Well, once BSG is over I will rarely watch your channel. Your reasoning is just beyond ignorant. I will give Stargate Universe a chance (Voyager anyone?) and check out Caprica, but I won't tune in for anything else on your channel. You are not in touch with your core audience. No matter who you surveyed.

Howe, please don't insult our intellects. Some of us were watching when the channel was new. Fantasy and supernatural based horror were ALWAYS aspects of Scifi. In fact the first show you ever aired was Dark Shadows. So this is a very poor excuse...

It isn't the idea of changing the name that I have a problem with. The channel could use a good rebranding.

But, really? Si-fee? That's just a really stupid name.

One of the first principles of branding is to not have a brand that lends itself to ridicule. Another is to not have a brand that easily lends itself to ridicule because it can easily be pronounced in a way other than intended.

Honestly. Fire your marketing firm. It failed you on these basic principles.

This just makes me want to move to Poland...

I didn't like it at first but from a marketing standpoint makes sense.

Si-Fi channel started out good, but had been slowly going downhill over the years. Now it is traveling down a vortex of idiocracy at light speed.

It started out as a showcase for intelligent and thought provoking programming both classic and new and now only wants to pander to the lowest common denominator

How can you say that you care about your core audience when you cancel Stargate Atlantis right after it wins a People's Choice Award for favorite science fiction program? Why should we waste our time following Stargate Universe when you've already proven that you will cancel a show no matter how popular it is? Shows like Stargate need more than five years to complete story arcs.

here is the thing. brand that is own able meaning we can make money off that brand everything with that brand generates money. shows be damned we want money. you destroyed farscape and you destroyed battlestar. you pimp that out but you couldn't commit to Ron on more seasons so he said screw it then you can't commit early i am not gonna leave a show hanging. that's what happen to farscape and 4 hour movie was made.

battle star had 2 more season i bet truly in but you left and now all loose ends need to be tied and done in a hurry.

after tonight sci fi will not be my regular viewing channel. sanctuary sucks stargate universe hello lost in space another dead horse to beat to death more.

I get it, you want to have a brand that you can trademark. But SyFy still sucks, there are tons of other names you could have used. Why do all of the marketers think that they have to use a misspelled word as their name?!?

A) You all should have done this years ago in order to attract more people to check out BSG when it first started.

B) I honestly think you should have just gone with another name; like "USA Space", "USA 2", "NBCU", "MISC", or "ETC".

C) I don't care for ECW, the reality shows, I think that Eureka has gone downhill since Stark was killed off, Farscape should have been given a 5th Season instead of a Mini to wrap things up, I have little faith in SGU, wanted to like Sanctuary but it more miss than hit, and I'm going to wait til April and watch the DVD before I decide one way or another on Caprica.

D) Not mad that Sci-Fi is becoming SyFy; just think it's kinda silly that you're trying to have your cake and eat it too.

I agree that rebranding the channel makes sense from a marketing perspective. I've never liked the term "sci-fi," and from a certain point of view it doesn't really cover a lot of the content on the channel.

Honestly, most people aren't going to care. A vast majority of us do not care about the the channel whether it's called Sci-fi or Siffy. We care about the specific shows that the channel delivers.

Still, it's both annoying and, quite frankly, a bit embarrassing that the people running the channel are so clueless that they actually thing this particular rebranding is a good idea. And the fact that they just don't get it basically suggests that they're going to make other stupid decisions about the programs they show, which affects things I, as a viewer, care about.

I mean, come on. They already put rasslin' on the channel. Sure, I understand the marketing reason for doing that -- rasslin' is cheap and popular with a target audience -- pre-adolescent boys -- that Siffy would like to draw in for their other content that might appeal to pre-adolescent boys. But, come on. It's really difficult to take any organization that shows rasslin' seriously.

From a marketing point of view, any media -- TV, radio, the Web -- exists for one reason, and one reason only -- to sell advertising, and to sell it on a consistently increasing scale. The content itself exists only to attempt to draw in an audience big enough and interested enough so that they can sell more advertising and keep the audience will to watch through the advertisements. The content itself is irrelevant. From a marketing point of view, if a channel could get away with showing nothing but commercials, it would.

So, honestly. Stupid name. Makes me want to laugh and point. Makes me afraid I'm going to have to go out and find some dreary serious literature to read or something just to be able to hold my head up in public. And I generally don't care what other people think about what I enjoy, so it really must be a stupid name.

Just my 2 cents.

It just goes to show that making a buck is more important to the programing than actual science fiction. I mean come on, why the hell would you put wrestling on the Sci Fi Channel if it wasn't about the money?

Focus groups and early solicited feedback are inherently biased, because people in those sorts of situations aren't encountering the name in a natural way. It sort of like Stockholm Syndrome, in that the participants want to please the entity that's either giving them fifty bucks or stroking their ego in another way. Did you even ask the members of the focus groups if they could look at "Syfy" and pronounce it correctly?

What you want to pay attention to, Mr. Howe, are the unsolicited reactions. You could have chosen a new name that had cool, imaginative connotations but didn't look like you were showing contempt for the audience that made you successful in the first place.

I can't wish you failure because that would mean wishing that a lot of good people lose their jobs. But I think you're making a boneheaded change. Good luck with your Siffee network.

It just goes to show that making a buck is more important to the programing than actual science fiction. I mean come on, why the hell would you put wrestling on the Sci Fi Channel if it wasn't about the money?

I still think it's a bad move and a bad idea, but there's very little anyone here can say that will change the minds of the network executives. We'll be classified as a small group of people that only make up a small portion of their demographics. Our comments will be called constructive criticism and promptly brushed aside, while they move forward with the name change.

I only watch Stargate and Battlestar Galactica. I'll try Stargate Universe and Caprica, but will make no promises. I despise the cheesy, B monster movies, the wrestling and ghost hunter crap with a passion, so my days for Sci-Fi are most likely numbered.

If the executives think they can continue cranking out these low rate, low budget programs and retain viewership, they are in for a very rude awakening one day. I can find complex and highly engaging programs on many other networks easily or I can just turn off the TV and read more.

I honestly don't care what the network is called. If Syfy programming is good I will tune in, and if it isn't I won't -- just like any other network. After all, I think "Spike" is a pretty idiotic name for a TV network, too.

well...i have to give a comment to that too^^. Let me say it this way...as long as SGU and Caprica are/will be good series, i dont care, what the channels name is. i also think that this is a very good gag. they were sure that the scifi-community (in which i m counting me in ;)) would response to that in a way they expected. neg. and pos. comments of course. ok i wrote a negative comment and i didnt expect that i get that much support ;). I mean...the name "Syfy" really doesnt sound "normal". of course you want a name which makes you different from the masses of tv stations in the us and even in the world. if you change your name and your logo after that much time, you just can expect neg. response. in any way they ve got my attention....let s say more than normally...i m snoppy how the new design and the name will change the scifi-genre in the us. you guys had the monopol on scifi, but will you continue to have it?

I don't care what you call it as long as you provide quality science fiction shows. Canceling most of your science fiction shows hardly shows a commitment to your core fans.

"SCI FI sounds very generic, sounds basic. Syfy sounds cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with." This might be the dumbest thing I've ever seen in print. Aren't they exactly the same phonetically? Or are you supposed to say to people: 'Did you see that crappy new show on S-Y-F-Y last night?' Give me a break.

Here's just another example of a formerly good channel changing their core and running away from their fanbase. Does anyone remember what happened when MTV decided to move away from music? How about VH1? Cartoon Network anyone? These people must be using Yahoo's business plan (ie, alienate everyone who supports you and then constantly make poor business decisions in an attempt to get money). Oh well, I've got a lot of DVDs. Those will hold me over until someone else comes up with a good programming package.

I must agree...the brand is just a label. My issue is for every Battlestar Galactica there's 5 absolutely ill-conceived Monster of the Week movies. For every Stargate there is 10 reruns of horribly edited horror flick. If they are spending millions to rebrand, maybe they can spend a dime or two on consistent programming.

hey dave how are you congas on naming sci-fi syfy so are You getting TorchWood and kepping ECW

the name Syfy still sucks and this article does nothing to alleviate that. Tell the stupid lawyers that being unable to own the name Sci Fi is not the end of the world. In fact, fire them for such piss poor advice.

Mr. Howe,

Being a media/web/brand designer I can understand some of your underlying reasons for doing what you've done, but to be perfectly honest, you are doing what the WB/CW/UPN did to their brand oh so long ago. They wanted to rebrand and create new shows to be hip, to draw younger audiences, but now their shows are left in the world of mediocrity and they alienated their core viewers...just like you guys are doing. And in the end fewer viewers mean less capital correct? Would it not be better to capitalize on your core audience who can drive more ads sales by staying with your network and keeping your network on the air for longer than watering yourselves down to get a few thousand more young viewers?

Sure, you'll make SyFy a more youthful brand and maybe you get an extra couple million viewers over the course of a few years but when your viewers see that you'll cancel shows like Stargate Universe when it's in it's prime (5 year run), like you did with Stargate Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica you'll start to whittle away at that smaller, but more important core group that solidifies your place in cable network broadcasting.

Just remember that when your "youthful" audience gets bored with you (as they usually do these days) you'll regret alienating the one group of people that helped you stay alive and gave you direction with your programming.

I will probably purchase a season pass for Universe but unless that really grabs me I'll be leaving your network.

Thanks for your response Mr. Howe, but I'm afraid it's not enough...

Reality shows? Reality Shows!?!?!? What the FRAK do reality shows have to do with Science, Supernatural or... OK I can see what they have to do with Fiction but PLEASE, Reality shows on a SCIENCE FICTION network? Ghost hunters and Destination truth are EXACTLY the reasons I do NOT watch more of this soon to be lamely named channel!
BTW, excellent point Psiwire, the ONLY place where anyone will notice the difference between Sci-Fi and SyFy is in print!
And yes, I realize that does make the entire line of comments rather pointless. Guess we geeks and nerds (you know the people who actually watch the shows that generate the money that you so desperately want this new branding cr@p to generate, the people who spend hours, if not days dissecting seconds of footage in trailers to discover and clues or hints) are just not as "cool, cutting edge" as the people you want to watch your show.

I was actually hoping he'd comment on the fact that they bought the name earlier this year from "Sy Fy Portal," which had been publishing genre news for the last 10 years or so.

While I'm certain the focus group and market testing folks approved, I don't think they were the ones who invented the name.

SCI FI sounds very generic, sounds basic. Syfy sounds cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with.

right. I'll bet you a million dollars that no one really said that - instead, I think it more likely that that and the other so called "real quotes from real people" are what this once great but now diseased and dying network want people to say about the name change. If the SCI FI channel really wants to keep it's viewers here are a few suggestions -

1. STOP wasting time and money on those horrible Saturday movies, invest it instead in a mature, scripted science fiction show.
2. Stop the awful "reality" shows. They are a waste of time, money and bandwidth.
3. Pick up great scifi shows that sometimes get cut from the other networks such as The 4400, Firefly, Invasion, Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles (if it does get canceled).
4. Create and air more shows with the mature, realistic feel of Battlestar Galactica - Caprica looks ok, but everyone has gone out of their way to say that the show doesn't involve space travel - clear up with a public announcement where and how this show fits in with Galactica (if there are 12 colonies before the cylon war, then there must be space travel before the cylones were made.)
5. Fire whoever ran the focus groups to research reaction to the network name change - they either lied to you or happened to get a batch of exceptionally idiotic people.

Howard: Cut the PC crap, okay? "Syfy" is just plain stupid, and so are the people who came up with (and approved) the new name. Instead of making excuses, you should be demanding resignations for this ridiculous name. Then you should start writing a letter of apology to the "GeeEee" shareholders for wasting so much time and money. on this idea.

Here's the deal folks - if you are SERIOUS about hating this change, then be SERIOUS about quitting the channel. Stop watching. Don't turn it on. I stand by my decision that after BSG ends tonight, channel 067 in Atlanta will never splash across my television again.

Stick to your guns. If you mean what you say about leaving the channel, then do so. If 1000+ comments are mostly negative, and that's a percentage of how the overall audience feels, then SyFy may very well die an unglorious death and we'll get something else that fills the void and doesn't insult the real fans.

Please - after BSG tonight or whichever show you've set your sights on, tune out. It will get noticed by the advertisers.

I think you got the name right. Sci FEE ! You charge way too much for cable and only get 1-2 new shows a week and all old re-runs the rest of the time ! FOX has got SEVERAL new GOOD shows a week like Terminator, Dollhouse, Bones, House and they have LESS COMMERCIALS ! On network TV it's 15-17 minutes of commercials on cable its 20-25 minutes of commercials. On network TV 3-5 minute commercial breaks on cable 5-7 minutes. The cable channels should be FREE since they have more commercials and are 95 percent RERUNS ! $45 for analog cable or $69 for digital cable just to get 1-2 new shows a week when you get 5-6 new shows a week on FOX alone ! Cable should either be free or get new shows WITHOUT commercials ! You make way too much money for the subscribers AND the commercials but I keep hearing we don't have the money to produce new shows. FOX , NBC, ABC, CBS does and they are FREE !!!!

I honestly thought this was an early April Fools' Day gag. There's still time to back out and make that claim, btw.
After thinking about it for a while, it starts to make sense. The sheer number of terrible ideas that have come out of Sci-Fi in the past decade show that it was just a matter of time before there was some idiotic "rebranding."
Wrestling on Sci-Fi? Really? Wrestling?!? Talk about nuking the fridge.
Ghost Hunters is the single worst "reality" show. I'll clue you in on every single "investigation" they will ever film. Poor video, no conclusions. And it's boring on top of unimaginative.
The last 10 years have been a long, but steady decline in quality. I guess the surprise should have been the good original shows, BSG, Atlantis and Eureka have been the exceptions, not the rule.
Just change your name to the MonsterMovieNetwork, "Because if it's 9pm Saturday, it's terrible!" That way you can at least claim truth in advertising.

I understand your needing your own logo. But, why did you not take this opportunity to rename it to something that reflected the majority rather than minority of your programming?

You are simply wrong when you state
"we believe that sci-fi includes fantasy, supernatural, paranormal, superhero, horror and quite a lot of speculative action and adventure"

As 3 major dictionaries can educate you Science Fiction is FICTIOM based on SCIENCE.

science fiction
–noun a form of fiction that draws imaginatively on scientific knowledge and speculation in its plot, setting, theme, etc.© Random House, Inc. 2009.

sci'ence-fic'tion (sī'əns-fĭk'shən)n. A literary or cinematic genre in which fantasy, typically based on speculative scientific discoveries or developments, environmental changes, space travel, or life on other planets, forms part of the plot or background.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,

science fiction Works of fiction that use scientific discoveries or advanced technology — either actual or imaginary — as part of their plot. The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy,

There is nothing scientific about fantasy or horror and nothing fictional about reality. And the stars only know how you justify wrestling.

Can't you see how offensive your assertions are when thousands of people respond overwhemingly negatively? I read no positives whatsosever.

I have to disagree with most of the comments here. I am 39 years old and have been a "core fan" of the Sci-fi channel since day 1. I think the channel started out on a rocky path, for example the years you gave us chopped down episodes of Doctor Who which weren't meant to be chopped down. (Thank GOD the new Doctor Who format allows better breaks). But I saw the rocky road turn into a super highway over the last few years, and it continues to get better. So, a rebranding?? Why not! I think it's a brilliant move and I'm personally all for it!

tipping point; if you have to rename your channel Syfy (which just sounds really silly) and you think ECW has ANYTHING to do with Sci Fi or Horror or well anything but wrestling then you network has reached and past the tipping point. So renaming is a good idea so you won't tarnish the good name of Sci Fi any longer and when you are gone and forgotten at least you will not have taken the name Sci Fi with you.

I can't believe that my beloved Sci-Fi channel is abandoning for another demographic. I turn to this channel to what what the broader audience does not want to watch. This is the stupidest move since New Coke.

I feel like HAL 9000 in typing this, but - I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid you're made a mistake.

Seriously, this country is in one of the worst financial crisis in over 80 years -- and you want to spend money on rebranding SciFi Channel to Syfy?

Now that you've earned all this negative publicity, perhaps you should rethink that idea. Instead of spending money on Syfy, spend money where it's needed most -- how about feeding hungry children here in the US, or helping senior citizens afford their medications, or providing family support for those families who have loved ones serving in Afghanistan or Iraq?

Or if you're not that magnanimous, spend the money on improving the quality of your programming on SciFi. It's NOT the name of your channel that puts potential viewers off, it's the lack of quality programming (considering ECW is the most egregious example) that's disdainful.

Sounds to me like a lot of bitchin and moanin over a simple thing like a name change. seriously...get over it. its no big deal. and yeah scifi does encompass all the things stated, not just the current htings that are aired. time to not take things so personally

No more shows with all the writting quality of "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes". The new Outer Limits was good but you canceled it. Start There ! Get the writters from Babylon 5 , Star Trek DS9, Outer Limits. They wouldn't write the crappy shows like "Ghost Hunter" or "Dr Who". You need shows with good character development and good stories. I love sci-fi but hate B rated shows that are stupid.

Just as a point of information, you have to drop the programming package on your cable that includes Sci-Fi Channel or they still keep getting money. Not viewing it but keeping the package means that your cable company still bills you for having it and Sci-Fi gets a portion of that billing. Sure they don't get the rating... but they still get your money.

Tomorrow Comcast will be at my house at 9 AM to remove my cable box as I'm going to strictly basic. Comcast could have kept getting some of that cash if they went over to an al-carte system like Dish Network is planning in the next few months.

SyBye!

Folks need to get their facts straight....

Sci-Fi did not cancel The Outer Limits. It was cancelled by Showtime.

Sci-Fi did not cancel FireFly. It was cancelled by FOX.

Sci-Fi picked up these shows to air in syndication packages on their channel. They didn't cancel the original runs of either of them.

They did take over Stargate SG-1 from Showtime for a few more seasons and then they cancelled that one. But don't confuse the facts.

You have got to be kidding me? This is a hard interview?

Who asked the questions? NBC's PR department?

There are countries run by hardcore dictators that have interviews more real than this PR fest.

Ok...
Now that we've moved on...
Nobody really cares what you call yourself. These notes, love letters & the like are, because you've already moved on from your core audience & now you've given the core an excuse to do the same thing.
What I don't understand is:
Why couldn't you just trademark SciFi Channel? It's who you are & everyone knows it. This is clearly an excuse to spend money to feel better. Do you?
jack

oh my frakin gods you guys are the biggest bunch of cry babies in the syfy universe!! lifes about changing nothing ever stays the same!!you act like your lives are coming to an end over a name change..cause thats really all thats changing...the stuff you are bitching about being shown on the syfy channel is the same stuff thats been being shown on the scifi channel for the last 5 years..get over it!

Okay...if you or someone that cares is really reading thru these commentaries...I HAVE participated in foucus and interview groups before. I know what questions are asked, what specifics and generalities and so for. Seriously, who ever ran your groups must have snagged people off the floor in a Vegas casion promenade. Come on guys THINK! Seriously consider those viewers with spending capital....

Lastly. I will stick around. Your new lineups look interesting. Show like Flash Gordon looked interesting but failed, yet shows like Eureka started slow and valuted to a Buy the DVD favorite. Do take to heart the pickup of cult shows like Firefly. Or possible good remakes like Airwolf or Time Tunnel or whatever. Classics like BSG that people thought would be hookey and has been incredibly done.

Just think this out...the cable market is too broad to be snipping out core viewers for the the sake of bringing in others...on a maybe....

Two Words: New Coke.

I'm usually willing to give the new scripted shows on the network a chance. The miniseries have generally been of high quality, whereas the original movies have generally been crap. The scripted showed have been hit (BSG, Stargates) and miss (Flash Gordon, Painkiller Jane), but you'll have that on any network.

I'm surprised at the name choice SYFY. I do think it sounds stupid. In my humble opinion, a better network name hides in your lame new slogan "Imagine Greater." Why not just call the network Imagine? Lots of good connotations in a word like that. You could have all kinds of fictional entertainment with a speculative basis, whether science fiction, fantasy fiction, or wrestling fiction (because we ALL know it's staged).

One thing I've missed about the Sci Fi Channel is the reruns of short-run/classic shows (examples off the top of my head: Roar, Space: Above & Beyond, Misfits of Science, Mystery Science Theater 3000) that really deserve a second showing. You could devote one night to your new original scripted shows, one to your reality/wrestling garbage, one to movies, etc. This way you don't alienate those fans who've supported you by catering to their old-school ways, you attract new younger fans and female fans with your wrestling/reality stuff, etc. Everybody watches, everybody wins.

And you didn't have to pay me a dime for that solution. Just put out stuff worth watching or TIVOing and we'll hang around.

"SYFY." *snort* Channel management has been replaced by Pod People.

their marketing firm must be a bunch of idiots, I mean no matter that's it's spelled syfy it's still pronounced sci fi so most people will still associate it with science fiction.

either that or they'll read it as seefee, witch sounds to much like feces...

Name is awful and no amount of explaining can change that.
Dump it before you look more foolish...

I am not in favor of the stupid name change either. It seems as though many cable stations which started out decently or in time got better are turning into the horrid genre of reality tv which is the biggest turn off ever (case in point, A&E and BBC America are no longer on my channel guide). Another point, it is a bit of a slap in the face that most networks concentrate on bringing in the younger audience rather than trying to identify with the entire audience. I have seen good programs cancelled because even though ratings were high, the target audience was skewing older.

"SCI FI sounds very generic, sounds basic. Syfy sounds cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with." - this is the lamest thing I have ever heard. Plus, the so-called focus groups are not the viewers that turn in on a regular basis. What need should be looking at is the feedback on boards such as these as others for a clear viewpoint from their audience. Anyway, my viewing of the station is minimal at best. Good luck but it's gonna be a bumpy road.

I just wish they would do some retro stuff like Dark Shadows and Lost in Space again. I miss that stuff.

I thought I would care less, having pretty much abandoned the channel after seeing the cancellation of Farscape, Invisible Man, and a slew of other shows that Scifi Channel could have picked up and saved. However, "Syfy" is just a stupid name. Granted, calling them "skiffy" isn't much better, and I do that all the time. Still...stupid name.

Clearly a man who isn't incline to listen. He's inside a bubble that tells him YES to everything he suggests, and he sees no need to listen to 99% of his customers when the tell him he's full of *hit.

That 1% that thinks like he does is RIGHT, don't you see?

More monster-movies, more junk science, ghosts, slasher flicks and giant insects. Less IQ all around, in a trickle-down kind of way: witness wrestling.

Feh. Styfly, if you ask me.

Not as bad, though, as my car insurance company, which changed it's name from 21st century to "AIG Direct" 6 months ago. They just now changed back.

Wrestling???????????????????

Yeah...that's sci fi.

the whole thing is dumb. I am an older than middle age female and have always loved aspects of scifi. but wrestling isn't it, estate of panic sure isn't and Saturday nite movies are so bad that they isn't a grade low enough for them. I can't believe a station intent on keeping fans would have not made arrangements with the powers that be to continue Atlantis somewhere else. they forget that the baby boomers are the biggest population on the planet right now and have the most money. THEY are trying to get the every decreasing youth to come aboard. Most of the have their heads stuck in video games. while this is a place to discuss the name...truthfully reading through you will see that most people are just getting disgusted with Scifi and this whole name thing is just the final straw for many

BS!

What a politician!

Hmmm. Less (scif)i than the major networks does NOT equate to a dedication to good programming, of ANY genre. Take your head out of your "research" and actually pay attention to one of the largest responses ever on a website based on your own core programming.

And how young is young? I'm 27 and I do not watch that cr@p you call wrestling (although it is better than your idea of reality). You want my age group to watch your channel, put something on it that will appeal, or did they make a mistake with Smallville (let's see now, how many years of that is it?). Charmed? You ain't the only game in town, for sure.

When your stupidly named channel folds, you'll be doing an AIG and asking for a federal handout.

As a an Aussie friend would say . . . "what a tosser!"

As for the changes to the viewing public -- have you noticed the number of scifi themed movies and how much money they have made? I'd say the general public is a lot more aware of (and willing to spend money on) science fiction in general.

I think I could probably have been more clear about why I think the name change to "Syfy" demonstrates contempt for the core audience.

The new name tries to sound like the same thing, but at the same time distances the network from the term "sci-fi." This makes it seem like "sci-fi" is somehow distasteful.

It's kind of like wanting to, ahem, have your way with someone but not wanting to be seen with them in public, because that might scare away more "attractive" partners.

So in a way, it looks to me like "Syfy" functions as a perfect metaphor for itself.

Yeah, over 1000 comments, overwhelmingly negative, and you still choose to push forward? Come on, the math should tell you something there. And those comments from the focus group seem too good if you ask me. I'm sure they cherry-picked those comments to mention in this interview. I agree with other commenters in that simply changing the spelling changes nothing! It's still pronounced the same. If someone didn't like it before, they're not going to look at it now that it's respelled and go "gee, I'll watch it now!"

If they'd come up with a totally new name, I think we'd all be more OK with it. If they want to be "more inclusive", that's fine. Pick a name that suits that. Again, I think most of us would be fine with a totally new name that better suits the direction the channel wants to go. But a crappy spelling change? Come on...you owe us better than that.

I also HIGHLY agree with other comments here: drop the wrestling, drop the "giant bug/killer animal of the week" movies, improve the quality of your offerings.

Nobody really cares. Once BSG is off the air, watch the dropoff in viewership. I mean what's to watch? Giant slug movies on saturday night?

Sorry, Dave, but you really don't know your audience all that well.

It is funny that a network known for science fiction over 16 years can only give mention to green lighting 5 (BSG; or any variation, Stargate; or any variation, Eureka, Sanctuary, Warehouse 13) stable shows.

I Lost faith in the SyFy Channel (Polish definition) back when they did not renew The Dresden Files.

I honestly don't see why everyone is so upset about this. They simply want to create a more unique identity for themselves, but make sure everyone still knows what they're all about. The result, Syfy, is clever and works for both of those purposes.

This doesn't indicate any sort of change in what audience they're aiming for, and I have no idea how people are jumping to this conclusion. Honestly, I thought everyone had a little more business sense than that.

Hmmm. I should probably translate this for those not up on thier "corpspeak"

---

Question One: Why did you change your name in the first place? What's wrong with sci-fi?

Translation: "We have three or four shows and a period drama set on another planet comming up. Please don't leave us, old viewers."

Question Two: Isn't this just an excuse to put more shows on that aren't sci-fi?

Translation: "The people that make the decision don't have a clue of what "sci-fi" is, even after 16 years. We don't want any veiwers to challange that, so we're going to persue more non-fans. But instead of actually working to change the steriotype by producing quality sci-fi shows to bring these people in, we're simply going to "whitewash" the new programming to try to fool the old viewers a bit... after all, if it's on SyFy it must be "sci-fi"... err... whatever that is.

