T.I.B.S: Back in a Siffy!

SciFi Channel has re-branded itself SyFy (which is pronounced "siffy"... or so I have declared). They claim that this is to eliminate the nerd stigma of "science fiction" and broaden their audience. At first glance, this sounds pretty stupid, but when you actually think it through, it's even stupider.

I mean, it would be one thing if someone at NBC (which owns Siffy) had said "look, we just sort of like this better, so we're going to try it". In the entertainment industry, "we just sort of like it better" is a valid argument. But this was a business decision made by business people. And when powerful people throw their support behind an at-best-poor-and-at-worst-insufferably-obtuse change to things that don't need to be changed, you know that there are problems. Let's take a look at what's going on with the channel right now.

They have exactly one hot commodity: Battlestar Galactica. It ends this week. So, aside from a TV movie in June, Siffy is about to run out of popular programming. So they need to expand viewership, post-haste, and they've reasoned that a name-change is the way to go. Actually, and more concerning..ly... they've decided that they need to expand viewership, and they've reasoned that appealing to a broader audience is the way to go. In short, they've taken the MTV approach to programming.

That worked for MTV, but only because they were ultra-hip to start out with and because "music" is a pretty broad category of programming. Science fiction is and has always been niche. It will always be niche. The biggest obstacle to making good sci-fi television is that it's expensive to produce and appeals to a niche audience. But digital effects have gotten cheaper and cheaper, and the success of BSG is proof that a good show can be sci-fi and still draw an audience. So why the change? Why not beg borrow a steal to make sure you get Ronald Moore's next project? (more on that below) When you're in a niche industry, the secret to success is to appeal to your base. Make your fans rabid fans so they'll convert their friends.

But when you try to appeal to a broader audience, you neglect your base. From what I understand, it's programming has included professional wrestling lately, hardly an appeal to the geek front. And if you think there aren't enough of us out there to support a channel, you're smoking your own propoganda. This must be why Sci-Fi fans hate the Siffy channel.

Hehe, there are lots of reasons. Not the least of which is the interminable breaks in the middle of seasons. The ten-shows-then-ten-month-hiatus business model pisses us off. I know a number of people who abhor the channel and will ONLY watch it for BSG. And most of us are pissed off at BSG and wouldn't even bother watching it except that it's almost over. If there were to be a fifth season, most of us would have given up half-way through the fourth.

Additionally, talent hates Siffy. The people who work on BSG have all sworn that they will never work for/with them again because of the insane hiatuses...es. Hiati?

So yeah. You're a niche channel that makes no attempt to air decent, relavent programming in a timely manner; you've run off all the talent and can't understand why you're hemorraging viewers. By all mean, change your name. That'll definitely fix things.

This is bullshit.

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