I know you are reeling about the cancellations of Eureka and Stargate Universe. Many of you are organizing petitions and websites to try and save your shows. But there’s something you’re not realizing.
NBC does not care.
In the past 7 years, NBC has cancelled shows left and right on SciFi. They don’t take statistics of how well Science Fiction and Fantasy do in the box office and in dvd sales. And let’s face it, the excuses they have come up with for ending shows like Battlestar and Stargate have been lame. Canceling Battlestar because they think it being on Sci-Fi channel is driving people away? Money and ratings for Stargate? In reality, NBC does not believe this genre is worth anything, and repeatedly insults its fan base through their actions. They canceled the original Star Trek for crying out loud!
Do you know what’s going to make a difference?
Money. Since they think Science Fiction doesn’t make any money, let’s show them how much money it makes. Don’t watch the channel at all. Don’t write to them. Don’t give them any free advertising. And if at all possible, don’t buy anything from any of their networks, or companies that advertise on their channels. Instead, encourage the writers and producers to shop their products elsewhere. Write to the people! Not to the station! I would pay for webisodes, a la Dr. Horrible, of Farscape, Battlestar, and Stargate. Show the writers and producers we support THEM, not their network. Let’s support other channels! Encourage writers to take their shows to channels that will actually support them: FOX, Spike, TBS, and USA all have science fiction shows in their line up. CBS ran Star Trek The Next Generation and is having huge success with The Big Bang Theory. Same with The CW and shows like Supernatural and Smallville. The original Stargate was let go by Showtime and then picked up by Sci-Fi. Send messages to these other stations telling them we’ll support their network if they save our shows. We will make them money and give them ratings watching their channels if they will put our quality TV back on the air. Why are we continuing to give NBC our money when they don’t respect the viewers, the station, or the writers? I’m especially thinking here of entire episodes of shows like Eureka being focused on product placement rather than story.
Let’s show everyone that we don’t support the channel SyFy, we support the shows. Unless we the viewers make it known that we will support the shows as they venture out from the sinking ship that is WWE and reality TV SyFy, there won’t be any new shows. We have to do the legwork and promote the things we like if we want to continue. We have to show them how it would be profitable for them to produce shows for the internet or on other channels. We need to tell the writers, directors, producers, and other networks that we’ll pay for quality TV in different avenues. And then, we need to put our money where our mouth is.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Viewer
P.S. Want to learn more about the fight to save your favorite shows?
Check out Save SGU on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/savesgu
Also on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/SaveSGU
Links to Save Eureka and SyFail can also be found there.
Can i re post this on my blog (http://www.kmass982.blogspot.com) Giving you credit ?
Yes!!!
alleluia fans i agreed this
You could also consider this. http://www.oneangrynerd.com/
It is a similar concept. If total SyFy boycott is what you want, this site at least has a list of advertisers with contact information.
My point was more to say stop talking to NBC and let’s do something about our shows. Write to the writers, producers, and other networks and have them pick up the show. Not NBC. Or, better still, encourage producers to take these shows to the internet. They would make a killing using something like iTunes, or even a private website, to fund their shows. If SciFi is supposed to be about commenting on social issues and encouraging change and progress, why don’t they take a leaf out of their own books and put forth a change in the way networks handle them? By taking control and bringing it straight to us they can bypass all of the BS with Nielsen ratings and advertising.
You’ve hit the nail on the head there, as a resident of the UK these are the kind of TV shows that I wouldn’t mind paying tax for, if only Stargate Universe could be saved by the BBC!
There is also this.
http://www.syzygynetwork.com/
I have always said that wee need to convince a network to start a science fiction channel. Perhaps Starz could start one. i would even subscribe to it if it needed to be subscription based.
Erik
I would subscribe! I think it would be great if they brought it to the internet though. They’d make a killing
I’m the guy behind OneAngryNerd.com – and we are doing pretty-much what you advocate, but we are letting the advertisers know. It cannot be done in a vacuum.
