Sci Fi Channel & B.H.

StarStuff · Mar 13, 2003

In this week's Time magazine (March 17) there is a full page article about the upcoming mini-series Children of Dune. In this article, the Sci Fi channel and our friend Bonnie Hammer are mentioned. Below are those sections:

* * * * * *

Children is the latest in a series of high-profile productions (including last year's 20-hour mini-if-you-can-call-it-that-series Taken) that have helped Sci Fi grow into a broad-based, Top 10 cable channel rather than an obscure haven for 30-year-old virgins who can name every actor who played Dr. Who.

That change is the work of the network president Bonnie Hammer, charged with "broadening" the fan base, which, not to put too fine a point on it, largely means: bring in women. Hammer dismisses the idea that "female sci-fi fan" is a contradiction in terms. "Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein," she notes. But the key to attracting women, and nongeek men, is emphasizing drama over technology, psychological drives over warp dirves, fi over sci. "These viewers want things that have more emotional and ethical components," says Hammer. "'They'll say, 'I'm not a sci-fi freak, but I loved The Sixth Sense.'"

Londos6 · Mar 13, 2003

fi over sci

These three words explain it all.

PsionTen · Mar 13, 2003

Why would someone who wasn't a geek watch the sci-fi channel in the first place? Are housewives really going to take a break from "Days of Our Lives" to watch "Dark Shadows" or "Forever Knight?" Or give up "Oprah" and "Dr. Phill" for "Kolchak: The Nightstalker" and "Buck Rogers?"

To me, it would seem that sci-fi is approaching this the wrong way... instead of trying to broaden their audience by reaching out to people who aren't interested in sci-fi, they should be reaching out to the geeks who like sci-fi but (for one reason or another) never tuned into the channel... or never tuned in with any frequency.

KoshN · Mar 13, 2003

StarStuff,

Here's the URL:
Operation Desert Sequel
Sci Fi Channel follows up its hit mini-series Dune, hoping to show that space sagas aren't just for geeks

The writer for Time, and Hammer are both clueless.

<font color="yellow"> Originally posted by PsionTen: </font color>
Why would someone who wasn't a geek watch the sci-fi channel in the first place? Are housewives really going to take a break from "Days of Our Lives" to watch "Dark Shadows"...

Actually, I do know some housewives who are not geeks, who watch "Dark Shadows" but then again, that is a soap opera.

Elenopa · Mar 13, 2003

30-year-old virgins who can name every actor who played Dr. Who.

I take great offence at this comment.

For one; there's nothing wrong with thirty year old virgins. O.K., I'm one, but I'm with Marcus on this; I haven't found the right person yet.

For two; I can name every actor that played the Doctor. All ten of them! I don't think I am as sad as those people who think watching people sitting around on Big Brother is riviting TV. What is scarily sad is how many obscure B5 questions I got right in a quiz at Redemtion '03.

I class my self as a sci-fi fan. The fact that I am female has nothing to do with it.

The again, I'm not your avarage female (thank God

)

hypatia · Mar 13, 2003

I might have taken offense at the remark, but I lost my respect for the skiffy channel awhile ago.

I will probably never watch their station again, except I admit, for the second Dune miniseries. That is a sign of my fond rememberance of the books, and the fact the skiffy had the brains to work out a miniseries deal.

I seriously doubt I'll ever watch their channel again after that. Except perhaps for a third Dune miniseries a couple of years later.

I might just pop a note off to Bonnie, though. To let her know that these comments do not exactly reflect well on her station.

KoshN · Mar 13, 2003

I also take great offense at this comment. Hyp, I attribute the line to James Poniewozik, the writer for Time, not BH.

Seems like we should write to Time and Sci-Fi to refute some of the points in the article and voice our objections to the current direction of The Sci-Fi Channel.

StarStuff · Mar 13, 2003

Thanks KoshN for the URL connection.

I certainly don't fit into the assumed demographics of the typical Sci Fi viewer. I'm a married, older woman who has been a fan of science fiction from 'the before time.'

While most programs on the Sci Fi channel are really ho-hum, I still check it out from time to time hoping for something with a little imagination. Most often I'm disappointed.

And what's wrong with having both drama and technology, psychological drives and warp drives, both fi and sci?

**DONOTDELETE** · Mar 13, 2003

Aargh! That entire article just makes me want to kick things, really really hard!

I mean, what's the point of broadening your audience, if you alienate all the hardcore fans in the process? It seems to me that they really don't know what they're doing, whatever they may think, a couple of mini-series a year will not keep that channel afloat if they're broadcasting utter crap the rest of the time.

Mike G · Mar 14, 2003

. But the key to attracting women, and nongeek men, is emphasizing drama over technology, psychological drives over warp dirves, fi over sci.

God forbid there should be Science in Science-Fiction!

hypatia · Mar 14, 2003

Well, unless/until they go out of business, we are stuck with it, it seems.

