Sci Fi Channel Changing it's name....
By Toxicon
@Toxicon (163)
United States
June 20, 2009 12:28am CST
The Sci Fi channel is trying to shed their geeky image by changing thier name to...... wait for it... Syfy ....
I dont know about you, but I dont see any real difference. The station has gone by the name Sci Fi for 16 years now so why all of the sudden ruin it by changing the I's to Y's?
According to the site I read, they want to get away from the nerdy image that the Sci Fi (short for science fiction) name bring up, Tim Brooks, who helped launch the channel said "The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games" (I dont know about you, but I dont even have a basement).
They are hoping the name change will attract the general public and especialy the female audience.
Do any of you think the name change will change the way people think about them, since the new name is so close to the original one? If so, why?
2 people like this
2 responses
@crimsonladybug (3112)
• United States
24 Jun 09
I think it's ridiculous. I've been watching the Sci Fi channel since it was a cable access channel that we could only find on our "pirated" satellite with a dish that was the size of a small car and a receiver box you had to tune in with a dial. At that time it was only on the air for like 16 hours a day, maybe 14, I don't remember exactly. But they had shows like the original Incredible Hulk and MST3K. Plus this magazine-style show called Beyond the Third Dimension, which was awesome. Campy but awesome.
And, regardless of how you spell it, sci-fi or syfy, it still SOUNDS the same which is kind of the "problem" they are trying to solve.
@Toxicon (163)
• United States
24 Jun 09
Ohh yeah, I remember those days... you would get like 1/2 a day of sci-fi and then overnight it would be one of the home shopping channels.... was a little strange, but it was in alot of ways better back then. I totaly forgot about MST3K, I would love to do a show like that, I can make fun of stupid movies and get paid, wouldnt hurt my feelings one bit. Yes, I cant say it enough, Sci-Fi.... Syfy... I dont hear the difference so how do they think it's going to change such an old stereotype, they should be changing the name to something that better fits where they want to be in the future. Just seems like they didnt think it through very well.
@AmbiePam (92781)
• United States
22 Jun 09
To me, Syfy just reminds me of people who cannot spell or read. 
I don't think Sci Fi represented geeks totally, although I admit I do not watch that channel. I think the shows on this channel demonstrate that Sci Fi is not just for geeks anymore. I mean, they air reruns of Moonlight, and vampires seem to be popular with everyone right now, not really a geek thing. And their original show Eureka seems to have mainstream fans, not just guys who go to Comic Con. It doesn't matter to me, but it seems the channel head honchos are embarrassed by their own creation.
I don't think Sci Fi represented geeks totally, although I admit I do not watch that channel. I think the shows on this channel demonstrate that Sci Fi is not just for geeks anymore. I mean, they air reruns of Moonlight, and vampires seem to be popular with everyone right now, not really a geek thing. And their original show Eureka seems to have mainstream fans, not just guys who go to Comic Con. It doesn't matter to me, but it seems the channel head honchos are embarrassed by their own creation.@Toxicon (163)
• United States
22 Jun 09
I hadn't looked at it that way, you're right, it does seem like they have become embarassed and are working to cover it up. And yes, thats the point I've been trying to make, changing sci fi to syfy just makes they seem stupid. if they really wanted to revamp it they would just make, like we've all said, better original shows that attract a borader audience.
Thanks for the reply, happy mylotting.
1 person likes this
