Farscape Commercial - Media Sightings

[atlantagirl]

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/11/22/0254259&mode=nested&tid=129

[katyaz]

Wow! There were some pretty nasty comments after that article...

Luckily there were some nice ones, too, so I don't feel *too* bad...

[saska]

For those uninitiated on slashdot: This is actually a pretty positive, overall, slashdot reaction. Be proud of yourselves that (a) there is so much traffic on the thread (b) so many people went and downloaded the commercial and viewed it, no matter what they thought of it, and (c) at least 1 in maybe 20 of them will watch Farscape for the first time in January as a result.

Let the jibes roll off and bask in the attention.

Saska

[saska]

You know, just to continue rambling in this vein... it's good we got slashdotted early. This is the kind of reaction that we all need to learn to expect. Some will be supportive. Some will ridicule. Some will complain that we should have spent our money at the local food bank or toy drive or whatever. Some people will spin off into arguments about freedom of expression vs. corporate control vs. governmental influence and end up talking about Tianamen (sp?) Square when we all just wanted them to watch Farscape. And guess what? Some people will hate Farscape. But from what I've seen, far more of them love it, and even more than those who love it like it, which by my count makes us a popular majority.

We have existed in a vacuum for a very long time. Now we are about to get seriously outed. Keep your heads, and remember that you are real human beings with real lives who happen to love this TV show. Remember the two goals of this campaign: (1) raise awareness of Farscape and get new viewers - it's worth a little public ridicule if that heppens! and (2) get the attention of the advertisers. Even if they don't like the commercial, they'll like the idea that you have the money to spend on it.

OK, off my soapbox now.

Saska

[Eve11]

Smart words, saska.

I must restrain myself from the urges to respond to every post I see. But it really makes my fingers itch. At any rate, I will keep my slashdot posting solely to the one I just submitted.

Also be prepared for an onslaught of trolling to this site (see FTK's post in the Farscape discussion section for a tired, tired example).

[wmdopple]

Another thing to remember about the Slashdot posting is that there really isn't a lot in that article to comment on, and most of the comments about the actual cancellation have been said before (in earlier Slashdot articles). So most of the comments are going to be trolls, simply because a lot of people wouldn't really have anything to say otherwise.

Since the commercials haven't aired yet, ya can't say much good about 'em other than "hey, neat that these people went to all this effort. Hope it pays off"

[Greenbug]

I totally agree with Saska. Any exposure is a good thing and people will want to see just what the show is about, that fans are willing to spend their own money to advertise. This is a first as far as I know. Wouldn't you go to see what all the hoop la was about? If I didn't already know, I would go look at least once just to see. We are most definitely making a very large and loud statement.

:rollin: :aok:

[DZ_Crasher]

I too wish to thank you Saska, if not for your words I might have been deeply hurt my some of those comments. I tend to take things personally. And anyway those people don't realize that we had to make the commercial without breaking any copywrite laws so screw 'em. The commercial was as good as we could make it.

Adi *There I feel better*

[Mike@Pilots Chamber]

I've just got a Slashdot user name etc. now, so I may go on sometime and start trying to educate some people (I make valid points, and am NOT one of the people who says "you suck because you don't watch Farscape")

[MediaSavant]

A few of those respondents--babbster, hans lehmann--actually appear to know what they are talking about regarding the media business.

[DZ_Crasher]

Yeah... aren't you glad we got our own professionals working here? I love you people!

Adi *Who's having strange mood swings... *

[PsiNormal]

Fark had a thread on it yesterday as well. And I just saw this at IMDB:

http://us.imdb.com/StudioBrief/#8

[Salome121]

We just want people talking about it. As someone said, the average Jane or Joe on the street hasn't heard of Farscape. We are getting some serious ATTENTION, here, and we're only going to get more.

The idea of Jay Leno bashing Scapers? Love it! I would personally love it if Jay interviewed me and made me look like a complete freak, as long as more people knew the word Farscape afterwards!

:finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger:

[saska]

WHOO-HOO! The IMDB coverage is big for me. Of course, I am partial, and a huge reader of IMDB (wrote Ben Browder's bio for them, blush), but never underestimate the readership of IMDB. Very trade-savvy and closely watched.

I *am* bummed that they didn't put the name "Farscape" in the title of the blurb, though. Oh well - it's still on their main news page for the day.

Saska

[JA_Shipper]

I am sure it is similar on slashdot as it is here (God, that was a pathetic use of grammar, but) in that they probably have more lurkers than they do posters. Hopefully some of the lurkers - and maybe even some of the posters - will give Farscape a try!! :D

Suse

[CosmicTheorist]

Two headlines up from our Farscape commercial story there is a story about Barry Diller and a possible merger of Universal with Dreamworks. And this just one day after a Texas billionaire bid for Vivendi's entertainment assets. So much activity and it's all converging on ... Skiffy! I think we are in the process of learning why someone at Vivendi needed money so desperately right NOW that they killed Farscape, for not making enough of a profit for Skiffy, and then tried to "lie" about it, the infamous FAQ post on their Farscape web page. Farscape, and by extension Skiffy, are the victims of a wheeler-dealer mugging.

And into this high stakes game of would be Hollywood moguls wanders our own little media wizards. The timing is astonishing! This could get really good! Very well done everybody!
:aok:

[StarsGoBlue]

I printed out *just* the first screen of the thread (OVER 50 PAGES on paper!!!) and will be picking & choosing a selection to include with next week's letters to Sci-Fi et al....

Minus the cussing and discussion of Gigi nude, of course...

