Um, what?

[yendi]

The Sci-Fi channel, in an effort to get away from a name that's "been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements and video games and stuff like that," will change its name to Syfy.

I, for one, wholeheartedly approve of this change, as "Syfy" is a name only associated with third-tier marketing companies, which is clearly their new target audience.

Comments

[coffeehouse.livejournal.com]

Sounds to me like it's one guy's new girlfriend's opinion and they didn't actually do any market research.

[thornsilver]

I am getting very tired of this mentally challenged spelling thread being picked up by companies everywhere.

[crwilley.livejournal.com]

Until I clicked through, I thought this was an early April Fools prank, because I honestly can't think of a stupider thing to do than that name change, unless it was that name change accompanied by a public utterance of that quote.

[allroads.livejournal.com]

Viewers of the new channel may experience a fever of usually less than 101 F, painless sores and a rash up to 10 weeks after viewing.

[swashbucklr]

Well, it proves that television execs are still morons.

And it's a good thing that BSG is almost over, 'cause that means I won't have to ever watch SyFy.

[concordantnexus.livejournal.com]

Science Fiction > Sci Fi (Rhymes with "Psy-High") > Sci Fi (Rhymes with "Skiffy") > Syfy

[taura-g.livejournal.com]

*sigh* For a while now, I really have felt like they are trying to move away from the roots that made them so popular to begin with...

Now I think they are *trying* to alienate those of us who made them popular...

[alladinsane.livejournal.com]

Reminds me of when Welch's Grape Juice went with the slogan "Nobody Elch's Tastes Better than Welch's"

or when McDonald's was trying to appeal to an urban audience with "McDonald's Double Cheesburger...I'd Hit It!!"

:::::sigh::::

I guess soon Chiller will be changed to Chyller...

Also expect a shytload of NBC reruns including all the sitcoms to soon show up

[alladinsane.livejournal.com]

Also seems to explain why longtime website SyFyPortal had a sudden name change a few weeks back...

[kellirose1313.livejournal.com]

As a female geek I really resent t he implication that Sci-Fi only refers to lonely basement dwellers. How come we can't be socially outcasted creepy cyberers too!


It’s a kind of an Indiana Jones meets ‘Moonlighting’ meets ‘The X-Files

Ow my brain owowowowowowow

[popfiend.livejournal.com]

This.

[mfree.livejournal.com]

SyFy.... siffy. Makes me think of "yiffy".

[malinaldarose.livejournal.com]

Siffy?

[raptorgirl.livejournal.com]

Wait, what?

Are you serious?

Please tell me you're not serious.

And way to have contempt for your market. I mean, what's wrong with geeks?

I refuse to call it "Syfy." It's stupid. It's really, really stupid. I'm calling it "Sci-Fi."

[lee-in-limbo.livejournal.com]

I vote we start a campaign to get them to rebrand it 'Syphi'. Then we can cut through the shit and treat the execs there like the venereal disease they are.

Lee.

[songwind.livejournal.com]

I must admit, I don't really watch anything on that channel anymore since the end of Stargate. Still, this is NOT helping them win back my viewership.

[unwilly.livejournal.com]

lame

Let's harness our power for Good.

[avivasedai.livejournal.com]

If the fan base can make Firefly, can't we start up at least a petition/letter writing campaign to make the guy realize he totally f*cked up? Calling your core viewership dysfunctional basement dwellers, and saying also that females don't watch his channel, means it won't matter what you call it, we won't watch it. We'll watch Hulu or the BBC or we'll use bittorrent. So there!

"...more open and accessible and relatable and human-friendly brand.” WTF??! So now we're geeky and not actually human? Sci Fi isn't human-friendly?! What the hell is that? At least Sci Fi stands for actual words! *goes apoplectic*

[mooseloon.livejournal.com]

Uh, they are stupid.

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

As I told hughcasey, "Syfy" sounds like a cyborg hybrid of Sifl and Olly. Oy.

[ioianthe.livejournal.com]

apparently nobody explained to them that nerd is the new jock. *facepalm*

[mister-wolf.livejournal.com]

Perhaps a better approach would be to stop showing all those overwrought vampire series and shitty made-for-TV horror movies?

Just a thought.

[wednesday]

Seems pretty straightforward to me: it gives them a name they can more easily defend the trademark for, and everything else is windowdressing.

Lame-ass windowdressing, to be sure. (They really believe it's better to spell it in the manner of incoherent-SMS? Okay then.)

[brak55.livejournal.com]

In related news, Spike will now be known as Spyk, TCM will be Tyrnyr Clsyk and Fox News will be Ryte Wyng Crap.

[greektoomey.livejournal.com]

Literature of Ideas > Speculative Fiction > Science Fiction

[jerel.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it's all in the name of attracting new viewers (people who are not already fans of the genre.) What they don't seem to get is that non-fans aren't interested. So not only do you not get them, but you lose your old audience.

I realize I have only an English degree, but why am I the only one who sees this is bad business?

[kizlj.livejournal.com]

only one response: w.t.fuckity.f.

[perldiver.livejournal.com]

And, to really put the capper on the "wow, this was stupid" moment...

In Polish, "syfy" is used to refer to syphilis. And filth. And mess. And crap. And pimples.

http://tinyurl.com/exqys
http://ellestra.livejournal.com/99679.html