let's start strategizing!

[Huh]

Ok guys,

We have no real idea of what is going to be announced next week, but all indications point to a miniseries. I am sure we are all hoping that the miniseries is part of a larger deal leading to another season.

Whatever the announcement, we need to start thinking about what we can do to make this thing a success. We need ratings or high box office receipts! We need more scaper conversions, and we need to get the word out and motivate the scapers that are around! We also have to get that TV Ad Fund funded!

At least that is what I think. What about you guys? What can we do to make this version of Farscape a success?

Any ideas? Anything at all? Wacky, serious, far fetched, I really don't care. This group has done so many unique and creative things. Now we have to step up to the plate and do a little bit more!

[Antrobus]

I agree. I think this group can be very helpful.

The one thing that I would feel strongly about is that somehow the Henson Co. is in agreement with anything that we do concerning any major type of publicity.

We can help them with publicity and what have you, but it would seem that we might like to see about arranging a liason between ourselves and them.

It would be counterproductive in some degree if we didn't follow their lead in what needs to be done for promotion.

I'm not sure any fan organization has ever been involved with a production company in such a way, but things change and maybe this is the time for such a joint effort to take place.

[RescueFarscape]

I think it's really important to continue developing/supporting regional Scaper groups. For one, it's just nice to have Scaper 'family' nearby. And for another, your local press is more apt to pay attenion to 'local' stories, which is just one of the ways smaller regional groups can get Farscape's name out there.

[Judith]

I do think...I posted somewhere else...that we should send thank you letters to whoever picks up said miniseries. Since we made a point of letting sci fi know how unhappy we were with them.

Sort of like...how...people always tip bad when they get bad service in a restuarant. But you should also take down the server's name if you get exceptionally awesome service. So you can tell their manager how good they are.

[Mickie]

Antrobus, Xothas is in contact with Henson re: the Advertising Project. No worries there.

As for the rest, just to spell it out, we have to keep doing what we've been doing all along.

We need to grow the fanbase as much as possible. That means conventions, the library project, the military project, and loaning tapes and dvds to everyone who will sit still.

We need to shmooze the investors and the advertisers. Once we know the specifics, we can start flooding them with Scaper Love (tm).

Once Farscape is back on the air, we need to advertise the living dren out of it. The Adverstising project is set up to do exactly that.

[Shipscat]

Hey, rescuefarscape, do you have a regional group now? You aren't the lone Scaper in Utah anymore, are you? ;)

I can't wait til we find out specifics so we can flood whoever it is with scaper love!

[RescueFarscape]

Originally posted by Shipscat
Hey, rescuefarscape, do you have a regional group now?

Gah! Rub it in, why don't you?! Um, that it to say, no...

Trying to decide on just Utah or Intermountain west thing, you know, Idaho, Utah, Montana... And then I never decide and it doesn't get done.

Frell, Shipscat. And here I am with an absolutely wasted website.

[Shipscat]

Oh, I wasn't meaning to twist the knife or anything, honest. I thought maybe there was some progress...I haven't been able to keep up with the new regional groups or the expansions..

Good luck with it! And finding Scapers out there....

[RescueFarscape]

I don't mind a little knife-twisting :lol Honest. I really needed that. :)

[grapeshot]

I'm not sure any fan organization has ever been involved with a production company in such a way, but things change and maybe this is the time for such a joint effort to take place.


I think something similar may have been done with Greek-American organizations for "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". I don't think they were outright involved in ADVERTISING, but as I understand it, they did show special screenings, and may have done other promotions.

But yeah, we're going to have to do something.

[Huh]

Hi Guys,

I agree with everything that has been said so far. We certainly have to at least maintain the good things that are going on so far.

It seems to me the one thing that put the nail in Farscape's coffin on the Sci Fi Channel was ratings. I know there are a lot of theories about this, but if Farscape absolutely blew the roof off the ratings it would probably still be running today.

So, it seems like we have to find a way to make sure people watch whatever Henson is planning. We need ratings. So how do we get it? I think converting scapers and introducing the show to new viewers certainly helps, but unless these people have Neilsen boxes, it won't be enough.

I am just thinking out loud here. I have no idea how to address this, but it seems that we have to do something a little more "national" to hit not only those with a predisposition to watch sci fi shows (and good ones at that) but we have to hit those that are likely to have a Neilsen box.

So how do we do this? I don't think anything like this has been attmepted before by a fan based group. If we could succeed at this, I think we would be set for a few more seasons!

[RescueFarscape]

Ratings. we hates them, we do.

A lot of this is going to depend on what Henson is doing with Farscape and how. Who are the financers? Are they the same players (Hallmark, Henson, and god forbid, the SCI FI Channel), or is there someone new in the mix? How are they planning to advertise what is upcoming? We'll all do our damndest, and pray Farscape isn't buried again.

[Shipscat]

Well, huh, it was actually attempted before by a fan group-us. The original goal of the campaign was to raise the ratings for the last half of season four. And while we may have held them steady-they didn't drop- we did not succeed in raising them. Firefly fans tried to spread the word and increase ratings, and I noticed after the first wave of news that it was in danger on the internet, that the ratings increased by about .4.

It seems that whatever flaws the Nielsen system has it's very difficult to influence.

I don't know how to make it a different outcome this time. I think, after we find out what venue Farscape is going to appear in, we need to think about what worked and what didn't, and come up with new ideas for raising the ratings. The fact that Farscape coming back is NEWS is a big start. It was virtually unheard of before the cancellation.

[Stargate2077]

The great thing about the TV ad project is that we have planned it for a long time and it might come useful in advertising new Farscape!

[atlantagirl]

Networks spend millions of dollars advertising shows in order to improve (or even maintain) ratings. We tried as hard as we could during the final 11 eps of S4 to have an effect on ratings and the ratings never approached the 2.0 we were aiming for.

We had the commercials (cable tv and radio), we put ads in newspapers, we did publicity stunts (BraScape would have worked if not for the frelling war starting the same day), and lots of other things were tried or at least considered.

But, realistically, we probably will never raise enough money to have a major effect on the ratings ourselves.

I have a feeling that our efforts might need to go in 3 directions:

1. continue the "whisper campaign" to attract new viewers we have been waging - conventions, military, library, friends, people on the street, etc.

2. try to get free publicity for our campaign both nationally and locally, especially focusing on how fan dedication to the show achieved something that had been considered impossible (bringing back a completely dead show). Newspapers, maybe even local "morning" tv shows, cable shows. Beg anyone who will listen to put our story out there for other people to see.