:rollin: *****Stars

[skinnyman27]

I for one think that the individual who knocked the commercial should probably look himself in the mirror and ask What has he or she done in their life that was worth while.
Hey Dz and everyone else who was involved I loved it.
You (and us ) have stepped up to fight for something we all believe in. It is a step that not many have had the courage to take. I guess that is what that individual was trying to say. That because they will never have the mivunks to do something even remote in scale the only way to hide that part of their character is to TRY and put others down.
It is always those that take a stand and fight for what we believe in that we read about in history books.

And if I have to go down as being one of a bunch of untalented fan-boys (and girls) that smell bad..........than I guess everyone around me better break out the Glade. And when they do remind Glade that we will use their product if they support Farscape.

TO ALL INVOLVED IN THE MAKING OF THE COMMERCIAL

:aok:

________________________________________________
Ahh November in New York what a great time of the year
A chill is in the air and the convention is on the horizon.....I guess I should wash up before I go.

[ElectricLandlady]

Skinnyman, you said just what I was thinking. It's the easiest thing in the world to sit back and snipe at someone else's hard work and passion. It's NOT easy to go out and expose yourself to public scrutiny by fighting for something you believe in, but you guys did it anyway. Let's hear it for the makers of the commercial!

[skinnyman27]

You need not ask twice



HELL YEAH!

________________________________________________
Ahh November in New York what a great time of the year
A chill is in the air and the convention is on the horizon.....I guess I should wash up before I go.

[atlantagirl]

This is the link from Fark that was mentioned earlier in this thread:

http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=360656

I don't know who else may eventually be exposed to Farscape because of the commercial, but we certainly seem to be making a splash among Internet users with borderline personality disorders and below average language skills. Wasn't exactly the demographic I was hoping for, but I guess there's no such thing as bad publicity. :grr:

[ElectricLandlady]

Cool. The comments on Fark seem to be running at least 50% in our favour, which is pretty darn good if you ask me...

[etana]

Wow... I'm really impressed guys. I wasn't expecting this much traffic this early--huge kudos to our PR department! And of course the makers of the commercial... :aok:

Now all we can do is wait...

[Eve11]

http://209.61.190.23/pages/wednesday.html

MediaLife magazine. In the "Shorts" section. I'm just doing google searches: I'm not sure what this magazine is all about, but it looks like a trade mag... for those in the business. Anyone familiar with it?

[katyaz]

This is a really cool article, Eve! I love the fact that it looks like the writers of the article didn't really know anything about the show and were actually moved to do some research on Farscape by the press release. now that's what I like to see :)

[VBKatLou]

OK, read all the articles and threads (slashdot took awhile - man, I thought We got off topic a lot! :lol ).

Forget the content of the replies and look at the number of replies. Remember that our goal is to get attention. This was posted by DaMenance (who I believe worked on the project) on another thread:


"Just a quick note.

Just wanted to add that the goal of the Do it Yourself Media is for media attention. We never expect eyeballs to even see it on TV unless the Media does it for us for free. Basically keep Farscape in the front of peoples minds so when a lot of the campaigns are taking off in Dec and Jan, people know what the heck we are doing. Hopefully they will remember the TV commercial story from Thanksgiving time.

This run was never to do anything but stir the pot and get some publicity."

I think the goal is being achieved. :aok:


Good work guys!

VBKatLou

[MediaSavant]

MediaLife magazine. In the "Shorts" section. I'm just doing google searches: I'm not sure what this magazine is all about, but it looks like a trade mag... for those in the business. Anyone familiar with it?

I'm very familiar with it because it is on may daily reading list at work, though I missed that item at the bottom due to excessive skimming this busier than normal week.

It's an internet magazine written for an audience of people who work on the advertising planning, buying and selling of media, hence the articles about TV, magazine, internet, etc.

Most of the people who read it either work at ad agencies or media agencies or at the media that sell space and time to them.

It's one of the only places on the net that does a weekly report on cable ratings, usually on Thursday.

[atlantagirl]

Wired News

http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,56550,00.html

Now we're talking! :aok: I much prefer the non-interactive format for our message. :D

This link was posted in another thread. Scaper Nato apparently contacted the reporter at wired.com. http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=75393

Waytago Nato!

:joy:

[wmdopple]

Originally posted by StarsGoBlue
Minus the cussing and discussion of Gigi nude, of course...

:rollin: *****Stars

*snicker* gonna have to ignore a lot more than just that, unless you really want to confuse someone. :) Ellen Feiss, B5, comparisons between peacekeepers and the Bush administration.. one thing about slashdot, as biased as it usually is, the discussions never lack variety!

[Chryse]

MuppetCentral.com supports us too!

http://www.muppetcentral.com/news/2002/112302.shtml

[atlantagirl]

Wow, glad for the support of Muppet Central, but I think they really should have credited Wired.com since it seems as though they took the story verbatim from them.

[Scapekid]

Atlantagirl, they *did* credit wired.com.

It says 'courtesy of wired.com' above the article. Or did I hallucinate that twice? Well...it wouldn't be the first time if I did... :p

Love,
Scape'

:jedi:

[Gabriel]

Wow! I'm impressed, Slashdot and Wired will reach a lot of people and hopefully some more "mainstream" media outlets will pick up the story tomorrow or monday. I am immensely proud to have been involved in this project (albeit in the most minute way)

As for the detractors and critics... Here's a quote from J.R.R. Tolkien's forward to Lord of the Rings:

Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and i have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.

Yeah the commercial is a little cheesy and it certainly won't win any special effects awards, and it certainly won't be seen everywhere, but its not as if we had a $117 million budged like the Apple Switch campaign the commercial is modeled on. Farscape may not be as important as say, world hunger, but this is the first time that ordinary individuals have tried to influence the media and the general public through this medium, using just their own talents and consumer technology, and if thats not important or cool, I don't know what is.