Question Three: How does changing your name help grow your business?

Translation: "We can't own the term "sci-fi" which means we can't send "cease-and-desist" letters against other outlets compeating with us. Here's some corporate non-queators to confuse the issue, But we can;t oen "sci-fi" and we want to make big money. And... in any case... puting the brand "Sci-Fi Channel" on things not sci-fi or tv/movie related wouldn't sell them."

Question Four: Why do you hate your core fan base? Don't you know we helped make your network a success? Why don't you want to be associated with us anymore?

Translation: "You have nothing on tape to prove we said everything, and we'll still market in the biggest venues. We will however continue to expandar are programming away from sci-fi becayse we all ready have you as watchers and now we want people not remorly interested in what you want. Please don't leave us until we reach our new goals and can drop the hastily applied venere of "sci-fi" from our dramas and reality shows.

Question Five: Then why did you say, "The name SCI FI has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular"?

Translation: "Boy, you guys got that out on that internet thingy real quick, didn't you? I said it, but I was just quoting someone else that said it before me, which makes it alright. We want to add more viewers, and me saying something like that would be bad reagrdless if they watch the channel or not."

Question Six: Did you do any research about the new name with sci-fi fans?

Translation: "Yes, and althought the majority of you felt it sucked, we had at least a few good things said so we could show them to the higher ups... so there!"

Question Seven: Do you know there are more than 1,000 comments on SCI FI Wire about the new name and that almost all of them are negative?

Translation: Wow... that's many? We love you guys... we really do.... really really... cross my fingers. We don;t care what you say, but we love you guys anyway! We talked to a lot of lawyers that finnaly figured out we can't own "Sci-Fi." Oh,,, here's a mention of Battlestar Galactic to try to distract you."

Question Eight: Without Stargate Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica on the network, what science fiction shows are left to watch?

Translation: "There's still Eurika... oh, and we got other stuff too, we got a show with a big space ship, and X-fil... err... a show about agents that investgate weird stuff, and a period-drama on another planet. An other stuff... It's not aired yet but we have it... um... around here somewhere. But it's SyFy... so it's sci-fi and cool!"

Question Nine: Is this just an excuse to put more wrestling on your channel?

Translation: "Of course not... all Vince gave us the rights to was the third tier show, and TNA won't return our calls."

Question Ten: You say you want your brand to be more female-friendly, but I'm a woman and I like the old name. Don't I count?

Translation: Sillly Bunny... of course you do! *playful pokess at your nose* But we know all you girls don't like that icky science stuff, so were going to add soap operase and cooking shows, you know... all the girl stuff. Now... go get daddy a gin-and-tonic while he reads the newspaper."

Question Eleven: Do you know what "syfy" means in Polish?

Tranlastion: Of coruse I do... I have the translation... right... here. Hmmm. (Pssst... Bonnie, did we know about this?). Heh... oh those silly Polishers. But it's ok... cause no one in the "modern" world speaks Polish anyway, right?

Question Twelve: Are you sure this isn't just an early April Fool's joke?

Translation: Don't you wis... err... I mean.. I'm sure!

---

End Translation 8D

This is just typical corporate America B.S.! I hate all of you execs, CEO's, and money hungry fools who have no creative ability whatsoever and cannot make decisions without "focus groups." You've already ruined the Sci-Fi Channel, just as people like you have ruined the place where I work. Both used to be fun, but people like you suck all of the joy out of life while you push paper and make more money. I hope this all backfires in your face and that you go out of business. Star Trek predicted that TV would come to an end. I've already cut my cable. Who else is with me?

You really do not understand your audience. In the quest to be cool you have damaged an established brand. There are other solutions to your problems without trashing the look and feel of the channel. It is not too late.

Haha, Ken, I love your comment however Warehouse 13 isn't like X-files. I read the pilot script. It's more like the painfully contrived off spring of Friday the 13th the series and The Dresden Files, with one Dresden actor and two of the cast members and including a revamped version of the ghost character from The Dresden Files only 'Now younger and attached to a wallet instead of a skull so he's hipper!'

This hurts my Dresden-fan-brain...

I meant to say one writer and two of the actors. I can't seem to type today.

I've been a big viewer of the channel for a very long time. However all these reality shows really turn me away, especially the fake ones (seems like all of em are fake). I don't watch wrestling either, and have always wondered why its on this channel. (That viewership thing answered that question) What's next? More Oxygen shows or lifetime shows to attract the older ladies? How about cultural media, such as BET or some of those popular South American soap operas? Lot of viewership to be gleaned from those types of media.

SciFi is SciFi, simply put. The name implies a definition. But you are changing it so all that history goes away.

Damage control perhaps??? I cant see how all those comment (90% negative at least) wouldnt give executives some concerns. Whoever marketed this change did not capture the thoughts of the core viewers.

Bottom line, I'm sticking around. I dont care what they name the channel. What's important to me is the shows and the quality of those shows. I'll give each one of these upcoming shows a chance, and if they dont interest me, I wont watch. If enough of us dont watch, ratings will go down and then someone will see where they went wrong.

Its all about choice. If youre not interested in what the SyFy channel has to offer, click that remote. Science fiction is everywhere, we dont need one channel to show us that. Its okay to go to Fox or BBC America to be entertained.

Thats my 2 cents...

I don't know how they can call Destination Truth a hit. On the amazon survey for best show on Scifi it has 0% of the votes. No one I know actually watches it. Where are they getting these stats from?

nothing wrong with startrek Enterprise the only reason i watch Scifi channel

I'm not a fan of Enterprise. I felt the writing was lacking and the morality of the 'heroes' turned my stomach in comparison to the moral compasses of earlier Star Trek captains.

I love it when a company announces one of their dumbest moves ever ... then see there is an uproar because everyone one calls it stupid ... then the company tells its audience that "they don't understand" in the dumbest marketing speak ever ... then everyone is in an uproar again. Just when sci-fi is considered cool ... they want to abandon their branding ... brilliant!

Even using the broad definition of science fiction that the channel uses, ECW doesn't belong on the SciFi Channel. Wrestling does not fit in with science fiction, horror, fantasy, speculative fiction, or the paranormal. I would like the SciFi channel president explain how it does.

This reminds me of when author Anne Rice wrote Blood Canticle and almost none of her loyal readers liked it. She went as far as to write a rebuttal to her fans saying it was 'a masterpiece' and we just don't like because 'we don't get it.' That's what this reminds me of...

Well. Locke, why is wrestling counted as speculative fiction? Umm... well, we can speculate how much of it is choreographed 'manly' dancing.

It's nice to see an explanation, however I'm very disappointed in the reasoning. The impression I'm left with based on my own viewing of the channel to date has been one of declining programming quality. The name change appears to be an attempt to appeal to the public that the channel is serious about change. An attempt that is based more on desperation more than sound logic on the core audience of people who love "Sci-Fi".

The bottom line is if you're a channel about "Science Fiction", then make it about Science Fiction and don't throw in the towel on your core audience group merely to increase the viewer numbers of other demographics and subject matter that were not in the purpose of the channel.

The repeated discontinuation of great series with great viewer records such as Farscape, Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis, and BSG point to channel management that is happily more willing to do what it takes to increase viewer numbers among non-science fiction loving fans instead of what it takes to increase viewer numbers of those interested in Science Fiction.

Changing the name is effectively the last task to throwing out the baby with the bath water.

This all and the name change both point to a very watered down lineup attempting to appeal more to non-science fiction fans than those who loved the channel to begin with.

I never demanded great programming from the channel, but to have great programs like Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, Farscape and BSG... and then switch schedules to cut them off at the ankles has always met with poor taste over the years.

It's clear that the demographic of even average, much less dedicated "Science Fiction" loving fans is NOT being entertained, period. I'm sure the analysis polls for programming show that true science fiction fans - the ones speaking out will likely not like it, and then just adapt simply because there isn't much else on television.

I'm here to tell you - Sci-Fi/SyFy channel management your demographics are wrong. I'm more interested in the Internet, and even reading a book than I am willing to sit here and watch watered-down programming.

After BSG Tonight - of which my wife and I were diehard fans we plan to simply not watch. In fact, this was our last reason for even keeping Cable TV. I consider our time valuable and we choose what we watch very carefully. If there isn't quality to generate interest, there isn't enough to turn on the power button.

In this Economy where budgets are tightening all across the nation, diluted quality science fiction programming on a channel for science fiction fans makes for a very, very LOUSY reason to keep watching.

Much less paying for poor quality television programming.

Hasta la`pasta Sci-Fi channel, and Cable TV.

- Gabe & Wife, Washington DC

They don't need to change their name to show fantasy. The first show they aired was Dark Shadows, a Gothic Soap about supernatural creatures. Do they think we've forgotten about Forever Knight, Highlander the series, She-wolf of London, Swamp Thing: The series, or all the other shows they USED to air in the nineties?

Mr. Howe,

By your own comments on the scheduling, I have absolutlely no reason to click on your soon to be hipper and cooler channel for the next 3+ months until Eureka finally comes back from its ridiculously long hiatus (no wait this was done because of the rebranding...right...). I use to watch your old stale unhip unbranded channel for 3 solid primetime hours ever Friday plus a few other hours now and then during the week (aka. Eureka on Tuesdays). Now you are lucky to get me for 1 hour a week and after today "0". Good luck with your ratings and advertising dollars.

P.S. SYFY is still an idioic brand name for a cable channel.

You should have left it with the SYFY portal website owner instead of paying him off for the name. SYFY as a website name is fine. People/companies name their websites in all kinds of nonsensical ways.

Lets check some other cable channel names:

USA Network: makes some sense being in the US
Comedy Central: OK, I understand that one
Cartoon Network: A 5 year can figure that one out
Food Network: wow is this one branded, sounds kind of vague to me
Travel Channel: simply stated
History Channel: man, my brain is starting to hurt trying to figure these out
SciFi Channel: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Supernatural, OK makes sense

SYFY: no wait hold on I'll get it
Science Fiction - well no Y's in there
Fantasy - well there is a F and Y in there
Supernatural - I do see an S
Wrestling - my brain is starting to hurt again

Good luck with your new brand....I'll watch Eureka on Hulu.....Goodbye at 10:00PM CST.

that ghost show is ignorant you should leave it for chiller and play something worth watching whatever you want to call yourself.

Okay, let's look at the list.

Reality shows:

Estate of Panic
Wrestling (if you can call that real)
Ghosthunters
Ghosthunters International
Ghosthunters college edition
The Cha$e
Scare Tactics
Destination Truth

Scifi / Fantasy / Horror:

Eureka
Stargate: Universe
that Battlestar Prequel
Warehouse 13 (Cough).

This is more The Reality show Network than anything else now. Hulu has more Scifi and fantasy than this. Hulu has all the shows Scifi abandoned. Beauty and the Beast, The Dresden Files, Highlander, Forever Knight, Legend of the Seeker... There's more Scifi and fantasy on Hulu and BBC America than on the actual Scifi channel. So long, Syfy. I'm watching Hulu.

I was raised on the Sci fi channel. I will be sad to see it go, but I think they took it out back and shot it a long time ago and then dragged it inside to be put on life support.
I hope that Syfy can prove me wrong, but I think the new name is just the nail in the coffin lid. I'll attend the funeral in the hopes that the channel manages to revive like a Highlander style immortal, but I don't hold out much hope. I understand wanting to broaden the horizon of program choices, but the main point of this channel was specialization, not generalization.

Oh, and by the way, adding the letter Y to a name doesn't make it any cooler than adding an X. There is a reason Wormhole X-treme was so funny.

"only about space, aliens and the future. (Those are the actual words many people use in focus groups.) They still only expect to see reruns of Star Trek on something called the SCI FI Channel."

er... yeah... What I don't expect to see - and will go out of my way to avoid - is wrestling, ghost-hunting crap, reality shows, infomercials and sword & sorcery with bad CGI that takes itself seriously. You keep showing that crap and I'll keep avoiding.

"ESPN and COKE are both powerful brands. But if they were called SPORTS or SODA, no one would know why they're different"

That's straight-up cart-before-the-horse nonsense there. Both of those started with the brand and built the reputation. To this day, people in some regions don't ask for soda, they ask for Coke - they don't care if their Coke is Ginger Ale or Pepsi. If someone tells you they watched something on SCI-FI, do you assume they meant Science or Discovery or National Geographic?

"impossible to effectively trademark the letters "s-c-i-f-i" anywhere in the world, which is becoming a bigger problem as we launch more and more SCI FI Channels around the globe"

Now you're pegging my feldercarbometer. You already broadcast in 15 discrete countries, only 2 of which are English-Speaking.

Basically, you paid some Madison Avenue MadMan an exhorbitant amount of money and "SYFY" was the best he could come up with because he wouldn't know Sci-Fi if he was the pivot-man at an Asimov-Bradbury-Clarke circle-jerk.

Babylon 5 figured it out. Trek had it figured out but forgot it. Irwin Allen and Steven Speilberg thought they could bluff their way through. But until you honor the fans and honor all the Sci-Fi that came before, be it 'Forbidden Planet' or 'Attack of the Killer Tomatoes', it won't matter what you call yourselves.

Why must they continue to blow smoke up our butts'?

Actually, Thanatos I HAVE to disagree. Scifi as a channel was originally marketed to entail science fiction, fantasy (sword and sorcery stuff), and supernatural horror. These were the three categories covered on their news show, Scifi Buzz. The first show they ever aired was Dark Shadows which dealt with witches, ghosts, vampires, werewolves...

Fantasy was ALWAYS a part of Scifi. It's not new. Most of their original line up was fantasy to do with magick and supernatural creatures. They're pretending it's a new edition to the channel to justify the change? Does no one even remember the 'I am Scifi' commercial where they got Anne Rice (Author of The Vampire Chronicles, and Lives of the Mayfair Witches) to turn into a flock of black birds? That was back when the channel was new. Yes to fantasy, no to the name change and NO to wrestling.

SCI FI sounds very generic, sounds basic. Syfy sounds cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with.

right. I'll bet you a million dollars that no one really said that - instead, I think it more likely that that and the other so called "real quotes from real people" are what this once great but now diseased and dying network want people to say about the name change. If the SCI FI channel really wants to keep it's viewers here are a few suggestions -

1. STOP wasting time and money on those horrible Saturday movies, invest it instead in a mature, scripted science fiction show.
2. Stop the awful "reality" shows. They are a waste of time, money and bandwidth.
3. Pick up great scifi shows that sometimes get cut from the other networks such as The 4400, Firefly, Invasion, Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles (if it does get canceled).
4. Create and air more shows with the mature, realistic feel of Battlestar Galactica - Caprica looks ok, but everyone has gone out of their way to say that the show doesn't involve space travel - clear up with a public announcement where and how this show fits in with Galactica (if there are 12 colonies before the cylon war, then there must be space travel before the cylones were made.)
5. Fire whoever ran the focus groups to research reaction to the network name change - they either lied to you or happened to get a batch of exceptionally idiotic people.
*****
i second that.

And I have a confession to make. When the few shows I'm actually interested were over on the scifi channel I would leave the room but leave the channel on. I have contributed to the "wrestling" and F- movie ratings in this way. I just had my friend kick me in the nuts as punishment for this obviously stupid move. If necessary I will do so again, just lemme know.

"Why do you hate your core fan base? Don't you know we helped make your network a success? Why don't you want to be associated with us anymore?

Howe: This is a total misperception, and none of us at the channel have ever said this"

SURVEY SEZ!!!???!!!

X X X

You say it every time you show something that's not remotely SF&F. You say, 'We don't care what you think. We're making money hand over fist. Girls like the ghosty thing. Kids like the homo-erotic touchyfeely gruntfest."

Shut up and show the first season of Torchwood uncut.

Mandy - Please note my complete statement, "sword & sorcery with bad CGI that takes itself seriously". I love Krull, Beastmaster and Conan II as much as the rest and I grew up on the original run of Dark Shadows.

I knew Sci-Fi was going to crap when they canned Sciography.

Cause their minds are made up, and nothing we can say (or type) can change it...

Only actions and consequences... wait 6months after the change and see what happens...

Also it seems this move is to attract a younger pre-teenage audance. Before it was 20+.

Hmmm when did teens or pre-teens have any money to go out and buy the products your sponsors are trying to sell..

Give the people with the money the programming we desire.

Or lay down in the dust...

Thanks

Kirk (age 24)

Programming idea. Run a marathon weekend of sci-fi shows that didn't make it as series. Try and get all the sci-fi pilots that didn't air (or were on TV one time) for the past 25 years and show them in one shot.

Sorry, Thanatos, I didn't mean to jump to conclusions. As a science fiction fan, the condescension in this article left me defensive.

Kirk, when The Dresden Files wasn't rewened (despite being the third highest rated show on Scifi) the excuse given was we were the wrong demographic, we older women (I'm twenty-seven, I guess I'm over the hill...) They wanted younger boys though with Battlestar Galactica they were boasting about finally getting older females. It seems the lie is revealed adn they still only want young boys.

As a advertising/marketing professional who has worked with the branding company that was used, all that was posted in this supposed interview was spin. There is so little truth here that it is appalling. The few quotes from the so-called "core" audience are not representative.

Paranormal may be speculative and as a reality show it barely fits. Wrestling does not fit at all.

How about the American slang for "siffy" which was the first thing I saw with Syfy? It had the same venereal disease meaning as in Polish! Common usage in this country.

You shouldn't try to cover up the various failings with this load of easily disprovable garbage.

Oh, Ms. Hammer has more than one been quotes saying that she does not understand what sci-fi really is, and has been know to disparage people who tried to explain it to her. She stated several years ago that the channel should be more "general interest". Why should anyone believe you, since the facts say different?

You people are stupid, self-centered, and old fashioned! I'm not talking about the channel either. Its just a name change, its still pronounced the same. I completely understand why they did it, I have no problem with it at all. I've been watching the channel from day one as well, i'm 32 y/o, and yeah, I find the whole misspelling thing annoying, but its really not as bad as all of you are making it out to be. They will show all the great shows and I dont think they have pushed its fanbase to the side. I love Sci-Fi, paranormal, and fantasy films, I see nothing wrong with most of what they show on there channel (except to the ECW thing, but they've got have other pograms). Its like when VH1 and MTV use to be music videos all day long, then it slowly went to shows. People will pick apart anything that is different, no matter which why this channel went, some one wouldn't be happy. Start a forum and mention things YOU"D like to see, and I bet you get a lot of negitive responses as well. I really haven't watched much of the BSG series, and as for SG, I lost touch after the first series went out, but you dont see me doggin SyFy cause they are trying something different. I love the shows they have to offer like GH, GHI, Ultimate Gamers, Cha$e, EoP, and I think I catch Outter limits on there as well. So go ahead, throw your apples and oranges, throw your temper tantrums, go hide under your parents bed, scream and cry as much as you like. SyFy, did what they needed to do, and there is nothing you can do about it, if you stop watching, two more will take your place and start watching. I for one give them a thumbs up and look forward to the content they now with the new name will be able to create, I would love to see some games made by SyFy. So come back from the 5th dimention on the other side of that wormhole and stop pouting!
Peace!

Here's a challenge to "Syfy", why don't you show your dedication to the science fiction audience by running the occasional science news programming like your network did years ago instead of trash like professional wrestling? Something that actually educates as well as entertains?

Borg03of77,

Ok it looks like your one of the few people i know who tune into scifi (soon to be syfy) for the Reality BS - IE gamer crap, ghost hunters and so forth.

Glad you like it.

But most of us dont.. and now that few programs we did like and what made us tone in are gone.

So keep enjoying the kids playing games and the people looking for "ghosts", ill be watching LOST the last true airing SCIFI show on tv...

Cheers

Kirk

Borg, your name really suits you...

And Ken, I still miss Scifi Buzz...

I don't like it. I understand your stated wish to have a "brand-able" name you can trademark, but this name smacks of iliteracy. I think we have had quite enough of bad grammer, slang, & pidgeon-English.

Anything that get rid of wreseling, those stupid fake ghost and monster shows is a good thing. We need more well written science fiction, fantasy, fantasy horror, on tv. Maybe a Animated adult show that uses Heinlein stories as scripts. Would be an amazing hit!! A weekly SciFi fantasy show about Pulp, graphic novels, books games, anime would be a great addion.

Kirk, no really I dont care for reality shows at all, I can't stand Big brother or American Idol. But these are gameshows, Cha$e and EoP are over an hour after they are aired, just like price is right, they are gameshows! You know you can't please everyone, but they are giving it a try. So what you are saying is that they need to listen to your needs and your needs alone?
Mandy, I'm not sure to take that in a good way or bad way yet.
SouthPaw, you and a lot of people think the GH and GHI is fake. This company was around before they started doing these shows, and if it were fake, don't you think they would find something ever episode and make it exciting ever episode? I've seen a lot of episodes where they find nothing are are able to disprove everthing, hell one episode they even figured out the guys that owned the place rigged it up to seem like it was haunted. Just because you dont believe and have never had a personal experience, does not mean the rest of us have to follow suit.

Borg,

No im not saying that, but looking at what others are posting and so forth i think im part of the majority, if im not well then I'll keep quiet.

But i mean come on... Game shows! Game shows?!!

Wrestling....???? Wrestling?!!!

"What were they thinking"

Syfy FTW

Kirk

Either way, Borg, this is not the channel for game shows. There IS a Gameshow Network. And right now games shows and reality shows greatly out weigh scifi and fantasy.

Reality shows:

Estate of Panic
Wrestling (if you can call that real)
Ghosthunters
Ghosthunters International
Ghosthunters college edition
The Cha$e
Scare Tactics
Destination Truth

Scifi / Fantasy / Horror:

Eureka
Stargate: Universe
Battle star prequel
Warehouse 13

Frick it. I'm a huge hipocrit. I'm going to continue to support this channel because it's the only outlet for me on TV. Lost is for people with short attention spans that can't put two and two together and heros has way to many characters to get attached to. Even though the Scifi Channel has made some questionable calls in the past and present it needs to remain on TV and if you are a true fan of Science fiction and the unexplainable than you will deal with the branding change. All successfull businesses need to adapt and change with the times and so do it's consumers or viewers in this case. Deal.

Kirk, as far as I know the Wrestling has been on the channel for a while now, not that I care for it at all. But you can make gameshows out of Sci-fi material, and that is what they have done, I find them enjoyable, infact, I got a co-worker interested in watching the Sci-fi soon to be SyFy, due to EoP. I'm not trying to say they are makeing the best choices, I'm saying that people are going to bitch no matter what. If they were to take away all the so called "un-sci-fi" related material and play just space shoot'ems. People would still complain. I've just started to read posts on different things on SyFy and also about games. All the negitivity, people will never be happy. If a game looks great, has a great storyline, and all the elements are awsome, they will find something wrong with it. It never ends.

Thanks mandy,

Thats exactly the point i was trying to make, and thats another reason why i think they thought "syfy" would be a better fit then scifi.

All they are do is alienating their "paying" viewers.

Is this just an excuse to put more wrestling on your channel?

Howe: ECW has successfully brought new younger viewers to our channel. We have no plans to increase the amount of wrestling on the channel.

Let the little kiddies have their wrestling and video game shows; until mommie and daddie decide to drop their channel because BSG and SGA went the way of the dinosaur.

I don't care what you name your Channel!! But if it's supposed to be a genre channel =Keep it Genre!!!!
I am a Woman and I have watched the Sci-fi channel since it started.. Un-till the past couple of years.. It was on in my house most of the Day. -Re-peats of older shows as well as New ones, if it fell into the -Sci-fi/Fantasy/Horror genre.. Then allot of them were gone.. Farscape/Stargate/ Battlestar. Now we do not watch any Reality based shows . We can get enough of that garbage on the other channels.. And Wrestling,, Please!!! How does that belong here? And ending Atlantis.. So they can start up Universe.. Because it was cheaper to start a new show.. And Battlestar gone after 4 seasons? Why would I invest any of my time to start watching one of your new series? You guys are going to be as bad as Fox soon as far as canceling series!!!
I just don't see you trying to please your original Core fans.. That helped you make this channel

These are though genre specific gameshows, and they only have a few. These shows you mention are not shown every day. They do not overtake the channel, ESPN has there genre specific gameshows.
MTV has there genre specific gameshows. As well as all these channels have there genre specific reallity shows, why show the SyFy channel not carry their genre specific shows? They have to appeal to people that like those kinda shows with the sci-fi twist.

The name really doesn't matter. Remember when Sci-Fi first started, they aired a whole bunch of reruns of SF shows that no one had seen in awhile (and some no one still wanted to see). There's crap on Sci-Fi for sure (about 90% of the original movies, wrestling, Flash Gordon was horrifyingly bad), but there's good stuff (BG, SG, Eureka - though I don't watch it, the Dune mini-series). Honestly, I can't believe the importance you are putting on the name. MTV never changed its name...it turned crappy on its own. Radio stations change their type of music. It happens. Don't judge the book by its cover.

Hey Borg

I guess we all need to follow your mantra.....

"Strength is irrelevant. Resistance is futile. We wish to improve ourselves. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service ours."

Wrong.......Fire Photon Torpedoes! Goodbye SciFi......

You know I actively campaign to my friends and family to watch the horrible original movies because they are so bad that it's funny. Rock Monster anyone? Why don't people like ghost hunters? But also, why does there need to be a college addition?? is if for the people in college ho can't get laid so they watch that instead of getting laid?

I'm not surprised in the least that Dave Howe continues not to see the forest for the trees. What ever focus group of "core viewers" he's talking about either has no idea that this board exists to claim responsibility or THEY simply do not exist. It could also be that they came from the same stock of fans like Borg, which is quite typical of how "focus groups" lack the randomness that they should have. I was hoping that Mr. Howe would look at those 1000 plus posts and have a sudden "ah-ha" moment, but he's obviously more beholden to his marketing staff and shareholders who see the money in televising the type of mind numbing drivel that has left our children to wade in the shallow end of the intelligence pool. I suppose it's ok to show wrestling and reality shows since neither are actually real. Each comes with a certain level of scripting which makes them just as much fiction as anything else on the network. Tonight, the last true to the core Sci Fi production on this network will air. Caprica has zero appeal to me just in it's casting and Stargate Universe is already doomed to disaster by association. The franchise has been fractured and there is little that the wiz kids of SyFy can do to save it. It was a fun ride, Mr. Howe, but the horrid excuses of movies you've pumped out the last few years in the name of "entertainment" have made many of your core viewers leave your network to be replaced by those who actually think that crap has enough value to justify getting drunk and throwing cheese at the tv. It's also a shame that after perhaps another 1000 or so posts to this little PR ploy of yours, you still won't get it. But, that's ok. When you get fired in a couple of years because you're obsolete just like your core fans...just like the programming that made this network what it is....maybe....just maybe, you'll "get it" then.

