SciFi Channel - Stretching the Definition of SciFi?
From the New York Times (New York, NY):
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/19/bu...html?ref=media
(Please follow the link for the complete article.)
At Sci Fi Channel, the Universe Is Expanding and the Future Is Now
By TIM ARANGO
Published: May 19, 2008
The letters still keep coming to the Rockefeller Center offices of the Sci Fi Channel. Please, they all say, pick up "Jericho," the science fiction show with a small but passionate following that was canceled in March by CBS, for a third season.
But those letters are falling on deaf ears. The Sci Fi Channel, still viewed by many as a niche network, is no longer a repository for failed fantasy shows cast aside by the broadcast networks. Instead, through a mix of original shows, movies and syndicated reruns (including old "Jericho" episodes but no new ones), the network has expanded its audience, especially among women, chiefly by stretching the definition of science fiction.
It is not just "Star Trek" or "Star Wars" that would fit the definition. Superheroes, Indiana Jones and even the baseball fantasy movie "Field of Dreams" would all be considered part of the genre as defined by Sci Fi's programmers.
"It's not just aliens, spaceships and the future," said Dave Howe, who was promoted to president of Sci Fi from general manager in January. "It's about asking that simple question, `What if?' "
The changes evolved over several years. One result is a widening audience, especially among women. In April, for example, Sci Fi ranked sixth in cable networks in the 25-to-54 age group. Growth in female viewers outpaced that in men; 43 percent of Sci Fi's viewers are female.
The network has been a boon for its corporate parent, NBC Universal. The channel, alongside its corporate sibling CNBC, the business network, has quietly become the focus of NBC Universal's global expansion efforts.
**snippage**
Domestically, the channel has been riding original hits like "Battlestar Galactica" and the reality show "Ghost Hunters," both No. 1 among cable networks on their nights, Friday and Wednesday, respectively, in April in the 25-to-54 demographic. The network has drawn more women by making subtle tweaks to marketing and programming. In marketing materials for "Battlestar Galactica," for example, there are no spaceships, and the story lines try to create more of a balance between action and emotion.
The Sci Fi Channel's growth can also be partly explained by the network's distancing itself from traditional stereotypes of science fiction.
"There were a lot of misperceptions that Sci Fi was for men, that it was for young men and that it was for geeky young men," said Bonnie Hammer, the president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, which oversees Sci Fi. "We had to broaden the channel to change the misconceptions of the genre."
**snippage**
The network's more expansive definition of science fiction does not sit well with some purists.
"Generally speaking, the feeling within the science fiction community is that a lot of the shows on the Sci Fi Channel are watered-down versions of the real thing," said Michael Capobianco, the president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
**snippage**
A frequent discussion at NBC Universal is whether to water it down even more and do away with the "Sci Fi" name altogether. Among the new names that have been considered are "SCF" and "The Imagination Channel."
"We always come back to, we are not going to change the name because
with the fragmentation of media, there's a real advantage of having that signpost," said Mr. Howe. "We just have to manage the downside."
<><><><>
Interested in responding to this article to the folks at SciFi Channel?
Here's some e-mail addresses:
Bonnie Hammer
[email protected]
Mark Stern
[email protected]
Thomas Vitale
[email protected]
Dave Howe
[email protected]
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/19/bu...html?ref=media
(Please follow the link for the complete article.)
At Sci Fi Channel, the Universe Is Expanding and the Future Is Now
By TIM ARANGO
Published: May 19, 2008
The letters still keep coming to the Rockefeller Center offices of the Sci Fi Channel. Please, they all say, pick up "Jericho," the science fiction show with a small but passionate following that was canceled in March by CBS, for a third season.
But those letters are falling on deaf ears. The Sci Fi Channel, still viewed by many as a niche network, is no longer a repository for failed fantasy shows cast aside by the broadcast networks. Instead, through a mix of original shows, movies and syndicated reruns (including old "Jericho" episodes but no new ones), the network has expanded its audience, especially among women, chiefly by stretching the definition of science fiction.
It is not just "Star Trek" or "Star Wars" that would fit the definition. Superheroes, Indiana Jones and even the baseball fantasy movie "Field of Dreams" would all be considered part of the genre as defined by Sci Fi's programmers.
"It's not just aliens, spaceships and the future," said Dave Howe, who was promoted to president of Sci Fi from general manager in January. "It's about asking that simple question, `What if?' "
The changes evolved over several years. One result is a widening audience, especially among women. In April, for example, Sci Fi ranked sixth in cable networks in the 25-to-54 age group. Growth in female viewers outpaced that in men; 43 percent of Sci Fi's viewers are female.
The network has been a boon for its corporate parent, NBC Universal. The channel, alongside its corporate sibling CNBC, the business network, has quietly become the focus of NBC Universal's global expansion efforts.
**snippage**
Domestically, the channel has been riding original hits like "Battlestar Galactica" and the reality show "Ghost Hunters," both No. 1 among cable networks on their nights, Friday and Wednesday, respectively, in April in the 25-to-54 demographic. The network has drawn more women by making subtle tweaks to marketing and programming. In marketing materials for "Battlestar Galactica," for example, there are no spaceships, and the story lines try to create more of a balance between action and emotion.
The Sci Fi Channel's growth can also be partly explained by the network's distancing itself from traditional stereotypes of science fiction.
"There were a lot of misperceptions that Sci Fi was for men, that it was for young men and that it was for geeky young men," said Bonnie Hammer, the president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, which oversees Sci Fi. "We had to broaden the channel to change the misconceptions of the genre."
**snippage**
The network's more expansive definition of science fiction does not sit well with some purists.
"Generally speaking, the feeling within the science fiction community is that a lot of the shows on the Sci Fi Channel are watered-down versions of the real thing," said Michael Capobianco, the president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
**snippage**
A frequent discussion at NBC Universal is whether to water it down even more and do away with the "Sci Fi" name altogether. Among the new names that have been considered are "SCF" and "The Imagination Channel."
"We always come back to, we are not going to change the name because
with the fragmentation of media, there's a real advantage of having that signpost," said Mr. Howe. "We just have to manage the downside."
<><><><>
Interested in responding to this article to the folks at SciFi Channel?
Here's some e-mail addresses:
Bonnie Hammer
[email protected]
Mark Stern
[email protected]
Thomas Vitale
[email protected]
Dave Howe
[email protected]
SciFi Channel - Flash Gordon, some horror movies, Who Wants To Be a Superhero, Tin Man.
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