~Gabriel

[atlantagirl]

Hey Scapekid,

They have actually changed it from earlier in the day when it said courtesy of "savefarscape.com." I'm assuming that the person who runs muppetcentral.com must also be browsing the board here. Glad to see they have properly attributed the story now. It's very nice of them to carry it -- I'm assuming that many people who visit muppetcentral.com would naturally be interested at least somewhat in Farscape (even though it's wildly different from The Muppets).

[DZ_Crasher]

(even though it's wildly different from The Muppets).


Just sliiiiiiiightly. :ewink:

Adi

[Eve11]

Another site with the Studio Brief article:
http://movieweb.com/studio/studiobrief.html

SciFi storm:
http://scifistorm.org/

[DZ_Crasher]

Is it just me or are the reactions so far rather muted and unenthusiastic? Most of them don't even sound surprised.

Adi

[Eve11]

They're news organizations. If they think something is newsworthy, they'll report it. It's not their job to hype it or dis it. It's up to the readers to decide what they think.

At worst, I've seen the spin we pretty much expected. The "We can't be bothered to vote but god forbid you cancel our favorite tv show" spin from Media Life. And that's really not so bad. At best, we get Renay San Miguel who is pretty psyched for us. And on slashdot and fark, we get the gamut of comments from fellow nerds.

We hype our spin in the press release to get them to notice, they do a little bit of digging, and then report the facts. The important part is that they choose to report it! Still gets our word out. Still gets people curious.

[etana]

a friend of mine who is aware of my involvement in the campaign but is not a 'Scaper herself sent me a note when she saw the article on slashdot. I had managed to convince her to watch the Premiere on tape last fall, but she seemed a little lukewarm about it afterwards so I hadn't tried anything further since.

When she sent the note the other day though I asked if she'd be interested in trying out another episode... and she was, to my surprise, quite enthusiastic.


if nothing else the articles are a conversation piece... yet another way for us to open the door for potential new viewers.

[beowulf]

Hey Everyone,

I just got back from the Burbank Convention (very early this morning), and saw that AG had started this thread. Thank you!

My contribution to this thread is to report that I did a phone interview with Ad Week in New York last Thurs. before leaving for Burbank. I think the story is supposed to appear this week. They promised to send me a copy, which I will scan and post when it arrives. If anyone else gets it before I do....

Now, I have a request. You guys are having a great discussion about Slash Dot and everything, but the stated purpose of this thread is to report media sightings. If the sighting reports are buried within a lot of side-discussion, it's going to make it very hard to know when new stuff happens. Perhaps we could start another thread for media discussions and reserve this thread specifically for reporting commercial sightings? Thanks!

Rock On!

[beowulf]

Hey Again,

I've started a new thread to discuss media sightings. You'll find it here:

http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5384

Thanks!

[DaMENACE]

http://showbizdata.lycos.com/picknews.cfm?id=30912

And there is the link.

Denis DaMENACE

[Tokeya]

http://www.d-silence.com has a blurb. "Novel Effort To Save Farscape" Posted November 23, 2002, it towards the bottom of the page.

Also, http://www.nomad-jedi.com/ gives us a nice spot on their page.

Scape On!!

[DaMENACE]

Already posted by skinnyman and MediaSavant in other threads...

One of my daily SciFi news stops picked up the story from Wired. Go Wired!

http://www.cinescape.com/

[Eve11]

Lycos news has also picked up the Wired piece:

http://news.lycos.com/news/headlines.asp?section=Entertainment

[kimrb]

I am getting lots of inquiries about the project. Let me just say this. Things will happen in an order. The Internet will react first simply because they are the most fluid. TV and Radio should follow shortly as they have research and such to accomplish before they decide to air a story. And finally the Print Media since they require the most lead time. I ask you wait and watch. The early Internet attention bodes well for all the other elements. We're just getting started.

[cofax]

Rock on, Kimrb. We're with you. Wish you had been there on Sunday to see DK's reaction. And Lani and Ricky came to the SF.com table on Saturday to watch the commercial -- they *loved* it.

The people working on this campaign, and all the ongoing projects, just flabbergast me. Y'all rock mightily.

[ratscape]

Found in the Nov. 25, 2002 issue of ADWEEK magazine--
----------------------------------------------------------
National News

FAR-SIGHTED

What's a computer geek to do when his favorite show is canceled? Take some hi-tech action!

That's what David Simerly, a programmer at Apple Computer, Cupertino, Calif., chose to do. While searching Web message boards for fellow aficionados of his favorite, most recently axed show, Farscape, he came across a suggestion that disgruntled fans create a commercial for the Sc-Fi program.

"I had a digital camcorder and a Mac and Final Cut Pro editing software, so I had all the equipment to put the video together," he said.

The internet-spawned "Save Farscape" movement organised rallies to save the show, which is about an American astronaut stranded on a spaceship with escaped alien prisoners. Simerly went to two rallies in California and filmed fans espousing their love for the show.

The result: a 30-second spot that can be viewed at www.savefarscape.com.

The ad's purpose, said Simerly, is "not only to show new people that Farscape is pretty cool, but to show advertisers that we are an intelligent, affluent audience."

Simerly hopes another network will pick up the series or that Sci Fi will reconsider.

The commercial was placed on cable stations in selected cities across the U.S. through a media broker in San Francisco. It will run through Dec. 1.

--Mae Anderson

------------------------------------------------------------

[beowulf]

Originally posted by ratscape
Found in the Nov. 25, 2002 issue of ADWEEK magazine
Hey, I talked to Mae last Thurs right before leaving for Burbank! Thanks for posting that; now I don't have to wait for my copy to arrive. I'm just bummed she didn't mention everyone else. :(

[DaMENACE]

Don't be too bummed, I have never had a journalist interview me and tell the story I want them to tell. It was a great story and our broker was pleased as punch to see the story run in her trade rag.

