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    New York Times: SciFi Channel to become - Syfy?

    (Which may explain why SyFy Portal recently changed ITS name to Airlock Alpha. Hmmmm...)

    At the New York Times (New York, NY):

    (Please follow the link for the complete article.)

    Sci Fi Channel Has a New Name: Now, It’s Syfy

    By STUART ELLIOTT
    Published: March 15, 2009

    FOR years, television viewers, journalists who write about TV and services that compile listings have wondered how to refer to a certain cable network: Sci Fi Channel? Sci-Fi Channel? SciFi Channel? SCI FI Channel?

    Soon, to paraphrase Rod Serling — whose vintage series, “The Twilight Zone,” is a mainstay of the Sci Fi Channel — executives will submit for public approval another name, not only of sight and sound but of mind, meant to signal a channel whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead — your next stop, Syfy.

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

    ... The tweaking of the Sci Fi name, introduced in 1992, is part of a rebranding campaign that seeks to distinguish the channel and its programming from cable competitors — 75 of which are also measured by the Nielsen ratings service.

    The Syfy name is to be introduced on Monday to advertisers and agencies by executives of Sci Fi, part of the NBC Universal Cable Entertainment division of NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric.

    The name will be revealed at an upfront presentation, when networks try to win commitments by advertisers to blocks of commercial time before the start of the next TV season. Cable channels will spend this month and next making upfront presentations; the broadcast networks will follow in April and May.

    One big advantage of the name change, the executives say, is that Sci Fi is vague — so generic, in fact, that it could not be trademarked. Syfy, with its unusual spelling, can be, which is also why diapers are called Luvs, an online video Web site is called Joost and a toothpaste is called Gleem.

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

    ... According to SNL Kagan, a media research company, Sci Fi had 95.2 million subscriber households last year, compared with 93 million in 2007 and 88.2 million in 2006. SNL Kagan estimated ad revenue for Sci Fi at $423.9 million last year, compared with $392.7 million in 2007 and $394.6 million in 2006.

    ~~**~~**

    Also:

    From Broadcasting and Cable:

    (Please follow the link for the complete article.)

    March 16-22: Media Summit NY

    By Stephanie Robbins

    Monday, March 16

    Join Sci Fi Channel for its New York City upfront presentation and cocktails
    starting at 7:15 p.m. at The Times Center.


    .. Wednesday, March 18

    Jeff Zucker, President and CEO of NBC Universal, delivers the keynote at the
    Media Summit New York at 9:15 a.m. at the McGraw-Hill Building in NYC.

    SG1/SGA/SGU - Saving Earth/Atlantis/?, one mission at a time!
    SG1-Spoilergate Richard Dean Anderson Fans Abydos Gate Morjana
    Morjana's Blog Twitter

    #2
    Basically:
    "SciFi was a name that...you know...kinda forced us to show sci-fi shows. So, you know...we changed it, so..you know...we could show more wrestling without having people mock us. Because, you know...we're hip! This is the way you'd text message someone about sci-fi. And...you know, it's cool and totally doesn't limit us to, you know...sci-fi. WRESTLING! YEAH!"

    Comment


      #3
      They're just giving me more of a reason to not watch SGU...

      Comment


        #4
        Tommorrow they are having their upfront party. So we are going to hear about all the new shows and plans they have. Should be interesting.
        sigpic

        Comment


          #5
          Are you kidding me? Let the last few seasons of SG-1 slide, screw up SGA, create straight to DVD movies that are crap next to most of the two parters in both SG series, and these are just the stupid thing they've done to stargate. Then we have their lack of support for firefly and now this? What. The. HELL!? This is easily the stupidest thing I've seen all week, and I work in IT.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by crion View Post
            They're just giving me more of a reason to not watch SGU...
            I've been doing supporting work for SCI FI.com for years. I have never ever seen so much negativity for a show. I really think SGU is going to be in trouble if this buzz reaches the non-internet viewers.
            sigpic

            Comment


              #7
              Clearly we are now living in an alternate reality.

              Comment


                #8
                I know there has been talk of Sci Fi changing its name for a while now, but I must say that this is, to me, a rather confusing choice. Aside from being able to copyright the name, I can see no reason to use "Syfy". What are they really accomplishing by respelling the name? It still sounds like scifi, so I don't see how it would change anyone's impression of the network. Is this supposed to attract a new audience? If so, how?

                Comment


                  #9
                  Hmm, let me see now. So they think that science fiction alone is too limiting. Well it wouldn't be that way if they delved into what science fiction is all about and made a real commitment to the genre, at the same time getting rid of all the other garbage.

                  And Syfy? I wonder how much they paid some consultant to come up with that?

                  Ah well, maybe it's better that way. At least now science fiction (the genre) is less likely to get a bad name.

                  My timeline of the Ancients here.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    omg scifi is changing their name and now i hate sgu more!!!!!!!
                    geez seriously wat does that have to do with sgu being good or bad???i mean honestly....is it really necessary to do that here?make fun of scifi and their dumb not even a real name change name change but is it necessary to bash stargate universe,and the sg1 movies,which werent that bad,and even atlantis..which got bashed in a post here also....its ridiculous.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Briangate78 View Post
                      I have never ever seen so much negativity for a show. I really think SGU is going to be in trouble if this buzz reaches the non-internet viewers.
                      What buzz? That a few fans on an internet forum are upset? My goodness... if this reaches the outside world then SGU is finished before it even starts!!
                      sigpic
                      "Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence."
                      DS9 Superior|Farscape|Legend of the Seeker|Stargate Universe|STAR WARS

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Descent View Post
                        What buzz? That a few fans on an internet forum are upset? My goodness... if this reaches the outside world then SGU is finished before it even starts!!
                        The fans of the original Battlestar Galactica series were even MORE upset, incensed when they heard about the "re-imagined" new BSG series five+ years ago.

                        Of course now the fans of the new re-imagined series are ticked off the series is ending...and ticked off for the long hiatus between seasons and probably half a dozen other things too.

                        Some folks would complain if you hung them with a new rope.

                        SG1/SGA/SGU - Saving Earth/Atlantis/?, one mission at a time!
                        SG1-Spoilergate Richard Dean Anderson Fans Abydos Gate Morjana
                        Morjana's Blog Twitter

                        Comment


                          #13
                          so the moral of the story is...people complain about everything???

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Briangate78 View Post
                            I've been doing supporting work for SCI FI.com for years. I have never ever seen so much negativity for a show. I really think SGU is going to be in trouble if this buzz reaches the non-internet viewers.
                            Hmm it is probably going to depend on the pilot episode if it goes bad it will get at least 2 seasons.
                            Tst

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by kennythewraith View Post
                              so the moral of the story is...people complain about everything???
                              Yup.

                              SG1/SGA/SGU - Saving Earth/Atlantis/?, one mission at a time!
                              SG1-Spoilergate Richard Dean Anderson Fans Abydos Gate Morjana
                              Morjana's Blog Twitter

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