3. make a helluva racket with whoever ends up in charge of the show making sure that with all the money being spent on production, they make sure to save some for promoting the show. The people in charge are simply going to have to be willing to pony up the big bucks to do the whole "Taken" style ad campaign. These are the guys with the experience and wherewithal to do the promotion that needs to be done. Perhaps the best thing we can do is reinforce the idea that they need to do it. That means, if SciFi is involved, writing SciFi and saying "Are you 'Taken' Farscape seriously this time!" or to NBC, or Bravo, or ADV, or whoever will be showing the mini-series. Let the network know that we are watching what they do. Let advertisers know that we are watching what the network does. Let the press know that we are watching what the network does. Because we know that Farscape will succeed if enough people know about it. We have put serious effort into our campaign and want them to put serious effort into publicizing the new project.

[divinedaydreams]

Alright here are a few things...

First someone mentioned a get everyone to sell something on Ebay and have proceeds go to the AD campaign.

Second how about ,if this is even possible, have a fundraiser were we rent a small theater and show Farscape all day long in it. I know this would take a lot of work but it could be done in different cities and advertised in local small papers pretty cheap. Henson's permission would have to be got I think too.

[blue]

I agree with Huh.
"I have no idea how to address this, but it seems that we have to do something a little more "national" to hit not only those with a predisposition to watch sci fi shows (and good ones at that) but we have to hit those that are likely to have a Neilsen box. "

What we need is massive publicity--like national magazine covers. Maybe it's time to seek out writers who sell stories to magazines like, for instance, the Sunday New York Times Magazine with a great story suggestion------how worldwide fans of a cancelled show came together thru the internet and used imagination, determination, and their own money to create enough of a buzz to bring the show back into production.....and all the creative ways they did it.

[divinedaydreams]

I think that could be a big writting campaign.

[Shipscat]

I totally agree with atlantagirl. And I can't believe that the PTB would attempt more Farscape without making sure that they have someone backing them (whoever the heck it is) who believes in Farscape enough to market it.

And think about it- if Farscape appears in a larger network, or a movie- it will be totally different than it appearing on that rinky-dink channel.

[blue]

I think we should also approach People Magazine again--this is a great story. I think we want to approach WRITERS, the people who could actually write and place the story in national venues--the critics in the critics quotes thread may be helpful allies and even potential writers for this, but also just the freelance writers who regularly sell to these national venues. We might all look through some back issues of New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, etc., and get authors' names who have written articles on media or group organizations, and offer each of them the idea of writing and selling this story to a national magazine.

[atlantagirl]

Originally posted by blue
What we need is massive publicity--like national magazine covers. Maybe it's time to seek out writers who sell stories to magazines like, for instance, the Sunday New York Times Magazine with a great story suggestion------how worldwide fans of a cancelled show came together thru the internet and used imagination, determination, and their own money to create enough of a buzz to bring the show back into production.....and all the creative ways they did it.

We have plenty of kick eema writers on FMD. I put a suggestion about this out many, many months ago, but I'll make it here again FWIW.

Any of our good writers could submit an article to quite a few magazines that might very well pick it up. Personally, I think this story is a NATURAL for any of the women's magazines (particularly O) because of the overwhelming majority of women in leadership positions in this campaign. Think about it. Virtually everyone who has organized major campaign actions is a woman. Women run FMD. Women have been responsible for most of the ideas and most of the work of this campaign. This is not to say that no men have been involved. Many have, but a disproportionate number of the true instigators are women. How AMAZING is that!?! Women running an enormous fan campaign for A SCIENCE FICTION SHOW! Women breaking all the rules, doing crazy things and then TA DAH!!! succeeding where everyone said it was impossible. O Magazine would LOVE THAT story. Or Working Woman magazine. There are many others.

There are lots of other angles too. Back when we did the commercials, I thought it would be a great idea to write a story for the various computer magazines. Beowulf did his commercial on a Mac. MacWorld or MacHome would be a great place for an article (plenty of geeks already).

Entertainment magazines would certainly be an avenue to consider as well.

Trying to find a freelance writer who's interested in the story is a good idea, but there's no reason why some of our really good writers couldn't also pitch articles directly to the magazines (and potentially get paid for them and possibly donate that back to the campaign :D).

[blue]

Absolutely, AG. And in fact, if anyone wants to write this story and get it placed nationally, we also don't mind if you keep the money. It's your time and talent. Just get this story out to as many people as possible. In fact, the more stories placed, the better. All writers here who see this, get on the case! Great story, great publicity for Farscape!

[Huh]

Hey guys,

Again I am not disagreeing with anyone here. I assume that Henson will learn from its mistakes with Skiffy. After all, could a network do a worse job in promoting and scheduling a show than skiffy?

If it was easy to influence ratings then no show would be canceled. But my question is could we do something in this area? I am not saying we will succeed, or that we should ignore other projects on this board, after all, they got us this far. But is there something that we could do that would help in the ratings?

No one outside of a network has tried this before. Just because it hasn't been done doesn't mean that it can't be done.

For example, what if we start a buzz campaign? What if a week before the show premieres all of the Boston scapers get together and leave fliers at every MBTA stop? Nothing fancy, just a flier saying watch channel X at time X. We don't even have to mention Farscape, just set up a buzz. I see flyers all the time when I am waiting for the T. I am a captive audience until the train comes!

I assume that many things like this were done when you guys were trying to raise the ratings for season 4. Maybe we need to repeat some of the good things that were done then. After all, the dynamics of UPN are a lot different than the sci fi channel. It could be that some of the projects that didn't work with season 4 will work this time!

Please feel free to tell me if this is foolish. I figure it is at least worth a try.

[RescueFarscape]

Originally posted by Huh
For example, what if we start a buzz campaign? What if a week before the show premieres all of the Boston scapers get together and leave fliers at every MBTA stop? Nothing fancy, just a flier saying watch channel X at time X. We don't even have to mention Farscape, just set up a buzz.

That's a cool idea.

[divinedaydreams]

Busy Scaper Bee ready for action.:bee:

Buzzzzz!

[Antrobus]

I'm in agreement with the strategy of pushing the "look what we did" slant advertising Farscape's return. It's a human interest story and if it can be publicized enough, people reading it will be curious about this "Farscape" show.

On a regional level, regional groups could try to get articles in their major newspapers. I still have the article about skiffy (had a pic of Chiana and another smaller of Aeryn in it) that the Boston Globe did and will look and see who wrote it. Whoever wrote that might well have an interest in the SaveFarscape campaign and its (fingers crossed) success in getting the show back on the air.