That my dear was not a personal insult. I said stupid people, that is a generalization that people who type ignorant things shouldn't type at all. If he took it personal, it just proved my point even more.

Borg, Estate of Panic has nothing to do with fantasy or Science fiction. Neither does Cha$e or Wrestling. Or Scare Tactics for that matter (AKA 'Let's frighten some poor sap with a heart condition and get sued, woohoo!'). You sound like an executive struggling to justify his decisions.

What the heck is this crap

"Your comment has been received and held for approval by the blog owner."

We now have to have permission to comment on these posts.... Wow....

If this kind of stuff is going to continue to persist on this site you might as well forgot about me returning to this website period.

Borg, some of us are not stupid. Some of us have superior intellects and IQs bordering on genius. An under the table insult is still an insult. 'If he took it personal, it just proves my point' contradicts your previous statement that it was a generalization and not a personal attack. Otherwise there's no way his taking it personally could prove your point.

If we're going to call a spade a spade let's face the cold, harsh reality as to why the Scifi channel is doing so many game shows and reality shows... The answer is it's cheaper than hiring writers. And even if you only have about one twentieth the viewers a scripted show would have then you still are earning back more than you spent. It's about money. It's about cheapening something that was already cheap and losing all trace of the network's integrity.

I am by far, not an executive, and although it is stretching it, these shows do have a hint of sci-fi in them. The creepiness of EoP, that fact that Cha$e was pulled from the idea of a game, with a gameboard in mind and all, and the equipment they use to get away from the hunters. I'll agree that wrestling has nothing to do with Sci-Fi, I never said it did, in fact if you look in my past post, that is one of the shows I never watch. Scare Tactics... they have episodes they do with a sci-fi spin, and with a lot of decent speical effects. I justify for no one, but isn't it stupid that people are making such a big deal out of this? Life goes on, it did when all things Star Trek were pulled from the TV, it did after what some say was the worst Star Wars movies were made. If you don't like whats on, stop watching, simple. Ratings go down and either they change for they shut down.

"Your comment has been received and held for approval by the blog owner."

I have been getting that all day on very random and innocuous posts. I tried replying to another comment on the Hugo awards article about five times adn not one version went through. There wasn't a word of foul langauge or personal attack and it was on topic with one of the nominations. This is blatant censorship, picking and choosing what can get through. etu Scifi wire?

I perceive SyFy as a form of lazy slang just as one who would say, "What's Up" now says, "Wassup." Also with how people use the word, "like" every fifth word or during a pause of breath (Like, duh, you know) .
And somehow that is more 'cool', popular and cutting edge.

Well that is of course the spin to "Dumbing Down."

I would like to say that the name change would not bother me, however with a SyFy water-mark always present in a corner, that will just drive me nuts and no longer watch the channel. A visualization, like, listening to two valley girls in a like, deep conversation, you know.

I quit satellite and cable because sci-fi isn't sci fi. they are a predatory buch of money grubbers that care not for scince fiction and want to cheapen the channel for reality shows.

Don't worry sci fi - I'm the wrong demographic you keep canceling series for. Middle aged, lots of disposible cash, and the dresden files got killed anyway.

When the Sci-Fi Channel first started transmitting, I bought and installed a C-Band satellite dish just prior to the air date....because I wanted to pick-up the network that I had dreamed about.
I remember sitting on a crate in the front lawn, lining up the dish, watching 'Star Wars' as the channel premiered. I remember thinking, "No more watching sci-fi in bits and pieces: now we fans have our OWN channel.".

At that time, Sci-Fi was about 85% true sci-fi programing. I could live with a few monster of the week movies, because along with it came many of the old shows and movies that were representative of the term, 'Science-Fiction', as well as new programming that kept me tuned in.
(SG-1: only show I have the complete boxed set of....kinda lets you know what I prefer, doesn't it?)

Now, just to get the rare program that fits that bill, I've got to put up with shows like Ghost Hunters, which has to be the most boring program ever to waste film footage, C-grade monster movies, and ECW.

I mean, really now....ECW?

Does anyone see wrestling programing on the Chiller Channel? Or Sleuth? I've yet to see one minute of wrestling on the History Channel. And do you notice?
Every one of the channels I've just mentioned sticks to the definition of its trademark name.

Unhappily, Sci-fi lost that focus years ago, and has slid toward generic, bland programing ever since.

I guess it really doesn't matter what name you guys want to use now.

'Cause you haven't really been 'Sci-Fi' in a long, long time.

its all about what mandy thinks

I think Sy Fy is stupid. I propose we all boycott Sci FI Channel. I would suggest that we boycott GE and all other companies under GE. I do think that would be a lot of work, because GE owns many many companies. Most people would not go that far. I will, and anyone who will boycott GE with me. good for you, and anyone who would say boycotting GE is stupid, Frak you. But at the very lease I think that we should all boycott SCI FI Channel. I believe that this is not a good idea to change the name to something that is really FRAKING STUPID. And I just wanted to say to everyone at SCIFI FRAK YOU YOU STUPID FRAKERS. anyone want to help in the boycott email me lothar6996@gmail.com. I would like to start a web site asap to help support the cause

Ok, I'll by the reasoning for a name change.

However, Syfy is one of the most idiotic names I could imagine changing the name to. People really get paid to come up with this stuff? Plus, it really destroys all your reasoning beyond trademark issues. Syfy is going to expand your audience how?

No expansion, plus more true sci-fi fans jumping ship over more evidence of the failure of leadership at the network equals a huge net loss.

I thank you for giving BSG a season to finish up, but that's really the only good decision I can point to that you guys have made in a long while. (Of course, the fact that you even put the creators in a position where they had to ask for another season, rather than being able to count on your continued long term support, was in itself mind bogglingly lame).

I think there is an inherent problem with having people of only average intelligence run a network aimed at an intelligent audience...

go home mandy .....

Enterprise is a great show!!!!

I agree with Forested, I don't believe that any intelligent person would come up with sy fy. that is just as stupid as people saying dawg instead of dog.

ctmm, what are you talking about? I do NOT post on aliases! When I post here I use just one name and it IS my name. I may become as notorious as Oscar Wilde but I would never, ever take on an alias where I already have an established identity. I have a thing this channel lacks, integrity. Never question it's presence with me. It's highly offensive.

It's great when a network listens to its customers. I mean, a focus group is obviously smarter, more in tune with the viewer demographic than the viewers that wrote comments saying that syfy is a terrible name.

Syfy just makes me think of sippy cups. Will you market unspillable syfy cups too? That may be handy because we're obviously morons and probably lack the motor skills to manage drinking.

We just don't "get" the value of your rebranding. And I'm sure that you have several people wandering around the office saying things like "At the end of the day it'll bring a lot of value to the table." That's probably wonderful because you know that they are actually dumber than you and therefor you have no competition.

However, a smart marketer listens to his customers and the customers are screaming that syfy is a dumb name and by extension, you make us feel dumb for watching the channel.

We were just nerdy before but now we're dumb and clumsy, sitting around drinking watered-down sci fi from syfy cups.

I don't care how you spin it from a marketing angle (and ironically, the marketing logic does make some sense), it still remains that the end result of all the money and thought you guys put into the rebranding is a silly name that won't ever feel connected to the very content you're pushing. Sorry guys, I know it sucks to hear it, but you blew it with SyFy. Go back to the drawing board.

Forested is not me. I only take credit for things I have said. Mandy. It's short. It's simple. It's me.

ctmm seems to have this personal grudge and thinks I'm everyone else here... Wow, I didn't realize I had that many voices in my head! I'm not insane enough, nor do I have enough time or resources, to post hundreds of messages under aliases complaining about the change from Scifi to Syfy.

By Borg03of77 at 10:17 PM ON 03/20/09

"You people are stupid, self-centered, and old fashioned!"

Um, how is that NOT supposed to be taken as a personal insult? Just because you directed the comment at more than one person doesn't mean it was "general". It shows you were too lazy to take the trouble to name names.

"I'm not talking about the channel either. Its just a name change, its still pronounced the same. I completely understand why they did it, I have no problem with it at all. I've been watching the channel from day one as well, i'm 32 y/o, and yeah, I find the whole misspelling thing annoying, but its really not as bad as all of you are making it out to be."

The problem with most of us isnt THAT they're changing their name. It's WHAT it's being changed TO. I wouldn't appreciate being a fan of a channel that has a name homographs of slang for "syphylis" or "sh*t". Would you name your daughter "Culan"? I know 2 people with the name and hate it because its slang for a womans butt. The OTHER problems we have I'll address later.

"They will show all the great shows and I dont think they have pushed its fanbase to the side. I love Sci-Fi, paranormal, and fantasy films, I see nothing wrong with most of what they show on there channel (except to the ECW thing, but they've got have other pograms)."

Have you SEEN any of the original movies? I defy you to find one thing RIGHT with "Showdown at Area 51", "Ogre" or "SS Doomtrooper". I've filmed better myself in my back yard. And DON'T give me some line of BS about it being expensive, as the entire production cost of some of the things I'VE done is $0. Realize this means they crap scifi has been showing lately is below ZERO budget films. If you want proof of this I have every intention of adding some of my videos to scifi4me.com not long after it launches.

"Its like when VH1 and MTV use to be music videos all day long, then it slowly went to shows."

EXACTLY a major point we're complaining about. And HAVE been for YEARS. But somehow you apparently don't realize this.

"People will pick apart anything that is different, no matter which why this channel went, some one wouldn't be happy."

True, but a network should try to appeal to its largest number of current fans, not try to appeal to imaginary fans it doesn't have.

"Start a forum and mention things YOU"D like to see, and I bet you get a lot of negitive responses as well."

Makes no sense. Don't HAVE to start a forum as everything the main fanbase of the Scifi Channel wants to see has been posted REPEATEDLY on THIS SITE because THIS SITE was supposed to exist to a) Give us news on the goings on in the scifi world, and b) Act as a way for the people who run the network to get feedback on the news they post. To tell us to start our own forum is ignorant and would be pointless as the Channel would pay less attention to posts on a newly created forum than they already do HERE, which frankly they don't do enough as is. If you want to know what the "stupid, self-centered, old-fasioned" people WANT on their scifi channel, I can refer you to 8 years worth of complaints between this site and sci-fi.com.

Or I can sum it up in 5 words here. More QUALITY SCIENCE FICTION programming.

"I really haven't watched much of the BSG series, and as for SG, I lost touch after the first series went out,"-

Well I suppose as a Science Fiction fan who apparently hasn't watched the 2 most popular and best written shows on the network in the last 5 years you MUST be MORE than qualified to tell US what WE should want. Thank you, I'd forgotten I wasn't allowed to make that opinion for myself or voice my displeasure on a public forum intended for that very purpose...-

"but you dont see me doggin SyFy cause they are trying something different. I love the shows they have to offer like GH, GHI, Ultimate Gamers, Cha$e, EoP, and I think I catch Outter limits on there as well."

ONE an example of quality scifi programming, and even THAT was preceded by an "I THINK".

"So go ahead, throw your apples and oranges, throw your temper tantrums, go hide under your parents bed, scream and cry as much as you like."

Ah, back to belittling are we?

"SyFy, did what they needed to do,"-

WANTED to do. They are among the few channels that showed an INCREASE in overall ratings and profit since this recession started. To imply that they are hurting for money is ignorance.

-"and there is nothing you can do about it, if you stop watching, two more will take your place and start watching."

I doubt it. And if it DOES happen it'll be because of the 35 extra broadcast locations they say they're picking up. To assume they wouldn't have the same problems we do would be stupid, and so those "additional viewers" dont count towards your total.

"I for one give them a thumbs up and look forward to the content they now with the new name will be able to create, I would love to see some games made by SyFy."

I'd LOVE to see some good games come from the SciFi Channel. And in fact they are making money off of games right now. I know for a fact that there is at least 2 BSG based board games with the "untrademarkable" SciFi logo right on the box. And quite a few soundtracks, all of which I own. Legally. To help SUPPORT the idea that we want SciFi on the SciFi Channel. All of which can also be found @ Scifi.com. So don't try to call some bs about them not being able to profit from their own merchandise.

"So come back from the 5th dimention on the other side of that wormhole and stop pouting!"

Really? And you claim to be a science fiction fan..."

"Peace!"

If you meant that you wouldn't have made such an obvious attack in the first place.

FWIW, I participated in an online survey some time back about this rebranding to SyFy and I responded in the survey that I thought it was stupid. And I still do. I can understanding the branding issue....I just don't feel that SyFy as a choice though is respectful to fans. I just don't get it.

alaethancar,
Good job, you were able to disect everthing I've written and given "YOU"RE" point of view on it. CONGRATS, I stand by what I've said, not matter how much you picke it apart. No I wasn't lazy to go get the names of everyone, because everyone also included posts I've read from different subjects that I'm not going to bother putting on these boards. Hence calling a gereralization of stupidity from all the different threads I've read over the past week I've started reading them. I doubt you've made movies in your backyard for $0, why dont you make it more believeable and just say under $10, I was going to say nothing about cost, I don't care about any of that. I watch what I want to watch on that channel then I turn it to what I want to watch on another. Do you keep your channel on Sci-Fi 24/7? I am a big fan of Sci-Fi and not just of Star Trek. I knew when I posted on here I'd get lashed back at, and I was looking for a good constructive debate. Instead I get people trying to tell me how smart they are and how they can do better sci-fi home movies on less budget. Those remarks don't even deserve a answer back. I know a lot of boarder genius people, they don't go around rubbing other peoples faces in it.

I used to keep my TV on scifi at all times... back in the nineties and the early part of 2007...

I think whoever think up the name SyFy is doing a favor to the fans of SciFi. Knowingly the programming be watered down, he/she does not want the good name SCI-FI be tarnished. And I think he/she probably is Polish, hence thinking/associating of the future programming with the name SyFy… :-)

I participated in several of those surveys. I expressed my disinterest in the paranormal shows and wrestling, yet I don’t think my opinions were valued.

I no longer feel loyalty to the network because the network obviously does not respect and value its core audience. I'm not convinced of any of the reasoning behind this change. In fact, I'm disappointed and insulted. It’s just more of NBC wanting to own and control all its productions.

I must be abnormal because I'm a female and I like science fiction in the traditional sense; it must have SCIENCE in it, not giant snakes, wrestlers or plumbers pretending to be ghost hunters. I appreciate that SciFi presented the Stargate shows and Battlestar Gallactica. I want more of that; that is what I want and nothing more.

In the future, I'll look for well produced science fiction. If you don't have it, I won't watch. I’ll only support the products that buy commercial time on those shows. I'll do my best to ignore your new name because it's...embarrassing.

And as for your junk shows, and badly produced movies, you might as well add the Jerry Springer show to your schedule.
It's all the same to me.

I'll tell you what, bring back Farscape and I won't care what you call it.

Farscape... god i miss that show.

Yea lets cancel farscape save some dough and put on stuff about fake ghosts and "scare factor" eww

Looks like thier PR Q and A failed again...

90% people still think its a bad idea and the majority of syfy programming is below par (me included)

Kirk

In science fiction circles, Sci-Fi was often used as a pejorative to describe B movies and pulp fiction, the term SF was usually used to describe serious works of science fiction. Perhaps someone who wants to create a channel for serious science fiction could create the SF Channel as a competitor for the SyFy Channel.

Believe me,Locke, if I had the money I'd do it. And I'd air all the old shows Scifi used to have in rerun.

I'd bring back fun things like Scifi Buzz and World Wide Weird and the October Season of the Undead.

Who needs a PR deptmartment?

Just set up a website like this and read what viewers feel.

Save you a ton of money... and you will get accurate information.

Locke, syfy channel hasnt been like that in a long long time.

Any one who says they are going to change a name because they asked "tech savy" people that its easyier to text syfy then scifi man, all i can say is wow just wow.

Thanks for responding to feedback!

I'm just surprised that SyFy was the best thing you came up with as a name. I understand the idea of rebranding, but I almost think it would have been better to go with a completely different name, rather than a rather bizarre spelling of the existing one.

Of course, I still think the "Imagine Greater" slogan is terrible, and that getting rid of the Saturn logo is a mistake, but if you want to start building the idea that SciFi's not just about space and planet's, perhaps the logo would be the first thing to go. But "Imagine Greater"?

As an English major and a female sci-fi geek, here are my objections:

1) Neither the word "science" nor the word "fiction" has a Y in it! Therefore, "SyFy" makes no sense.

2) How is rebranding yourself with a name that you pronounce exactly like the old name a rebranding at all?

3) You cancel perfectly good shows after half a season (or only buy half a season to start), show really bad shows the rest of the time, and think that the way to gain more viewers is a NAME CHANGE?!

4) The only reason to watch you is that you're the only US channel that shows current Doctor Who episodes, and even that isn't a reason anymore because I have a friend in the UK who records the episodes 2-3 weeks before they're shown here and sends them to me.

Sorry Howe, you fail. After the finale of BSG, I removed SciFi from my channel listings. The station has been going downhill for years, with the stupid "reality" ghost programming, the moronic addition of wrestling, the cancellation of Farscape, and the useless giant, mutant snake of the week movies.

I no longer give a damn about this channel.

If the name changes, I'll bet there will be a boycott. Hmm, maybe I just started something. ;-)

'You cancel perfectly good shows after half a season'

Hmm... Me thinks I'm not the only Dresden Files fan bitter here.

Also Mad, don't bother with Doctor who on the Scifi Channel. They cut out roughly five minutes an episode. The entire funny 'I can't decide' number was cut from Last of the Time Lords.

The SciFi Channel is officially dead... long Live The SyFy Channel.. NOT! TV sucks all day every day. Screw it its back to books.. the only place where real sci-fi, supernatural & fantasy themes will never die.

SCI FI sounds very generic, sounds basic. Syfy sounds cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with."

THAT'S THE BIGGEST BUNCH OF BS I'VE EVER HEARD!!!

Ooo... fun. I LOVE people who want to debate.

By Borg03of77 at 1:44 AM ON 03/21/09

" alaethancar,
Good job, you were able to disect everthing I've written and given "YOU"RE" point of view on it."

Mine and the general fanbase of the scifi channel. But thank you for admitting that I'm capable of enough thought to HAVE my own thoughts. I think the rest of the people angry with scifi for their constant bad decisions deserve credit of their own too, but I'll take what I can get.

"CONGRATS, I stand by what I've said, not matter how much you picke it apart."

To each their own. Frankly if you had changed your opinion simply because of what ONE PERSON had to say about it I'd have lost a great deal of respect for you. I obviously dont agree with you, but at least you like I am willing to stand up for what you believe in. However I still stand by my opinion that Scifi needs to LISTEN when so much of it's fanbase is dead-set against their plan. Not to do so IS a disservice to its fans whether you see it that way or not.

"No I wasn't lazy to go get the names of everyone, because everyone also included posts I've read from different subjects that I'm not going to bother putting on these boards."

Why are you including OTHER subjects here? This is about the stupidity of what Scifi has done over the last decade or so. Apparently not relavent anyway, but I find the turn of phrase interesting.

"Hence calling a gereralization of stupidity from all the different threads I've read over the past week I've started reading them."

Still not a generalization. It was a direct insult at those complaining. If you'd meant otherwise you'd have said otherwise.

"I doubt you've made movies in your backyard for $0, why dont you make it more believeable and just say under $10, I was going to say nothing about cost, I don't care about any of that."

Saying I spent money for the movies would be lying. I didn't. I don't HAVE the money to waste. Everything was borrowed and I have totally free editing/vfx software and am more than capable of doing those things myself. Again, if you want proof you'll need a Scifi4me.com account when the site opens. Anyone interested in how I did it check out the book "Make Your Own Damn Movie".

" I watch what I want to watch on that channel then I turn it to what I want to watch on another. Do you keep your channel on Sci-Fi 24/7?"

Used to. And as I said earlier if you bother to read the posts, still do have a habit of doing so. No longer intentionally and I'm making a point of stopping as of 4 days ago. But I DID USED to and I DID have periods of 24+ hours of hanging out with my friends watching it.

"I am a big fan of Sci-Fi and not just of Star Trek. I knew when I posted on here I'd get lashed back at, and I was looking for a good constructive debate."

But you refuse to point out how any of my constructive comments are wrong? Not much for debate are you? Otherwise you wouldnt be offended by someone who manages to flat point out the flaws in your argument. You complained, I rebutted, your turn to tell me where I'm wrong. Apparently you missed ALL the major points of my post, which are that MOST of the scifi channel fanbase wants;

1) More scifi oriented shows. This can be anything that REASONABLY falls in the genre. I'll give it horror/fantasy and even paranormal.

2) Entertaining, high quality, mind engaging writing IN those shows. I know you love the "game shows" and I'm not saying get rid of them. But prime-time, high quality material they ARE NOT.

3) Scifi Original Movies that are better produced than Gigli. This means plots, good writing to carry those plots, actors capable of playing the parts and effort put into making what is filmed believable.

4) GET RID OF WRESTLING. You want it, you've already said. I want it. I cant find a single person in my daily life or on forums who actually ENJOYS the wrestling shows and is a fan of other shows on the network. Closest I get is "My dad let's me watch it after his show is over because it's already on the channel anyway and there's nothing else on."

5) Have the guts like they used to and pick up dying scifi shows on other networks that fans of those shows want to see! I don't feel I need to name the shows in mind here, just scroll up and they're all listed at least a half dozen times on this page alone.

6) More original series! Or if they dont want to bother trying to come up with an original plot, reboot an old series! Remake Dark Shadows! Don't tell me it doesn't work, a show ended tonight that proves that it does.

7) Quit cancelling the shows that are the highest rated on their network. This seems like common sense to me. If people are watching, they will continue to watch. So have the spine to keep the shows and renew them early enough that the producers don't feel the need to end the show on their own for fear of cancellation.

8) If tptb FEEL they absolutely NEED to rebrand, despite the overwhelming opposition to the idea, DONT REBRAND TO SOMETHING 90% OF THE FANBASE THINKS IS STUPID OR INSULTING. Again, that seems like common sense to me, and taught in high school commercial design courses.

There, 8 shiny points of debate all ready for you to say you disagree with me on, rather than vague accusations of how stupid and opinionated I am. Those points are not MY PERSONAL opinions, they are the collective opinions of MOST of the scifi channel fanbase over the last 5 years at least. If you don't belive me, they're right here on the thread to ask them.

"Instead I get people trying to tell me how smart they are and how they can do better sci-fi home movies on less budget."

Not that hard

"Those remarks don't even deserve a answer back. I know a lot of boarder genius people, they don't go around rubbing other peoples faces in it."

What about them doesn't deserve an answer? The fact that you aren't sure how to argue against someone who is willing to take the trouble to point out the inconsistancies in your own comments? Or did you just expect to log onto a scifi forum with a lot of angry nerds and expect to call us arrogant, selfish whiners without any need for intellegent reasoning of your opinions and why we should ALL collectively shut up?

As a matter of point, I would rather continue the discussion of "constructive criticism" over the pointless throwing back and forth of implied insults. But Im just as capable of both if you wish.

Things change, sometimes for the better sometimes for the worse. I've been a fan of the sci-fi channel when there wasn't much more to watch on it than Robo Cop the series.

Fact is it's the only network that has the kind of programing it does. I watch and eagerly anticipate their scripted shows, I might not change the channel right away during the horror/reality shows (my niece loved them). If there's nothing better on I'll let a crappy movie play in the background while I do something else, but more likely than not I'll find a CSI or Law and Order, or some other drama on another network. and when the wrestling comes on I change the channel. there is always something else on to watch.

I'm young & female and I've always loved science fiction and fantasy, I get the need to brand ones product, the money to pay for the shows has got to come from somewhere. It is a business. but...

Syfy... sorry doesn't cut it. at least, not for me, but it's not my call, and i'm sure I'll get used to it.

As someone else on here mentioned I would like to see more returns of older "classic" shows rather than the craptastic horror movie-a-week that keep coming out.

Here are some examples of 'Good' shows (IMHO)

BSG
the first season of Eureka
Farscape
Firefly
Middle seasons of SG1
Babylon 5
Star Trek (the original series)
earlier seasons of Quantum Leap

stuff like that.

In short the network can do what it wants, if I don't like it I won't watch, that's how it works. and Syfy is a silly name but then so is Hulu, and I love hulu.

*shrug* that's my two cents.

It truly is amazing,how the SciFi channel is able to produce Such incredible story telling Feats.Such as the two Dune mini series and B.S.G.Along with a few others,Farscape etc.Then have the rest of youre viewings be things like The mesquito man.Come on!!The people who watch sci fi even casualy are not stupid.You need to have real fans run the show at the scifi network to be succesful.You need to Instill a new hightend sense of standard in youre story telling.Rethink what makes a story good.Thats why B.S.G was good.What is youre moral to the story? To take us places where no one has gone before! Tremors and wrestling belong on the F.F.A.channel along with jery springer.sci fi is the only channel with the ability to break new ground.If you would only Hire The Rite People! Become the Fairytale! Become the Real Story.Stephen R.Donaldson might be able to help.Ha If you guys were only smart enough to ask the rite people!

What has to be remembered is that this is a niche channel that focuses on the sci-fi genre. Putting junk on like reality shows and wrestling (which does not fall into this bucket) and canceling shows like The Dresden Files, The Invisible Man, Stargate, Farscape and BSG is not helping to keep loyal viewers. Instead of re-branding, look to improve the quality of what comes on air with more scripted shows.

In the beginning, I did watch this station regularly and they had some decent movies produced at the time. The quality has nosedived over the last couple of years and now I rarely tune into the station since the content is not what I desire. I also heard this reality show junk is more affordable to produce and less is lost if they don't last (that is no excuse). I still don't understand the following reality shows like American Idol or Survivor or shows like GH/GHI.

"And we're not saying that no women watch the network. In fact, almost half of our audience is women, thanks to shows such as Ghost Hunters that attract more women than men."
I'm also a woman (40+) and have always had an interest in sci-fi but I will never watch a show like GH. My question is does that female viewership reflect all viewers or just the outdated Nielsen rating system which I am not a part of.

As another poster mentioned, you now have other venues to view sci-fi such as Hulu and avoid the tripe of reality tv, infommericals (I would even welcome back the dead air period) and wrestling that has invaded television the last years. You also have DVD/Blu-ray and other channels.

First off, kudos where they are due. The final episode of BSG last night was fabulous! This is the type of material that you guys should be striving for, not wrestling or Survivor-like reality shows (lowest common denominator, folks?)

As for the name change, I agree with an earlier post that if the name needs to be changed then they better choice would have been "Imagine" or "Imagination" Network. BSG last night, show some real imagination last night by drawing in threads of religion, alien influence on prehistoric man's development and weaving them together to show how our current civilization could have evolved (and not evolved).

