Last week, we reported that SyFy digital exec Craig Engler had set up a new Twitter feed to respond to questions about the newly rebranded network.
And while SyFy may have hoped to get questions about its programming, including the new series “Warehouse 13” and the return of “Eureka,” a lot of the questions were related to network’s decision to change its name.
According to the Hollywood Reporter’s Live Feed blog, Engler has responded to many of the questions and criticisms lobbed and he and the network. Below is a sampling of the questions and responses.
Q) Does SyFy’s new branding mean less science fiction/fantasy programming?
A) No, we are not changing our programming mix
Q) How do you pronounce SyFy? When I see it I want to pronounce it so it rhymes with ‘jiffy’
A) Just like “sci-fi”
Q) Why do you insist on trying to pretend your demographic isn’t what it is and pandering to people who will never watch you?
A) Demos vary greatly by show, so there is not a single demo that watches us. Many different kinds of people enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, etc.
Q) [Not stated]
A) Had we only listened to Web-based feedback, for instance, we never would have made Battlestar Galactica.
Q) Anyone else get the feeling that the @SyFy change is far too similar to the TechTV/G4 blend?
A) Hmmm….nope!
Q) Help me understand. Name one new project you can do as Syfy that wouldn’t have felt right as Sci Fi.
A) Syfy is about catching up to where our programming mix is, not about changing it.
Q) Your programming mix has poor spelling and grammar? That isn’t catching up Craig, that’s dumbing down.
A) Syfy is a made-up name, not a word, so it’s spelled correctly as is. Like Wii. Or Twitter 😉
Q) It’s not so much the name change as it is the “getting away from the geeks” rationale…. I think it’s the “oh we’ve got to get new people” tone – it sort of comes across as leaving us, no matter how much u say it isn’t
A) That’s not at all our rationale. A TV historian named Tim Brooks said that and it’s unfortunately been misattributed to us.
Q) Well, I like the new name Syfy… but I don’t like the new logo.. dunno way, perhaps is a bit colorless…
A) The Syfy logo was designed to be something of an empty vessel that we can play with. You’ll see some cool stuff happening to it soon 🙂
Q) How is it working at SyFy? Fun or stressful?
A) Fun! Great channel, great colleagues and the most amazing viewers ever.
Fans can subscribe to the feed at www.twitter.com/syfy
It’s a made up name for a made up channel. I just wish the made up name had been better.
Just plain stupid. Changing something just to change … or is it the trademark issue, if so, why not be straightforward about it?
Yeah Lejon I don’t get that, whats the point of this name change if they are going to just keep doing the same crap over and over again. Jeeze, how freaking stupid are those people at sci-fi. Btw, he says that many people enjoy sci-fi and thats true but sci-fi / fantasy has a very specifc and loyal fan base.
I shall call it see-fee!
My stepfather noticed the network name change today. He thinks it’s stupid, too.
The biggest problem I see is not as much the name as it is the distraction. Don’t you all feel like Scifi changing to SyFy is nothing more than a way to play slight-of-hand with the fact that they do less than 10% of original Scifi programming? I mean, yes, they have some cool new shows coming up, but that is a far cry from having enough content to qualify then to even carry the name. (Either of them)
If you want to wow us… fill the channel with great programming that speaks to the geek in all of us.
Scare Tactics does not count…….
“A) Syfy is a made-up name, not a word, so it’s spelled correctly as is. Like Wii. Or Twitter.” That is a dumb answer. “Syfy” means nothing. Sci-fi, on the other hand is a recognized abbreviation for Science Fiction. If they want to change the name of the television outlet that is their prerogative. But to play juvenile word games with the name is demeaning to the science fiction fans that are their core audience.
A made-up name indeed! Somebody’s bright idea of a marketing gimmick? They now have a name for their television channel that means nothing and represents nothing, but “sounds” like the old name. You have to wonder if future programing will be similarly empty of “science fiction” content.
Personally I think they should have called it PsyPHy. Much better name and “P”s are cooler than “S”s and “F”s.
Being serious, they did this so that they could trademark their brand, and protect their intellectual property. I don’t care how many times they say that it has something to do with their programming and blah blah blah. It was a money decision, plain and simple.