Denis DaMENACE

[kimrb]

Well done Beowulf. Don't be modest or bummed. Enjoy the light.:aok:

[rabensam]

I've sent word of the Adweek item along to a couple of my favorite Macintosh news sites -- on the grounds that this constitutes an interesting Mac sighting in the media -- and I encourage other Mac users to do the same...

[ratscape]

The ADWEEK article also has a photo-- a screencap (from the commercial) of Bone.

[Nager]

German Site phantastik.de covers the topic. ;)

http://www.phantastik.de/archiv/0211/27.htm (german)

[rabensam]

And here's another...

http://www.macminute.com/2002/11/26/farscape

[ElectricLandlady]

Originally posted by Eve11
http://209.61.190.23/pages/wednesday.html

MediaLife magazine. In the "Shorts" section.

Went looking for this and it had moved off the home page. Eventually found it in their archives, if anyone else wants to see it:

http://209.61.190.23/news2002/nov02/nov18/3_wed/news7wednesday.html

[ElectricLandlady]

Story Pundit (never heard of him...)

http://www.storypundit.com/archives/000693.html

It's a blog. The guy posted the whole press release, plus some words of support:

I really hope they succeed in this. Farscape is a better show than any science fiction show currently in production.

:aok:

It's actually on his main page at the moment. I shall go and thank him.

[cofax]

Actually, that's not the press release he posted. It's the news item we put up on the front page of SF.com. The Press release reads quite a bit differently.

This is someone who knows his way around here.

[ctheokas]

To those of you worried about the responses by news organizations (that they don't seem enthusiastic), that may not be the case. Most likely it has to do with available space. Plus, if they want to keep it real, as it were, then they really can't be enthusiastic, because that would show bias.

The fact that the commercials are in the news is good news in and of itself. Great news in fact.

[Red]

Just a heads up, but if you're anyplace you can get the Orange County Register, you'll want to pick it up on Monday. Jeff Kramer is going to have an article on Farscape, the cancellation, the campaign, and the commercial. The Register is one of the largest newspapers in the country and if the OCRegister carries it the LA Times usually isn't far behind. :aok:

[jadeshand]

We are missing one emoticon on this site. We need a "We are not worthy!" one for kimrb, beowulf, damenace and all the rest who worked their butts off on this project. I went from having tears in my eyes reading this thread to laughing my butt off on Slashdot.net.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CANNOT say it enough.

[atlantagirl]

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

I think we can. I think we can. I think we can.

[angie]

I also imagine that if the show is picked up there will be stories that carry all of this to complete the piece.I remember seeing alot of pieces like that when Roswell and that Sela Ward show were picked up--they had tape footage etc.

beowolf wish you had been up front to take a bow Sunday night!!!

[Jul]

angie- one of the best moments of the con on Sunday afternoon was beowulf getting up to ask a question during Gigi and DK's time and watch him tell DK that he shot the commercial, which got him big applause from the audience, and also watch him receive a huge hug from DK that DK mentioned that was a better hug then Gigi's :lol ... and to hear from DK how much he appreciates that commercial and how enthusiastic and happy he was about it was great.... that made the con for me worth it...

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Jul
and also watch him receive a huge hug from DK that DK mentioned that was a better hug then Gigi'sYeah. He's a good hugger too. Gigi, however, still owes me one! :P

[Dutch]

I hadn't seen the music video before tonight but I just watched it and can I say it really ROCKS!!! I love it. You guys are so talented. Man!


I am in awe.

[Hmpf]

Originally posted by beowulf
Yeah. He's a good hugger too. Gigi, however, still owes me one! :P

beowulf, any chance you might make the video (not the commercial) available for download for those of us with too slow a connection to view streaming video? I'm a fan video addict, and I'd love to see it, but it's just not possible with a 56k modem.

[jadeshand]

I distinctly remember beowulf getting this huge ovation from the crowd for his work on the commercial and an enormous, heavily squeezing hug from DK in front of the WHOLE convention.

And yes, beowulf, Gigi still owes you that hug! If I had been close enough, I'd grabbed her by the leg for you! <wink>

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Hmpf
beowulf, any chance you might make the video (not the commercial) available for download for those of us with too slow a connection to view streaming video? I'm a fan video addict, and I'd love to see it, but it's just not possible with a 56k modem. Thanks everyone for the kind words and fond memories of last weekend. I'm going to post any further replies to the "Media Sightings Discussion" thread. We're starting to lose focus on this one. Thanks.

[atlantagirl]

This was just posted on the DOM bboard.


There is a Scifi Channel article in today's Wall Street Journal, and the cancelation of Farscape and the internet screamings are referenced (albeit one paragraph)!!! Page A13.

It sounds as though it's not in response to the commercial and may not mention it, but at least Farscape is mentioned in the WSJ. Perhaps that will get the word out about the cancellation to some people who haven't heard it yet.

Edited to include:

The text of the article is apparently available on Yahoo at:

http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/021129/72/358oz.html

It's a very interesting article that focuses on Sci-Fi's strategy (and budgeting) for Taken and their shifting strategy to make Sci-Fi "more accessible" to the general public. Farscape actually only gets 1 sentence at the bottom of the article, but the article as a whole is an interesting read.

It strikes me as very peculiar that a cable network that is desparate for "original programming" would drop their flagship original program because it isn't expanding beyond it's "core audience" rather than simply advertising it more in an attempt to expand that "core audience." I've never seen a single bit of advertising for Farscape other than on the SciFi channel. Since I'm not normally a big sci-fi fan, I certainly don't consider myself to be a member of their "core audience" and I LOVE Farscape. And with the tremendous (and very easy) success our group has had in introducing Farscape to new people, I just find it exceptionally strange that Sci-Fi has chosen to "cut bait" rather than promote the show in an effort to raise the ratings.