But, like others have said, the bottom line regarding success or failure hangs on the ratings it gets. To me it seems that it does need to be national AND regional at the same time. For instance, it would be the resposibility of the Boston Group to tackle New England, etc.

Also, do we have statistics on what parts of the country Farscape did well in vs. parts where it didn't do as well. Those statistics would give us an idea of where are the best chances of building up the fan base are.

One place to hit on, if it airs during the school year, are colleges. One can get lots of free publicity on campuses just from hanging posters.

[Shipscat]

I'm not saying it's foolish- and I'm not saying that it can't be done. But you're right, we did a lot of those things when we were trying to raise the ratings for season four. I'm not saying that we should not do them again, but let's see if we can figure out what was effective and what was less so..and what we can do that's unique to us, and not something that networks can do.

And remember, articles in newspapers are better read and cost less than buying ads in those same papers!

What strategy we take also depends on where Farscape ends up. The latest word is that CNN says that the miniseries will be aired on HBO. If I'm not mistaken, ratings are a moot point for HBO. However, we could urge people to become new subscribers. (if that turns out to be the case.)

[blue]

These are all good suggestions, and many were tried before. I don't think we failed, either. We just didn't reach our own goals (getting a 2), which were high, with the limited time and money and people we had.

Unfortunately, there are no Neilson boxes for college populations, so unless one enlists college kids to help spread the word outside of campus, the energy spent on campus yields no ratings increase. Same is true for bars with tvs--no Neilson boxes.

One reason that national is more powerful than regional is that the number of people it reaches is just orders of magnitude greater, immensely greater--the early ads we ran were only in limited regional markets, and few people saw them-the impact was very low, and we hoped only for additional publicity that it might be newsworthy that we had done them at all--the final ad, on Scifi, while not really national, was much closer to the idea of national in that it reached-I forget exactly what percent of the total (maybe almost a quarter?)-some significant subsection of the whole country, and look at the response--was it a thousand hits a second? It shut this site down for 36 hours.

The analogy I am going for here is that if we could place a few pieces of this story NATIONALLY in large circulation outlets, the whole country would then have heard of Farscape and become curious. THAT would definitely affect ratings. Let's shoot high. That was why my original suggestion was about writers who already had an ongoing relationship with the biggest national magazines and had a good chance of placing other articles in the same venue. The higher circulation the better for us.

[Huh]

HBO? Really? I wasn't expecting that! Perhaps the ratings question is moot!

Well, how about this idea (assuming that the miniseries will be on a network that does follow ratings). What is the top rated sci fi show? I don't know, Star Trek Enterprise, Stargate, Smallville, Angel? Whatever it is, people with Neilsen boxes have to be watching that show! So why not try a very short commercial on those stations during that show? This way we will reach the Neilsen families that already tend towards sci fi. Of course the cost could be prohibitive, but perhaps that is a better strategy than a commercial on the network hosting the miniseries?

Of course I always work under the assumption that Farscape sells itself. All we have to do is bring a few Neilsen families to episode 1 and that is it.

[blue]

Whoa. If it is confirmed that it is HBO, I'm signing up for HBO and writing them a letter telling them why. Then our campaign might include getting many thousands (or hundreds of thousands-hey. lets think big) to do the same.

[Shipscat]

yeah, that would be the way to go Blue- *if* it is HBO. I don't know if it is or not. and for that matter, people who already subscribe could write in and say thanks.

And I think definitely advertising should be done during other shows, and I think that's one of the things that they're taking into account with the advertising project- Angel and Enterprise have a lot of fans (or in Enterprise's case, mostly disappointed watchers) in common with Farscape..smallville and SG1 not so much.

Wouldn't it be cool if Farscape was advertised in front of the Firefly movie? Of course, Farscape might be produced first, I don't know...

[Judith]

HBO...hmmm.

Just when you thought Farscape couldn't get any cleavage-ier.

There would be a "naked crew of Moya" episode.

Not looking forward to seeing Rygel's...parts.

[divinedaydreams]

I don't know much about HBO but I don't remember them doing a whole lot of mini series. I think most rumors are leaning towards mini series. HBO is a fairly new rumor. I haven't been able to catch the ticker on CNN where some say that bit came from yet. Still looking though.

I do like the national idea but agree that regional events are good too. Regional events that get the public involved tend to peek people's interest in something.

As for the Ebay thing, the company that handles the counters has a way of telling you what is selling well. It costs extra but if people donate what is selling you can get more coverage because more people will see the SaveFarscape.com name and mission.

Oh we could also try to do a big push for the military project. Do something national to raise funds in a more public light. I don't know maybe a national bake sale or something? Something like that with proper prep can get a lot of coverage. Again get the fans faces noticed so non fans can relate to us. You know hey they aren't a bunch of freaky nerds, type thing.

[Mike@Pilots Chamber]

Maybe we could persuade Skiffy to do more marathons, since they'll own the televisual rights for a while yet (unless the announcement is that another network has just bought them). Point out to them the misrepresented audience we have, and how well-known Farscape has become with our campaign. It'll help get people involved AND catch up before the mini-series.

In the meantime, I may write an article to a paper like the Metro here in the UK, depending on what the press conference says.

[Antrobus]

If Farscape is going to HBO, would it be that it would be handled in a similiar way as "The Sopranos." A "season" to that show is not that long.

Would it be possible that a miniseries on HBO really means something along the lines of how HBO handles "The Spopranos"?

I'm one that doesn't get HBO, but certainly would get it for Farscape!

[mycattoldme]

Couple things to keep in mind as far as advertising and marketing - whatever we do it needs to be long term, articles in the paper are awesome but one article may get a handful of people to think about going to rent a DVD, but then the new LOTR movie comes out and bang, renting that Farscape DVD goes to the bottom of the to-do list.

The key to marketing/advertising is consistancy and frequency - without it, people forget about you - people are bombarded with advertising/marketing every second of the day - we need to develop a way to make people remember our message - watch Farscape!

IMO we need to keep up what we are doing - leave bookmarks and flyers around at the mall (its that time of year!), get those business cards out again, leave them anywhere and everywhere (but don't litter!), get a 3 or 6 part article written about our efforts to save the show/the ratings system/how fans can indeed bring TV shows back to life/how the scifi genre is changing/etc in major national media and int the local media. We need to combine all that and more with the TV ads. And all those things should go on at the same time - all the time.

And its still very important to keep the library and military projects going strong - those projects get people hooked on Farscape!