If I thought it would help at all, I'd boycott the Dune miniseries. The first one wasn't all that good, but it was nice to see Dune done in a way that seemed to be "closer to right".

G Kar of the Kha Ri · Mar 14, 2003

So to increase the number of viewers, they must remove all traces of sci-fi from Sci-Fi. Sounds like a plan to me!

And I still keep laughing at their attempts to "broaden the fanbase" by making all of these idiotic changes. Is it REALLY a good thing that they managed to catch the eye of a single person that's not really into sci-fi by sacrificing dozens who love it? Much like Mr. Garrison once said on South Park, "There are no stupid questions, just stupid people."

And I'm seriously not wanting to watch Children of Dune anymore. For one thing, I'd rather tune in to The Dead Zone at 10, and for another thing I believe that I've finally seen one to many of those now-annoying commercials for it. I'll just read the frelling book.

hypatia · Mar 14, 2003

I'll watch Dune, but probably on tape. I think that will be about when I go to Phoenix for my vacation. If it starts on Sunday, I'll see the first installment. If Monday, I'll probably have to watch it all on tape.

I'll give it a try. But I just don't see watching Skiffy much more after that. Until the next miniseries, perhaps. Maybe they will keep their ratings high enough to stay in businesss because of weak-minded folk like me.

A_M_Swallow · Mar 14, 2003

Sci Fi is giving up a monopoly to fight in the toughest market in the business. Definitely a share to sell.

They would do better to discover what geeks wish to buy and get some new advertisers.

Geeks like gadgets. Any one here got a terrestrial digital TV receiver, wide screen TV, electronic personal organiser, high-speed internet access or a mobile phone with picture display? I am sure that Sci Fi could line with the new products division of Sony and Motorola being their biggest advertisers.

A_M_Swallow · Mar 14, 2003

One of the other threads made me realise, Sci Fi and fantasy should be doing very well at the moment. At the cinema recent blockbusters have included Superman, Spiderman, Dare Devil, Mission Impossible, X Men and Batman.

KoshN · Mar 14, 2003

Is anybody else going to write to the guy at Time, or The Sci-Fi Channel, or do you think we'll just be dismissed as fringe geeks, no matter what we say?

I think we should write to them. Just make absolutely sure you don't come off sounding like the type of person characterized in the article:

"...30-year-old virgins who can name every actor who played Dr. Who."

If they get a bunch of well written, articulate letters telling them how off-base they are, maybe their error will dawn on them. Otherwise, they'll think they're right.

Do we want them to think they're right, that Sci-Fi is on the right course? No.

hypatia · Mar 14, 2003

You wouldn't happen to have those addresses handy, would you, KoshN?

KoshN · Mar 14, 2003

<font color="yellow"> Originally posted by hypatia: </font color>
You wouldn't happen to have those addresses handy, would you, KoshN?

For Time, I only know of the online Letters to the Editor function available by clicking on the writer's name in the article. I'd compose the letter in Notepad or another word processor and then cut & paste it into their tiny field in the Letters to the Editor window. That's what I did yesterday, but the Send Email button in the window didn't work for me. Maybe they were being bombarded by email in reaction to the article (I hope.). I'll try again today. If that fails, I'll check the hardcopy magazine for a snail mail address.

Here's Bonnie Hammer's addy (and some extra stuff, from my Where to Write Sci-Fi.txt), incase anybody needs that one. That should be common knowledge around here, though.

**********
You'll only get automatic responses, IF you get any responses at all.

If you send email, it's best to send it to:

program@www.scifi.com

...or...

feedback@www.scifi.com

However, it's best to send snail mail, and send it here:

Ms. Bonnie Hammer, President
The Sci-Fi Channel
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020-1513

Mr. Thomas Vitale
Senior V.P. of Acquisitions, Scheduling and Programming Planning
The Sci-Fi Channel
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020-1513

...and a new one...

Mark Stern, Senior V.P. of Original Programming
The Sci-Fi Channel
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020-1513

**********

hypatia · Mar 14, 2003

Thanks, KoshN. Thomas Vitale is a new name to me. I'll write a little note to them today. I prefer snail mail.

Thanks.

Loadhan · Mar 14, 2003

For two; I can name every actor that played the Doctor. All ten of them!

Are you including the non-series movie actors (I think they were different), the replacements for multiple-Doctors episodes when one of the olders passed away, and the Ronan Atkinson spoof?

In seriousness though ... I agree with most of the above posters. I for one wanted this channel when it first came out and was showing stuff like "Dr. Who" (I hadn't seen it in years then since PBS stopped showing it). Sadly my city didn't get the channel until after they stopped showing many of the nostalgia shows. Now I only watch it for SG-1 and Farscape - one of which is ending and new SG-1 will be done until season 7 soon and the Monday reruns will repeat soon too and I might not watch them again given my schedule. Yeah, soon I probably won't watch this channel until new SG-1 come around. Thank you, Ms. Hammer, for for not wanting to keep the audience that prompted the birth of this channel to begin with.

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