they just dig that 'rap' stuff! Make the hero white! That's what the author REALLY meant to do! We're so cool - we're HIP and stuff, too!"
"Mr. Studio President, no-one is watching the Sci-Fi Channel. In our third quarter we put out several critically acclaimed television productions - Big Fucking Snake II, Hummingbird: Terror In The Trumpet Flowers, Redbug: Itchy Incident At Three-Mile Island - but our ratings were lower than ever. What should we do?"
"Hrm (chomps huge cigar, rubs chin ponderously). Well ... only nerds and geeks like this sci-fi shit, right? And aren't they all too busy reading book or somethin'?"
"Well, yes, but in the pa--"
"Well good god-damn, man, there's our problem, right there in the name! If we change it to something less obvious, more people will watch. Make it ... hell, I dunno, 'SyFy'. Hip kids love misspellings."
"--Excuse me, Mr. President?"
"What the hell is it now, Wiggins?"
"I ... well ... Wouldn't it be wiser in the long run to ... I don't know, work on putting out more quality programming? I mean, MST3K pulled in a lot of ratings, and ... well ... Our slogan is 'What If', right?"
(Sounds of sizzling flesh, screaming)
"What If, eh? What If my cigar wasn't burning a fucking hole through your retina right now?"
You know, if there's one thing I can't stand, it's them self-hatin' fans.
Actually, maybe this is a good thing. -We- get -them- to disassociate themselves from us, so people stop thinking science fiction is all about giant snakes and other original stinkers.
This is so full of Epic Fail that I can hardly stand it. Who was their consultant on genre relations, Geniuses R Us? Sadly, though, they're probably right -- there are more mouth breathing morons who love giant snake movies than there are serious and recreational SF fans.
Why do they announce these great rebranding efforts right at a time when people are watching their favorites (Battlestar Galactica now, Farscape a few years ago) end? Farscape was canceled in a move to make Sci Fi Channel more "woman friendly." No, seriously.
*shudder* Yes, I still remember the Bonnie Hammer line about Farscape having no strong female characters....
Calling it "Skiffy" would've been intelligent and showed they had some concept of the actual SF audience. "SyFy" is definitely for illiterate giant snake fans.
Actually, we've been calling Skiffy "the stupid horror movie channel" for years....
A while back, I noted that MBA programs apparently exist solely so the parents of serious party animals have something to show for paying for eight years of keggers, other than a coke habit and syphilis. This does nothing to convince me that I was wrong.
And now I understand why I haven't been paid for my last review in Science Fiction Weekly in five months. The money obviously had to be used for the party in which Skiffy made this announcement. I can't blame them, though: if the MBAs don't have at least one fourteen-year-old stripper being used as a nude sushi tray, they throw tantrums.
Let me get this right, they come off their biggest year yet and decide it's time to change their name? What happened to the if it aint broke don't fix it rule? Oh please! Anon
Oh, it's broken, all right. They just don't know what the problem actually is - namely, their shitty programming and staggering ignorance of all things truly SF.
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What were they thinking?
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"It's how kids would text it!!!" Good rationale. They should have gone with WTF?
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The real issue here, I think, is that they need a name they can own.
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Here's my icon, soon to be a SYFY Or1g14l! ANGRY TENTACLES! THE SASHIMI REVOLT!
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Or to be more succint: Teh stupid, it burns!
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XTREEEEEEEEM!!!
(Yeah, I know this happened a while ago, but it seems to have come from the same corporate mindset.)
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Re: XTREEEEEEEEM!!!
"Hrm (chomps huge cigar, rubs chin ponderously). Well ... only nerds and geeks like this sci-fi shit, right? And aren't they all too busy reading book or somethin'?"
"Well, yes, but in the pa--"
"Well good god-damn, man, there's our problem, right there in the name! If we change it to something less obvious, more people will watch. Make it ... hell, I dunno, 'SyFy'. Hip kids love misspellings."
"--Excuse me, Mr. President?"
"What the hell is it now, Wiggins?"
"I ... well ... Wouldn't it be wiser in the long run to ... I don't know, work on putting out more quality programming? I mean, MST3K pulled in a lot of ratings, and ... well ... Our slogan is 'What If', right?"
(Sounds of sizzling flesh, screaming)
"What If, eh? What If my cigar wasn't burning a fucking hole through your retina right now?"
Re: XTREEEEEEEEM!!!
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You know, if there's one thing I can't stand, it's them self-hatin' fans.
Actually, maybe this is a good thing. -We- get -them- to disassociate themselves from us, so people stop thinking science fiction is all about giant snakes and other original stinkers.
Gwah.
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Love, c.
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Why do they announce these great rebranding efforts right at a time when people are watching their favorites (Battlestar Galactica now, Farscape a few years ago) end? Farscape was canceled in a move to make Sci Fi Channel more "woman friendly." No, seriously.
Dr. Phil
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Calling it "Skiffy" would've been intelligent and showed they had some concept of the actual SF audience. "SyFy" is definitely for illiterate giant snake fans.
Actually, we've been calling Skiffy "the stupid horror movie channel" for years....
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...
Sorry, I'm having trouble parsing this "if the beer has skunked, change the label on the bottle" mentality. Gimme a moment to absorb this.
-- Steve's wondering if these guys would've pitched Titanic tickets on the basis of indoor salt-water bathing.
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Anon
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Change the programing, spend some money on a little actual content - everything else is just bells and whistles.
How un-rocket-science can you get????
So, instead of SciFi, we pronounce SyFy?
Rolling my index finger repeatedly over my pucker lips.