Showing current societal development issues/challenges with a different spin to get you to really think about them is something the best Science Fiction has strived for (Foundation anyone?).

So keep your network moving in that direction, use greater Imagination.

Don't dumb down the audience's perception of the network by renaming it it's juvenile, gamer L33T-speak equivalent with SyFy. It's an insult to the intellect of both your viewers and science fiction writers (past, present, and future).

Well, I have been through with the sci-fi channel for years. By and large they show a lot of non-sci-fi stuff. I don't care what the twits in marketing and programming say paranormal, horror, fantasy, etc. is not sci-fi. If it was it would be called science fiction and not paranormal, horror, fantasy, etc.

I could have ignored that but the fact that 99% of the movies they show are low-budget crap fests that they keep ramming up our rears. Just how many freaking snake movies do we need, or any of the other F grade crap movies that they keep cranking out.

When it gets to the point that it is the same pathetic crap over and over again that is when I have had enough and unfortunately for sci-fi they have been there for years. A name change and putting on and creating more crap isn't going to help them.

They may get some new viewers but they will loose them just as quickly once they see it is the same pathetic movies and so-so series.

Yes, Atlantis and even the last few years of SG-1 were crapped up and typical of the low budget garbage they seem to think viewers want.

Sad really. It isn't like sci-fi has already showed all of the sci-fi movies and TV shows there are. They didn't even get close to that goal. I guess it was cheaper to make their own crap than to pay to show someone else's real sci-fi things like the original Thing, Them, War of the Worlds, the new War of the Worlds (not great, but they show next nothing new when it comes to sci-fi movies, at least nothing new that isn't their own crap) and so on.

In the end and at best sci-fi or whatever they all themselves so they can feel warm in the morning is no more than a microwave, a microwave reheating crappy leftovers.

Robert

I've read the article, and a lot of the responding comments... I have to agree with a majority of the comments and call BS to a majority of what Mr. Howe said. At this point, whether the term "sci-fi" can be commercially branded is moot... The Sci-Fi Channel has been around so long that that creates an implied and understood branding, and a good majority of the "straight" public acts as if the whole concept of science fiction originated here.
The name change is silly, like–as one person said above–naming a channel "Spike"...Spike did that to distance itself from the channel's original programming and theme (and I'll be damned if I can remember now what that actually was... a situation I see happening here, too).
I do have to say that this is not a surprise, though... when Sci-Fi started 16 years ago, I was ecstatic; they promised quality, and not to insult lovers of true science fiction and fantasy, and in the beginning, they tried really hard...but my dreams of them adapting great classic science fiction novels to the screen have not been fulfilled, only my fears of garbage like anything that's shown on the Saturday night movie. THAT is not science fiction, it's crap fiction...and therein lies the lack of surprise. How, I thought back then, was the channel ever seriously going to endure the long run? By selling out, by pandering to the masses, and dumbing down the programming as much as possible to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
I am disappointed, because this channel is the only reason I bought the exhorbitantly priced digital package from my cable provider...and it's not even worth watching anymore, and will soon be even less worth watching.

Fellow commenters, think of this as an opportunity. Look how many of us there are who just want a channel focussed on traditional Sci-Fi (toss in fantasy, maybe a hint of horror). Since SyFy is focusing more on wrestling and ghost 'reality' crap, let's push to get a real Science Fiction channel created. We have a real demonstrated market niche with real demonstrated value. Surely somebody with deep pockets out there will see this and realize that having a dedicated Science Fiction channel is worth major bucks. ...As it stands now, this market is unaddressed.

Headline 1 April 2009- Howe revealed to be 0th cylon.

As a long Time watcher of SciFi All I have Seen in the last 2-3 years is movies of the Horror Genre no more Scifi action or adventure no more fantasy etc its all gory horror stuff now. The truly good shows on scifi were Stargate and BSG both done for now and the new Stargate Universe sounds like StarTrek voayeger in a Stargate setting.

With its rebranding, SCI FI missed an opportunity to capitalize on a campaign they started a couple of years ago. They'd been playing with the idea of "if" in their bumpers for quite a while--and very effectively. Why not rebrand as The IF Network? It would broaden potential content. It would retain the speculative approach. It seems to me like they overshot by trying to be clever.

I enjoy Ghost Hunters and GHI, but I think Estate of Panic is just plain sadistic. I watched one episode and found myself repelled. And while, from a business perspective, I understand the channel's justification for including wrestling in the programming, I completely disagree with it.

To paraphrase a politician who shall go unnamed, the Sci Fi Channel never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. It's unfortunate, because there's still so much potential there to feed both the core audience and a broader viewership. I just don't think that this is the way they should do it.

With its rebranding, SCI FI missed an opportunity to capitalize on a campaign they started a couple of years ago. They'd been playing with the idea of "if" in their bumpers for quite a while--and very effectively. Why not rebrand as The IF Network? It would broaden potential content. It would retain the speculative approach. It seems to me like they overshot by trying to be clever.

I enjoy Ghost Hunters and GHI, but I think Estate of Panic is just plain sadistic. I watched one episode and found myself repelled. And while, from a business perspective, I understand the channel's justification for including wrestling in the programming, I completely disagree with it.

To paraphrase a politician who shall go unnamed, the Sci Fi Channel never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. It's unfortunate, because there's still so much potential there to feed both the core audience and a broader viewership. I just don't think that this is the way they should do it.

I rest my case now we are being screened and waiting for approval by the blog owner.

Let me just say that, as long as you don't go canceling Sanctuary any time soon, I'll keep watching. :) I don't really understand the fuss over the name change from the fans. I guess I prefer SciFi over SyFy, but I don't quite understand why it's affecting whether or not fans will tune in, and thus emitting some ugly replies here.

But please, don't take Amanda Tapping from my TV screen anytime soon. She and her gang have worked so hard to get Sanctuary to where it is, and trust me when I say she has a lot of dedicated fans that will back her with this show!

Actually we don't screen comments other than by using typical filters for bad words, etc. We're looking into why some messaging about screening is popping up for some posters.

You've spent 16 years building a brand - now that the brand is beginning to show some real success and recognition - it's a good time to chuck it all in the bin and "redefine yourself". NOT!

The bozo that floated this idea is a TOTAL MORON.

Think I'm crazy? Ask Tropicana - they just "rebranded" their OJ to the tune of 300 million and it was a TOTAL DISASTER. They are going back to their old branding.

Leave the wasting of money to Wall Street. Give us another quality SciFi series like BSG.

Howe obviously doesn't get it. He can;t be fired soon enough. What a moron.

I can certainly understand the reasoning behind the change: The almighty dollar. As usual. Why not instead concentrate on getting out shows of a quality that equals or exceeds that of great sci-fi shows such as Battlestar Galactica and Stargate SG-1?

Howe,ive no idea how u became a President of a Network but really u should be fired and stripped of your degree.....your reasoning is retarded .You have lost touch with your core audience and this new name wont bring in new ppl cause your not putitng out a good product for anyone to watch.

I can certainly understand the reasoning behind the change: The almighty dollar. As usual. Why not instead concentrate on getting out shows of a quality that equals or exceeds that of great sci-fi shows such as Battlestar Galactica and Stargate SG-1?

Run a Marathon of all the GOOD Syphy Original Movies (the "saturday night specials"). This will fill your programming for 0.1 seconds of air-time, and then you can show more wrestling.

It's only The Most Dangerous Night of television for viewers with IQs above 25.

SyFy Syphy is a stupid name, but it really does no harm or good either way. What is sad is that these suits get excited about this, but still produce those "original" movies and can only name 4 or 5 shows to be proud of, and they don't air in parallel, but one at a time: We just did BSG, we WILL air Eureka in the Summer, and we WILL air Sanctuary in the Fall, and we WILL air Caprica next year.

When Howe lists the things Syphy can be proud of, can be considered quality, and you have to watch over a full year to get a sample of all of them (instead of seeing them over the course of a single week), then Syphy cannot be considered a destination network, but a curiosity instead--watch Eureka this summer, then wait a full frakkin year to see more. Right.

The butchering of BSG seasons is the true trademark of Syphy. It is the one thing a viewer can count on.

Syphy: The Show You Love, Twelve Weeks, Once A Year.

(BTW, in "the last frakkin special" Bonnie "brainless" Hammer whined that she didn't get a "dog or a puppy" into BSG at the beginning--This is the sort of Quality that the Suits seek out....)

Run a Marathon of all the GOOD Syphy Original Movies (the "saturday night specials"). This will fill your programming for 0.1 seconds of air-time, and then you can show more wrestling.

It's only The Most Dangerous Night of television for viewers with IQs above 25.

SyFy Syphy is a stupid name, but it really does no harm or good either way. What is sad is that these suits get excited about this, but still produce those "original" movies and can only name 4 or 5 shows to be proud of, and they don't air in parallel, but one at a time: We just did BSG, we WILL air Eureka in the Summer, and we WILL air Sanctuary in the Fall, and we WILL air Caprica next year.

When Howe lists the things Syphy can be proud of, can be considered quality, and you have to watch over a full year to get a sample of all of them (instead of seeing them over the course of a single week), then Syphy cannot be considered a destination network, but a curiosity instead--watch Eureka this summer, then wait a full frakkin year to see more. Right.

The butchering of BSG seasons is the true trademark of Syphy. It is the one thing a viewer can count on.

Syphy: The Show You Love, Twelve Weeks, Once A Year.

(BTW, in "the last frakkin special" Bonnie "brainless" Hammer whined that she didn't get a "dog or a puppy" into BSG at the beginning--This is the sort of Quality that the Suits seek out....)

Why not go greek? ΞΦ seems cooler than SyFy. It probably doesn't translate to a disease either.

Run a Marathon of all the GOOD Original Movies (the "saturday night specials"). This will fill your programming for 0.1 seconds of air-time, and then you can show more wrestling.

It's only The Most Dangerous Night of television for viewers with IQs above 25.

SyFy is a stupid name, but it really does no harm or good either way. What is sad is that these suits get excited about this, but still produce those "original" movies and can only name 4 or 5 shows to be proud of, and they don't air in parallel, but one at a time: We just did BSG, we WILL air Eureka in the Summer, and we WILL air Sanctuary in the Fall, and we WILL air Caprica next year.

When Howe lists the things they can be proud of, can be considered quality, and you have to watch over a full year to get a sample of all of them (instead of seeing them over the course of a single week), then this channel cannot be considered a destination network, but a curiosity instead--watch Eureka this summer, then wait a full frakkin year to see more. Right.

The butchering of BSG seasons is the true trademark of Syfy. It is the one thing a viewer can count on.

Syfy: The Show You Love, Twelve Weeks, Once A Year.

sorry for the multiple posts--kept getting a "text entered is wrong" message, and the posts didn't take--then several minutes later they were ALL posted.

I don't care about the name change. I care about the shows. The only show left I watch is Euraka. I use to watch more than 6 hrs. per day. I don't watch the stuped movies. I don't watch Really or the Wrestling. PLEASE invest in WRITERS and PRODUCERS. Joss Whedon was yours for the asking. Have Bryan Fuller develop some programs.
I watch a lot of Hulu and have hundreds of DVD's.

I am associated with several fan groups in the LA area and there is NOT ONE that supports either the new name OR wrestling on the channel. Even those I know that are not regular fans but just people in general think the renaming is just plain wrong and lame. From what I've read and from whom I've talked to, I have yet to find just one person who supports, or even likes, the name change, or wrestling. So for you, Mr. Howe, to state that you have the response that the name is "cool" shows you've gone to pre-teens and gamer pre-teens at that. Really bad move.

I don't even watch Eureka any more. I stopped the moment Colin Ferguson picked up that stick of deodorant, taking care not to obscure the logo, and carefully set it on the shelf, at which point the camera zoomed in on it. Such disgustingly blatant product placement.

I still think you could have come up with a better name. Is it too late? Could you let us vote on some options? I'm already thinking of it as Siffy.

This reminds me of the plot of Mel Brooks' The Producers. Someone probably heavily insured the channel with the notion 'You can make more money with a flop than a hit!' and decided to deliberately ruin the channel. It's a conspiracy, man.

Sad just sad.......it has taken 16 years to realize suddenly that SCI FI wasnt working and that you had to create more street credibility for your channel by rebranding it SyFy? Come on thats lame and you know it!

"SyFy" is just stupid. We'll get used to it as people who endure much of the whims of network execs eventually resign themselves to it all and either fall away or allow the SyFys and Nites to wash over them.
If the channel can no longer maintain it's own integrity then retire the channel - we don't Need more channels, we need quality.

SyFy? Going for the uneducated I guess? The Jerry Springer crowd will certainly understand and flock to the channel now...their 'wyfees' in tow.

And your answer? Basically says 'screw you' to every one that had something to say. Arrogant as all the rest of the politicians.
PS. You same "PLOT" for the Saturday movies is played out. CGI Monster chases also fake looking combat squad across Eastern Europe scenery.

Good Grief.

I don be wachin this tv station anyway to much. I be scard of Gosses and monstors. My wyfee be scarrted of they to. She get with her fren and go they house when it com on the tv set.

Why do I feel that this "tested well" in focus groups (the singular form of which is "moron")?

At best, I can only echo the less-than-favorable comments that have already been posted -- which will in all likelihood be ignored -- and I really do find "me too" kinds of posts annoying.

I look forward to watching my favorite genre shows on Hulu or Netflix or, perhaps, some other network that has a clue.

... or, to paraphrase some dialog from Babylon 5 (a SciFi show, for the benefit of any network execs who might actually read this stuff):

You are touched by idiocy, Mr. Howe. I see it as a blemish that will grow with time. I could warn you of course, but you would not listen. You could be fired, but someone just like you would take your place. So I do the only thing I can — I go...

to the few people that don't like ECW tuff ECW is watched world wide i watch wrestling 4 days a week if scifi wants to change the name thats thier choice nothing wrong with it i'm a person that likes horror wrestling eurika ani monday @ 11pm stuff like twilight zone stargate and battle star galactica need to go rerun after rerun thats all we get ghost hunters aka taps from rhode island is a great show the other so called ghost shows are fake crap the only reason scifi wants to make a change is because ratings are dropping i use to watch scifi all day long now i only watch it on tuesday for ecw saturday unless they put that crap storm n hurricane stuff on and sunday @ 9pm so if scifi wants to change thats fine but don't go putting crap shows on put new horror movies on put movies on people can enjoy not crap movies

to the few people that don't like ECW tuff ECW is watched world wide i watch wrestling 4 days a week if scifi wants to change the name thats thier choice nothing wrong with it i'm a person that likes horror wrestling eurika ani monday @ 11pm stuff like twilight zone stargate and battle star galactica need to go rerun after rerun thats all we get ghost hunters aka taps from rhode island is a great show the other so called ghost shows are fake crap the only reason scifi wants to make a change is because ratings are dropping i use to watch scifi all day long now i only watch it on tuesday for ecw saturday unless they put that crap storm n hurricane stuff on and sunday @ 9pm so if scifi wants to change thats fine but don't go putting crap shows on put new horror movies on put movies on people can enjoy not crap movies

to the few people that don't like ECW tuff ECW is watched world wide i watch wrestling 4 days a week if scifi wants to change the name thats thier choice nothing wrong with it i'm a person that likes horror wrestling eurika ani monday @ 11pm stuff like twilight zone stargate and battle star galactica need to go rerun after rerun thats all we get ghost hunters aka taps from rhode island is a great show the other so called ghost shows are fake crap the only reason scifi wants to make a change is because ratings are dropping i use to watch scifi all day long now i only watch it on tuesday for ecw saturday unless they put that crap storm n hurricane stuff on and sunday @ 9pm so if scifi wants to change thats fine but don't go putting crap shows on put new horror movies on put movies on people can enjoy not crap movies

Ugh. Just name it after what you're turning it into: NBC2.

By scarlettina at 12:39 PM ON 03/21/09

"With its rebranding, SCI FI missed an opportunity to capitalize on a campaign they started a couple of years ago. They'd been playing with the idea of "if" in their bumpers for quite a while--and very effectively. Why not rebrand as The IF Network? It would broaden potential content. It would retain the speculative approach. It seems to me like they overshot by trying to be clever."

That thought had occurred to me as well... In fact, that's what I figured they were doing. And it seemed rather clever. The "What If" network seemed a natural choice, or even IF.

I used to really enjoy those bumps they exemplified everything that was great about science fiction as a genre; then they got shorter, then less clever, hardly worth a second thought.

I had to laugh at the B5 quote, very nice.

I don't like the new name. I liked "Sci-Fi Channel" or maybe FI for fiction. but as someone else had mentioned there is a lot about the programing they air that shouldn't be dignified with the name, so it is probably better this way.

And to be perfectly honest, though i hate to admit it. The name is already starting to grow on me.

The only time I watch the channel these days is if there is something worth watching. I'll definitely check out the new shows, but the only way they'll survive is if they greenlight quality shows like BSG. otherwise they'll just fade into the sea of mediocrity that is cable television.

PS the captcha recognition software here Sucks.

This is absolutely hilarious.
99% of the people on this forum think changing the name to Syfy is a bad move. So, the president of Syfy comes on here to tell us how wrong we all are. If his gig as the pres. for the new Syfy network doesn't work out, maybe he can run for Congress.
It makes me laugh...

SYFY writes it's own it's own tagline better than 'Imagine Greater'

'Syfy: it's catching' or 'Syfy: hey, who wouldn't want to watch a VD'

Some people seem to misunderstand that this angst we're feeling about the network decisions are not about the name change, but about the philosophy change that the network executives seem to think we all approve of. This latest stab in the eye of core fans is just another in a long line of affronts to peoples common sense. I hate wrestling...I despise reality game shows...I don't mind the paranormal programming, but spare me the wrestlers and reality game show hosts on the yearly specials that are total let downs because they're actually "live" and don't have the privilege of being edited or "set up" for shock value. Marketing is marketing and it's all about the "big sell." It's just not simply about a name change, but a rejection of what the genre stands for. It's too bad as well because there really is a big market for "creative" science fiction and fantasy and SyFy doesn't have the balls or brains to take advantage of it. Oh well....the dvd collection shall be growing quickly.

OK, let me see if I've got this.

First he says:

There's nothing wrong with sci-fi, and we've had 16 great years as the SCI FI Channel. We love sci-fi, which is why we've said we have no intention of abandoning our roots or our core audience.
*******************************************************************

Assuming that's true, then out of all the "extensive research" they did, why did he use this piece of "fan" feedback?:

"It tells me that they are going to have different kinds of shows that are not just science fiction."
*******************************************************************

Somebody's blowing smoke.

Syfylis... need I say more? I remember when the Scifi Channel first started, and it saddens me to see this happen. Like an old friend is dying. Honestly, if I were asking for ideas about a new name, and someone at the table threw out "Hey, how about Syfy?" I would fire the person for gross stupidity. They would have to be high to think that was a good idea.

I too am displeased with the name change, but I've grown to no longer care. Not care as in "Ah it's just a name it's ok." nope more like not care as in "Whatever Dave Howe you're gonna do what you wanna do anyway and ignore us so it doesn't matter what we say."

I'm simply tired of this nonsense. I want the old scifi back the website and the channel.... no more good shows like farscape, invisibleman, firstwave, earth2.... These shows are what made the channel not this crap like Ghost Hunters (show is ok, but highly overrated) wrestling (doesn't even belong on this channel) old reruns of twilight zone and star trek (they were a legend back in the day, but today they are OOOOOOOLD) and this huge invasion of b-horror/action movies, dumb shows you'd only watch just to pass the time.

If they were really interested in massing a whole new audience a name change isn't what's needed, try having actual interesting shows. But I think they are more after franchising their new name "syfy" just so they can made a few bucks here and there everytime someone wanted to stamp the name onto their products.

Truthfully I believe scifi is after something more than just being a tv network, something they intend making a lot of cash from.

Irreguardless what the name is noone is going to like it, because only scifi is scifi. Syfy is not scifi, sifi is not scifi, siefie is not scifi. Syfy sounds like someone just misspelled the word scifi and some goof came up with the idea of making it their name.

But like I said before it doesn't matter to me anymore make it your name if you want, because you don't care why should we....

By the way fix your friggin "Captcha" it is beyond annoying.

"SCI FI sounds very generic, sounds basic. Syfy sounds cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with"

No, that looks like pandering to the lowest common denominator, deciding that your audience really does have the IQ of a slug, and thinking that a name change will do anything to bring in new viewers.

I understand the idea of a copyrightable, marketing name change- perhaps you should have started with this, I think that your audience would have respected an honest, 'look to make money and have a name brand, we need to do this' moment more than a 'wow, won't we be cooler now' PR failure.

You want to attract viewers and keep your base? Stop the stupid decisions which have your supposedly top rated show, Eureka, waiting a year to air the second half of their season, plus then cutting the order from 13 episodes to 10? Please, the base is getting cheated here, and it's clear that the wrestling on Tuesday nights matters more to your money grubbing paws than your core audience. And trying to pretend otherwise isn't just bordering on insulting, it is completely insulting us.

Wow. As others before me have mentioned, this article is just "blowing smoke" as it were. It was designed to address the over 1000 negative comments, yet does not actually confront any of the real issues.

Not to mention most of it was B.S. If you actually did any REAL research, then why were the overwhelming majority of comments on the article negative?

Let's dissect these shall we?

"SCI FI sounds very generic, sounds basic. Syfy sounds cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with."

This is not something someone anywhere near your main demographic levels would ever say. You know what it does sound like? A beraucratic butt-kiss who is throwing around ideas. That's not research...it's just pathetic.

"It tells me that they are going to have different kinds of shows that are not just science fiction."

In WHAT WAY AT ALL does this sentence make any sense? Seriously?! My initial reaction upon seeing the logo (hate aside) is not, "Hm, I think it means they'll be changing up their programing..." Gah!

"The way it looks now, you look at it, and you think science fiction in terms of future shows, outer space ... as opposed to some of their shows, like Eureka and Ghost Hunters, which don't fit really into your outer-space science fiction."

Um...ok...again, this is the best you can come up with? You want to know what all of that falls into as well? "Speculative Fiction" Why don't you just call the channel "SpeciFy"?

Yeah, so to go over my points again here--1.) Those comments don't actually SUPPORT the change. 2.) Those are lame comments that I'm pretty sure you either pulled out of your rear or were said by your minions kissing up to you. 3.) Two of the comments were about the change in programming either coming or already instated.

Let's examine number 3 huh? Oh yeah, everyone else already told you. You've had non scifi things for YEARS. Do you recall MOST of your "original" movies? Weather disasters, big scary creatures? Yeah. Really, do we have to actually hold you down and make you watch your own programming?

Of course, the rest of the article totally skirts the real issues, trying to address non-issues in a way that may appease someone with an IQ less than 100. First, YES, we KNOW IT'S ABOUT MAKING MONEY BY MAKING IT EASIER TO TRADEMARK! Your mistake, which I'm sure you already know (or at least I hope you're not too stupid to actually know) was to try to sell it to fans as something good and different for the channel. You couldn't possibly add much more different things than you have already--and you said as much when you spoke about 'future scifi shows" and said there would be no additional wrestling added.

(Oh, side rant. Brining in the "younger audience" is not a good excuse to debase what is supposed to be a speculative fiction channel. For heaven's sake, why don't you add Yu-Gi-Oh! while you're at it. To say that adding that did not disrepect your core audience was the heigth of arrogance and/or stupidity.)

Anyway, about SG:U, Caprica, and Eureka...MGM and you already killed the seres' before just because you thought it would help with money. Loyalty should be balanced against excessive greed--you're in the entertainment business, not the financial market. You've already alienated many, MANY of your fans with killing off shows prematurely (a la Farscape, Babylon 5, SG-1, SGA; which was a people's choice award and was becoming ever more brilliantly written). You're grasping for straws with sucking ALL that you can from these franchises without much of anything new. I mean, even Sanctuary has the same actor as Stargate as the lead! The fact that you think a prequel and sequel series will be anchor shows is attrocious. The reality of the matter is that you've killed off the interest of many loyal fans of the first shows and you won't get much new interest in them. Just look at the resonses from the first article. We hate you and everything you've done to take a respectible speculative fiction channel and turn it into a 3-ring freak show.

You were right when you said there are always people who disagree/don't like a change. The problem is that most of us don't like this. I was offended by the first article because you tried to sell something that is ONLY about money. However, this second article? It reeks of a sweaty fat man's pathetic and ill-fated attempt to save some faceou did not ONCE respond directly to how this does not disrespect the core fanbase and in fact, offered plenty of evidence to the contrary. Get a clue. Most of us wouldn't care that you changed the name without spouting the idiocy associated with it. We weren't happy with the channel in general, but that step really took our ire up a notch. Now this second article which really doesn't say anything the first article didn't and is still full of the crap people were posting negative comments about! I mean seriuosly, the poor guy who wrote the interview, if he has any sense at all, can't be happy about having to post it.

Yeah, so since Sanctuary doesn't have enough unique substance to last for more than maybe 3 seasons and Warehouse 13 is just another generic name for a generic rehashing of a speculative fiction show, I'll be done with your channel after Stargate Universe (which will also most likely be canccelled quickly since the producers are so big into "movies" now). I may catch Ghost Hunters on the net occasionally, but it's obvious the exec.s on this channel are not dedicated to real, quality entertainment and are most likely enjoying bonuses not unlike those exec.s from AIG... (Since you obviously aren't concerned with the thousands of negative posts, my suggestion is that you go ahead and change your format completely, i.e. the Spike channel.)

I agree SyFy sounds really stupid and if they really wanted a changed why have the name sound exactly alike...Also, I have heard a few people complaining about the cheesy horror, future and monster bug movies...I love those, really now with all my favorite shows gone it's all I have left on this channel. I am sure I won't watch as much because of the negative perception I now associate with the name SyFy...SGU seems like it will be crappy, not really sure at all about Caprica...just seems like sooo much good stuff that had me coming back to this channel is gone...sigh...oh well...

Your Channel will live and die by what it broadcasts. While I feel the name change has the possibility to fracture your core audience long term I really don't care. If I see more shows like Eureka, Battlestar, Stargate, Anime, Farscape etc. I will watch the channel. If I see it becoming more dribble like Ghost Hunter, Haunted Mannor, or other reality dribble I will tune you our for other more entertaining shows.

I feel like I am part of your core audience I have been watching the channel since the begining I feel a little nervious and potentially betrayed by the name change. If the channel doesn't have enough good shows for the 1st year after the name change I will probably be gone for good.

People - Good TV died a long time ago, before many of us were born. It is run by business people, not people who care about the medium or art. Take the corpse for what it has and move on. I can name a hundred shows that never had a chance not because of the viewers, but because of executives (Firefly, Space, etc. etc.).

