# Sci-Fi becomes SyFy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 16, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628 "2009-03-16T15:46:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/21 "2009-03-16T16:57:35Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > …(Sci-fi fangeek and proud of it, for the record.) Geek or Nerd? Take [the test…](http://mightygodking.com/index.php/2009/02/03/neeeeeeeeeerds/) After BSG ends, I’ll probably tune into SF/Whatever for the next “season” of Doctor Who. If they actually show it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/22 "2009-03-16T17:01:30Z")
I wonder what 4E would have thought. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/23 "2009-03-16T17:10:29Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > The SciFi Channel has always been terrible though. Other than Battlestar Galactica and maybe Eureka do they ever have anything worth watching? Every time I turn past it, it’s made for TV movies like Megashark 4 or Alien Supergator 3. I dunno, I’ve always liked it (though it’s been years since I’ve been a regular viewer). It can be hit or miss, but at least I could count on it to have something remotely interesting. As for female viewers, fuck that. I always feel patronized when a company feels the need to go after the female market segment. If it’s good, we’ll watch it. If not, so what? Besides, even we feel the need for some big explosions and CGI eye-candy from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/24 "2009-03-16T17:12:34Z")
Ah-ha. Finally, we find the real reason for the name change. From the Airlock Alpha site above: > [@](#): > > “We couldn’t own SciFi; it’s a genre,” said Bonnie Hammer, the president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Universal Cable Productions. “But we can own Syfy.” So it’s a trademark issue. Figures. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/25 "2009-03-16T17:12:35Z")
> [@tanstaafl](#): > > In very probably related news, [Sy Fy Portal](http://www.syfyportal.com) has recently renamed itself “Airlock Alpha”. I wonder if they made them an offer they couldn’t refuse? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/26 "2009-03-16T17:13:40Z")
I hope the first movie they show on their new channel is based on Sturgeon’s “It Wasn’t Syzygy.” It seems to me that scifi described what they show quite well, with all respect to 4sj who couldn’t control the meaning his coinage took on. I’m just glad they didn’t choose SF. SyFy from texting. That’s pretty damn lame. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/27 "2009-03-16T17:16:58Z")
I say, this sounds a bit fey. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/28 "2009-03-16T17:19:45Z")
> [@Ataraxy](#): > > FTFA: The network worked with the branding consultancy Landor Associates and went through about 300 possibilities before selecting Syfy. > > “When we tested this new name, the thing that we got back from our 18-to-34 techno-savvy crowd, which is quite a lot of our audience, is actually this is how you’d text it,” Mr. Howe said. “ **It made us feel much cooler** , much more cutting-edge, much more hip, which was kind of bang-on what we wanted to achieve communication-wise.” It may have made you _feel_ much cooler, but it actually _made_ you much less cool, you scruffy-headed nerf-herder. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/29 "2009-03-16T17:23:11Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > My immense respect for their 11th-Hour rescue of MST3K was tarnished by their interference with that show. Hijack - Just wondering, I have recently been working my way through MST3k ‘archives’, and have almost finished all the Mike episodes (which include the last Comedy Central series 5.5, 6, & the abbreviated 7, and of course the SciFi series 8, 9, & 10 - what interference was there by SciFi - I mean obviously Trace was gone and the Mad role fell to Mary Jo, but otherwise what such SciFi channel undertones did I miss? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/30 "2009-03-16T17:25:05Z")
> [@tanstaafl](#): > > Ah-ha. Finally, we find the real reason for the name change. From the Airlock Alpha site above: > > So it’s a trademark issue. Figures. You don’t even need to read the quote, the fact that Bonnie Hammer said it is enough to prove it’s something idiotic. The channel was never fantastic, but it when down hill considerably once she began making decisions. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/31 "2009-03-16T17:32:24Z")
Wow, The Onion surpassed itself this time! That’s hilarious, if a little far-fetched. Sorry, what’s that you say? … It isn’t a … AAARGH! ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/32 "2009-03-16T17:33:13Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > Hijack - Just wondering, I have recently been working my way through MST3k ‘archives’, and have almost finished all the Mike episodes (which include the last Comedy Central series 5.5, 6, & the abbreviated 7, and of course the SciFi series 8, 9, & 10 - what interference was there by SciFi - I mean obviously Trace was gone and the Mad role fell to Mary Jo, but otherwise what such SciFi channel undertones did I miss? The network forced them to have a continuing plotline which they hated. When the network flunky responsible for this was let go, they went back to an episodic, interchangeble-order format. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/33 "2009-03-16T17:45:32Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > The network forced them to have a continuing plotline which they hated. And they’ve said that from the beginning, the episodes were aired out of order, so the plot never made any sense. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/34 "2009-03-16T17:50:39Z")
> [@tanstaafl](#): > > Ah-ha. Finally, we find the real reason for the name change. From the Airlock Alpha site above: > > So it’s a trademark issue. Figures. This is the first thing that occurred to me when I saw the thread title. It makes perfect sense. “Sci-Fi” is a generic term. They should have a brand that they can claim rights in. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/35 "2009-03-16T17:50:41Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > The network forced them to have a continuing plotline which they hated. When the network flunky responsible for this was let go, they went back to an episodic, interchangeble-order format. That was only for the host segments, and they still wound up fairly interchangeable - unless you’re really worried about what happened to Pearl & Prof. Bobo when they were seized by Romans in an end-of-episode cliffhanger. The bigger change was that all the movies had to be SciFi related in some way - no more movies like “Kitten with a Whip”, “Girls Town”, “Daddy-O” or “Mitchell” ! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/36 "2009-03-16T17:52:17Z")
They’re doing it becayse “SYFY” is more trademark-able than “Sci-Fi.” From a press release quoted on [url=]AICN: > [@](#): > > Syfy – unlike the generic entertainment category “sci-fi” – firmly establishes a uniquely ownable trademark that is portable across all non-linear digital platforms and beyond, from Hulu to iTunes. Syfy also creates an umbrella brand name that can extend into new adjacent businesses under the Syfy Ventures banner, such as Syfy Games, Syfy Films and Syfy Kids. I guess they can’t own “sci-fi” as a unique trademark, so that’s why they’re going to the stylized spelling. The stuff about reaching beyond geeks is just so much PR noise. It’s being able to own the trademark that they care about. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/37 "2009-03-16T17:59:23Z")
I like their atrocious Saturday Night movies. Fills me with glee and hope for my own scripts. I agree that the change is pointless and stupid. Because people care about that nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/38 "2009-03-16T17:59:41Z")
In their defense, “Sci-Fi” is a somewhat mockable term with the (ahem) SF industry. Within the (ahem) SF industry, the term “sci-fi” is associated with people who are attempting to sound knowledgable, but are failing. One might say that “SF” or “SF/Fantasy” is the preferred nomenclature, dude. Its a minor hair, but I felt like splitting it. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/39 "2009-03-16T18:06:33Z")
\*\*\*APRIL FOO… \*\*\* oh, wait. Really? _Really_? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/40 "2009-03-16T18:10:43Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > In their defense, “Sci-Fi” is a somewhat mockable term with the (ahem) SF industry. Within the (ahem) SF industry, the term “sci-fi” is associated with people who are attempting to sound knowledgable, but are failing. But the Sci-Fi Channel never went after that market. They were attempting to make science fiction mainstream, not go after a geeky subgroup that is small even by geeky subgroup standards. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628.md?page=3)