I’ve been noticing a change in the programming in many cable TV channels. I am therefore proposing the following name changes:
- The Discovery Channel will henceforth be called the Extreme Feats and Blowing Stuff Up Channel.
- The History Channel will henceforth be called the Dangerous Jobs and Ghosts and UFO’s Channel.
- The Learning Channel will henceforth be called the Fashion and Big Families with Lots of Kids Channel.
- Spike TV will henceforth be called the CSI and Wrestling Channel.
- Oxygen will henceforth be called the Supermodels and Other Crazy Females Channel.
- The Food Network will henceforth be called the Kitchen Stadium Channel.
- TruTV will henceforth be called the Murder and Other Really Bad Crimes Channel.
I’m sure I missed a whole bunch of others. What do you think should be the real name of your favorite cable TV channel?
-TimK
You got a problem with wanting to watch stuff blow up?
No, of course not. But I don’t find it as interesting as the science and engineering behind the experiment. Even Mythbusters has shifted its focus in recent seasons from testing myths to finding excuses for dramatic displays. As a result, I enjoy the earlier episodes better.
-TimK
Actually your post was a little premature. Sci-Fi really is changing their their name. Ferreal. This is unbelievably stupid.
Read and weep: http://www.tvweek.com/news/2009/03/sci_fi_channel_aims_to_shed_ge.php
Yeah, I read that on your blog. Utterly unbelievable. I wonder if they’ve actually done meaningful market testing (not just focus-group testing) or whether they’re just making this up as they go along. And I wonder if they realize that a name change is unlikely to attract a whole new demographic without a whole new programming schedule. If Star Trek, Ghost Hunters, and horror flicks didn’t capture them as “Sci-Fi,” will those really capture them as “SyFy”?
-TimK