BobManGM

SyFy is just silly. Silly. Silly. SillyFy. It makes me want to sign off of watching the channel (which I am considering doing now that BSG is over) and leave it to the slightly younger folks who don't care about stupid changes in branding.

SyFy is a stupid name.

Wrestling? C'mon! Only breaindeads watch it.

Might as well just called yourselves USA Network -2.

You Mr Howe are an idiot.

Keep on canceling and ending kick ass sci fi dramas and your channel will be no different than any other potpourri channel scrambling to grab anyone with a pulse.

End transmission.

That Q&A, Mr. Howe, was a crock.

This isn't about the name change, even though that's pretty stupid (and apparently, your focus group was composed of morons).

This is about your complete and utter lack of respect for your audience (even the new ones you're trying to attract).

It's about the fact that you're trying to dumb down (even further than you already have) your programming, to the point where it will be suited only for an audience with the collective IQ of a brussels sprout.

Here's the factual breakdown for the audience of some of your more egregious offenses:

'Ghost hunters' -- Audience is morons.
'Destination Truth' -- Audience is morons with brain damage.
'Wrestling' -- Audience is cabbage.
'Saturday evening 'bug of the week' movie' -- The single viewer died of an overdose of stupid.

Here's the best advice you're going to get when it comes to making the *SCIFI* channel a real going concern.

You and Hammer need to resign.

The remaining staff needs to be replaced with someone who actually has a complete brain.

The programming needs to be *entirely* and consistently, SCIENCE FICTION programming.

Even the cheesiest of 1950's B movies are orders of magnitude more imaginative and watchable than the bullcrap reality dreck you're trying to defend. Ghost hunters, for example, makes Plan 9 from Outer Space look like Shakespeare.

Sadly, you don't actually care about quality, only about stroking your own ego (and more to the point, letting a bunch of 'marketing' morons do the majority of the stroking).

As for any program on your network that I might be interested in?

I'll watch it online or buy the dvd before I ever tune to this travesty of a channel ever again.

What's really sad is that, at about the same time Dresden was airing, the wife and I were also tuning into Lifetime to watch "Blood Ties". It's pretty sad when the only SciFi on SciFi that's as good as what's on the PMS network gets cancelled...

Of course, when they start officially calling themselved SyFyLess, Ted Turner or someone can start a better, stronger, faster SciFi Channel.

I agree about the IF campaign. I LOVED those spots. The IF Channel would have been a good choice. IF Games. IF TV. IF Media. Works for me.

I didn't watch Blood Ties until after Dresden Files ended. They aired at exactly the same time and I was very fond of Dresden Files. Blood ties, when I finally did see it, was very good. I wish it had continued. When you consider what Dresden Files was up against in it's time slot, and yet it was third highest rated show on the Scifi channel for all of 2007, that is really impressive. But someone with no real sense (shortly before Potter mania for the seventh and final Harry Potter book) decided to not renew what was, at the time, the only wizard show on television. Who thought that was a good idea? Honestly. That's what made me stop watching the channel. After Dresden's first and only season ended I thought 'Surely they wouldn't cancel this after all the praise it just recieved and the drastic boost in the book sales. Surely!' That is when I lost all faith in the channel. When they killed what was, at the time, TV's only successful Urban Fantasy and the only wizard show to air right in the midst of Potter mania. Maybe I'd forgive the channel if they brought that show back but it's a little late for that.

I thought for sure they were going to use 'If' for a name change too. It would have been a more natural evolution. But I think they were afraid of getting confused with the international film channel IFC.

I realized Scifi was getting dumbed down a year or so ago when they started airing an edited version of that really awful Queen of the damned (which was already only an hour and a half long anyway) but they would never show Interview with the vampire. I guess the one that actually required a little thinking and had a consistent plot might have been too 'deep' for their audience.

"SCI FI sounds very generic, sounds basic. Syfy sounds cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with."

"It tells me that they are going to have different kinds of shows that are not just science fiction."

Who the hell talks like this? No one. Gosh, marketing people are lamer than Twilight fans.

Why no mention that SyFy used to belong to someone else for over 10 years? I'm curious as to why, because they make it sound like they made it up.

Like many corporate gatekeepers, they meet new challenges by reorganizing. It's a wonderful method to give the illusion of progress all while producing inefficiency and demoralization.

This channel has been, more or less, a joke for the last decade or so. It's fondness for crap over quality (I know, crap sells better) never ceases to amaze me.

When it does get a a good show, i.e. Farscape and Battlestar Galactica, the cable network cancels them, uttering the drivel that costs are far outweighing ratings.

Well, first, its cable and ratings are never going to obtain broadcast networks. Second, lets not be surprised by the fact that science fiction is inherently expensive. To claim BG and Farscape could not continue because of cost versus ratings on a network designed just for these type of genre shows is pointless. It just proves that the Sci Fi Channel is like any other cable/network: all we care about is quantity over quality (I mean, it's the only way to explain Eureka). And dumbing down the shows (which Eureka does) to appeal to a broader demographic is an insult to everyone's intelligence.

Science Fiction means more than space shows like Star Trek and Buck Rogers. And I think smart people, people who don't suckle at the teat of American Idol, understand if you produce good shows, well written shows, show that question the whys and ifs of the mind, they'll be watched.

To claim otherwise is ridiculous. And to ignore so many of us, is proof even further that you don't care what your network airs anymore.

After 16 years, Sci Fi has only produced a handful of shows that have been worth talking about. And while I'm happy you air Doctor Who, why pass on Torchwood (oh yeah, because there's an openly gay actor leading a series. It's okay when he guest starred on Doctor Who, but some homophobe in Arkansas might see it, and Jebus knows that does not fit into your precious demographic).

As a whole, it has failed its mission from the start. And this re-branding is nothing more than another excuse to air reality shows that have nothing to do with science fiction, but all to do with money.

RIP Sci Fi Channel. Your replacement is more lamer than you ever were!

you lost me the minute you cancelled Atlantis in favor of SGU. It should have been given another year, at least.
Your name change is an example of how your are distancing yourself from me, a sci-fi fan, and I am therefore distancing myself from you.
I wont be tuning in again until the Stargate Atlantis move turns up, if it ever does.

I feel like I woke up in parallel universe this morning. First the AIG news du jour and now this. SciFi may not be a great name or a marketable name but SciFi Channel was. I saw plenty of product with its name on it back in the old days, there is no reason why it cannot be that way now except for lack of creativity. You should enhance your marketing department. Second in truth reality television has always had a place on SciFi Channel, it just wasn't the schlocky, game show style, or horrid documentary realilty based television we are spoonfed from your channel. It was scientific and scifi entertainment-reality based programming like SciFi Buzz, Inside Space, Trailer Park, C-Net Central, New Edge, The Web, Anti-Gravity Room, and The Science Show and Exposure and the channel was better for it. Third, it sounds like the collective controlling staff of the channel have no interest in true science fiction programming and choose to muddy the channel with fantasy and paranormal themed shows which would be welcome on another channel such as Universal's Chiller network or just dropped altogether. Your use of wrestling and now this WCG Ultimate Gamer show that you are attempting to push the channel in the same direction as the once powerful G4 network and the current Spike TV. It is unfortunate you cannot see the harm you are doing to your channel because you want to be more profitable. Maybe it is for the best because the SciFi channel has gotten so far from its roots that perhaps someone else will come along and create a better science fiction network without the failings the original has allowed to creep in.

Sci-Fi, SyFy or even SFC!... it's the same thing. One is a public name, one is unique and can be trademarked and the last could mistaken for a chicken joint knockoff... big deal! If you really wanted to make a change to reflect your programming you'd have your marketing folks actually do their job and come up with something original rather than something safe... it's like renaming "Apple" as "Manzana." Same meaning, but different spelling. Sure, most will watch if the programming is good, but SyFy is a forgettable set of letters because it simply looks silly. People will still refer to the channel as Sci-Fi Channel and won't associate the new logotype with the old.

Hell, "Fable-Forge" has better meaning with what you are trying to accomplish. Story creation... That's what you do or are becoming - in any genre. All your marketing folks came up with is "Tripe."

And to those spouting distaste and anger about old shows and new... Boo hoo, get a life, that's the business... The channel must change or die. They must alter their business model. If that means adding wrestling as a lead-in to some shows, so be it. Going all geek will limit the demographics of the audience. Market share determines everything, without it, there would be no channel.

Iso, Fantasy was ALWAYS a fixture of Scifi. You remember all those other shows but don't you remember Dark Shadows was the very first show they aired? Do you even know what Dark Shadows was about? It was a Gothic Soap from the sixties about supernatural creatures. Witches, ghosts, vampires, werewolves... They also had Forever Knight, Swamp thing, She-Wolf of London...

Scifi Buzz, which you ironically mention, was divided in Science fiction, fantasy and supernatural horror. The name change is pointless. This channel was already suited to fantasy. It's a lie to say they want to make the channel more supernatural and fantasy. What about Sightings? What about 'In search of...'? What about Dresden Files? What about the reruns of Dark Shadows? Tales from the Dark side? Monsters? She-Wolf of London? Friday the 13th the series? Forever Knight? Highlander? My secret identity? Amazing stories? Ray Bradbury Theatre? These are shows they USED to have. And they are fantasy. They must think our attention spans are very short that we've all forgotten that Fantasy USED to be a part of Scifi about about two years ago THEY are the ones who got rid of it.

I know full well that this post is pointless, but Dave says they APPARENTLY are reading every post on the matter on this site, so in case that IS true, I shall try to offer even more assistance than the obvious bits of advice I already have.

It seems that the program execs of this channel don't KNOW what we fans consider good "scifi" programming. Here is a list of VERY well selling scifi and fantasy books that would be GREAT on your channel as either miniseries, scripted series or just a one part movie. I will only list books I have read so this is by no means a COMPLETE list, but it's a good place for you guys to start winning back the fans you've lost.

I work in a major book store (Borders Books) and have for almost 6 years. My main job is to keep the genre section (Scifi makes up roughly 1/3 of our store's genre section) Shelved and Mercandised. I also was responsible for running our special orders system for 3 of those years, until we got rid of the system we WERE using. I have SEEN what people are reading, what they get hooked on etc. I know which orders were for school required reading and I know what people bought to read for fun.

Furthermore, I have been reading almost exclusively from books in the Scifi/Fantasy section of book stores since 1st grade. The first real novel I read was Jurrasic Park, and that was IN 1st grade, and at that age I understood ALL of it. So I do feel I am qualified and experienced enough to make the following recommendations of shows SciFi fans would watch.

Note; I am including a few Fantasy and Horror books on this list. Arthur C. Clarke himself said both "The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible" and "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic". So as not to insult your intellegence, I will ONLY suggest books with systems of magic that have laws and limitations WITHIN THE UNIVERSE THE BOOK IS WRITTEN IN. Therefore, Piers Anthony, Terry Brooks and Terry Pratchett books will NOT appear in this list. All good stories, but no set limitations to the magic. I believe this to be a fair comprimise.

This list will be in no particular order, but all stories by the same author will be listed together.

Isacc Asimov - The Robot Series, The Galactic Empire Series and the ORIGINAL Foundation series have all always been fan favorites.

Jim Butcher - Oh, wait... You already cancelled Dresden. Nevermind.

Orson Scott Card - Ender's Series

Glen Cook - Black Company

Arthur Clarke - Rama Books

David Eddings - Belgariad, Mallorean, Tamuli, Elenium

Greg Donegan - Atlantis series, just change the ending a bit.

Robert Doherty - Area 51 Series

Eric Flint's Time Travel/Alternate History books.

Gaiman - Just have him start an original series JUST for you. People will watch.

Frank Herbert - You already HAVE the Dune Miniseries, CONTINUE THE STORY IN A SCRIPTED SERIES. There are more than enough books.

Scott Lynch - The Gentleman Bastards Series (sure you have to cut back the cussing and gore, but thats easy enough to do)

Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn would make a good miniseries and Elantris could easily be a good one-off movie.

Almost ANYTHING by David Weber or Harry Turtledove would be a good one-off.

Warhammer/Warhammer 40000/Shadowrun/Forgotten Realms/Dragonlance/Magic the Gathering (the books, not the game) are EASY sells as scripted shows.

A couple others that I've read but ARENT good sellers, mostly because they're forgotten;

Stainless Steel Rat By Harry Harrison could be a good scripted series.

Final Empire Trilogy By Cherryh was a slow read, but the Mini Series would be great.

Want to attract gamers? Halo and Resistance are your answer.

Kids? Everworld series by K. A. Applegate, Fablehaven and The Brian Jaques series are a good thing to try.

And keep in mind with the exception of Resistance, these are only BOOKS that you can start with. There are plenty of movies with TV shows begging to be made, Old TV shows to be rebooted and Games that actually have decent plots. There's even online comics like Looking For Group that people would LOVE to see as an animated tv show. ALL of them would be easy to advertise, hype and ultimately cash in on. And ALL WITHOUT YOU SPENDING YOUR PRECIOUS MONEY COMING UP WITH AN ORIGINAL IDEA!

Just DON'T try to make anything as epic as "The Wheel of Time" or "A Song of Fire and Ice".

And FIX YOUR BLOODY CAPTCHA!!!

I can't believe the outrage. Look: they changed teh spelling of the name so they could own their name/brand. No big deal. I think the Saturday movies are fun (most of the time), SGU looks promising (and a lot like Voyager), Sanctuary was great, and the upcoming shows have me interested.

Let's wait and see. If you were talking about this in real life, everytime you spoke the channel's name you'd hear it as "Sci-Fi" anyway...

Yes, those same three positive quotes you mentioned were quoted quite frequently in the original stories. There is simply no way that they reflect a majority of the reaction to "Syfy". I don't care what you think you got out of your focus groups, "Syfy" is just so lame and so ridiculous-looking.

Howe and Hammer,

Well, good luck with the New Coke project.

It is possible that you subscribe to the belief that all networks have a lifespan: they are created, they exist, they die.
If you do, then let me remind you that just as with humans,
all are born with various levels of health,
but each has the same choices.
Some take care of their bodies and have happy lives,
some choose to find pleasure in poor habits and decisions--smoking, excess alcohol, other substance abuse, risky behaviour without mitigating safety measures, and suffer in middle age, dying early and miserably,
some simply don't find a path that brings any reward and commit suicide.
(Random death is applicable to anyone, so it won't be discussed here.)
Your network is your professional body:
a body that was born in uncertainty,
but with eager help and generous patience thrived through toddlerhood and into puberty.
Please review your choices and don't let pride prevent you from reconsidering any choice, old or new.
These decisions will determine the remainder of the network's lifespan.

If you don't believe that you signed on with a network that is soon to die, and you are not just there to fill your resume and collect a paycheck until the end comes, then allow me to give you the same advice I would give a friend in the same situation Sci Fi now faces:
The number of media outlets has grown to a truly incomprehensible number. You don't have to know the number, but you should understand that it's huge.
The demographic you want--and it doesn't matter which one that is--has that same huge number of options in which to spend its entertainment time.
Today, the only way to carve a sustainable existence out of any media, is to find one thing you do well, do that thing, and do it to the best of your ability; providing the best quality to your demographics.
That means NICHE programming.
You cannot be a top 40 radio station and expect to draw any more numbers than your competing top 40 station.
You cannot be a junk-drawer and compete with Home Depot (which is a huge junk drawer, but much better organized and with good quality to offer).
You CAN be a really good Science Fiction media outlet.
You can keep the founding and core audience through the YEARS, because science fiction and speculative fiction has writing for all ages.
You can program shows for tweens, teens, collegiates, professionals, and AARP.
The writing is there, it's willing, you have the opportunity.
Costco doesn't try to be Wal-Mart, but they both succeed, because they both found a niche and do it as well as they possibly can. Some people go to one, some go to both, some to neither, but both chains are surviving very well.
The Beetles never tried to be the Beach Boys, but they both packed the grandstands.

Your name change is not going to affect your audience numbers they way you hope. You will merely hasten the end of the networks lifespan.

Spike was a name change that followed several in quick succession. For those who were trying to remember, Spike was TNN.
TNN was trying to retool, it was heavy "cowboy" and Western, that decided to really go for the young male demographic.
So it changed its name which helped only because it was making a dramatic shift in programming.
And it committed to action, violence, (no offense) "redneck" style, "manly man" programming, (including wrestling).
And it worked...for a while.
No one really liked (or likes) the Spike name, but it made no difference, except to mark yet another big change in the life of that channel.
But truly it marked the death of TNN and the birth of Spike.
But Spike had a terrible time of it for a while. In order to sustain itself, it had to add various shows, one being of course all the StarTrek franchises, then all the CSI franchises, then L&O. And to keep it's ratings from tanking completely in the really bad spots, it shelled out to show the Star Wars movies. And today, it shows something Star Wars several times a week.
The point is, even though it committed completely, directly, and unapologetically to the young male libidinous demographic, and a new name to mark it, it couldn't sustain itself.
To survive it had to eventually bring in intelligent, well written shows.
Why? Well, think about it, the very demographic it wanted either grew up (literally), got employed, or found more entertaining entertainment on pay cable, videogames, or on the internet.

The people who are going to stick with Television for a good part of their entertainment time (and thus view those adverts), are NOT the same people who are going to spend huge amounts of time on videogames or the internet.
The very demographic which is so highly prized, is 1) fleeting and must be recaptured every two years.
2) is an obsolete value. Truly the baby boomers are the obvious money demographic, not the young males.
And the baby boomers straddle the love-television and the new-whizbang-internet cultures.
Truly the baby boomers--now many young AARPers and growing--are the ones who will choose between "conventional" television and all the newer media outlets for entertainment.
The young male demographic of today, has chosen the internet and video games online as it's major entertainment outlet. They tune in only occasionally and won't be converted. The attention span is simply too short, and the culture was born AFTER television. And here let me add something important I omitted earlier. By "internet" I mean an all inclusive entity which includes all the "shows" that are available online (legality is irrelevant).
The people with the money and the time and the desire to watch TV, are the same people that will stay with a network for years. But they are not blind followers of anyone.
They will stay for intelligent, well written, multi-dimensional, thought provoking, or truly make you feel good/better, shows.
They will avoid the one-dimensional "this again?" drek that is so often used as filler, and now is even offered as prime-time.
You are so proud of your BSG (dog or not), but please listen to your audience. Your "ratings" collection system is out of date. The audience for BSG was tweens (with permissive parents), teens, collegiates, professionals, and AARP; it was male and female IN EQUAL numbers (it's just the female adult audience doesn't have the time to respond as often as the male, but they spend as much money).
Don't just be surprised by this, USE this knowledge.
Sci-fi is a genre that can be written for all ages, either gender, and over sustained time periods. It can be written with humour, pathos, drama, social commentary. But it must always be written with intelligence.
Sci-fi is a great niche that can keep the television culture, and in doing so possibly attract their grandchildren.
Sci-fi is a great opportunity.
My advice, yours free for the taking:
Look at the past, see the pattern, highlight the trend, return to niche programming,
invest in good writing and good production,
fill with good "oldies",
leave drek monster movies in the can, replace with good "classics".
Nostalgia and learning about the past are going to draw audience more than new drek ever could hope. So save that money for the good stuff.
Respect your audience, they are the ones that will sustain your network.

As for the name change, well, right now the perception is that it's a poorly presented "Spike" situation. And Spike stated outright they were going to change their programming dramatically.
Don't say, "but that's not what we mean".
It doesn't matter what your intentions are (true or presented); you should know that, you work in the industry of perception.
Have a gentle transition period, get a better graphic logo (use Saturn as long as you can), and do a good job with your station identification animations--again, gentle, NOT smack in your face very three seconds from the corner (that's really repulsive.
And of course, reconsider the name itself. If you want suggestions, just search this thread and put the call out. "WhatIf" and it's variations are a great place to start, and you already have half of the needed campaign produced and ready.

The advice is free, but it's offered in serious wishes for a better network/channel.

alaethancar, you are my new hero. ;-)

Now as for fantasy and Supernatural let's look at fantasy and Supernatural shows that USED to be on Scifi...

Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows (Nineties version)
Forever Knight
Highlander the series
Highlander: The Raven
Dracula: The series
Friday the 13th the series
Monsters
Swamp Thing
American Gothic
Brimstone
She-Wolf of London
Dresden Files
Kindred: The Embraced
Wolf Lake
Amazing stories
My secret identity
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Xena: Warrior Princess
Tales from the Dark Side

Paranormal investigative shows predating Ghosthunters:

Sightings
In search of...

So please don't condescend to us pretending we can't remember that these things were on the Scifi Channel from the very beginning.

Ok, how about Changing the name to the, Imaginarium Fantastical Science Channel,
if your so worried about any confusion with sci-fi & fantasy.
Hell the sci-fi book club has fantasy as well, geez.

I could care less about the name of a TV Network or the design of their logo, bumpers or station ID's.

The bottom line is the programming. I would gladly watch the Slimey Bogey Network if they showed shows of the caliber of BSG, Stargate, Red Dwarf, Firefly, Doctor Who, Dresden Files and the like.

We, as a fan community, need to support the CONTENT we like, and ignore the window dressing. If the demographics prove we are watching the good shows they should stay on the air. FOX has a bad habit of cancelling the good shows as they hit their stride.

Of course SyFy already has a reputation for that as well...

And as an amusing side note, my Captcha for this post is "fukmsh" which has dire phonetic repercussions for this discussion. At least until I had to refresh and try again. Your Captcha software has the worse success rate of ANY board I've ever seen. Please fix.

Interesting that Howe said he welcomed the positive comments on the story as well as the negative, considering there were virtually no positive comments. The closest I remember are neutral, and there were only two or three of those.

So what Howe is saying, in essence, is they did a bunch of research, only chose the little bit of positive feedback they got over the overwhelming negative feedback, and are going to continue completely messing up this channel until it really has nothing to do with Science Fiction any longer...

What a shame. And now that BSG is over, well, so much for that. Another phenomenal piece of programming gone.

It's not (Sy)ence (Fy)ction. It's Science Fiction. Or, SciFi, for short. Get rid of the Wrestling and put on more Classic and New Science Fiction shows. Really simple.

This is EXACTLY what the channel needed. The SciFi channel has had some successes, but overall it's been drifting from it's core audience. It is apparently run by people that don't even like science fiction.

So the name change is AWESOME! One of two things will happen because of it: (1) the channel will just become so generic that some other real science fiction channel can come along and pick up the market or (2) the "SyFy" name change, which is so dim-witted, light-brained, and insulting, will expose its execs to public ridicule, effectively oust them, and lead to new management that actually gives a damn about science fiction.

The new name is exactly the kind of over-confident, out-of-touch and clueless move that will galvanize the forces that want to right the ship.

Go SyFy! Go!

Dear Mr. Howe (not that I think you will actually read this),

As you can see by the volume of posts here your viewers are some of the most passionate of any genre. You have a unique opportunity here with this rebranding of yours. We all know the real reason for the name change as you can’t trademark the term “Sci-Fi” as it is not something you came up with.
But as you do re-boot your channel and wipe the slate clean you have a chance here to do something wonderful. I am part of your core target audience male age 18-35 but more importantly you have also captured my wife (same age group) with smart shows like SG-1, Atlantis, BSG, Eureka, Fire-Fly, and Enterprise ETC.
My wife was never a Sci-Fi fan but as others have commented here these great character driven shows with deep thought provoking story lines reeled her in along with a few of my sisters. As you move some of your programming open slots to wrestling, reality and away from core shows like the ones listed above that launched your channel you run the risk of alienating these new Sci-Fi women.
Everyone talks about ratings but we are a different breed then your average viewer, we get our shows that we like from Online, DVR, Sling box, XBOX, iTunes and even on our mobile devices. The ratings are actually there but the way we get our content and when may not be easily traceable. Look at the sales figures for the direct to DVD movies of Stargate as an example.
So it is frustrating to us as your “Target Audience” to see when things change and it is not for the better. You will lose us and your new audience the new Sci-Fi women. Stop funding these bad B movies and put those funds into developing shows like the ones listed above or possibly rebooting old ones. Atlantis, Enterprise and Fire-Fly would make perfect “Re-Boots”. It’s been done before with great success.
Hey don’t listen to all these posts and you will end up just as another channel on the dial and by the way there are a lot of them and more coming each day.

Just my .02 cents as well.

I have a vision of Mr. Howe addressing a meeting of broadcast executives at NBC-Universal in two years, desperately making excuses as to why this lame rebranding didn't produce the results they are hoping for . . .

Contrary to all the hand-waving freakoutery we're seeing here, this name change and rebranding is irrelevant. People don't watch brands. People don't watch logos or names. People don't watch networks. We watch shows. We watch movies. The challenge that Syfy now faces, should you chose to accept it, is to give us quality Sci-Fi shows and movies. People will tune in for those, whatever negative reactions they may have to your logo and name. On the other hand, even if they love your new logo and name, you'll get nowhere fast if you don't give us a reason to turn it on. Shows. Movies. Good Sci-Fi. (And, yes, I'll agree with the mob on one thing. For the love of God please drop the stupid wrestling!)

Change your name to whatever you want....if it gives you the potential of attracting new viewers, awesome....BUT, you'll NEVER keep those new viewers, 'cause you're programming sucks. Does ANYBODY like your 'original movies'? And the new series' coming out? What's up with them? You're going to have to prove that BSG and Stargate weren't just accidents before you'll be able to retain your CURRENT fan-base, let alone keep the new ones that are willing to check you out. Why don't you spend some that money you're using for re-branding to come up with some decent programming. Otherwise, you're just flushing your re-branding investment down the toilet otherwise...trust me, your new viewers are going to hate the programming almost as much as we do.

The problem isn't the name Sc-fi, the problem is the low quality of shows that has been slowly taking over the channel.

Mr. Howe
You have REALLY pissed off your your core.
Do you really feel you can bring in enough new people to over come your damage?
It is time for DAMAGE CONTROL!
FIX YOUR CAPCHA
Michael

If you try and broaden the base of entertainment you just end up looking exactly like any other network with a coupe of scifi shows. Except for the fact that scifi channel has less funding. No more ECW, no more reality crap. Invisible Man, First Wave, SG1, SGA, Farscape, Eureka, that is scifi. We don't need "action" movies. Just science fiction.

To your "branding" point: If a new soft-drink company came out with the name SEWDUH, it would be equally ridiculous as "Syfy." And in my opinion, "Syfy" looks like it would be pronounced siff-ie.

And as a youth demographic girl, I do not appreciate the implication that I am drawn to reality television. Eureka, The Dresden Files, and Invisible Man have been some of my favorite Sci Fi original series.

To top it all off, your quoted summaries of core audience opinions of the new branding are not that positive. "Cool" is juvenile and the association is transient at best, and the other comments are neutral opinions.

