It’s not just the fans of SciFi Channel who are unhappy with the network’s decision to change their name to Syfy later this year. One of the co-founders of the cable network Mitch Rubenstein has come out and expressed his concern about the name change.
“SyFy, say it’s not so!” wrote Rubenstein. “What would Isaac [Asimov] have said if the name was instead SyFy Channel? He would have said (we believe): ‘That’s just plain dumb.'”
Rubenstein, along with his partner Laurie Silvers, were Boca Raton entrepreneurs who conceived of a sci-fi themed cable network, then sold the concept to USA Network in 1991.
Below is the complete text of Rubenstein’s letter.
Laurie and I presented the concept of a 24-hour cable TV network dedicated to science fiction to a packed room of SF writers at the Science Fiction Writers of America meeting.
The writers were not happy — and that’s an understatement. They said they wouldn’t watch it. They would oppose it unless we called it the SF Channel because calling it “Sci Fi Channel” was a put-down to the SF genre, as “sci-fi” is slang for SF and science fiction — and a huge mistake. And I said if we called it the SF Channel, people would think it’s about the city of San Francisco.
I was booed.
Then Isaac started to speak and said that the name had to be Sci Fi Channel and not the SF Channel in order to draw a wide, diverse audience and be successful. To be in a financial position to acquire and produce the best programming. That’s really what counts, right? The writers came around and agreed. Heck, it was Isaac Asimov saying “Sci Fi Channel” was OK, and that was that.
And it’s not just the co-creator who is putting distance between himself and network suits over the name change. Landor, the branding company credited with helping come up with the name, is now distancing themselves from the decision.
On their blog, the company wrote:
“While we’d love to take credit for all the branding initiatives our clients take on, sometimes we just can’t. This is the case with the recent launch of Syfy, the new name for our client, the Sci Fi Channel
As reported in last week’s New York Times, the Sci Fi Channel, a division of NBC Universal, introduced its new name and identity, Syfy, at upfront presentations in New York. The announcement got a lot of attention, and although the New York Times story seemingly gave Landor credit for the work—we can’t take it—because we didn’t do it.
Yes, we worked with the Sci Fi Channel, and it hired us to consult on the project. However, Syfy was a name generated internally and pre-tested at the channel before our involvement. Once Landor was involved, we explored new names as part of the process, but it was the Channel’s call to go with Syfy.”
For more details on the name change, tune into this week’s episode of Slice of SciFi.
I have no issue with SyFy itself. In fact, I found it a perfectly useful and appropriate name when it was used by SyFy Portal, a site to which I still subscribe under their new name Airlock Alpha.
My issue with SciFi becoming SyFy is the idiotic statements being made about why the name change is being done and what the execs think is appealing about the new spelling. As a woman who has been a science fiction and fantasy fan my entire life, I find it deeply insulting that SciFi must be ‘softened’ in order to appeal to women. I know lots of women. That spelling change is not going to make a difference in whether or not they like or look at a cable channel.
Rebranding because you want to have trademarking/copyrighting ability on a name, okay, fine. But doing it because you want to attract the stupid girls that would be turned off by that icky boy ‘sci fi’ stuff or the young people who are chat speak addicted (which is doubly idiotic as that is in no way chat/text speak) is just monumentally obnoxious.
Besides, considering how much ‘reality’ garbage and *wrestling* SciFi/SyFy shows now, they might as well just rebrand it something completely different and make a clean break of it.
Who exactly did they test this new name with?
My guess is this was tested with the Obama Administration.
The one who agreed at ” this is the best name change for SciFi” is an idiot.
You realy should think about changing an name that has been the icon for SciFi fans for years.
There hasn`t been good thinking and comunicating about this, i think this has been pushed by someone with a lot of power and would like to see his idea being realised even if it is an stupid plan.
You make changes when when there is a clear objective or valid reason in mind, not change just for the sake of change, or look I have power look what I can do.
I think the biggest upset that people have is the breakdown of science fiction that is actually is on the network. It’s just upset the network’s plans of “SyFy” and people are channeling their added anger through it.
Hearing this news, I’m GLAD they’re changing their name. Sci-Fi hasn’t shown anything worth watching in years! When I first heard of ‘The Sci-Fi Channel’ and tuned in, they had an old black-and-white movie called ‘Journey to the Seventh Planet’ playing. I thought, “Wow! I can watch all the old American science fiction movies that I couldn’t see when I was young!” Since then, they’ve ‘morphed’ into something so far removed from sci-fi that WE, AS TV VIEWERS, SHOULD CHANGE THEIR NAME FOR THEM!!! When you take GOOD shows off, like ‘THE CHRONICLE’, ‘THE INVISIBLE MAN’, ‘LEXX’, ‘FARSCAPE’ and GOOD blockbuster films like the ‘ALIEN’ series, the ‘SPECIES’ series, the ‘TERMINATOR’ series (or, at least, REFUSE to show them at all), then you’v elost credibility as a good entertaining outlet. WWF, for me, is NOT good sci-fi entertainment (WWF as SCI-FI???); Japanese Anime is another attempt by the Far East to corner both the sci-fi and animation markets, BOTH created by Hollywood; ‘GHOSTHUNTERS et. al.’ is the lamest excuse for filling up airtime (if I want to watch or hear an investigation, I’ll watch CNN!). Finally, with ‘STARGATE’ et. al. and ‘BATTLESTAR GALACTICA’ (NOT the original!) filling most of their programming venues, I’ve concluded that the network must be so afraid of drastically damaging the ‘space/time continuum (three dimensions of space and one of time) that they would rather stayed locked into ONE dimension with these two shows. At least SPIKE airs the entire ‘STAR WARS’ series and ‘THE CHRONICLE’ wasn’t afraid to tackle the REALLY BIG HEADLINES!!
As an after-thought, it’s also a shame that MONSTERS HD died. They, at least, had a nice mix of uncut flicks…
MG
If you go to the Sci -Fi Channels website they have stopped all discussion of this ill thought out change. And have gone so far as to say they will allow no discussion of it.
When I look at the word “Syfy”, my brain fills in “Silly”, “Stuffy”, or “Sissy”, none of which would be appealing to the execs at Syfy. I’m afraid that, with the name change, they’ll also change the programming away from science fiction (which they’ve already done, for the most part), to give us more shows like Ghost Hunters, which is arguably one of the worst shows on TV. When shows like Ghost Hunters or wrestling come on, I usually switch over to USA or Discovery.
I just realised that the name was changed. Considering that the SciFi channel has moved further and further away from it’s base, I am not surprised in the least that they would change their name. But, perhaps they should rethink the new name. I think “The crappy low budget movie and wrestling channel who cancels good science fiction films before their prime has run out network” would be a better name for the changing network.
All I have to say is what the ****! This is the lamest BS I have ever seen TV! At least if your going to make the stupid change don’t put that lame logo always on the screen!!!!! And I like Dan S’s suggested new name, “The crappy low budget movie and wrestling channel who cancels good science fiction films before their prime has run out network”
The name change is absolutely ridiculous. It’s unnecessary, and pandering to “the younger generation”, which I am a part of. Not every 18-24 year old is a brain-dead, text-messaging-obsessed moron who wants every bit of text to “luk lyk dis” How many networks are going to continue dumbing down their programming and “stylizing” their image before everything looks like the same unispired mess? The only amusing bit of this is that for some reason, I always think “syphillis” when I see the new name. Or, I guess, “syfylis”…