[BlackThorn]

Maybe we can buy the media with cookies and ice cream. Promote Farscape, get something sweet in return.

[atlantagirl]

Fan payola = baked goods :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

[kechara420]

I read an article recently, I'll try to dig it up, promoting that fact that magazine readers tend to read ads a lot more than TV viewers watch commercials. Maybe we should focus on ads in national magazines, spaced out over a certain amount of time.

Also, I believe we should put some serious effort into promoting the return announcement. Is there a separate fund set up for this, or will the ad fund be used, or what? Personally, I can picture another Variety cover, with the words "FARSCAPE RETURNS" in big bold letters ...

Start it there, with the fact that the fans were a big part of the return. Then, periodically, place ads or submit press releases about how the campaign is continuing in order to keep the show top-of-mind.

[Darth Buddha]

Originally posted by Antrobus
If Farscape is going to HBO, would it be that it would be handled in a similiar way as "The Sopranos." A "season" to that show is not that long.

Would it be possible that a miniseries on HBO really means something along the lines of how HBO handles "The Spopranos"?

I'm one that doesn't get HBO, but certainly would get it for Farscape!
We are on the same plane, Antrobus. I was actually HOPING that Farscape went to HBO or SHOWTIME because if they see a big blip in subscriptions in a short period of time, they can attribute it to Farscape.

What might be even better is, if it IS HBO, is to start a thread on WHEN we all sign up. Do it all in a week, and it might turn some heads. Spread the word on the DOM, Kansas, Zenit, Sanctum of Scorpius, Karlsweb, and get all the other Farscape sites to push it too, and the blip would be more obvious.

[LiLOrion]

Originally posted by Antrobus
If Farscape is going to HBO, would it be that it would be handled in a similiar way as "The Sopranos." A "season" to that show is not that long.

Would it be possible that a miniseries on HBO really means something along the lines of how HBO handles "The Spopranos"?

I'm one that doesn't get HBO, but certainly would get it for Farscape!



Or a miniseries like "Carnivale", but I think each installment of that was 2 hours long and I dont know how many installments there were.

HBO would be nice. It would give me a reason not to get rid of it. :) I havent seen a Henson series on HBO since Fraggle Rock. :)

[Ammit]

Carnivale is just one hour (I wish it were two), and 13 episodes. :)

[Ennixeve]

I have to agree that national awareness is the way to go and I don't know about in the US, but here in the UK there is often a "feel good" story at the end of the news. I can so see a story about how the fans saved Farscape at the end of the 6pm news on BBC1, which would then of course advertise it's return on BBC2 (what I'll do if the BBC don't pick it up again, I don't know) and something similar in the US. It's the sort of story they like running, you know, "minority beats suits and brings back show" "women send bras to tv excecs and show returns" ;) I liked the angle mentioned by someone else in this thread, about how many people involved in the campaign are women, and this is kinda anti-steriotypical (if that's the right word) for a sci-fi show, this is an angle which could be sold to the news.

I wonder if some brainstorming could be done on what 'Scapers outside the US could do, is there anything, or do we just pretend to be US residents again ;)

Btw, how come it's different about ratings with HBO?

Eve :)

[Shipscat]

They're a premium channel, supported directly by the people who pay for the channel and not advertisers.

Our system's not like yours. Most channels are supported by advertising, and advertising dollars are based on the Nielsen ratings.

And yeah, send it in as a story in the UK, too. That would be great. :)

[Darth Buddha]

Hey, I'm thinking a late show with Leno or Letterman for Ben/Brian Henson/Claudia Black. Let's face it though, in that medium, Brian doesn't have much sex appeal. But that would reach most of the late late crowd -- hopefully intrigue them -- and maybe pick up some Sunday eyeballs too.

On the other hand, I could DEFINITELY see the Hensons interviewed on 'Charlie Rose', which reaches the PBS scene.

[Shipscat]

Should we put Charlie Rose on our list? Write to him?

[blue]

YES!!!! CHARLIE ROSE!!!!!

[Ennixeve]

Originally posted by Shipscat
They're a premium channel, supported directly by the people who pay for the channel and not advertisers.



Oooh me likey! Lets have one of them please! ;) Then we can all just thumb our noses at Neilson! Woohoo! :D

I'm holding off all letter writing activity until we get offical confirmation. Then the little post office round the corner won't know what's hit it... "yes, 22 letters to the US please" :D last time I managed to get the interest of the lady behind the counter with the 25 letters I sent that day (monday following black Saturday ;)) she mentioned her son watched Farscape, so I told her a bit more of the campaign while I stuck the air-mail stickers on, and she said she'd pass the news on :) Wonder if I can do the same this time :D

I'm slightly worried the BBC won't pick it up again, so they'll be getting a fair few too ;)

Thanks for the info :)

Eve :)

[divinedaydreams]

I like the magazine idea. Something simple to keep costs down but get people curious. Simple ads seem to get people asking what is this? Give them a web address and they will go. But which magazines?

[RescueFarscape]

The Star Trek series are advertised in Discover

[Antrobus]

There was an earlier thread started by Darth Buddha about targeting the morning talk shows. http://www.savefarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17217

So, I dropped the "Today" show a line on 11/14. this is what I wrote them :

Dear "Today",

I'm writing to ask that you consider doing a spot on the Henson Family's recovery of their dad's "The Henson Company" after it languished for several years in the hands of EM.TV. It was just announced on November 13, 2003 that Brian and Lisa Henson have been named Co-CEOs of the company.

I've heard from reliable sources that the critically acclaimed "Farscape" will be making a return and that an announcement of such is forthcoming by way of an anticipated press conference. Henson is also working on a film of Neil Gaiman's "Mirror Mask."

In other activities, the Henson creature shop is responsible for the "deadly" plant in Broadway's current "Little Shop of Horrors" and their film "Good Boy" appears to have exceeded expectations. Also, the company appears ready to move forward with a feature adaptation of Gaiman's "Neverwhere."

I know that "Today" is a fan of The Henson Company and I just saw Kermit the Frog on the show the other day. It would be so great to see Brian and/or Lisa get a spot on the show to tell of the continuation of their father's vision!

Regards,

My thinking was that they might be more tempted to do a segment on Henson and to try and sell them on that. Everyone knows that Katie Couric loves Kermit and Miss Piggy. Actually, Kermit was just on the show last week.

Anyway, somebody else may want to urge them to do a segmnet on Henson or Farscape.
I don't have the email address because I wrote it and sent from work while on a break, but I can try and find it

[Antrobus]

TODAY show e-mail

http://www.msnbc.com/news/TODAY_Front.asp?0cv=CC1

There's an "email us" selection underneath the pic of Matt and Katie.