[BritAngie]

check out http://bboard.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/984/2317950

Date: 11/29/2002
From: Gottobe_Kidden


There is a Scifi Channel article in today's Wall Street Journal, and the cancelation of Farscape and the internet screamings are referenced (albeit one paragraph)!!! Page A13.

Even at this stage of the game, it still matters. People have heard all of you, so keep it up!

FYI - this is my first post. I've been aboard in spirit(and with emails and letters) for awhile now. You all deserve a round of applause for your hard work. There are more peole out here than you could even imagine!

[jadeshand]

I saw this - love the comments about Sci-Fi and USA, but you know what - I'm proud to be a geek, so everytime they call me one, I grin!

http://www.quicktopic.com/boing/H/myv7b9yeqb52

[jadeshand]

http://www.kith.org/logos/journal/show-entry.php?Entry_ID=718

[GeekedOut]

At this rate in the campaign, any exposure is good exposure. It will get people talking. As per my name, I am a HUGE geek and proud to be one.

So, call me a geek, I take it as a compliment!

[DorothyGail]

"I'm proud to be a geek, so everytime they call me one, I grin! "

I don't think I'm a geek, but it inspires thoughts of respect toward the person referenced, so maybe I could be one of I try harder!

[jadeshand]

http://www.nomad-jedi.com/

Just a comment and a link, but it's there.

[Jul]

Please check your email and contact me ASAP...

Thanks!

[Spider01]

Hey does anyone know when it aired in the Philadelphia, Pa. area?
Did anyone see it there?

I love the commercial.

[LiLOrion]

I live in Philly and I didnt see it, although we were told not to wait up all hours of the night/early morning trying to find it. :)

I dont think it was a specific station that had it here either, I think it was shown on a station and at a time of their choice (I believe Comcast was running the commercial in Philly).

[atlantagirl]

Grapeshot posted this in the discussions thread:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/02112801.shtml

[Tokeya]

Bump.

Here's another mention: http://www.scifitoday.com/

[Stargate2077]

For scifitoday.com there is a poll asking what you think about Farscape being cancelled. I think we all should vote on it. Thus far there are only 11 votes. Unfortunately, the poll is badly placed in that you have to click the comments link at the end of the Farscape article in order to reach the poll.

[JA_Shipper]

Stargate2077, is the poll on the front page? Maybe I'm going blind but I couldn't see it ... :confused:

Suse

[katyaz]

JA_Shipper -- that's because it's not on the front page. You have to click on the comments link beneath the article to see it.

(Don't feel bad, JA_Shipper -- I didn't see it the first time even after I clicked on the link, and I actually posted a comment on the artcle. I found it and voted now, though.)

[atlantagirl]

Suse,

When you see the Farscape article (kind of far down on the page), click on the comments link. That takes you to the page that has the poll in the sidebar.

[JA_Shipper]

Ah - got it. Thanks guys. :)

Suse

[Spider01]

Thanks LiLOrion for the Intel.

[RescueFarscape]

Just wanted to thank those of you who replied to the guy who said: 'Farscape is about a hunk surrounded by hot babes and puppets flying around in the gut of some kind of space-creepy.'

Very nicely done :thumbs:

Instead of making an enemy, like we very well could have, it sounds like we may have another ally. Hopefully he'll be interested enough to check Farscape out again. Kudos for keeping it nice.

[LadyCrais]

http://www.scifitoday.com/story/2002/11/25/212050/36

If it works, there's a link to the full comments and poll. The poll is on the right (I think you had to scroll down once)

[katyaz]

Here is another one from the same page: http://www.scifitoday.com/story/2002/12/3/7201/46830 It's written by the same guy who at first wrote to tell us that we should watch Firefly, instead of Farscape.

What do you think -- think we've convinced him that the two shows can coexist peacefully? :D :aok:

Also, I think there is a place to vote about whether or not to include this article on the front page. (At least, I got to see a place where I could vote -- it's possible that it's only there if you sign in, though...) I think this article should be in the front page, don't you? :D

[atlantagirl]

From the Mobile Register:

TV Columnist Mike Brantley

'Taken' starts; fans pay for 'Farscape' ad



12/02/02



Sci Fi Channel is getting a great amount of attention lately on two different fronts.

One is all about a show that will debut tonight. The other is all about a show that, as it stands now, will not be around after Sci Fi burns off the remaining 11 episodes.

First, the new program. It's the miniseries "Taken." Sci Fi is asking for and receiving large amounts of attention for this project because "Taken" is the channel's most ambitious effort to date.

Although it deals with alien abductions, Sci Fi's president, Bonnie Hunt, told critics at our press tour in Pasadena, Calif., this past July that "Taken" goes beyond traditional televised science fiction. It's a multi-generational story with an epic feel, she said.

My TiVo is deployed, ready to record all 20 hours of "Taken." It begins tonight.

The attention Sci Fi is getting on the other front is just as deserved -- and it's not a good thing for the network. It's about the surprise cancellation of "Farscape" this fall, a move that angered fans and surprised cast and crew members who had been promised a fifth season for the channel's best series.

Sci Fi will show the final episodes starting in January. These include the fourth-season finale, which according to published interviews with the series' creators will end in a trademark "Farscape" cliffhanger.

"Farscape" isn't going quietly into the night, however. I've written before about the enterprising efforts of some of the show's most ardent fans to keep it going. They've organized an Internet campaign and have gotten a great deal of publicity from industry and mainstream publications, as well as from TV news organizations including CNN.