I wish it were not too late for your company to admit that this was not the best idea and try a different re-branding.

Sadly, Spinster, they couldn't even admit that not renewing The Dresden Files was a bad idea. Getting them to admit that this change is a bad idea is near to impossible. The Scifi Execs can never admit to being wrong.

Integrity = something this channel now lacks.

I really could care less about the lame name change--it reads/sounds the same, doesn't it? I think that renders it meaningless.

As far as I am concerned the Sci-Fi channel gets a C even though it occasionally brings in some excellent shows and series.

Where is the imagination? I think the sci-fi channel is doing what so many networks are doing: disallowing the intelligence of the viewers and undervaluing our place in the economic scheme of things.

Someitmes scifi channel gets there and sometimes they don't. For example, the Stargate "worlds"--I like the Stargates, but has anyone ever noticed that there were hardly any black people? I guess brown people and “other” cultures are nonexistent in two galaxies.

The horror movies and the Saturday specials are ill-written clichés for the most part. Do they have a bunch of chimpanzees in a sunless room pounding out scripts? The only wrestling shows that should be on syfy should be something cool like wrestling robots.

If I want to watch crap, I'll watch network t.v. (With the exception of Fox's Sarah Conner Chronicles. ) Please sci-fi or si-fi or whatever your name is, hire some decent writers and imaginative producers.

All I want is good, well-written, "sci-fi" (and speculative fiction). As a woman viewer and fan of science fiction for many years, I think most of the ladies would agree with me—we just want good stories.

SciFi/NBC is so cheap that they couldn't afford a decent photograph of the new logo--some loser pointed a disposable camera over a receptionist's desk in crappy light and they said: YES! Go with THAT.

It is appropriately emblematic of the general disregard for quality that is SciFiSyfy

Syfy : you'll hafta IMAGINE greatness, because you'll find none here

The scIFi to IF concept was genius. Well done, well executed.

Nothing about this Syfy thing was well thought out, well done, but is just sloppy, lazy, and dumb. It is like they couldn't afford a focus group of actual viewers, rolled this out, and are surprised that it is tanking on them.

The "new Coke" reference is apt.

I can understand why you'd want your own unique name to use as a brand. "SciFi" is not a unique name as there are millions of people who use it on a daily basis. But in that case, wouldn't you WANT to use it?

Why change the brand to get a bigger viewing audience? Why not change your programming instead? Show the old classics, show faves like Time Tunnel, campy stuff like Buck Rogers, good shows like Dresden Files and Stargate Atlantis?

I worked for a corp that was big on the east coast who ran a survey on the west coast where they had a small presence. When their brand wasn't recognized out here, what did they do? They hired outside people who suggested they change the brand, while they ignored their own employees who urged them to advertise instead. Now they've laid off thousands of people, me being one of them, and many others are taking their business from the corp.

Absolutely excruciating Saturday night movies keep me away from your channel and either channel surfing or thumbing thru my own dvd's. Wrestling? Fits into the “fi” (fiction) part of the name. I think changing your brand to something that could be pronounced as a sexually transmitted disease is an "iffy" deal at best, but it wouldn't stop me from watching the channel. A poor viewing selection is already taking care of that.

The continued claim that "Sci Fi Channel" or variants thereof couldn't be trademarked is patently (if you'll pardon the pun) false. In fact, "Sci-Fi Channel" *used* to be trademarked for various products by USA Networks (the original founders of Sci Fi) and was later assigned to Universal City, the predecessor to NBC-Universal. The lawyers failed to file a required Statement of Use in 2001-- after five(!) extensions-- and the trademark was then abandoned.

See: http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=75151175

That doesn't however mean that it's fallen into public domain-- it just means that the lawyers had a bit more work to do.

It's a shame that Sci Fi's current president is either intentionally or unknowingly making this tenuous claim as the reason for the name change.

Thank you, Simon. I suspected as much. Scifi has a habit of not 'renewing' the rights to their properties before a set deadline. (Show rights, ect...). I just didn't have the proof to say so. I should have realized they would be lazy in regard to their own trademark.

Remember, Scifi Channel thought Liar Liar fell into their genre, and we know there is nothing scifi about Liar Liar. However, if you search under every stone, every corner at every speck of detail, then yes, every show created in the world has an element of scifi to it, including Cinderella, Lassie and Bonanza. Yeah, we are in for a broader line up alright.

I do not support the change, unless they will get more channels. One for true Scifi and one for Hardly Scifi.

I thought long and hard about composing an intelligent, educated and creative response to this drivel, but then I realized the execs at Sci-Fi (soon to be "Siffy" - the Syphillis Channel) aren't interested in anything intellegent, educated or creative and why should I put more effort into explaining the error oftheir ways than they did in commiting to such an asenine idea in the first place. I just need to come to terms with the fact that I, an engineer with a Ph.D. and a significant disposable income, who grew up watching the original Star Trek on NBC and reading authors like Heinlein, Clarke, Asimov, Herbert, Zelazny, Niven, and Dick, am not part of their new target demographic. They think there's more value to be had in pandering to 8 year olds and high school drop outs who spend each day hanging out in the trailer park playing video games. So be it, I'll vote with my remote, I have pretty low expectations for the stuff they've got coming down the pike and already own most of my favorite shows on DVD anyway.

Their slogan shouldn't be Imagine Greater, though; it should be something more along the lines of: SyFy - Bad TV for the Illiterate.

I'm glad Forest Ackerman didn't live to see this.

I switch channels when Wrestling comes on

Not because I am female, its because I want to watch some thing to do with science fiction, even allowing for supernatural shows like Ghost Hunters.

But NOT WRESTLING.

And the new spelling Syfy is horrible by the way.

I just wanted to add that I think the "If" title spawned by those amazing bumpers would have really intrigued me and would have actually gotten me excited for the new direction of the channel because to me that speaks of innovation and creativity, something I've been craving from this channel for ages. For me this has all been about direction and focus, or lack there of, in a network that does have a solid brand. The "SciFi Channel" with its Saturn logo is something I am long familiar with over these years and is instantly recognizable when I'm looking to pick out DVDs or other products.

As far as programming is concerned, I am also a little surprised that Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Chronicles aren't being aired on SciFi. As a woman in her mid-twenties, I can tell you that you'd get a lot of my friends watching your channel if you put that on. It's not like you need to make the shows, just get the rights to air them. I also think you should take the advice of the person above that posted the list of popular science-fiction novels. After the success of Coraline I'd be thrilled if you adapted some of Gaiman's works, especially if he were involved. That may be a pipe-dream, but it speaks to the fact that there is a lot of untapped source material out there. Like shayd I grew up on Bradbury, Ursula K. LeGuin (a woman that knows how to put the science in science fiction), Heinlein and a variety of other classic and wonderful fiction.

I actually don't mind shows that are camp and fun like MST3k and to an extent Quantum Leap and Eureka and the early seasons of Sliders because they don't insult the intelligence of the viewer while they have fun. I'm also a Joss Whedon fan and if you want to find a way to grab the significant young-adult female crowd, and there are a lot of us, see how he creates characters and universes that sustain fans for years after shows have ended. I give his shows a chance because he's done well in giving his fans something worth checking out.

It's not just about the name, but I think this really has opened the flood gates. I never felt the desire to speak up until this announcement, but if you're looking for market feedback you're certainly getting it. Not everything you've done is wrong, but ignoring that science-fiction, comic books, and geek chic is becoming all the rage with young men and women, who very often like the same things believe it or not, you're missing out on what could be a golden age for your network. And yes, I hate to harp on the woman thing but with internet anonymity I think it gets skewed just how many girls are actually out there.

Here's hoping you actually take some of the suggestions and ideas people are offering here.

Ah, I made a mistake in my post about the Sarah Jane Adventures, but I still stand that Torchwood should be aired on Scifi. Apologies there.

Well, thanks a bunch Mr. Howe for telling us what we already know: Your plan is to continue prostituting the Sci-Fi genre in the name of money. With all the crap going down on Wall Street these days, it sure would be nice to see someone who wasn't willing to sell their mother to make a buck. How silly of me to hope for that, we live in a world ruled by market studies and demographics. Good luck with your masterplan. To me it sounds like a Chinese restaurant fretting about not getting enough pasta lovers so they add spaghetti to the menu... oh wait, some people are nuts about pizza, so they add that too. When they're done the only Chinese left on the menu is pork fried rice. - but hey! they have killer ribs and their Prime Rib is to die for.
NBC Universal already has a channel that does this, it's called USA. Why don't you dump the 'Syfy' name and call it USA2?
You know what? You can take SG.U and shove it. I'm not watching another show just you can cancel it on me.

Mr. Howe answered a lot of questions, but not the ones that are bugging fans the most. He also dodged answering the question on where the term Syfy came from, which is clearly documented on the internet. How about the whole story?

Wow.. nearly half their VIEWERS are female, but the genre's not in that ratio so the hell with them.

Awesome.

Bonanza, you're not helping the case. You're not helping us real Scifi fans with those statements of yours and you clearly don't know enough history of this channel to be of use in our protests. Cinderella is fantasy. Fantasy IS scifi. This is established fact. Dark Shadows was the very first show ever aired on Scifi. Please learn the history of the genre before making assumptions. What doesn't belong on scifi and has been on Scifi are the reality shows, game shows, professional wrestling, Braveheart, Law and Order (which has been tossed on the Scifi channel before)...

Fantasy though has always been a fixture of Science fiction. Scifi Buzz (The old news show of the Scifi channel) was originally divided into three catagories. Science fiction, fantasy and supernatural horror.

Tereya Chan, Sarah Jane adventures HAS aired on the Scifi channel... It's Torchwood Scifi rejected thinking Americans wouldn't be interested in it.

Sounds like another poor corporate decision for messing with a brand. My god folks, do your research and learn from the New Coke, Tropicana, and Dora the Explorer stories to see what can happen when you mess with a brand.

"We have spoken. We are Corporate America. You will accede to our programming decisions. Your opinions are meaningless. Resistance is"... *click*

Hmmn, I wonder what's on the History Channel?

Don't worry everyone they only filed a 1(b) trademark application there is still a chance they will decide this is a bad idea and not file a statement of use in order to continue with the application. But seriously you claimed class 016 and 028, was that really necessary. Since when doe the scifi channel make videogames comic books, maybe you went overboard just in case.

Care to explain what the wrestling crap has to do with science fiction and fantasy? Care to explain how the network that produced "Cold Equations" and "Dune" has degenerated into producing crummy monster of the week movies?

I realize that SciFi channel is probably a redheaded stepchild in the NBC family, but if they don't put someone in charge with a functional brain, they'll kill the brand.

Funny you should mention the History Channel, Roger. Speaking as an avid watcher, I can tell you they do a much better job of finding programming with cross market appeal to Sci Fi fans that Sci-Fi does. Hmm, Star Wars Tech, Psychology of the Dark Knight, How Star Trek Shaped the World, Jules Verne: Father of Science Fiction, etc vs. Wrestling, Ghost Hunters and Who wants to be a Superhero? Which channel would you rather be watching while waiting for "the final episode" of your favorite series that was just cancelled because it is cheaper to made reality programming and canavore of the week un-original films than it is to produce a show that's actually worth watching.

The sad truth is, shows like BSG, SGA and the Dune Miniseries are flukes -- quality that somehow slipped through the cracks of the corporate mindset and was allowed (however breifly) to engage the minds of the audience, not just their senses.

The Sci-Fi Channel is thrashing around trying to establish a brand thinking it will get them an audience, when the truth is they HAD and audience and they drove it away by compromising their identity and pandering to every suit with a marketing slide that claimed there was a buck to be made elsewhere.

Mr. Howe, as you clearly haven't figured it out yet allow me to try and put this in very simple terms. There are a LOT of Science Fiction fans who enjoy quality programming and - from an advertising sales standpoint - spend money on gadgets and gizmos and books and videos and games and computers and all sorts of fan-fare media ties-ins and THEY'RE NOT WATCHING YOU in part because you don't offer much programming that appeals to them but mostly because you don't seem to UNDERSTAND them or RESPECT them.

We are a diverse group that, traditionally, has defied efforts to shoehorn it into the classic MBA case study comparisions of 18-24 year old males want this, women under the age of 40 what that, etc. Remember forty years ago when NBC cancelled Star Trek saying that it "too cerebral" and "has no specific demographic appeal"? Remember that executive that dismissed the write-in campaign to save the show saying "in two years, they'll move on and will have forgotten this show ever existed" Well guess what - NBC was wrong then, and you're wrong now.

We are young; we are old; we are gay; we straight; we are male; we are female; we are self-taught; we have doctorates; we are pagan, christian, polytheists, atheists and everything in between. We will put on pointy ears and go to comic book conventions; we will put on tuxes and evening gowns and go to cocktail parties where we make jokes about people who put on pointy ears and go to comic book conventions. We are uniform in our individuality and our uniquness but we all have something in common that you apparently lack: we are open-minded and imaginative; and the direction you have mapped out for the Syphillis Channel is neither.

I'm with the Poles on Siffy.

Dear Mr. Howe,

Seriously, Wrestling, Reality Television and the Horror movie of the Week? This is how you're going to appeal to a female audience? I have to ask: What are you smoking? I have plenty of female friends who are Science Fiction fans (including my wife). None of those shows appeal to them!

So what show are you planning to use to entice them? I don't see anything well written enough coming down the pipe-line. And parent company Universal/NBC is abrogating is authority to program/produce intelligent TV by going "Leno" 5 nights a week. It appears the future is in "Reality" crap (which you must be placing a huge financial bet on) -- but oh, I forgot! It's all about the money! You don't really care about the FAN, the VIEWER -- it's all been a ruse after all. Your vault should be full of GREAT Sci-Fi movies from every decade, yet you continue to produce abhorrent movie monster of the week movies that make no sense -- I keep wondering: "Do people actually watch this crap?"

As for me? I'll stay with Sanctuary for a bit yet, but the writing better improve; I am still invested in Eureka; and I'll probably sample Stargate: Universe (I hope you don't mangle it as badly as Atlantis).

Beyond that? It's lights out -- I get much better Sci-Fi from my DVD collection, network TV, and BBC America.

Boy, I wish there was a Science-Fiction channel for people just like me. Wouldn't that be something?

SCIence FIction.

vs

SYence FYction

Jaysus... how much did you spend on a marketing plan to come up with that?

Why not spend the money on coming up with new and better series? Because you are buying into your own bull, thats why.

Why didnt you just launch another channel with "fluffier" content instead? Own goal!

I really couldn't give two hoots about the name change. I will continue to do what I have always done - watch what I like on the channel and ignore the rest. They could put more wrestling. I just won't watch it. I will watch Caprica and SGU and the cool mini-series like Tin Man. I will laugh at the clips of the awful Scifi original movies on The Soup. I think the name change is a very small issue. The real issue is the programming. I actually like Chase and Estate of Panic and I don't really care that it is not in the genre. and we could say "produce more original shows", but that costs money and that is the bottom line. Those crappy movies are cheap to make and apparently somebody is buying the DVDs or I don't think they would keep making them. What I think would be a cool idea is for a second channel that only shows older scifi tv series and movies and so forth. I would LOVE to watch some vintage Dr Who or Babylon 5 all day long. As for the current channel I will continue to pick and choose and not miss a night of sleep about it. I mean, other than probably sports or news channels, what viewer watched every show on a particular network?

Although I'm incredibly dissapointed in the channel moving in this direction, I can see what the Execs are trying to do. Science-fiction is more of a sub-culture as one tries to make cash & be more successful as a top-tier channel, they feel they have no choice but to mix things up a bit. Capitalism - I'm an entrepreneur & I understand about trying to present myself to the mass market. I've had time to digest this & I still feel that some big mistakes are being made.

As a result, If anybody is willing I would like to offer my services & meet with anybody. I love Science-fiction & have a few ideas that would help make the transition easier for us dedicated fans. I would even be willing to fly out on my own dime because this means so much to me.

I don't really mind the name change, but I do agree that your saturday night of the week movies are usually pretty dumb. I would like to see your network greenlight some solid scripts and hire some decent actors and directors. And not worry so much about special effects (the original Dr. Who for example) and maybe you might produce some cult classics or something along those lines that might give your network some notoriety and also an influx of cash. It all star with the scripts.

Does it really matter what the channel is called? The main thing is I am looking forward to SGU and Warehouse 13 and to a lesser extent Caprica. But please stop with the reality shows, game shows and wrestling.

I'll be honest, the Sci Fi channel leaves a lot to be desired. There is so much great sci fi, and a host of mediocre sci fi, that is NEVER shown on the channel that it seems like a waste the channel even exists. If Sci Fi renames itself to SyFy, maybe someone will come up with a REAL Sci Fi channel.

Then, perhaps, for "reality shows," we would see discussions on upcoming Sci Fi movies, or reviews of classics... Maybe we would see lesser-seen classics like Space: 1999, The Starlost, Jupiter Moon, Tomorrow People, Quark, UFO, Space Precinct, classic Doctor Who, etc, etc, instead of the "crap new horror movie of the week."

Have your 5 really good new shows. Pick up one or two abandoned programs that show potential. Show a special "Sci Fi movie from another country" every week. But, for once, lets have a channel that really shows sci fi!!!

Mmm, what criticism exactly was this "interview" meant to address?

1) We, the science fiction fan base, seem to understand well enough that it was purely a marketing decision. Afterall, we've all read Snow Crash and we're well aware that such brand identity distopias are corporate hacks' wetdreams.

2) Most of us seem to understand that good science fiction has always blended into the genres of fantasy and supernatural horror. I needn't quote the late great Arthur C. Clarke's famous dictum "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," because unlike Mr. Howe (who doth protest too much), we're all bloody well familiar with it.

3) Reality television and wrestling* do not fall within this spectrum of speculative, imaginative, science fiction. (Granted, Mr. Howe seems intelligent enough not to try to defend this one).
*Exceptions-Dr. Who "Bad Wolf", where failed reality television stars are incinerated and Futurama's "Raging Bender" when Gender Bender takes on Destructor... but I don't see any Futurama on the Sci-Fi Channel.

4) As I pointed out in the comments on the previous post and crochetowl, Peter, and deservesbetter have reminded us, niche consumers are really the only way for a small entity to keep afloat in an oversaturated market. But again, Mr. Howe doesn't seem to have much familiarity with technology/information/science theory and research.

5) Syfy is still a dumb name and evokes every bad corporate/managerial/marketing stereotype imaginable.

So, I'm led to ask, why is a man who is so utterly and unfailingly divorced from the reality of the science fiction viewership (not to mention grossly incompetent) actually running the channel?

Is there a separate board that runs the Sci-Fi Channel, or is this just one more piss-poor NBC Universal decision? If there is a separate board that runs the Sci-Fi Channel, can someone please publish a way to contact them so that we can at least take a hack at getting a hack like Howe fired.

Why don't they just fess up they are really planning on:

The Trailer Trash Channel
"Imagine a lower IQ"

wrestling... hahhaha

By Mandy at 5:44 AM ON 03/23/09

Tereya Chan, Sarah Jane adventures HAS aired on the Scifi channel... It's Torchwood Scifi rejected thinking Americans wouldn't be interested in it.
****************************************************************

Yet Torchwood was THE highest rated show EVER on BBC America, which is where this American watched every wonderful episode.

This may be going out on a limb here, but I think a lot of science fiction fans also like...oh shoot, what's that word....uhhh...SCIENCE, that's it.

Any thoughts on crossing over every once in a while into those theoretical physics or space shows they play on TLC or the Science Channel?

I think we're all mostly ticked because the name itself was the last good thing about the network. I was going to watch for two more hours this year, for the Doctor Who episodes. Now I'll get 'em from BBC.

Thanks!

Hate the font! Hate the sub title!

Is this a channel for tweens? That font is ridiculous. It's mommy and daddy SAFE. It's Kindergarten. It's PBS. It's vanilla. It's beige. It's BORING!

That sub title is just plan stupid. You want us to "IMAGINE GREATER!" What does that mean? Imagine greater television on this channel while we present non imaginative programming.

Go ahead and change the name. All I ask is that you get away from that ridiculous font.

What a pandering, patronizing BS interview this guy gave. What is wrong with being honest - you just don't want to associate with the male, nerdy demographic and would rather pull in more advertising dollar with women. I wish the interviewer had asked what freaking WRESTLING has to do with sci fi. All the other explanations he gave for horror and speculative action were a stretch at best, but wrestling?

I guess keeping Jeb and Bubba coming back for their rasslin' is more important than sticking by, and strengthening, a POWERFUL brand name.

If you ask me, Syfy ranks very high in the list of monumentally stupid decisions, along with the law that allowed AIG to use our money to give bonuses to their employees.

this is the most idiotic idea i've heard in 2009....and i find it insulting.
now back to watching my GEEKY show @ SciFi...at least i can do so for now.

I think you've some gall to compare yourself to Hulu, Wii, TiVo, Google and the others. Do you really think this is a wise decision? Is it already beyond the point of no return? If you continue on this misguided attempt to attract new viewers, are you aware that you will lose a large base of your older, already established viewers like myself? Assuming this decision is by the same people that come up with the movies made by the SciFi channel, you know that it is a mistake. They are so formulaic that it is ridiculous. I will be cancelling my cable since there will be nothing worthwhile left to watch.

hello all, Idea guy here again...

read a post on one of the others "we're syfylys now" threads. I KNOW it was meant as a smart ass, off the wall sarcastic joke, but it got me thinking.

What I read was "What's next? Survivor: Alpha Centauri?"

Well after some thought I've decided I would actually WATCH that show if they stuck to the following conditions.

1) Make NO ATTEMPT WHATSOEVER to take the show seriously. Make it a scifi comedy with the express purpose fof parodying other "reality" shows, a la "Monty Python".

2) You HAVE to cast it well. Use KNOWN scifi personas and make it a "what if these characters met" show. My ideal list of Scifi characters I would LOVE to see compete against each other in a fake reality show;
Spock
Rodney McKay
Jack O'neill
Han Solo
Neo
Max Rockatansky
Jean Luc Picard
Seven of Nine
Batman/Bruce Wayne (have him STILL try to keep his secret identity)
Flash Gordon
Mal Reynolds
John Connor
James Kirk
Starbuck
Acastus Kolya
Q (star trek)
Q (James Bond)
Emmet Brown
Ian Malcolm
Zachary Smith.

3) Let the viewing audience vote off a character every week! You want to ensure viewers watch your show? Give them a say in what happens!

I realize that this is probably an idea almost as bad as the SciFi rebrand, but I had to get it out there so people can flame me, because I'm apparently such an egotist I can't flame myself.

And FIX YOUR BLOODY CAPTCHA!

SciFi/SyFy.... personally, I don't care what you change the name to if you feel it is a 'branding' issue... as someone in the advertising/marketing biz, I can understand that. Changing it to an idiotic name that has such a derogatory meaning in another language and that basically sounds so similar to the old name is just dumb however. I suppose in retrospect is IS appropriate as the Polish meaning of your new name quite aptly reflects the quality... or lack thereof... of your programming of late.

Quite frankly, I think the excuse of changing to a name that you could trademark is merely a smokescreen to mask the REAL reason which was merely obliquely refered to in your justification... the distancing of your network from the genre and fans that it was originally established to serve... Science Fiction and Fantasy.

You ARE, despite your protestations to the contrary... alienating and distancing yourselves from your original, loyal core viewer base, in a vain attempt to broaden the appeal of your network to attract a more mainstream audience. I have news for you folks.... the genre of SciFi/Fantasy/Supernatural is not just for supposed geeks and weirdos... is is what is HOT these days. Don't believe it? Take a look at your competitors new shows they're lining up. Nearly every network is adding more shows in those catagories... because they are popular.... because that's what the mainstream audience wants. SciFi, Fantasy and the Supernatural ARE mainsttream! Look at the recent blockbuster films and books... Star Wars, Harry Potter, Aliens, vampire movies, Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series.... I could go on... all raking in big bucks and drawing a wide audience... all ages, in all countries... Your network, originally created to showcase such programing, now airs LESS of it than any other network! See anything wrong with that picture?

If you think you need a new name or new look to boost your ratings and viewership... here's another news flash for you.... It ain't the name that's broke... it's your PROGRAMMING! How long do we, the loyal core viewers have to keep explaining this to you before you finally GET IT? We DON'T want abysmally lame creature-of-the-week movies that would insult the intelligence of a three-year old.... We DON'T want more lame un-reality shows.... We DON'T want more wrestling! We want QUALITY sciFi/Fantasy programs... the likes of Farscape, Stargate and The Dresden Files.... which last by the way was one of the dumbest moves you guys recently made... not renewing that show ! It got incredibly impressive ratings for it's slot against football playoffs, it was your third highest rated show and it even beat out your precious 'flagship' show Battlestar Galactica on at least one occasion. Jim Butchers books, on which the series was based, are selling like hotcakes and is up for a Hugo award, the DVD is STILL selling vvery well, yet you guys continue to label it as a failure? Take a look at your Painkiller Jane or Flash Gordon if you want to know what a REAL failure looks like!

Thebottom line is, it doesn't matter WHAT youcall your network... if it isn't going to 'Imagine Greater' as your new slogan promises, it isn't going to help. Try imagining greater quality in your programming... Try imagining greater respect for your core audience... And if that is beyond your imagination, just give it up and stop kidding yourselves and trying to kid us and just become another USA network clone.... you're almost there already...

You say that after 16 long years, you've decided to change the name. 16 years ago, SciFi was the new name and continues to be the NAME of the Science Fiction Channel. There are no other science fiction channels. You've created a Chiller network to attract horror and scary shows/movies. Put Ghost Hunters and Scare Tactics there! Don't create a "catch-all" network with some suggestion that it's science fiction plus more. That's where you're going to fail, miserably.

You don't listen to the viewers. You listen to the few who agree with you and count that as "the majority of viewers".

Don't kill the Science Fiction Channel.

Indeed this is a juvinile choice for a network supposedly dedicated to science fiction.

Ok, NOW I understand why you want to change your name... Syfy is stupid, but whatever. The problem I have is that you can't seem to tell what is science fiction, and what is not. Eureka is science fiction. It has cool technology that does not exist. Ghost Hunters is stupid.

Hm... you try to satisfy everybody. Not good!

I am happy to live in Austria/Europe (schwarzenegger, not kangaroo), wher you don't play stupid wrestling and such. However you play commercials for life insurance... how stupid is that?

Somebody, who is watching Star Trek is probably young and not interested in retirement solutions and life insurance.

But at least there is no wrestling and Ghost Hunters and such idiotic reality shows.

Non the less, I must say, I am not satisfied with your programming at all. There are a few good old shows, like Star Trek, but it gets repetitive and I miss big sci fi blockbusters, but I even miss good old movies. There is much more, you could air as a sci-fi channel. You are wasting your potential.