[divinedaydreams]

Here is something to chew on...

http://aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=16501

[Digger]

I think there are a number of things we can do to help make whatever the Farscape project turns out to be, without having to spend a ton of money. Things we have already done.

Write to major magazines like People and Entertainment Weekly.

Write to your local newpaper television critics.

Write to talk show hosts, like Charlie Rose, Jay Leno, and Jimmy Kimmel (who had Kermit as a guest host not too long ago) to try and get them to book Ben, Claudia, Rockne et al.

Leave bookmarks and flyers at local bookstores, libraries, bus and train stations, etc.

For not too much money (I think) you can set it up so that a slide or short commercial runs at your local theater near the time of the mini-series. The number is 1-800-877-SLIDES. I think this was done several months ago to try and boost ratings during the last half of S4 by some regional groups and it wasn't terribly expensive.

Keep donating to the Advertising, Military and Library funds. No donation is too small. They add up.

Remember, every little bit helps. If we reach just a few people who have Neilson boxes and get them to watch it could have a huge impact on the ratings. And I don't know about anyone else, but the biggest fear I have is that the ratings won't be good enough to support financing more Farscape.

We've done some amazing things the past several months. We can't just take it for granted that our work is done and everything will turn out ok.

[NYPinTA]

Originally posted by BlackThorn
Maybe we can buy the media with cookies and ice cream. Promote Farscape, get something sweet in return.

That may have been a joke, but it could work. There was an article recently about the campaign stratigies for two new shows: The OC and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and how niether of those two shows did the traditional promotions, like commercials everywhere. The OC producers (or whoever) sent copies of the premier episode to the mailing list of a teen magazine and the Queer Eye folks sent the fab five to all the media and they redid one male employee's work area at each.. to give an example of what the show would be about.
Not that we can do either of these, I am just saying that traditional promotion isn't working the way it used to.
The only idea I could come up with is this:
Beg local radio stations to do contests where in order to win something they have to watch Farscape and a question will be asked about the show and the caller has to answer it right to win... whatever. Would we have to supply the prizes or ask the radio station if they have anything... I don't know. I guess it depends on the generosity of your local radio station.

[Shipscat]

Just an FYI- in some areas the movie ads were quite reasonable, and in other more expensive. They varied a lot.

And the radio giveaways did not work out for the guerrilla radio program-it was cheaper to do the ads without them. On, the other hand, local stations sometimes have auctions or sponsorships to raise money, and that might be a way to get some publicity.

[atlantagirl]

We actually tried something rather similar with the Guerrilla Radio project. Unfortunately, even though whoever organized (sorry, drawing a blank right now) was very familiar with radio giveaway events, it wasn't as successful as anticipated because apparently many of the radio stations felt that if the giveaway was helping promote Farscape then the SciFi channel should be prepared to pony up some significant cash for the air time. We tried explaining we were a fan group and the SciFi channel had nothing to do with this advertising, but most of the stations didn't go for it.

There's a thread (or 10) somewhere explaining the specifics.

[atlantagirl]

AAAGGGHHH Shipscat beat me again!!! :bonk:

[BlackThorn]

Originally posted by NYPinTA
That may have been a joke, but it could work.

It was meant as a half joke. But thinking about it . . . perhaps something along the lines of sending goodies to the media in celebration once we recieve concrete news. "Woohoo! Farscape's back! Here, celebrate with us!" Might get some mentions; might not. Underhanded? Hell yeah. Worth a try? Don't know.

[Shipscat]

Sorry, Atlantagirl. But your explanation was much more complete!

[NYPinTA]

Ah, I didn't realize the Guerrilla Radio project included trying to do giveaways. I thought it was only ads.
I knew the idea seemed familiar however. LOL.

[mycattoldme]

Someone mentioned sending "goodies", well there are advertising speciality companies that will print a promotion on candy or on a candy wrapper, and I think there are companies that will even imprint a message on chocolate.... it might be expensive...

and if we do send anything it should be accompanied by a DVD of the Premier.

and if we have a really comprehensive plan to send a promotional package about the show and the campaign, and want to make friends and influence people we may want to consider sending DVD and campaign info to the major ad agencies and media buyers - they are the people who make the recommendations to their clients about where to advertise. It would need to be a well thought out plan - advertising people (and I'm one of them) are kinda-sorta judgemental about the promotional stuff we receive!

[atlantagirl]

Yeah, check out this thread re: specialty imprinted candy hearts

http://www.savefarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17424

[Shipscat]

Yup. They did, NYpinTA, and the great wall of swag gathered for the project was sent to cons for charity auctions.

[divinedaydreams]

Did you know you can also get custom gingerbread houses?

[Twich]

With regard to the radio campaign:

There was an overall gray area with regards to fans. Farscape is a television show and should be promoted by the network running it. We weren't buying ads to promote US(being the campaign)...we were buying ads to promote the show itself. That means they would have given us the same rates that they give networks advertising television shows.

We aren't a non-profit/charity organization that can be promoted in PSA's. We would have been playing with the big boys and with regard to that, we got nailed hard.

We also didn't choose individual radio stations in local towns...we went right for the throat. The big huge radio stations. Highest rated stations in the country. Bigger they are, the more money it takes to get on them.

So the radio idea is a bit touchy for giveaways and promotions and such. It's a bit of a gray area all around. Better to make "news" in your local area that might get covered by a radio station. Or to call in to a local announcer and see if they are a fan of the show. There are things you can do on a local level...just not able to do a big huge thing across the board campaign wise. Anyone can pm me or email me (twich@watchfarscape.com) if they want to know more.

[Shipscat]

However, as I mentioned before, there are some stations that, like PBS, take donations of stuff and auction it off to raise money, and some have some kind of sponsorships. I don't know too much about it, but it might be worth it to contact your local radio station and find out.

[blue]

Another good suggestion from DB was just mentioned, writing the Today Show, and Antrobus has already sent them a great letter that you can see at:
http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17326&perpage=15&pagenumber=4
so I also sent them a modified verson of that reusable letter I sent to Leno and Charlie Rose.
http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17358
http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17374

The only change I made is the second paragraph, where I said:

I suggest that you might consider featuring one or more of the actors, directors, writers, or producers to talk about Farscape on the Today Show, for instance Brian Henson of the Henson Company, or one or more of the actors Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Gigi Edgley, Lani Tupu, Anthony Simcoe, Wayne Pygram, Raelee Hill, Paul Goddard or Virginia Hey. Farscape is an extraordinary TV show that evokes a passionate response in viewers, and the lengths to which viewers have become involved in promoting it would make fascinating television.

