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Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

#1
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3/16/09 at 1:13pm
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Because only DORKS like Sci-Fi!
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#2
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3/16/09 at 1:23pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Lame award for lamest ever...
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#3
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3/16/09 at 1:25pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

SyFy stands for NOTHING. What a bunch of idiots. SciFi at least told you exactly what kind of programming you were getting. What kind of morons are these? And to blast their own core audience with this:

Quote:
“The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular,” said TV historian Tim Brooks, who helped launch Sci Fi Channel when he worked at USA Network.


Idiots.
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#4
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3/16/09 at 1:54pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Quote:
SyFy stands for NOTHING.

Which is precisely what makes the change attractive to the network. "Sci-Fi" is a generic term generally disliked even by fans of the genre itself. "SyFy" is a unique term, easy to copyright and trademark and to turn into a specific "brand". Why do you think cars have stupid names like "Altima", which also mean nothing. Because they avoid the twin problems of overlapping with existing trademarks and copyrights and because they aren't so generic that it become easy to confuse them with offerings from other car makers.

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Joe
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#5
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3/16/09 at 2:10pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

They think the name is the problem? How about all the lame made-for-TV garbage they crank out like "Alien Vs. Hunter" or the sure-to-be-in-production "CHIMP!".
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#6
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3/16/09 at 2:43pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

This means even more wrastling. Why is Sci-Fi turning into Spike?

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#7
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3/16/09 at 3:33pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Talk about pissing on Forrest Ackerman's grave...

Turns out that "syfy" actually does mean something not very nice in Polish!
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#8
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3/16/09 at 3:56pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverWook
Talk about pissing on Forrest Ackerman's grave...

I thought using "Sci-Fi" for what they show pretty much already did that.

Quote:
Turns out that "syfy" actually does mean something not very nice in Polish!

From what I've read it is a sort of all-purpose cuss word, the plural of a word originally derived from the Polish for "syphillis" and which can mean - depending on context - anything from "pimple" to "scum" to "crap". So the new name could be considered a form of truth in advertising.

Regards,

Joe
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#9
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3/16/09 at 3:58pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Quote:
“The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular,” said TV historian Tim Brooks, who helped launch Sci Fi Channel when he worked at USA Network.
I can understand why they want to get from the sci-fi nerd stereotype but they just changed it from Sci-Fi to SyFy. That's like if my name was Chris and I changed it to Khris- what's the point of the name change when it's still said the same way and in the case of the channel, it still brings up the same stereotype that they want to get away from?
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#10
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3/16/09 at 4:11pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

This makes me so angry, that I now need to go watch an episode of my favorite sci-fi series, Star Track. Yeah!
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#11
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3/16/09 at 4:13pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Worst marketing decision I've ever seen by network.

Time to start calling it "Siffy".
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#12
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3/16/09 at 4:29pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

What? They didn't like Skiffy?
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#13
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3/16/09 at 4:35pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

"Imagine Greater".... what? It's not even a sentence. :S

If they wanted a channel without science fiction, why not make a new one instead of turning the existing science fiction channel into something else? Executives make no sense to me.
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#14
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3/16/09 at 6:52pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

After Galactica is done, i wont have a reason to watch, at all.
They also stopped being Sci-Fi when you could watch the movie Always on USA, and Sci-Fi...at the same time! Cause as you know Always, is pure Sci-Fi...rrrriigghht.
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#15
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3/16/09 at 7:17pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Quote:
Originally Posted by RickER
After Galactica is done, i wont have a reason to watch, at all.
I thought the same thing but then I remembered Caprica.
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#16
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3/17/09 at 12:17am
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph DeMartino
From what I've read it is a sort of all-purpose cuss word, the plural of a word originally derived from the Polish for "syphillis" and which can mean - depending on context - anything from "pimple" to "scum" to "crap". So the new name could be considered a form of truth in advertising.

Regards,

Joe

Hehe, that's right up there with trying to market the Chevy Nova in spanish speaking countries.

For those that don't know any spanish "no va" pretty much translates to "no go", which doesn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence in potential car-buying customers.

And now we have the Pimple Network starting in July. And here I thought they were trying to get away from the pimply geek image.
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#17
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3/17/09 at 5:31am
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Dumbest. Move. Ever.

Why didn't they do the intelligent thing and rename it something like ImagineTV or the Imagine Network? It still covers all the points that they want the name change to make, it's spelled correctly AND it doesn't look ridiculous.
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#18
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3/17/09 at 6:06am
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger_R
"Imagine Greater".... what? It's not even a sentence.
It sounds like something badly translated from the original Japanese.