Now they've taken an unprecedented step forward by producing and paying for a TV commercial telling about "Farscape" and their efforts to save the show. The ad ran last week in 24 major cities.

I've never seen anything like it, but then I've never seen a TV series that's quite like "Farscape." The show deserves a fifth season and beyond.

You can see the fan-produced commercial online at www.savefarscape.com.


The link was originally posted by videojunkie in the non-commercial media sitings thread.

http://www.al.com/tv/mobileregister/mbrantley.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/entertainment/1038824161141540.xml

[DaMENACE]

A reporter from the Pioneer Press in Minneapolis interviewed myself, Beowulf and Dominar of Action about the commercial yesterday. Nice guy. A Babylon 5 fan.

Anyways he is going to cover the entire campaign in his article... he has done alot of research... can't wait to see his piece.

Denis DaMENACE

[katyaz]

Yes! The article I mentioned before is now on the front page of Sci-Fi Today (http://www.scifitoday.com/)! :D :D :D

I've got to write a comment to correct what the author says about Ben Browder raising money for us, though. Much as I would love for BB to get involved in our campaign, I don't think he's allowed to do that...

[Dominar of Action]

Hee, I notice that the guy who wrote the bit is the same guy who championed Firefly in the comments to the first article. Looks like the FS posters' politeness paid off :D

[katyaz]

Wow. They actually made the correction I wrote to them about (and it's only been about a half an hour since I wrote that comment, too!). I hope I did the right thing by calling people's attention to the error...

(I *was* right about Ben Browder himself having nothing to do with the USA Today fund, wasn't I? Now that I've actually written the comment, I am suddenly not so sure that I was right. :confused: )

[Eve11]

yeah katya, you are correct. I think somebody got confused b/c angie's site is benbrowder.net. Which is in no way officially affiliated with Ben Browder.

[B Sharp]

OK, I spotted Red's comment earlier in the thread, and searched on the Orange County Register site, and lo and behold, there was an article:

http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=14163

Here's an excerpt:

They're just Scaping by for a cause
Jeff Kramer.
By JEFF KRAMER
The Orange County Register

They're organized, relentless and, by and large, dateless.

And they will not be denied.

While most of this fat, spoiled country spent the weekend immersing itself in eggnog and tryptophan, dedicated men and women were working tirelessly to save "Farscape" from cancellation.

"Farwhat?" you ask.

Do I have to explain EVERYTHING to you people?

"Farscape" is a space opera that airs on the Sci-Fi Channel. On Sept. 5 - "Black Friday" - network executives said "Farscape" would not return for its fifth season because of cost concerns.

Some Farscape fans were so outraged that they threatened to impale themselves on their browsers in protest. In no time, "Scapers" had a Web site - savefarscape.com - and a new pickup line:

Um, wanna, like, come upstairs and see my Adobe Print Shop downloads of the Save 'Farscape' rally?"

Can't say I care for the characterization of us as 'dateless'- and I suspect Mr. Kramer needs to get a little more up to date on his choice of software (Adobe Print Shop? who's he kidding?). He's also downright meanspirited later in the article.

But, as has been said before:

1. All exposure is good exposure (I just pray that the LA Times doesn't pick up this particular article).

2. Never ever ever ever expect a journalist to:
a. get a name right.

[B Sharp]

oops, and what I meant to add is that

2. Never ever ever expect a journalist to:
a. get a name right
b. protect a source
c. tell it the way straight.
c. fulfill a promise

Yes, that's stereotypical, but I figure that since he's stereotyped me, it's OK to frelling stereotype him in return.

[waltersgirl]

Kramer writes a humor column and he's known for his sarcasm. i'll take the press anyday though. beats no press. and he was *very* nice and polite to both Jul and Robin, so he wins brownie points there.

[RescueFarscape]

Mr. Kramer does seem very nice. I sent an email to him thanking him for his (tongue-in-cheek) support. He wrote a very nice one back.

In it he said, 'Many thanks, (me). SO glad you liked the column. Good luck saving the show!
Jeff

Come on, everyone! Take a sec to laugh at yourselves. Every day I am in disbelief of what we are ALL doing here! It is a tremendous thing and an amazing group of people! Who cares if we are pasty, dateless geeks! Hits pretty close to the mark there with me :lol:

[JA_Shipper]

I have a good one and a not-so-good one (apologies if any of these have already been posted:

First the not-so-good one:

**************************************

ARTS & LIFESTYLE
ARTS & TV IN BRIEF
12/03/2002
Boston Herald

Heartfelt plea for `Farscape' falls short

In what may be a first among campaigns to save doomed TV
shows, fans of Sci Fi's "Farscape" banded together and
funded a commercial playing on cable in several cities,
including Boston, to save the 4- year-old series. In the
ad, several fans introduce themselves and add, "I am
`Farscape,' " a play on Sci Fi's longstanding advertising
campaign. Alas, the show's chances for renewal are all but
nonexistent, a representative of the network confirmed
yesterday. The series' final 11 episodes begin Jan. 10. -
MARK A. PERIGARD

**********************

And the MUCH better one:

**********************

Analysis: Nominees for the first-ever Talk of the Nation
Turkey Awards Transcript
11/28/2002
NPR: Talk of the Nation

NEAL CONAN: Erin McKean is the editor of "Weird and
Wonderful Words."

Here's an e-mail from Dan Neese in Indy, `The Sci Fi
network deserves at least a slice of turkey,' he writes,
`for canceling their flagship program "Farscape." The show
is critically acclaimed and boasts one of the most devoted
fan base of any sci-fi series, and given the reputation
sci-fi fans have earned for devotion, that's quite an
achievement. The international fan efforts to save the show
have been phenomenal, including fan-produced and financed
television commercials playing in 25 cities this week and a
fan-supported fund to pay for the print ads and raffle
prizes, which--raffle proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish
fund. This is a group of fans who get it in more ways than
one.' That a nominee from Dan in Indy.