Here's where to go, if anyone wants to do the same:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/TODAY_Front.asp?0cv=CC1
today@nbc.com

[Darth Buddha]

Those e-mail us options really make the whole process easier.

I wonder if they count with as much weight as snail-mail?

[Judith]

Originally posted by divinedaydreams
Did you know you can also get custom gingerbread houses?

Could we make a gingerbread Moya?

[divinedaydreams]

I don't know it is up to the gingerbread artist but I thought it was a good idea. I'll find the link I posted in the other thread so you can have a look.

[divinedaydreams]

Ok here you go...

http://www.rebeccarusselltoppers.com/gingerbread.htm

[Scaper989]

Assuming that the rumors are true, Farscape is coming back
in some limited form. We've succeeded in phase one, now
we're about to enter phase two. Time for a different mindset.
Instead of trying to woo networks, we need to woo the public.

It's time to get ready for Gorilla Marketing!

What the frell is Gorilla Marketing? Taking it to the streets!
As soon as we get some details from Henson, we can start
working on some of the following:

You can buy magnetic paper very cheaply (at any decent office
supply store, such as Staples) and print your own fridge
magnets. I made them business card sized. Then plaster them
on every public magnet-friendly surface you can find. Washers
and dryers in laundry mats, public phone booths, other people's
cars in parking lots, grocery store shelves, etc etc etc.

Speaking of grocery stores, here's a site that will make up those
grocery store dividers:
http://www.promoplace.com/ws/webstore.dll/StartSrch?DistID=4702&ProdSelect=&catnum=533&keywords=&colors=&itemnum=&LoP=&HiP=&PrcSort=False&Search.x=52&Search.y=27
They're can be as cheap as $1.32 each!

Here's a site that prints coasters and napkins:
http://www.extra-mile.com/promotion/coasters.htm
You might be able to get your local Scaper group to buy up a
bunch in bulk, then ask your favorite bartenders if they'll use
them at your local watering hole.

Speaking of bars, I'm sure many printers could make "table tents"
for us.

Here's a site that makes bottle openers. Perhaps one of our
graphic artists could design a Moya bottle opener?
http://www.lazerdesigns.com
These are about a buck a each, but perhaps your local package
store would pay your cost. Doesn't hurt to ask!

Bookmarks are easy to print up, and my local bookstore was
happy to give them out, as was my local library. I just used
photo-grade paper (available at discount clubs like Costco as
well as office supply stores like Staples).

[atlantagirl]

In line with your bookmarks at library suggestion, perhaps one of our amazingly talented graphic designers would be willing to create a special bookmark for us that can be used to advertise that Farscape DVDs are now available at that library, courtesy of watchfarscape.com. A colorful bookmark with critic quotes and maybe "Ask your librarian for information" or something. Then we could send them out with the DVDs we send to libraries around the country. Individuals who donate to their own local branches could also print out copies to get the word out to library patrons that the DVDs are available.

[Twich]

Which seques into the Library project. If you haven't donated to your local library yet, call, see if they need one...and get the ball rollling. If you can't donate it, contact Mickie and we'll see what we can do with the Library project to cover it.

[waltersgirl]

For example, what if we start a buzz campaign?

the rumors about the return of Farscape are everywhere precisely because the buzz already exists. we've been creating a buzz since last year. do you think the rumors reached the crawl of CNN: Headline News just because?

the buzz is already out there. we need to make the buzz bigger.

[Ammit]

If I have to, I'll wear a giant bee suit!

[blue]

bzzzzzzzzz

[atlantagirl]

:bee:

[Paddo Inn gal]

I think it's a brilliant idea to focus on the women who led this effort. I'd think that _Newsweek_'s "My Turn" column would be a natural place for a first person true story written by one of the campaign leaders. It tends to feature stories written by just-plain-folks who have done some seriously cool things. In other words, even if you have never written a magazine article, they wouldn't rule you out -- they seem to welcome non-pro writers in that space.

The goal -- as you all seem to know -- would be for whoever writes it to stress that you're smart, competent, creative people who never gave up hope and thereby beat the system. I doubt Newsweek would print a "My Turn" article if it sounded remotely like an advertisement for Farscape, but the editors might consider a story focusing on the human interest angle.

Never hurts to try, right?

Thank you all for organizing this tremendous effort. So much of life these days seems swamped by some sort of weird, impersonal, corporate perspective; it is an absolute thrill to see actual human beings with actual ingenuity, hope, and emotion win the day.

Here's to you all, and here's to the (still hypothetical, I grant) cross-continental story meetings that might be going on in Aussie pubs and on LA cell phones even as I type this.

Diving back under the surface to lurk again, but in a friendly way, not a creepy Gollum way...

Thanks again.

[Xothas]

There are alot of great ideas in this thread. The only thing I want to add in regard to advertising on TV, in magazines, etc...is that it would be a great idea to make sure that whatever we do falls in line with Henson's marketing plan (as to how they want the show represented), and strategically timed should there be an announcement (i.e., start planning for the advertisements, but ensure the run will occur at the most critical times).

As previously mentioned, yeah...it's all about eyeballs. I don't think that there is any one way we should approach this...the "whisper" approach, TV ads, Military and Library Projects....all of it....would be crucial.

[Darth Buddha]

In my experience, Newsweek would not be interested in SaveFarscape or founders thereof. Tech TV maybe, or some internet publication (if there are any still alive).

But the Newsweek post isn't really what concerns me here.... We are reaching the level of irrational exuberance here... and somebody could really screw the pooch if we aren't careful.

[mycattoldme]

DB we're throwing ideas around, brainstorming - and sometimes its a little irrational exuberance that helps formulate solid, strategic, effective marketing plans.

[Darth Buddha]

I think that is good... we need to vet stuff. I've come up with some pretty half baked ideas too... and I'm glad to have had some validated by others (Charlie Rose) and to have had others shut down, because I would have done more harm than good.

I think vetting ideas is the key... I just don't want us to draw any NEGATIVE press at so critical a time.

We just need to be extra careful for a while because we're all a little manic right now..

[mycattoldme]

Agreed DB! :D


Also - Xothas I think you're right, and we need to think about what our message is going to be.

Personally, I think that there is a way to focus our message around the fact that we "the fans" care so much about this show that WE are "also" promoting it - in other words the emphasis or main message for the ads would be fans reaching out to future fans - we the fans love this show so much that we know if you just watch it you will love it! That way we support Henson's marketing efforts.