My point was more to say stop talking to NBC and let’s do something about our shows. I was bringing up a boycott just to further say hitting them in the wallet is where it’s going to hurt. I think it would be better to advocate for bringing shows to the internet. They would make a killing using something like iTunes, or even a private website, to fund their shows. If SciFi is supposed to be about commenting on social issues and encouraging change and progress, why don’t they take a leaf out of their own books and put forth a change in the way networks handle them? By taking control and bringing it straight to us they can bypass all of the BS with Nielsen ratings and advertising.
Sorry; I still like my idea of our fellow Sci-Fi fans creating our own television network. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fantasy-TV/184789701588736
Agreed! And bring it to the internet!
Webisodes are the way to go imo, id rather pay to watch them online that see syfy make the money
THIS THIS THIS!!!
It’s amazing that there already is (supposed to be) a Science Fiction channel, yet we need to convince another channel to carry Sci-Fi — this is what we are reduced to!!
It is definitely sad
I agree with all of the above
Don’ forget about Space. It is a science fiction network that airs in Canada. You can watch some of your shows on their web streaming and not only support your show but another network that does scare about science fiction.
Thanks for the info! I’ll look it up!
Your comments are so true ! In the age when music can be produced by on-line funding, I still don’t believe how one can devise – with help of a bank or fiduciary help – a way for writers to decide which channel will air their work . Its called sub-penny subscription. A show like Star Gate Universe or BSG can draw up to 100 million viewers per episodes – easy !!! – say a 10 cents per user… and that gives you a budget of 10 Million per episode !!! GOT, the most expensive serie ever – if you except the LOST Pilot – cost 55 Millions for 10 episodes….do the maths….
This!!! I saw the potential, but when you spell it out against GoT it makes a lofty idea seem doable. YAY!
What really needs to happen is the nerds of the internet need to get a place like revision3 to pick it up and have it only air via the net. I dont even care if it has a lot of ads. They could take it to 1 hour 10 minutes with the extra ads and I’d be ok so long as they get their funding and i get my stargate!
YES!
Not to be nit-picky, USA Network is owned by NBC Universal.
Everything NBC Universal has been dead to me for a while now. Everything they touch pretty much ends up as suck.
I thought USA was separate. Thanks for that! I didn’t know. They’re so sneaky with their different channels. 😉
Hear hear. I have been saying all along that we need to find our shows another place to live. Hammering away at Syfy has gotten us precisely nowhere
I agree completely . I would pay for it and support anyone who would pick up these shows
You guys are right, its all about money. Back in the sixties, the fans kept star trek on for two more seasons. Soon as it was convient the network cut it. The Canadians can do good SCI FI. Do they have a network ? If they do or are interested in starting one, go to the cable companies and get them to carry it and then drop SLY FI channel.
SyFy needs to get it head out of NBC’s butt and stand on its own again as SciFi and then get rid of all the stupid wrestling shows and the marathon Ghost Hunters with all their green shots and the lame reality shows.
AGREED!
Thanks for the letter falling. I know we can make it happen. Stargate, and other decent sci-fi shows will live on.
The rights to BSG, Stargate, SGU, Eureka, etc. are owned by SyFy/NBC/Comcast … they are not the property of the writers who wrote it. So it would be almost impossible for them to take it to another network unless the rights to said program was first purchased.
They are not going to sell the rights when they know that the shows are popular and will make a competing network or online community money.
And suggesting FOX … really?? They are the ones who cancelled Firefly before it ever had a decent chance.
What the hell is even on SciFi anymore if all of that was canceled?
Firstly “no”, it’s no longer SciFi … they changed their name to Syfy … which most pronounce as “S if y” since it no longer reflects true science fiction.
Most of what they show these days are “reality” shows that are just staged to try to look like something paranormal is happening or they are finding artifacts that are mostly just myths. Using real people instead of actors is cheaper, plus there is less editing to do when you want to make the audience believe that everything is real.
And, let us not forget the science fiction show called Wrestling … while I must admit that nothing says fiction quite like wrestling, I really can not see how they can, in good conscience, place it in the genre of Science fiction.
Still a few good shows on Syfy … Sanctuary, Haven, Alphas, Being Human and Warehouse 13 …. but who knows how much longer they will survive before being replaced with “Ghostly Weddings” or “Lingerie Football”