Suse

[PrairieScaper]

Hey, we made it onto NPR?! :D

Now that makes me happy. Way to go, Dan Neese in Indy!

[Dominar of Action]

Too bad we didn't get to vote on the winner of that award :P

[Deneba]

Originally posted by katyaz
(I *was* right about Ben Browder himself having nothing to do with the USA Today fund, wasn't I? Now that I've actually written the comment, I am suddenly not so sure that I was right. :confused: )

You were absolutely right to correct them. Browder is not involved in benbrowder.net, and it might hurt him in the industry if the notion were to circulate that he was involved with a fan-based effort to support saving Farscape. Ya done good! :D

D.

[Greenbug]

Here's another small one, but anythings is better than nothing.

It's at the very bottom of the page.

http://news.mysanantonio.com/story.cfm?xla=saen&xlc=880329

[LadyCrais]

Actually that last one is pretty darn good. The shows are listed in chronological order, which is why Farscape is last. While I wish they had given a bit better description as to why it makes the ranking, if you're familiar with the majority of that list (my viewing started with the original Twilight Zone), it is quite an honor for Farscape to be on it. And I think he is dead on in his selections for their historical impact! Including the Jetsons!! (Where the frell is my robot to clean the house and my car that flies!!!!!??????) So I've sent the following letter to the editor (since I can't seem to find Michael Barrett's address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I want to thank Michael Barrett for his inclusion of Farscape in his article "Science fiction shows have left indelible mark on television" on Dec 1st. Being old enough to have watched all of these programs save "The Adventures of Superman", I have to agree that all of his selections have made a huge impact both on television and the national psyche and were/are true works of art for their respective eras.

What is most discouraging is that the latest entry to this field, Farscape, was unceremoniously cancelled by the Sci-Fi Channel mere days before the last scene was shot for the current season, which will resume in January. This was done, despite major fanfare when they announced a year ago that Farscape was being renewed for both Seasons 4 and 5. Thus, not only has the Sci-Fi Channel cut down the most creative, ambitious and visually stunning science fiction series to date, but they have denied the creators an opportunity to finish their story. When the last episode of Season 4 airs, it will be a cliffhanger, leaving the story forever unfinished. The viewers of Farscape are not taking it quietly, and I invite everyone to go to www.watchfarscape.com and join us in our unprecidented struggle to keep Farscape on the air.

(my name)

[Dominar of Action]

Where the frell is my robot to clean the house Obviously, you haven't seen the latest in consumer electronics. On shelves this Christmas is a computerized vacuum that zooms around on the floor all by itself. :D

[kimrb]

sounds like my dog.

[Dominar of Action]

ahhh, that would be the retro model.

[beowulf]

Jul, if you see this before your e-mail, please check your e-mail & voicemail. Julio at Pioneer Press needs season 2 DVD's (apparently they're not out in MN yet!). My hands are tied 'til 5pm tomorrow, and he wants them for the weekend, so I'm out of the loop on this one. Thanks!

[LadyCrais]

Originally posted by Dominar of Action
Obviously, you haven't seen the latest in consumer electronics. On shelves this Christmas is a computerized vacuum that zooms around on the floor all by itself. :D


WHERE WHERE WHERE!!!??? Does it pick up after me, or does the floor have to be pristine to start with? Do I have to teach it where all the furniture is? Does it serve drinks and dinner? ;)

[Shipscat]

I saw it on TV- it zooms around like a kid's toy or something- it backs up when it hits obstacles- I've bene waiting for them to invent this all my life...now if only I could afford it...

[atlantagirl]

quote:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Dominar of Action
Obviously, you haven't seen the latest in consumer electronics. On shelves this Christmas is a computerized vacuum that zooms around on the floor all by itself.
------------------------------------------------------------------------



WHERE WHERE WHERE!!!???

Okay, this is way off topic, BUT, it's called a Roomba and you can get it at Brookstone stores (or from their web site). I saw them demonstrating it in the store this weekend. You can probably get it other places as well -- I'd think Sharper Image will be carrying it, for example, but they definitely have it at Brookstone.

[Jul]

beowulf-

thanks, he left me both voicemail and email, so i'm taking care of it :)

-jul

[beowulf]

Ooooh, I want one too, but how 'bout we Roomba this discussion over the Media Sightings Discussion thread and try to preserve what's left of this one for links and alerts to actual Media Sightings? Thanks. :aok:

[Eve11]

In the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this past Sunday, Rob Owen gives us his usual pessimistic press. It is in the last two paragraphs of a long-ish article on the "Brilliant but Canceled" show.


"Just last week I recieved email from fans of the canceled Sci Fi Channel series 'Farscape' who are determined to get their program back into production, so determined they produced and bought air time for a commercial touting the series.

Fond as I am of the program, it's unlikely these efforts will result in the show's resurrection, especially given the business factors and failed negotiations that led to its cancellation. Like so many other series, 'Farscape' will be added to the list of brilliant but canceled series."


I did send him a thank you for the mention, and a polite reminder that the "email from fans of Farscape" he received was in actuality a carefully planned press release that was sent to over 250 media outlets across the country (an estimate, yes, but beowulf I know you guys sent out 200 envelopes, and I figured everybody on the newspaper list sent out at least 2).

Ah well, to each his own.