I think this type of thing would be very effective, and I've never seen it done before on a regional or national level.

[Shipscat]

You know, if we wait til we know for sure what form Farscape is coming back in, we'd have a lot better idea as to what our message will be. We just don't have enough info, in my humble opinion, and we have to just keep doing what we're doing until we know.

As far as timing goes, advertising is usually done very closely to the time of the airing. If you look at movie ads, or ads for new series, they're done pretty much right before .

However, press is not necessarily..you see people talking about the filming of something months in advance. Hopefully we can get a lot of attention for Farscape's return.

But I like what mycat's saying..it reminds me of jfranka's commercial. Yes, Farscape is that good.

[mycattoldme]

Ships you are correct about when the ads or whatever appear - but its important in any preliminary stage to layout the framework first which is what we're throwing around here :D. Plus space reservations need to be made a month or more for some publications and production takes time too so advance planning is our best friend in the long run for any magazine ads or TV ads. Our grass roots stuff should continue as it has for the last year.

[Shipscat]

I know that but if they're going into production soon it may be months or a year from now before we have new Farscape to promote. Anything nationally or that costs a lot should be reserved for right before it's aired. We need a timeline..

Of course, right after the announcement is a good time for celebratory stuff-not that I think a Mack Truck would stop that-and continuing promotion as we go along.

[atlantagirl]

I think Tiriel would make a wonderful poster girl for the campaign and a great story that would be considered by magazines with any number of different editorial emphases. Here we have our very own rocket scientist, who has never done ANYTHING like this before, coming up with (pardon me) some insanely wacky ideas to promote a science fiction tv show.

It says here is a brilliant, passionate, and creative woman. She's gotten involved as an activist for something that, traditionally, women are not even supposed to be interested in, and along with other members of the campaign (largely other women), she has helped succeed in an effort that was condemned by the experts (and the faint-hearted) as impossible and foolish.

I think it's a GREAT story! I'd read it. And I'd probably be intrigued enough to try the show that made this mild mannered (hehehe) research scientist transform into a Scorpy-Sue costumed, bra-sending, cyber-bouncing fanatic!

[Antrobus]

How much do the billboards in subway stops cost? Anyone have any idea? I know when I lived in Boston and took the "T" I was always looking at the posters in the stops because as you stand there waiting for a train there isn't much else to do.

I think those kind of poster campaigns that are somewhat vague, yet eyecatching work well. It makes people try to figure out what the poster is about - what it's trying to advertise. As the campaign proceeds you change the posters and give them a little bit more of what you're trying to market.

Just a thought.

[divinedaydreams]

Tiriel where are you? Your needed to run the talk show circuit. Hit Leno, Opera, hey even the Osborne woman.

[Antrobus]

Opera

Tiriel sings opera!! Wow, I never knew!!:encore: :applaud: :curtsey:


Sorry, I couldn't help myself!

[jeffrabb]

Antrobus,

In answer to the question on the subway billboards, if Boston is anything like San Francisco, I remember researching that during the Season 4 final 11 episodes. For the ads on the trains themselves it was running something like $1400 on the smallest ads. Within the stations themselves, I think it was in the vicinity of about $4000+ with no guarentee which station it would end up in.

Jeff

[divinedaydreams]

Originally posted by Antrobus
Tiriel sings opera!! Wow, I never knew!!:encore: :applaud: :curtsey:


Sorry, I couldn't help myself!

Its ok if I had caught it I would have made a joke too. One day I'll be able to spell.;)

[waltersgirl]

We just need to be extra careful for a while because we're all a little manic right now..

no one is manic. we are in a phase no different than the initial weeks of the campaign. brainstorming should never be stifled because that impedes its very process. the wind will take what is chaff.

[Darth Buddha]

Main Entry: man·ic
Pronunciation: 'ma-nik
Function: adjective
Date: 1902
: affected with, relating to, or resembling mania
- manic noun
- man·i·cal·ly /-ni-k(&-)lE/ adverb

Main Entry: ma·nia
Pronunciation: 'mA-nE-&, -ny&
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin, from Greek, from mainesthai to be mad; akin to Greek menos spirit -- more at MIND
Date: 14th century
1 : excitement manifested by mental and physical hyperactivity, disorganization of behavior, and elevation of mood; specifically : the manic phase of manic-depressive mental disorder
2 : excessive or unreasonable enthusiasm <a mania for saving things>; also : the object of such enthusiasm

Yeah, right... nobody here is manic. I think a little bit of mania for Farscape defines most Scapers.

And I'm sure NOBODY finds the board any more enthused than usual.

edited to add
Talyn3 has kindly answered the enthusiasm question pretty definitively with a poll... So how are you feeling now?. Two-thirds of respondents are "crazy" or better!

http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=281606#post281606
A word of caution regarding matters of judgment during times of exuberance is a word to the wise.

But it was not discouragement to brainstorm or spitball. Just lets not get carried away and do anything precipitous.

[buggabboo]

trust me when i say, that at this point, most people are faaaar from manic here. enthusiastic? a little hyper? yeah. manic? not so much. i won't say no one is, but i haven't seen it.

people throwing out ideas is never a bad idea. like wg said, the wind will take care of that which is useless.

[Darth Buddha]

Well, even setting my psych degree aside, I feel confident of my word usage.

Hmm... I think some people here may have sent Bonnie hatemail, given my secondhand source at Skiffy (wish it were firsthand!).

I actually wrote one... but eventually thought better of sending it. Actually, it may well have been waltersgirl who got me to see the error of my ways, believe it, or not. We just need to make sure we vet stuff, and not get carried away.

I think that's MORE than enough said on the subject.... I thought there was closure on that issue about ten hours before it drew fire.

edited to add
Rereading it, there WAS closure ten hours before it drew fire.

[Red]

There is nothing wrong with exuberance, it has carried this campaign this far. And brain storming is not only a good thing it is an important thing. There is a long step between throwing out ideas and actually bringing a project or idea to fruition. Now is a good time to brain storm, now is a good time to start looking ahead. We don't have all the details, we don't know the exact hows and whys and wheres, but I love the energy here now - it's definitely a boost to everybody and there's nothing wrong with that.

[Darth Buddha]

Red, if it leads to a boneheaded maneuver, it could be.

Moreover, I didn't say exuberance was bad. I didn't say brainstorming was bad.

edited to add
In fact, in respsonse to waltersgirl's objections, I said specifically that brainstorming was not bad...