And, um, "Syfy" is seen as less geeky than Sci-Fi? Er, um, okaaaayyyyy....

(Well, it is less geeky in that most geeks I know -- and I'm including myself here -- can spell.)
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#19
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3/17/09 at 7:33am
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph DeMartino
. Why do you think cars have stupid names like "Altima", which also mean nothing. Because they avoid the twin problems of overlapping with existing trademarks and copyrights and because they aren't so generic that it become easy to confuse them with offerings from other car makers.

Regards,

Joe

I'd trade in my Altima for an Ultima
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#20
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3/17/09 at 7:37am
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Stargate SG-1/Atlantis/Universe producer Joseph Mallozzi (doesn't) comment on the name change in his blog.
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#21
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3/17/09 at 7:41am
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Quote:
Hehe, that's right up there with trying to market the Chevy Nova in spanish speaking countries.

For those that don't know any spanish "no va" pretty much translates to "no go", which doesn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence in potential car-buying customers.

Sorry, particularly idiotic urban legend. The phrase "no va" and the word "nova" aren't even pronounced the same way. (And Spanish speakers recognize "nova" as a Latin word meaning "new" - Spanish "nuevo" - and as an astronomical term just as easily as English speakers do. Probably one reason why the Mexican state oil company markets gasoline under the "Nova" name.)

Nor is "no va" how a native speaker would refer to a car that woudn't go, anymore than an English speaker would point to a car and say, in Tarzan-English, "No go!". "No marcha", "No funciona" or "No camina" would be much more likely.

Quote:
Assuming that Spanish-speakers would naturally see the word "nova" as equivalent to the phrase "no va" and think, "this car doesn't go" is akin to assuming that English speakers would spurn a dinette set sold under the name "Notable" because nobody wants a dinette set that doesn't include a table. - The Urban Legend Reference Page



Regards,

Joe
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#22
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3/17/09 at 8:09am
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

I sent an email to SciFi expressing my displeasure at this. feedback@scifi.com

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#23
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3/17/09 at 10:16am
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

It seems like Sci-Fi Channel is going down the same road MTV did. One day we're all going to sit around and say," Hey, remember when Sci-Fi played sci-fi movies and tv shows"? As far as the name change being related to being less geeky, well, that's bullshit of the highest order. They just want the freedom to show informercials and sports/non-related programing....Oh wait, they already do that. What a bunch of jackholes who thought this up.

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#24
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3/17/09 at 10:57am
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

I hardly ever watch the channel any more. This just further diminishes my desire to watch it.
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#25
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3/17/09 at 11:45am
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

I use to enjoy the sci-fi channel, but the past few years the programming has been awful. The one good thing that came out of its many reruns of certain shows was my love of Roswell. If it weren't for sci-fi I never would have discovered it.

I agree that calling it something like Imagine network or Imagine TV is a far better idea. SyFy is just stoooooooooopid!

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#26
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3/17/09 at 12:15pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

I'm not sure I really care what they call themselves. They have given us 4 incredible years of Battlestar Galactica, a great show in Eureka, the US showing of Dr. Who and weekends full of the worst kind of B-Movie schlock imaginable - I love it. That and Star Trek: TNG reruns and some genuine attempts at other original programming - I think they are learning and growing still.
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#27
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3/17/09 at 1:39pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Dumbest move since Spike.
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#28
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3/17/09 at 1:43pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Did somebody say Tropicana debacle?

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#29
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3/17/09 at 2:15pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

I have two words for this: New Coke

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#30
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3/17/09 at 2:34pm
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Re: Sci-Fi becomes Syfy

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph DeMartino
Sorry, particularly idiotic urban legend. The phrase "no va" and the word "nova" aren't even pronounced the same way. (And Spanish speakers recognize "nova" as a Latin word meaning "new" - Spanish "nuevo" - and as an astronomical term just as easily as English speakers do. Probably one reason why the Mexican state oil company markets gasoline under the "Nova" name.)

Nor is "no va" how a native speaker would refer to a car that woudn't go, anymore than an English speaker would point to a car and say, in Tarzan-English, "No go!". "No marcha", "No funciona" or "No camina" would be much more likely.

I'm well aware of the difference in pronunciation, having taken several years of spanish language courses from native Latin American spanish speakers (Mexican, Cuban, Columbian and one other which I can't remember), all of whom loved to discuss this unfortunate pun in their classes.


And let's remember that while you compare spoken English to "Tarzan-speak", every language has colloquial speak and regional dialects.
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