*sigh* You know, I stopped watching this channel after SG-1 was canceled, and you have yet to give me a good reason to come back. Heck, even your "original" programming is considerably lacking the "originality" aspect, your monster movies make Uwe Boll films look good, and reality programming does NOT attract the female audience, it turns them away.

Why do we gals watch sci-fi shows and movies? Lots of reasons, but for the majority, its character development, be it a sci-fi show or not. For some reason, the "boys club" is convinced more explosions and scantily-clad females are the best way to keep your "core" audience, but when was the last time you actually conducted a demographic study of convention attendees? Over half the convention audience is female, and most of that is thirty and up. Why? Because they are the holders of the purse strings for their families, and introduce their own sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews to their interests.
Please... by all means, hire a "focus group" to survey the crowd at Dragon*Con, Comic Con, and any one of the absurdly amateur Creation Cons... you won't like the answers, but I'm sure you can "rebrand" them to suit your narrow views any way.

Oh, here's a new idea: fire Howe, hire Wil Wheaton. As our newly-elected Secretary of Geek Affairs, maybe he can help us sci-fi fans return "our" network to its real roots.

I have to say that I think Syfy, at least the Polish translation thereof, fits their programming in general better than Sci Fi (which much of it isn't). The channel has come up with some good original programming in the past, most of which they canceled before its time. Now it's bad reality programming and pro wrestling as much, if not more than science fiction/fantasy. I'll finish out Sanctuary out of loyalty to Amanda Tapping and the rest of the Sanctuary team, but other than that, I'm through with it. If by some odd chance the channel manages to produce some decent original programming, I'll watch it on Hulu or some other online service, or even Netflix after it hits DVD. This is one female geek whose support they can kiss goodbye.

There we go! I agree wholeheartedly with everything Cleothemuse said.

This rebranding effort is the media equivalent of New Coke.

Where's all the classic sci-fi shows such as Sliders, Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, Quantum Leap, X-Files, etc. Are they gone forever now? You're not airing many of them and if you are they're on in the wee hours of the morning.

Come on... wrestling and crappy ghost-hunting reality shows have as much place on a channel that's SUPPOSED to be dedicated to science-fiction(y) programming as putting BattleBots on a COMEDY channel. Network executives are MORONS.

Oh yeah, and instead of showing all of the GREAT sci-fi reruns in the wee hours like Thomas said, you've got paid programming on. Isn't cable TV supposed to ALL be paid programming? We PAY for it. We should be able to watch classic Trek reruns at 4am - not someone trying to sell me kitchenware.

Dear Mr Howe,

First, please re-read my prior post re: martini olive.

Second, please try and learn from the criticism. This move has emboldened a lot of people to speak out on the general condition of Sci-Fi's programming in volumes I doubt you've seen before. There's a saying in business that 1 dissatisfied customer will tell 10 other people. If you were to look at each negative post as being representative of loss of a Nielsen viewer, the picture becomes decidedly grim.

Third, BSG is gone. You cannot tout what is now a past glory to defend your current besieged condition. If you were really as innovative as you say in your interview, you wouldn't be airing two shows like Warehouse 13 and Sanctuary. I'll come right out and say it again, these are Torchwood knock-offs. Even putting that aside, the premise of these shows is so similar that if you didn't approve these shows you should fire whoever did. If you did approve these shows, shame on you for wasting the networks money so negligently. At this point I'll also mention that making a new Stargate series is simply perpetuating a series that got to Sci-fi by being cancelled on one of the major cable networks, so please don't go patting yourself on the back for being all hip and fresh by pimping a 2nd-rate clone of someone else's concept.

I will give you guys a few props. Personally, I don't mind the sci-fi movie of the week, I consider it a tradition of sci-fi that you guys have kept alive. I also think Eureka is a great show, turns out not all sci-fi has to be dark and angsty.

But come on man, what were you thinking? You guys shouldn't ditch the sci-fi label. If anything you should expand on it! Isn't it about time for a Sci-fi Retro Channel? Or a 24hr Sci-Fi movie channel?

Oh, and wrestling isn't Sci-fi, no matter how bizarre some of the character concepts get.

Thanks for listening. Enjoy your martini.

If you really cared about your viewers one single bit (people like me who have watched the Sci-Fi channel since the beginning), wonderful shows like The Dresden Files or Farscape would never have been cancelled. I HATE that so-called wrestling crap and it has no reason to be on Sci-Fi other to make you $$$. And don't you ever think that I will call Sci-Fi by that embarrassment of a name that was made up by an overpaid idiot who has probably never even watched the Sci-Fi Channel.Next, if you can't spell, maybe you should get out of the tv business and finish school. One last thing, if you are so sure about this crap, just make your research public and let your actual fans see where you got this garbage. I dare you. I know it won't happen because you are a bunch of cowards who don't read this, you get interns to do it. Poor things, having to deal with another round of backlash becasue of your stupidity.

Really poor excuses. Fantasy is within Science Fiction, I still remember an episode of Star Trek where Capitan Kirk talk with a creature that seems to be a god. The name SciFi is simply GREAT. You change it you lose it. Change the name of the channel is like change the name of the country cause the economy doesn't work.

I like it. Is everything going to move over to scyfy.com? I went there and it seems to be in development still. I can't wait!

"Here's a couple of great examples that we hope illustrate what I'm talking about in a different way. ESPN and COKE are both powerful brands. But if they were called SPORTS or SODA, no one would know why they're different or why they're worth checking out."

No, those are RETARDED examples. They would only be the slightest bit valid if SciFi had competition. Look at The History Channel, Food Network, Home and Garden TV - all have loyal audiences are are much more successful than Syfy will ever be. You don't need to use focus groups and come up with a goofy name to have a successful channel, you need MARKETABLE CONTENT. SciFi sadly lacked that (those "Original Movies"! Blech!) and Syfy looks that way as well.

Oh, and for the record, ESPN stands for ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS PROGRAMMING NETWORK. Heh, what irony.

I'll make this short: I hate the reality programming and wrestling, and I think it's lazy to depend on spin-offs of once popular shows instead of finding new and interesting stories to tell. Re-branding won't fix that, and, as a science fiction/fantasy geek, *I am* your demographic. If you can't stick to the program, change the name altogether and stop pretending to cater to those of us who have been so loyal for so many years.

The only thing you're going to get out of this name change is targeted hits on Google. All that other nonsense about attracting new viewers is just myopic tomfoolery. The name of the channel is not going to attract viewers. People watch shows, not channels. You need to make good shows to attract viewers.

The Google love alone might be worth it but geepers creepers, couldn't you think of a better name? "Syfy" is confusing at best and a total embarrassment at worst. This name change campaign reminds me of "new Coke."

I can't help pronouncing it like "See-Fee"
It just looks like "See-Fee" to me. =)

I think most of us here agree that the name SyFy is stupid, so I suggest re-branding the name to “Stu-Pid”. At least when someone ask me what kind of stupid channel I am watching; I can honestly say: “Yes, I am watching the Stu-pid channel. And yes, wrestling will be on in 20 minutes…” I think most of us will get a smile, if not a laugh out of it; and it is true to its programming in the future. And I think “Stu-Pid” is cool too.
:-)

If I remember my Anthropology 101, when a new alpha male takes over the band, he kills all the off spring of his rivals. This guy sounds like he sprang full born from the head of some Marketing consortium. He's created frakkin' Wonderbread (sorry, Wonderbread).

Howe,

With no due respect, you are a moron. A typical network executive who ignores the obvious. Take a look at the feedback - it is 99% negative. People hate the name change and they seem to disagree with your idea of what shows are good and which are bad. Your comments are laced with ignorance, arrogance, and you are oblivious to what people are attempting to tell you.

Now that Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica are done, you are going to see a huge drop in ratings. Your attempt to make us happy with a new Stargate show that looks and sounds like "Voyager in the SG universe" are going to fail. I predict one, maybe two seasons of SGU. Caprica will fail because it is a soap opera. Your moronic ghost shows and wrestling are pathetic and I have never watched them and never will.

I have to laugh, because you guys are really NBC executives, the proud legacy that canceled the original Star Trek back in the 1960's. As one of the classic characters on that show would say, "You are most illogical."

I'm done watching your network because you are an insult to my viewship and intelligence, you don't deserve my attention and your advertisers in turn do not deserve my business.

welcome to the slow downward spiral that leads to the unemployment line. (wait - that may be a FAST downward spiral).

I think most of us can respect a portion of the "why" of this decision.

I think what we can't respect is the stupidity of not only coming up with this name, continuing on this course when you were made aware of the associations the name provoked, and then these lame attempts to not only justify the name but to say with a bald-face that you had overwhelmingly positive response to it.

We are the response - and even a casual glance at the comments will find them overwhelmingly negative.

For me it's a question of judgement. If your leadership has the bad judgement to enact this plan, then to try to defend it with the same type of rhetoric we've come to associate with the worst kind of political figures, well, I think you've about destroyed your viewer's faith in your ability to provide intelligent, thought-provoking entertainment.

It certainly has destroyed mine.

Well, there's at least one good thing about the name change -- no longer will the term sci-fi be associated with cheap crap that looks like someone produced on their home PC in a few hours.

I really don't care about the name change (I like the logo they currently have though), it's just the direction they're planning on of "imagination based" entertainment. That includes everything, things like "Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", soap operas, reality shows, wrestling, two bugs mating on a leaf, comedy shows, and possibly science fiction stuff too (and fantasy, etc).

Think of it like this, if a station appeared called "SyFy" (and it wasn't a rebranding of sci-fi channel) -- no one would have a clue what it was about! Actually they'd probably think it was a new medical station teaching sex-ed to students.

it all sounds like a done deal, regardless, of all the negative feedback. I used to watch Sci Fi alot, but now there is better Sci Fi on other channels, go figure. Stupid name change, for dumbed down programming. Stargate: Sancutary, is as bad as the english accent.
Caprica:SOAP. Warehourse 13 (Fringe wannabe) SGU: TIRED!!!!!!!!! OH Well....

HOWE said: "..."Sci-fi" is the generic term. It's not a brand name we can own or that separates our shows from all of the other sci-fi shows out there...."

This sentence shows how much Howe and the other NBC/Sci-Fi execs are totally off base, out of touch, and clueless – clueless enough to have to rely on focus groups!

Sci-Fi - or its soon to be misspelled version – should be the MAIN source for science fiction/fantasy entertainment on TV. So, WHY are there so many OTHER channels carrying much better science fiction/fantasy than the Channel that was MADE for it??!

As for the name change, comparing the dislike the vast majority has stated to Sci-Fi’s pending change to the original dislike of the names of Wii, Hulu, and Amazon is ridiculous. Wii, Hulu, etc. were unknown products with odd names that people had to grow to know and like. The Sci-Fi Channel is an established product that wants to abruptly change its name in an effort to correct bad programming choices and attract new customers. A better comparison would be the change Coke made with New Coke – their core customers HATED it. Coke listened and reversed that decision resulting in Coke still being a major brand 24 years later.

Sci-Fi should do the same – listen, not to random or hand-picked focus groups, but to your customers (viewers) and correct the mistakes that have been made. Mistakes like cancelling great shows with loyal followers as well as total inattention to the Channel’s core audience and series fans causes you to hemorrhage the viewers you have. How big of a brand would Coke be today if it had stuck with New Coke, lost its core customer base and pinned its success on attracting a totally NEW customer base?? A better business plan – and the one that Coke went with - would be to RETAIN your current customers while adding shows that would attract new ones.

For the Channel to succeed, it needs to dump the focus groups, reach out to its core audience and bring back all those who fled, and air quality science fiction/fantasy entertainment that people will actually want to watch! Changing a name won’t make bad programming better and it’s the PROGRAMMING that people tune in for – NOT the name. Changing management’s mind-set and preconceived notions will.

They can change the name and I will change the channel . It was a stupid , insulting press release for a gimmick name change and I hope it fails.

>>>>SCI FI sounds very generic, sounds basic. Syfy sounds cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with.

right. I'll bet you a million dollars that no one really said that>>>

What this means is that people filled out forms and were given that language as a choice among many other choices.
I've taken hundreds of surveys for market research firms and this is common language. Only now I know how it's used--scary.

I have seen this story on several sites and what comes to my mind is that NBCU missed the golden opportunity with this channel. They are disappointed that the channel name may stop some folks from viewing the channel, the TRUTH is they used the name to get honest Science Fiction fans to look at this channel as their channel, but over the years the programming has become a different genre than the channel's viewers want to watch. The folks at NBCU dislike Science Fiction and have just refused to air programs within the genre. They seem to love critter monster "B" movies and now wrestling. The problem with wrestling is the fans of WWE will not watch ECW so the program limits the viewer base for the channel and especially turns off women. Now they decide to dissociate the channel from Science Fiction fans and release stories calling them GEEKS that live in basements and are antisocial creatures of some kind.

If NBCU had actually made this channel for Science Fiction programing and had gone after every Science Fiction movie and series as they became available for cable, and had shown all the old classic Science Fiction shows with new series being really promoted and continued year after year they could have dominated the genre and they could have developed a following of the 10 percent of the viewing public or about 35 million folks that are fans of Science Fiction. Their ratings would have continued to grow and likely could have been within the top five cable channels in the country. But they did Science Fiction in NAME only and now even the name change SPELLS the end of the channel. I have several DVRS and I will just search for Science Fiction programs and NEVER CONCERN myself with going to this channel except when a program shows up within the search. Good Bye NBCU.

I am a woman and if NBCU really wanted more female viewers they would drop the wrestling. I find it mind numblingly macho , fake and yet they call Science Fiction fans adolescent boys!!

This is a direct insult to the late Forrest J. Ackerman, who coined the term and popularized both it and the genres. To try to change this is like a publishing house trying to change the great Hugo Gernsback's term "science fiction" to things-you-may-want-to-think-about fiction. Your reasons are spurious and wrong-headed, and the direction toward reality shows (which almost NEVER have ANYTHING to do with reality) is so insipid as to rank with "My Mother the Car" in concept. I mean, what's next? Some film star in "Spaceship of Love"? Get real--not "reality"!

If you want to broaden your appeal, drop scifi programming altogether. That seems to be what you're doing anyway. All we need--another Spike!

People ... it's a channel's name. Get over it!

Watch the shows you like, don't watch the ones you don't like.

Whether "Doctor Who" is on PBS, SciFi, or SyFy, it's still "Doctor Who," right? The show doesn't change.

For the record, I think it's a silly change. I always appreciated that there was no ambiguity. "What kinds of shows does the Sci Fi Channel show, do you think?"

But, really ... I don't get this vitriol.

Why don't you E-mail me if you want another SciFi/SyFy Original

Thank goodness you are changing the name! That leaves room for a REAL science fiction channel to come into being. Perhaps called simply Scifi. What? Too close a name to your "old" one? Got news for you...you can't trademark "scifi". You can trademark Scifi Channel or something similar (the last word being the key), but you can't trademark a designation you had NOTHING to do with coining, and predates your channel. Change your name to the idiotic "syfy"--and maybe we'll get a REAL channel called Scfi or Scifi something!

Time to start a new sci fi channel - a real one with great paranormal premises and real sci fi.
Time to start appealing to WOMEN like me who want to see this genre with intelligent writing and unusual, thought-provoking concepts. Ghosthunters is nothing but a HUGE bore, Wrestling? Oh please...
And a name change???? Spend your money on better original programming. I am your target market and if you cannot hold my attention you are missing a large population of women with money to spend on your advertisers' products.

Some of you need to stop the mentioning the History Channel as an example of good channel. It is now like Scifi a channel that started with niche and strayed from its mission. History is now home to such reality shows as Ice Road Truckers and Ax Men, To justify their new lineup they came up with the phrase history happens now. Under this logic they can show:

1. Reality show with Paris Hilton
2, A show modeled after American Chopper.
3. Crazy Police Chases
4. Dog the Bounty Hunter
5. Maybe something like my Super Sweet 16 as seen on MTV
6. A decorating show
7. Car Customizing show.
8. Dancing/Singing contest show.

These executive only care about money. The HC president at an upfront said they made more money with their new line up then they had in all the other years of the channel, by just showing history. This is what scifi and these other niche networks are trying to do, they want a bigger slice of the general ratings pie.

First MTV becomes reality TV now Sci-Fi is doing the same. Let's all follow FOX because we have no original ideas of our own. Also, I agree with the majority of the wrestling comments. Loose it. It has no place on "Sci-Fi" or "Syfy" also for marketing to avoid many mispronounciations... you should at least consider "Sy-Fy" and keep it hyphenated. BTW, also where fans are concerned shows like "Moonlight" can draw female viewers as it did with my wife. We both enjoy "Ghost Hunters" and "Eureka". All three of those do qualify as "Sci-Fi" with Ghost Hunters being as close to a reality Sci-Fi show as should be possibly considered. (Being it is fringe scientific) Myself, I also enjoy more tradition space based Sci-Fi like the Stargate franchises and Galactica as well even though they are not my wife's taste. It's the "fringe, but realistic" and "human or human-like" relationship drama she enjoys. Me it's more about provoking thought about possibilities, but with a firm grounding in actual science and less about the drama. (Which may be why I lost interest in Galactica, but the Stargate shows kept me glued.

Take it or leave from a SC-FI fan,
Charles

I'm all for increasing business. I'm a business woman myself. However, when a channel is called Sci-Fi or Syfy, the implication is that your going to have science fiction/fantasy orientated programming. The problem I see that your having is that the name change coincides with the introduction of such programming as "The Cha$e" and "Estate of Panic" which weren't mentioned in your "reality" programming. The negative comments about "reality TV" were about shows like these that hold no appeal with your core audience. These shows are only about money. Shows about Ghosts and Mythological creatures still have basis in science. (AKA, Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth) It goes without saying wrestling is not science fiction programming, but this doesn't even seem to be a consideration for shows on your channel any more. I'm not disappointed about the name change just the turn in the programming line-up that has already begun to happen. This is what I believe has your core fans in an uproar about the name change. The appeal of the Sci-Fi channel was about unreality or the pursuit thereof not reality. If I wanted reality I'd stay at work.

Seriously... your name change is completely IGNORANT. How out of touch your network and especially your marketing efforts have become. How sad for you...

It's good to be in the majority. I detest your reality genre, anime and wrestling. My best hope is that another network will step in to fill the hole you are creating. Maybe something BBCish.

RE: Name Change
Really dumb idea - must have come from 20 something marketing boys who have absolutely no idea what Science Fiction is and have probably never read a Science Fiction or Fantasy novel (much less any book) in their life.

“Here's a couple of great examples that we hope illustrate what I'm talking about in a different way. ESPN and COKE are both powerful brands. But if they were called SPORTS or SODA, no one would know why they're different or why they're worth checking out.”

I can understand what you are saying but SyFy does not fit into this example it is too attached to the generic “sci-fi” term. This would be like a soft drink company calling themselves SoDuh sure it looks different but is still the same thing. If you are going to create a brand for yourself then create a name the indeed sounds and looks cool not just perverts a generic term.

OK, here's what happened. NBC/Universal decided that they wanted to OWN the name of their channel. Then they found out that they COULDN'T own "Sci-Fi" as it is too generic and has been around for decades.

So they hired some stupid "branding" company and told them they wanted a name that had the sound of the old one (which had a lot of value) but was different so that they could own it.

The branding company did what they all do and generated an elaborate multi-page jargon-laden justification about their suggestion: SyFy. After all, you can't charge a small (or large) fortune if you don't wrap a LOT of bullshit around your suggestion.

Since the execs at NBC/Uni spent a lot of money on this "study" and name, they HAD to get on board with it or they'd look even stupider for wasting money on something they then immediately rejected. Emperor's New Clothes, anyone?

You want proof? "Do you know there are more than 1,000 comments on SCI FI Wire about the new name and that almost all of them are negative?" The fact that you even have to address this issue proves that this new name is a train wreck.

NBC has bought a Grade A pig here and they're putting lipstick on it in an attempt to make it more attractive. After all, it wasn't their intention to spend money on a name everyone HATES, was it?

Today's "show business" executives don't have Clue One about the business and what makes something attractive to an audience. They're bean counters who hire branding companies and the like so that there's a scapegoat when things screw up. Their greatest gift is mastering the art of CYA.

Congratulations, NBC/Uni. You own "SyFy." Know why? 'Cause NO ONE ELSE WANTED IT.

Change the name and risk loosing viewers or keep the name and market Sci Fi Channel as "The Channel that brings Imagination to Life". Sci Fi Channel where the only limit is that of your mind, where Science meets Fanstasy, where Reality meets Superstition, where the Finite becomes Infinite.

Syfy simply has no heart. You claim: "Howe: There's nothing wrong with sci-fi, and we've had 16 great years as the SCI FI Channel. We love sci-fi, which is why we've said we have no intention of abandoning our roots or our core audience."

Then you Follow Up saying "We're still the biggest producer of sci-fi shows in all of TV, and we intend to stay number one."

Well Mr. Howe changing the name is a stupid idea. Next thing you know instead of being called the United States of America some elected official will call us The United Socialist of America" Sorry Sir but my Grandmothers if they were alive today would tell you the same thing: IF IT AINT BROKE.... DON'T FIX IT !!!!!

Change the name to Syfy and risk loosing your Loyal Viewers, I for one would rather continue watching your shows on Sci Fi channel then if you change the name and force me to boycott by viewing all your shows from Hulu or some other 3rd Party Viewer.

we want terminator tscc on ur network

Please pick up TSCC!!! It would be perfect for the new and improved SyFy!! The show is the best show on tv and deserves to be continued. In all honesty, TSCC should have been on SciFi all along!! I know there is a MASSIVE push for TSCC to be picked up by SyFy and it would be a MASSIVE mistake if it got ignored!! There are millions upon millions of Americans alone, not forgetting to mention how many millions globally, who are deeply devoted to this show!! Its not that often such an amazing fanbase comes along!! Please give us a season 3!! SyFy needs Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and we need you!!!

Bring back quality programming like Dresden, Fire-Fly and Blood Ties and get rid of that Spike TV garbage. Programming that is character driven... what a concept.

Remember that the SCIFI channel is owned by NBC/Universal which, in turn, is owned by General Electric. I would suggest that we start an email campaign to the Board of Directors of GE stating your opinion of the name change or format changes for the channel. Go to their web page at www.ge.com, and select Investor Relations, Feedback and Inquiries Form. Maybe if they get thousands (or more) emails, they might reconsider their position; but I doubt it. Or better yet, maybe we can get somebody that understands the science fiction audience/demographics to manage the channel.

I seem to be missing the point I think. Isn't SCI-FI a philosophy? Science fiction, fantasy, horror...aren't those labels of a genre? If the Sci-Fi channel wanted to remain a genre station, they wouldn't be doing this crazy name change. It's already bad enough the programming has changed to rass'lin and ghost hunt'n. I could sit down and write the whole script for ghost hunt'n in about 30 seconds,
"I think something touched me!" "Ooooh!" "Aaaahh."
Ok, that maybe that's an extended script. Maybe those shows belong on another channel run by NBCU, such as the JRTV (Junk Reality TV). Ok, you're right, rass'lin has nothing to do with reality in any form anyway, maybe the braindead channel?
Is this sarcasm? Why yes it is.
If you're getting good ratings on those shows like GH or rass'lin, then why can't you stick them on another channel where they won't upset your core audience? I'd rather watch "B" movie Sci-Fi any night of the week, than one minute of that truly horrid junk TV. Though rass'lin and GH are truly of the HORROR genre, I hope Sci-Fi doesn't actually consider that real programming...for long.
And yes, the name change is just to bring in more bodies for the ratings.
To be a little vulgar, the name change sucs...big time, but it's ok, if the programming continues in this direction and gets much worse, I won't be watching anyway.
So sorry this era has to end this way. Good channels don't suddenly die, they just fade away...

As a media/marketing critic for nearly two decades, I can understand wanting a brand-name you can place on unique content (film, games, etc.) which is directly related to your prime source (the channel).

Oddly enough, I don't understand why using "Syfy" as the trademark for your movies and web content as well as the brand behind the SciFi channel wouldn't work. No, they would not be the exact same letters. But, the channel could stay the same, and all new content could be branded "a SyFy production", or similarly... it wouldn't offend the "normal" people you want to draw in, but all your SciFi fanbase would know what it meant.

For tech-based (science/science fiction) or cult (horror, fantasy) fan groups, a "stealth" association is usually even better than a blatant change. Look at the popularity of /. or leet-speak for widespread examples.

In a related point, it's usually not a good thing to alienate a fan base which prides itself on specific knowledge by turning such on its head. SciFi (and related genres') fans pride themselves on a level of intelligence. Misspelling their favourite channel seems to elicit a gut-level revulsion.

Add to that the fact that while there have always been crossover fans of all sorts -- the group which enjoys wrestling and science fiction is a miniscule subset for reasons listed above. There are "sci-fi nerds" who love wrestling, and there are teen wrestling fans who love Star -gate/Trek/Wars/etc. When it comes down to making a decision, usually these fans will abandon the one which associates them with their teenage social group enemies. Geek/nerds (and I mean that in the proud-to-be-one-myself sense) associate closer with Starbuck/Mr. Data/R2-D2 than the muscle-bound loony of the week of pro-wrestling.

Teens may need an archetype with which to associate the urges/rages/angst of life. A wrestler can fill the role. But when dealing with someone who looks like the wrestler in real life in the school halls, that archetype frequently becomes a threat. In which case, identifying with a Terminator, a vampire, or someone clever enough to always stay a step ahead of a thug seems like the smarter choice.

And, let's be honest. The pre-pubescent boys angle is hardly the best focus for a channel which purports to want to stay with its science-fiction roots. New viewers are valuable, of course. But youth are easily bored by programs which require you to follow every single episode, and deal with adult themes which aren't violence or sex. Thus, intelligent programs like Caprica, or SG:U will alienate the new viewers while you're still shedding the older ones disappointed by the changes you've already made.

Best of luck. You're going to need it.

The name change is fine, it is your business. But calling yourself SCI FI, or SYFY, or any variation of the term is a misnomer. I read what you are going to have for Science Fiction programming, and I am sure I will enjoy all 5 programs, but 5 hours of Science Fiction a week does identify Science Fiction as your core identity anymore than "lunch break' identifies my occupation.

Being on the cutting edge, one sometimes falls on the wrong side!

If the new Syfy Channel wants to acquire more and newer viewers, and maybe even get some of us original views to return more often, then here is the secret sauce!

Get rid of the damned Channel Bug within ten seconds after returning from commercial breaks, and for God’s Sakes stop the damned Pop Up Advertising for other offerings that interrupt us from enjoying what we are currently attempting to watch!

Why is it, that currently, the only a broadcast network gets this?