I did say let's be sure not to get carried away while we are really wound up.

Now that I think aobut it, I'd imagine were that to happen, you'd be on the thread pretty quickly.

I hope we can return to regularly scheduled brainstorming now...

[Red]

Darth, you are understimating the people here. When have the majority of this community allowed for "boneheaded maneuvers"? Maybe something happened you or I didn't agree with but that does not equal boneheaded.

I, personally, do appreciate and agree with the word of caution, I wouldn't want to waste the passion on something that might now work out.

But I also trust the majority of people here. It's part of the give and take of this community. Mostly we do okay, I think. Yeah, there have been missteps, but we're stronger for the whole of the group and all the input involved.

Thanks

[Darth Buddha]

I might be at that.

Beyond that, we're all good as I see it.

Thanks Red.

[atlantagirl]

:bounce: :jedi: :grabbounc :shutup:

[grapeshot]

Look, there's no reason that jfranka's ad couldn't be run at some time closer to whenever Farscape airs again. It can easily be modified to show the different air times and dates. Presumably we have time to find air dates, target channels we would like to buy time on, and maybe even look at some national ads.

And we could certainly do banner ads at websites, like we did the last time. We have plenty of banners, and they, too, can be easily modified.

Just remember, ads are most effective if they're done in an area, and cover a lot of different media at the same time. Like mycattoldme, repetition is the key. And it was MediaSavant, who told us to "fish were the fishes are", meaning to advertise in the markets where Farscape did well in the ratings. OR, you could advertise in the areas where "our" demographic lives. We have our demographic profile, so just find an area where the demographics match.

[Antrobus]

I think it was in the vicinity of about $4000+ with no guarentee which station it would end up in.

oops.....that's kinda pricey!:whip:

[mycattoldme]

Another idea is advertising in your state's issue of TV Guide. The front section of TV Guide is different for every DMA - some states like NY and CA have 4 or more different editions of TV Guide. Of course the larger DMA are expensive but they do have the most eyeballs but the less expensive areas - like the entire state of Vermont can be inexpensive. If we do get a mini series this might be a way to go....

and thinking about it advertising DVDs in TV Guide is also a good thing to do - people are specifically looking at TV Guide for entertainment - why not put in a quarter page ad (same size as the little "Insider" thingy) in for a month... the idea being to catch a person's attention at the exact moment they are looking for what you have to offer. And the really really good thing about TV Guide is that people read it all week long over and over again, and all members of the family read it over and over again.

[Shipscat]

I didn't send Bonnie hatemail, but when they sent me an email for a Scare Tactics promotion that asked you to play a prank on your friends..putting their name on a fake newspaper, which they then emailed to them-I sent one to Bonnie saying she was the Antichrist. (hey, she *asked* me to)

Brainstorming is good! It's great to see all the excitement and fresh ideas..and brainstorming involves throwing in EVERYTHING to start with, no matter how silly (how do you think brascape happened?)

But I don't think we can really act on them or even discard anything til we know what's going on.

[Darth Buddha]

I don't think I could have restrained myself if I had received that promotion, Shipscat!

[RustySlinky]

I'm no advertising expert, but here are my assumptions:

-Scapers don't watch a lot of TV or listen to much radio.
-If we advertise like a conventional TV network, we increase our chances of failure.
-Fan efforts should compliment and not duplicate efforts coming from Henson or the network.
-Scapers keep an eye out for novel and exotic intellectual stimulation.
-So they tend to read a lot, and watch DVD's.
-The grassroots *Whisper Campaign* is what is working out best thus far.
-Printing costs plummet as volume grows.

My idea is spending around $12,500 to print around 200,000 of something similar in appearance to these Farscape Primer Flyers, in full-color: http://www.scaperoute.com/savefarscape/onlinekit/farscape/fsprimer.pdf

The flyers should be printed somewhere around the Wisconsin, Illinois, or Iowa area, to save on shipping fees.

We can distribute these in cases of 10,000 each to the scaper groups around the country, and let the blitz begin. In this way, we can leave stacks of 5 to 50 copies in public areas, game shops, cigar shops, public libraries, subway and train stations, doctors offices, cafes, anywhere where people wait for something and have nothing to do.

Basically, pooling printing funds together is cheaper than burning color inkjet cartridges, and the printing is of higher quality.

----

Also, this poster or something similar:
http://www.oneposter.com/UserData/Poster/Poster_5767.jpg If a deal can be cut, directly with Henson or Creation Entertainment, for either a lump-sum wholesale purchase, or a special-issue print run of maybe 10,000 posters, people can start putting them up all over Dorms, libraries, video stores, over graffiti tags, etc.

[divinedaydreams]

What about those alternative type newspapers. Like the Stranger out of Seattle. I know they have something similar here in San Fran but can't remember the name. They usually have things like concerts, plays, clubs, lots of ads and personnals. I know I read the Stranger a lot when living in WA. They are mostly black and white so cost may be less. People read those things from cover to cover too.

[jeffrabb]

Hey DDD,

You mean the Guardian, the East Bay Express, and there's another starting with SF that I can't remember right at the moment?

Jeff

[divinedaydreams]

Yep I think the Guardian is the one. It looks a lot like the Stranger. They might be connected somehow. They also probably have similar versions in other major cities. Now that the show is coming back I think these would be great places to start. They are brain food basically and like I said alternative but not to the extreme.

[jeffrabb]

DDD,

I agree. I looked into them back in Jan and Feb, and the ad rates were affordable.

Jeff

[divinedaydreams]

Actually just looked up the Guardian online and its not it. The Stranger describes itself as weekly urban manual.

http://www.thestranger.com/current/

I'm doing some snooping to see what else I can find out.


http://www.portlandmercury.com/current/

same people but this is out of Portland OR

[RustySlinky]

Originally posted by jeffrabb
Hey DDD,
You mean the Guardian, the East Bay Express, and there's another starting with SF that I can't remember right at the moment?
Jeff I think I've seen one in the trains called *SF Weekly*. The one down in San Jose is called *The Metro*. :)

[divinedaydreams]

Here you go I think this is it. The Metroactive

http://www.metroactive.com/

Oh and here is the SF Weekly

http://www.sfweekly.com/

[Darth Buddha]

O.K., off topic just a little...

The most success I have had is in PERSONALLY getting somebody to watch Farscape DVD's, my place, their place, whatever.

Is there a way we can make a SaveFarscape initiative out of this... if everyone converted, say, just three non-scpaers to scaperdom, we could get a snowball effect going and add some REAL numbers to our ranks!