Those of us with a modicum of IQ remaining, are watching more and more FOX shows, and less and less of the channels that refuse to let us “Escape”.

Please do not attempt to make that same old tired argument, that viewers want to know what channel they are on, or catch the Channel Bug when channel surfing! That is Pure Unadulterated Bovine Feces!
The Syfy channel is carried ONLY on services that have a quite adequate electronic program guide, and while at its inception, as a “cable “ channel this was not the case, technology has moved forward, while it seems the Syfy Channel, cannot.

If DVD acquisition is the wave of future uninterrupted enjoyment, then I am Okay with moving in that direction. Certainly there is a plethora of internet content out there!

But that of course, is up to you.

Howe mentioned Nintendo's Wii in this Q&A. Well Nintendo aimed to to make video games accessible to everyone rather than to just a niche audience and look what that venture produced. Sure it sells like crazy but aside from a few well established time honored franchises, the Wii and most of it's games suck, period. If you like dummined down media with mass market appeal then the new channel will be right up your ally. The Syfy channel will become another TBS, USA, etc. Another bad executive decision.

I was appalled when wrestling showed up on the schedule. I was pissed off when the wrestling messed up my TiVO schedule by going over its scheduled time. If you want a wrestling mentality demographic then you have lost me. In addition, since when have slasher movies been considered science fiction? I was delighted when Sci Fi Channel went live, I am horribly disapoointed in what it has become, name change notwithstanding.

I TiVO Sci Fi channel stuff now and make sure to add on minutes after wrestling. But it has lost it's place on my favorite channel list. Spike has better Sci Fi now.

MOVING TO POLAND!

Who is with me?

You could undo a lot of the damage if you would admit you were wrong and bring back Stargate Atlantis.

and pick up Firefly and Torchwood too!

Oh BTW I'm female and would never watch ghosthunters.

Geeks are currently building the World.
Soon geeks will rule the world.

Due to globalization and economic problems,the geek job growth with the attendant geek complement job loss, the geek complement will not be well positioned to make purchases from your advertisers. So create a network with shows with wonderful conceits like Eureka but use writers who have actually had a course in science.
Show advertisements that have rational, accurate,
truthful and hype-less arguments for purchasing products. If there are no advertising agencies that can produce these, grab a geek or two and start one! This would result in a channel entertaining to geeks, with commercials appealing to geeks and as the geek set grows and the geek complement shrinks the channel gets rich.
call this channel ΨΦ. (Pseudo-sciencefiction channel)

SciFi has been one of my favorite networks for years. I may not like some of the programming like Ghost Hunters and wrestling but that's ok because there are still a lot of shows that I do like. Eureka and Heroes are my top two shows that I can't miss. The point is that I really don't care what you call the network as long as you continue to have science fiction shows. Just to be clear by shows I mean programs with talented writers and actors or even documentaries but not "sports" and reality shows. Hopefully, this won't be like the transition when TechTV became G4.

Two final comments in case someone important actually reads these. First I was amazed to see how many people took the time to post on amazon.com that they refuse to but Eureka 3.0 and I agree with them. Eight episodes does not make a season. In my opinion a season for an hour long show should be 20-24 episodes. I'm sure that I will buy season 3 eventually (gotta have a complete set).

The second thing i'd like to say is positive. I want to applaud SciFi/NBC for making shows like Eureka and Heroes viewable online and in reruns. My brother hardly watches any tv but he is hooked on Eureka and thanks to hulu and netflix he is all caught up and ready for new episodes.

i use to come home from work and turn on sci-fi as habit, now i'd rather watch comedy central instead. your programming has gotten so lame. instead of showing different episodes of the same show all day long why not try to arrange them into particular time slot daily, then after a while rearrange them. this would keep me viewing your network consistantly. i would enjoy watching some of the cancelled shows you now air from the beginning to the end. by the way new name is awful.

It's funny because he thinks he has a valid argument.

This is simply the worst idea possible. Whoever did the research showing a positive response to this change in views should be fired, for I am 18 and a women and I find this change and Mr. Howe's answers insulting and ridicules (after talking to others and reading comments, I find I am not alone by a long shot). SyFy is not "the cool thing to be associated with" it is a pathetic attempt by out-of-touch CEOs to fix something that is not broken. Everyone knows SciFi is not just space and little green men (although kudos on insulting Star Trek fans and your entire base). The classic SciFi show, The Twilight Zone, says it all. Yes, there were episodes that involved invasions, but what about the killer doll or the pig faced people? The problem is not the term SciFi. People do not watch the channel because of the poorly written made for TV movies with sub-par acting and lack of well thought out shows. SciFi is a literary movement, a term that is universally known, and something that has lasted through decades. SyFy is a Polish term for STDs and an embarrassing last ditch attempt to salvage a sinking channel that only plunges it deeper.

The SciFi channel is not trying to retain it's core audience, but trying to gain the younger audience. By the numbers, this would bring in more future viewers as they grow older. Want your core audience to stick around? Do a better job on the "new" movies made for the SciFi channel with the acting and directing. While it's fun to watch B movies from time to time... it seems like the channel is becoming an all B movie channel.

SciFi died for me with the cancellation of Farscape. But then, I guess that makes puts me outside of their target audience. I've been able to count the number of times per year I've tuned in on one hand since then, but now I guess even one hand would be overkill.

Here's the thing, guys. As Shakespeare would say, a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. Meaning it's not as so much the name change which upsets us, it's the fact of what's affecting other cable channels.

And that's having programming which doesn't reflect what the network once usually promised. In all honesty, the only time I watch the network is when you're airing the Twilight Zone or another classic network. Sometimes I do watch Ghost Hunters or Doctor Who, but lately with you guys airing ECW or other non-genre based stuff, it makes me not want to watch the network.

A better example would be this: Cartoon Network. Originally, before Boomerang, CN aired nothing but classic cartoons and later added their own shows.

Regrettably, however, it seems CN's started going the 'live-action' route, and though it hasn't ruined the network per se, it has caused some to drop viewership because of it.

Though I know you insist you did the name change for brand name purposes, as well as expanding the programs, it seems more like giving programmers an excuse for not having their shows geared for the genre we enjoy.

Just hope SyFy doesn't end up like new Coke, otherwise viewers will end up with more than just a horrible taste in their mouths.

But hey, that's just me.

Just so we're clear...you hate your fan base and think your company is sludge?

Why'd they bother making the new name homophonous?

Demographics: Female, 19.

Likes:
-Stargate (in all forms...we'll see about Universe)
-Eureka
-Doctor Who
-Ghost Hunters (and GHI)
-Moonlight
-Primeval
-Reruns of older SciFi shows (such as The Outer Limits, The Sentinel, The Twilight Zone, Star Trek (in all forms), Firefly, and Farscape)

Dislikes:
-ECW (in all honesty, why is this even on this channel? No matter how broadly you swing it, wrestling is, in no way, science fiction.)
-B-movies (the only reason I ever tune in for these is for Stargate alumni)
-Scare Tactics

Opinion on Syfy: An obvious marketing move; as i am not a marketing exec., I cannot say how effective it will be. I only hope that it is not, as was expected, a strike against the "classic SciFi" fans such as myself who *are* fans of the "outer-space science fiction".

My main concern in regards to this name change is the message received by science fiction geeks. I use the term geek to convey not a tired, negative stereotype but rather an individual who has a passion for the genre. Your reasoning is to create a brand name that "sounds cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with."

One thing that I believe all geeks can agree upon: we are not "cool." We do not *want* to be cool. We are happy being ourselves, passionate about the characters and stories given to us in the many worlds and universes of science fiction. We do not perfectly fit into the world of the mainstream; nor do we want to. Science fiction is a niche market, and you need to market to the niche, not to the mainstream.

I know PR-speak when I see it, and that is exactly what this is.

I'll accept the change; there is, after all, nothing I can possibly do to stop it. But it is quality programming I am on the lookout for. I've remained loyal for over 10 years of my life--mainly for Stargate SG-1 and later Stargate Atlantis, but also other programs such as those I listed above--and I hope that I can, in good conscience, remain so. To me, you will always be the Science Fiction Channel, no matter how much you want to change the name to appeal to mainstream demographics.

The name change doesn't bother me so much as how it will sound, really SciFi is and has been a great name which I think should remain, but if it must be changed why something that calls to mind syphilis? Just saying it's not a far leap. Also the adding of ECW was a horrible decision! I want to be able to flip to your channel and see something related to the name, be it horror, supernatural, science, fantasy, or traditional science-fiction, not a bunch of grown men on steroids pretending to beat each other up for the sake of drunken entertainment.

you know what, sometimes bad attention is worse than no attention... I'm done with you.

I mean you lot have done some boneheaded crap in the past but now you're just shooting yourselves in the foot.

I'd rather not watch you slowly bleed out.

So does this mean I can start my own network, call it Sci-Fi and put it in competition with your network? Because that's ultimately what we are discussing. ESPN is the Coke to Fox Sports' Pepsi. Oxygen and Lifetime are competitors. Spike and G4 are competitors. Competing is good. What we have here is a network that doesn't want to give us the stuff we want, and then doesn't listen to us.

We want sci-fi to be science fiction and fantasy. We want a B-movie horror channel to be called "Joe-Bob Network" and do what it says on the tin!

We want a niche channel that caters to us. We don't want this crappy programming and canceling shows we love!

I think ultimately, it's time for a new network on the basic cable line-up that does have the reruns of trek and space/alien/future shows we are actually asking for. You might just see some changes in your numbers then.

I'm sorry, but this has to be the dumbest, most unnecessary rebranding ever. Oh, and your reality shows SUCK!

I give up. When the fake/crap wrestling came on, I knew it was the end. This is just the last straw. Goodbye to bad trash!

Why did you stop running one of your top rated shows--Moonlight? Will it come back soon. I never miss a Moonlight Friday night at the Sci-Fi network.

Marketing - In today's world... trying to convince you to buy something you don't really need. How much is Sci Fi spending to re-brand? How many people would rather see that money spend on quality programming instead? I suspect that those in charge of Sci Fi realize they were sold a 'load', and now have no choice other than to promote it. It's not the fact that you are changing your 'brand', it is the fact that you think we are as gullible as you, and are trying to sell it to us. What a waste of resources. It will be interesting to see how long the current President remains in his job.

This guy must have studied with John Donahoe, the guy that's currently in the process of destroying eBay. He gushes on about how they are committed to their core audience while simultaneously driving them from the site in hordes. You change your name to something new, even though in your opinion is pronounced exactly the same, and then have the audacity to claim it will draw in more viewers. Anyone remember TechTV? They became G4 and all the while swore that they were devoted to their core audience.... LOL! I guess we can look forward to endless reruns of COPS on Siffy now.

I did my own fucus group, and everyone read it as "Siffy" . This is just a ploy to water down the programming and become something other than you were before.

Disruptive innovation at its finest and lamest.

I love scifi but you are heading in the wrong direction. You took both stargate shows off the air without any thought of the people who live breathe and die stargate. why you ended Atlantis when and how you did is a mystery to me and all of the people i know that watched Atlantis. The more you head in the direction of ECW the futher you go away from those same people. I have to believe that stargate Atlantis was making you money and you dropped it like a rock. When you ended SG-1 you had already started Atlantis so we had a new show to follow but when you ended Atlantis you had nothing for us hard core stargate fans to turn to. So change your name and change your direction to pull in more people but remember the further you go in that new direction the futrh you are moving away from those of us that love the current programming. don't lose 2 fans for 1 fan you gain. take care you are treading on thin ice here.

"Syfy sounds cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with."

Next time you might want to consider having people other than pretentious, brain-damaged teens in your focus groups.

"Syfy" *sounds* cool?! WTF?! It *sounds* just like SCI-FI! Well, unless you really do want it pronounced "siffy".

C'mon, Dave, admit it... you hate science fiction fans. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

A turd is still a turd no matter what you choose to call it

Sci-Fi has been the nickname of a genre of incredibly imaginative work for a very long time. Every time I notice the logo on the bottom left of the screen, my stomach turns. Try a different name altogether instead of bastardizing a great, long tradition.

Hey everyone - why does it matter what the name/branding is? If you like the shows that are clearly not going to be removed, and in fact a lot of new and interesting shows appear to be on their way, why are you all making such a big deal out of this - watch your favorite shows, watch the new shows that look promising in my opinion and just enjoy. Quite frankly you all have way too much time on your hands to be this concerned about a branding change. There are much more important things to spend your time worrying about and actually doing something about than this. So basically - either watch your shows and shut up or dont watch them and then you wont have a right to complain!!! Get over yourselves, grow up, open your minds more and move on.

Mr. Howe, if 99% of the comments regarding this name change are negative why ignore them and go forward with the name change?

I understand you expected some negative reaction to this change but if a vast majority of the reaction is negative, doesn't that say something about the networks decision?

I for one hate the name change and would love to see siffie...I mean SyFy return to Sci-Fi.

(Plus, please stop destroying every good show you have. Please?)

Join the resistance against the tyranny of NBC and SyFy!!! http://bit.ly/Sci-Fi_Resistance

It is obvious that Mr. Howe is indeed embarrassed to be associated with science fiction (your actions speak louder than your words!). His rhetoric is about as lame as the idiots who ruined the end of Stargate Atlantis by making it "more appeasing to the general public by focusing on relationships." What crap! Message to Mr. Howe: get rid of the wrestling, reality series and other non-science fiction, stick with real science fiction, or go find another network. HERE'S THE OPTION: IF YOU DON'T GO FIND ANOTHER NETWORK, YOUR VIEWERS WILL!

Can't believe it. BIG MISTAKE!
Even bigger mistake not to listen to your core viewers.

This is so bad it invokes images of the great spider clone disaster (not a sci-fi original movie title, but a legendary bad story in comics). I am sure that wrestling brings in large numbers of viewers, I enjoy it from time to time myself, but it seems Sci-fi has decided that ratings are all that matter. So Maybe we can catch some Nascar races on Sundays, and some Skiffy world news at 6, those would have good ratings as well. The only good things to come from this, is assuredly those responsible will be fired, cause this is so bad its on an entirely different level, even from Mansquitto, and the second good thing is the Name SCI-FI is available for some one to pick up. Give us Trek Tuesdays where you show any of the trek series inter-cut with interviews of cast and crew, Warrior Wednesdays, where we have the Fantasy aspect played out, Conan movies, Hercules, Xena, The BBC version of Robin hood, make a decent weekly serial of King Arthur (not that dreadful Merlin that is on NBC currently, although I have to admit it is better than 95% if skiffy's original programming. Give us classic Sci fi Thursday, where you take a classic series and give us interviews again with cast and crew. Give me costumed Mondays, show me the classic Batman series, superman series, Spider-,man, Hulk, Wonder-Women, or make a new original one yourself. Give me your best brand new shows on Friday evening, and give me BSG quality. Cover the Comic cons, (give me live updates), show me old classic cartoons, Spidey and his amazing friends, Dungeons and Dragons, Land of the Lost. etc. GIve me a show like attack of the show, so I can keep up with the happenings in SCI-fi, and fantasy, interview the up and coming authors, and the great ones.
In short, I am a 39 year old geek, I should be watching SCI-FI twenty four hours a day, but your programming rarely intrest me, I do not care about reality ghost hunting. You have lost me to G4, at least they mention games and comics sometimes. You have lost me to Adult Swim,which has far better quality shows overall. FX shows more sci fi movies than Skiffy.

I will not watch this channel until the name changes back to SCI FI. You are losing viewers.

With new and improved programming comes a new name. Facts are that Mr. Howe and associates are gradually changing the programming in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience. A larger audience of course means more revenue. Unfortunately, the world is full of examples of people and companies that abandon the people who got them where they are all for a quick buck, or in this case, ratings. So Mr. Howe, you can add reality programming, talk shows and soap operas and pander to whoever you wish but I won’t be watching.

NEW CHANNELS LOOKS OK... SO WHY DONT I HAVE A PROGRAM GUIDE ON CABLE IM IN TEH SOUTHERN TEIR OF NY AND VIEW IT ON TIME WARNER CABLE

Sci-Fi regular, 57 years old, Sc-Fi Saturday a must even though the offerings are usually poor it has become a tradition for my wife and I as well as many other shows, I will not quit watching but really, SYFY? You could not do any better than catering to texters? This is typical behavior from 'let's make it better' executive mentalities that really do not know their audience or have the imagination they are trying to promote on a cable channel. Where do we get these guys and why do they get paid so much? How about improving the quality of the product and just fix what is broken? Nah, that's not how we do it. SYFY, and you wanted to get away from the 'geek' image? Irrelevant, third-grade attempt at rebranding. I practically never comment on the Web but this was too much.

SyFy = stoopid

Sorry! I'm sure the channel will get more viewers with different content and more variety, but SciFi would have gotten them anyway. I understand the reasoning, but I wish that you didn't compromise proper spelling to do so. =(

are you widening your fan base to include morons with the three stooges style baby fight fake and hugely idiotic wrestling $h!t?

Get real

Honestly the only reason for the reality crap, the wrestling, and all the other non Sci Fi brain numbing drivel on this channel is to bring in the Vince McMann crowd of tweens. They whine long enough the parents buy the stuff the channel advertises, SyFy makes its money whoring itself out and drives real science fiction fans away.

I miss the days of real character driven, intelligent programing. SciFi was once a channel I was proud to tune into because I would find something I needed, an escape from the boring hum drum of regular life. For 30 minutes or an hour I was swept into a world outside my own that offered me a chance to be a part of a space faring community, or drawn into the shadows of a dark future that held danger around every corner. It was shiny, to borrow a term from one of my favorite shows, and I loved tuning in, but the shine has tarnished and the Alliance i.e. Network exec's that cant get their heads out of their 4th point of contact, has decided that reality TV and non genre programing will make them money and keep its core at the same time. Sorry to say guys we just wont lie down and let you take whats left of our dignity that easily, I see more nights with a good SciFi book instead of your joke of a channel.

Morons! and I bet they paid the idiot executives who came up with this idea like 50 million dollars. "Change the name." Brilliant. idea. Here's your yearly salary, good job.

As a "geek" I make about $160K/year. The Syfy channel is for morons who make a lot less. I am now boycotting all products advertised on the Syfy channel. Their new slogan "Imagine Greater" make me imagine greater morons that run the channel. Watch the channel and boycott their advertisers. Write their advertisers and tell them you won't buy until they change the name. Write them
feedback@syfy.com

The wresting, ghost hunting, trash talking morons are taking over.

Steve

It's not the name change that bothers me so much. I can understand the need for a unique brandable name. But why lose the Saturn symbol and creative commercials? Everything looks so bland and cold now. If your new slogan is "Imagine Greater," why does it all look so boring and colorless.

And if you want more female viewers, then why don't you create a "Farscape" spinoff? That show had the perfect blend of action, adventure, romance, comedy, drama, imagination--everything. Bring back Browder and Black!

--TFerris
"Somewhere in the Universe"

i think the spelling of the new name is very stupid..has nothing to do with science fiction!!!

a long time viewer,
amber turner

Just plain incredibly stupid!! The programming has gone downhill and the name change will certainly not help.

Mike

I personally love the cheesy Science Fiction movies played by your channel. I can understand where the younger audiences who did not grow up with truly bad science fiction movies (which were AMAZINGLY AWESOME at the time) don't get it. My point to them, these aren't cut scenes from a video game intended to be high-science fiction and gore, they are intended to be exactly what your get. I love me some growling sharks personally.

I and my family follow GH, GHI and DT religiously and have no plans of stopping.

We LOVED SG and SGA with a passion so there are some gripes there but a few minutes on the internet will give anyone truly interested the real deal on why those series' were ended when and as they were.

Eureka is awesome. WH13 is fantastic and I am looking forward to watching the characters evolve, as happens with any/every series.

The only programming move I have questioned is the addition of Wrestling. It's the two ton Elephant in the room, at least when talking Prime Time. I grew up on wrestling so I am not overly opposed to having it hanging around around, but on a Science Fiction channel? I don't get it. Except in terms of financials and marketshare. It's really just inflating your numbers through diverse programming, but let's not call it Science Fiction programming, that's just wrong.

To all the folks who have responded who clearly just don't understand marketing and the legal around a brand name... get over it. It's not just about making a dollar, it's about being able to protect the name long term from other folks in the business world who can and would potentially challenge ownership of the intellectual property produced under "SciFi" and then legally tie the network down because of a potentially unenforcable trademark. Sort of like being forced to move from your home by "eminent domain" or other legal tactics that cities, lawyers, companies, people, etc. pull when they want something that you have. I think the rebrand was as much a protective strategy as it was to capture future marketshare and audience.

When all is said and done these are all just letters anyway. Why any viewer would be so empassioned as to never watch a network based on a rebranding effort is beyond me.

We loyal viewers watch for the programming, which I personally hope will continue to improve and evolve right along with your audience.

Good-Bye SyFy. Hello BBC America the new home for real Sci fi with Doctor Who, Torchwood, Being Human and even Primeval

You want to gain viewers, as well as repair your credibility...resurrect Firefly/Serenity and Stargate Atlantis,

Honestly, I've come to expect poor decisions from the channel that canceled Farscape. The rebrand was a terrible decision and the person responsible should be asked to leave. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the moniker "Sci-Fi" and it was extremely identifiable. SyFy just sounds, well, dumb.

This is awful..just seeing the new spelling on my digital cable menu pi*ses me off. It is supremely off putting.

I think you made an enormous marketing mistake when you decided to extinguish first Stargate SG-1 and then Stargate Atlantis. I have read the company's explanations very carefully and I understand the stated reasons about franchise lengths and production costs, etc. For the sake of discussion I will accept those reasons; however, as an attorney, I know that franchises can be extended, and as a business attorney I know that where a franchise is making everyone money they will be extended if someone with a margin of vision and awareness takes charge.

I have just three words for you with respect to SG-1 and Atlantis: Law And Order. Or another three-word clue: Hill Street Blues. How about a two-word one: St. Elsewhere? Both SG-1 and Atlantis EASILY lend themselves to the ensemble cast concept and if someone at the network had had the simple foresight to realize this, you could continue making a fortune and pleasing a significant segment of your long-time and long-standing audience. Sure, the original cast of SG-1 will never be replaced but the world is full of talented actors and with the right writers any ensemble can endear itself to its audiences over entire DECADES.

I wish you would consider this carefully and bring those series back. Please, don't tell me that Stargate Universe is "bringing it back." It's something else, but it's not the same vehicle or story universe and we all know that.

Thank you for the opportunity to voice my opinion

Mr. Howe, if you were a true business man you would listen to your faithful and TRUE viewers and change it back to SciFi. You're making a huge mistake and later you'll feel it right in your pocket. A smart business man would have never accepted something so idiotic. I guess you also agree that there is nothing wrong with our health care either. You're proof that this world is going to hell in a handbasket. It's an insult to assume that the public would accept this stupid change. I don't "Imagine Greater" when I see the logo I imagine how many idiots it took to come up with the idea and how much money was spent to do so!

Mr. Howe, All you did was make yourself look truly ignorant. It's bad enough that prime time newscasters don't use correct grammar anymore but to deliberately misspell to broaden your audience, you look like an idiot. You also make that target audience you are aiming to attract appear stupid. It is generally an annoyance and I find myself reconsidering whether to watch the sci fi channel. The "Imagine greater" is fine, it's the syfy that makes you and your so called demographic moronic.

Great interview, not crazy about Howe, or his reasoning (and put me down for "no" on the likeability of the name), but kudos to him for the attempted spin.

What nonsense - Sci-Fi was a great name and the idea of "branding" a genre is ridiculous. It's Sci-Fi!
As for watching your Syfy channel - I rarely do anymore. I'm a BBC America girl. They are cutting edge with their ideas, do not insult their viewers with shows that limp along - afraid we either cannot follow a complicated story line or could not bear to part with one of the lead characters and they use grown up ideas and language without resorting to being gross or potty jokes.
Thanks, but no thanks!

And we wonder why our children can't spel (pun intended). Neither, evidently, can network executives.

I agree with many of the comments made. Syfy is trite, not trendy. Truth be told, I'm rather sick of trendy anyway. Change for change sake is incredibly post-modern (and therefore useless to me).

I think, Mr. Howe, that if you alienate (and therefore lose) your fan base, you will also lose the identity of your channel.

This so reminds me of when Fox canceled Firefly. It was an arbitrary decision that lost many viewers for that network.

Just something to think about.

I loved the Scifi channel for years since my first dish in1984
I hate the new syfy all horror blood guts killing stupid reality programs hunting for spooks I am not watching it anymore

I use to like this channel but now all you show is stuff like scare tactics and ghost hunters. what happened to the good horror movies. then when you do show a horror movie it sucks. who picks these shows. i started watching reality shows more now. i am very dissatisfied when the type of shows you are giving to us viewers. its boring, lame, and just down right ridiculous. this month of october you guys should have did it up but instead it just sucked even more. very bad taste in decision making. i really cant even put in to words how this channel has went down. i hardly even watch it anymore.

To put it simply, Syfy doesn't sound cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with.

You sir, are an a**.

Imagine greater? Yes, I am!
Getting greater? No, I'm not!

I get more science fiction from The Big Bang Theory on CBS than I get from SyFy.

My only thought would be: Let's not forget Farscape, Firefly, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis. Does anyone see a pattern here?

omg!!!!!! Did you fire all the creative web designers and programmers! Your site looks like NBC now, almost 1/2 of the page is this HUGE SYFY Imagine Greater, HUGE links and then an AD. I want the cool site back I don't like SYFY.COM as it is. I could care less about the name it just looks like NBC when it use to be unique, different and cool. Like some canned format web template that NBC uses. That's a shame from what you use to be....

You, Dave Howe, should be hit with a brick for
putting wrestling and so-called paranormal shows,
thinking their cash cows when they are worthless
copycats of the same old-same old.

Who the HELL gave you that idea?

It either sounds like the same so-called
dance instructor who conned the cheerleaders
in the movie, "Bring It On!", or you're busy playing
"Keeping up with the Joneses" with the other
networks with that same pointless pablum.

You are right up there with Uwe Boll, if not hated MORE now for the crap that YOU think passes for
science fiction.

Sci-Fi is NOT NBC.

I'm sure you'll read but not give a s*** anyway,
Mr. Dave Howe.

Go to Hell, go directly to Hell. Do not pass GO.
Do not collect $200.

Well i Live in Australia and im american and watched sci fi since the start. They still have it over here in australia and it plays everything from the old days. So 2 markets, American and aussie. Wow us American people are being screwed. I still get Buffy and a lot of star trek and star gate on the australian sci fi channel.

if I needed to write a letter to the Syfy channel regarding show scheduals ( school homework) where ( or to whom) to I send it?

I tuned in today just to watch something different. It was a crazy slasher movie. Too many commercials too little Science Fiction. Just a lot of crap.