[waltersgirl]

it's press. :aok:

[angie]

In addition to the kit he probably did receive alot of email from fans because like Matt Roush he has been a critic who mentions the show frequently. I found I personally agreed with his season 4 comments and emailed him at the time.I have also emailed him a couple of times since the cancellation as I am sure many have---I thought I got the email in one of the first threads on this board.And press is press<G>.

angie

[Dominar of Action]

Re TV Guide article -- just found out from them that it will be appearing in the cable subscriber version "Christmas week." Since Christmas is on a Wednesday this year, I really don't know whether that's the 12/21 issue or the 12/27 issue, or if the cable version publishes on a different schedule ::shrug::

[atlantagirl]

We certainly are getting a lot of play on slashdot. This one started from someone who watched the commercials on Taken and leapt to the conclusion that Farscape was renewed (doh!). Apparently s/he didn't realize that there were still 11 eps of Season 4 to run and that they were the eps being promoted.

http://slashdot.org/articles/02/12/07/059205.shtml?tid=129

[wmdopple]

Originally posted by atlantagirl
We certainly are getting a lot of play on slashdot. This one started from someone who watched the commercials on Taken and leapt to the conclusion that Farscape was renewed (doh!). Apparently s/he didn't realize that there were still 11 eps of Season 4 to run and that they were the eps being promoted.

http://slashdot.org/articles/02/12/07/059205.shtml?tid=129

Oddly enough, the person who submitted the article posted to say that the original article title was "2002-12-07 02:21:20 Sci-Fi Channel's Not Dead Yet (articles,tv) (accepted) ". Apparently the Slashdot editor was the instigator of the madness. I've been seeing an awful lot of accusations of editors changing the stories to be less than accurate lately, wonder what's going on...

[GARNET]

Dominar of Action is that true that TV Guide will have another article and if true what will it be about.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by GARNET
Dominar of Action is that true that TV Guide will have another article and if true what will it be about. It's true. It will be in the TV Guide "Ultimate Cable" edition, and will include screen captures from the the commercial. I never saw the first article, but I believe it was a review of the show; this article will be specifically about the campaign to save the show. :aok:

Best,

[GARNET]

Thank you, beowulf for the information but do we have anything to fear from this article about what other channels have said or is just on the state of the campange. How long a go was this article done?

[beowulf]

Originally posted by GARNET
Thank you, beowulf for the information but do we have anything to fear from this article about what other channels have said or is just on the state of the campange. How long a go was this article done? The article is being written now. As DOA said earlier, it'll probably appear in late December. I'm not sure what you're asking when you say, "do we have anything to fear from this article about what other channels have said?" What have other channels said that makes us ferful? The article will focus on the campaign, but by it's very nature it will cover the history of the cancellation. They'll probably try to get statements from the Skiffy Channel too. I don't think there's anything to fear from this article.

Best,

[GARNET]

Thank You beowulf, I just meant will there be anything that would discourage in it that all. Thanks again

[Red]

Sci-Fi will likely just refer them to their cancellation FAQ - and then it just depends on how the TV Guide writer spins the story. Since they came to Beowulf and the campaign, it will put the campaign information out there, which is a very good thing. :aok:

[Jul]

Here's a link to the article on the campaign that's going to appear in print in the Twin Cities in Minnesota tomorrow.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/business/technology/4696886.htm

I think it's a great article about the efforts of the SaveFarscape campaign....

what do you think?

[cofax]

Jul, that's great! Too bad he had to mention the OC Register "nutjob" comment.

But you & Mickie sound marvelously professional!

Rock on.

[Eve11]

as Cofax says, rock on. Very cool indeed.

[dalantmm]

What a fantastic article. I'm going to repost the link on the "Toot our own horn" thread, as it answers the very question that I was asking. Everyone did a great job representin'.:aok:

And I respect the fact that they put our detractors' statements in the article. It's only responsible journalism (no disrespect intended, cofax). It gives the article a great deal more credence than had it sounded like a PR piece for us.

Huge pat on the back for all involved.:D

[BlackGhost2]

Does anyone have the link to the slashdot post that bashed the commercial and the link to the article that called the community a nut job? I want to read them.:mad:

[beowulf]

Julio Ojeda-Zapata, the consumer-technology editor for the St. Paul Pioneer Press has completed his very comprehensive article. He really did a lot of research for this piece and he pulls no punches. You'll find it at:

<http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/business/technology/>

Hopefully this will be picked up by other Knight-Ridder papers around the country. :aok:

[dalantmm]

Here's the thread (http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5496&highlight=slashdot) that talks about it. Just don't let the negatives get to you.

[Jul]

He wrote a great article!

[Tiriel]

Whooohooo! That's an awesome article! :bounce:
I would be more than a bit curious about the show after reading that one!
Let's hope a lot of people give in to their primitive instincts and watch :D :D

btw: since the conference I can now verify that there are Oxford University lecturers amongst the fan-base :D :D :D

Awesome stuff :D And I'm sure all them nay-sayers will wish they'd never been quoted soon enough ;)

Love and Peace and Hope :)

Tiriel :eek:

[beowulf]

I asked Julio if he knows whether or not the article will be picked up by other Knight-Ridder newspapers, and this was his reply:The story will go out on the KRT wire tomorrow and, more than likely, will be picked up by other newspapers. I am unable to track that, but it's a good bet it will see play in print in at least several other cities. You may want to get the word out among fans so they can monitor Knight Ridder and Tribune Co. (KRT)_newspaper markets such as San Jose, Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago, etc.Post here so we can track how much coverage this baby gets. Thanks!

[Jul]

Aberdeen American News
Aberdeen, SD

Akron Beacon Journal
Akron, OH

Belleville News-Democrat
Belleville, IL

The (Biloxi) Sun Herald
Gulfport, MS

Bradenton Herald
Bradenton, FL

The Charlotte Observer
Charlotte, NC

The (Columbia) State
Columbia, SC

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Columbus, GA

Contra Costa Newspapers:
Contra Costa Times
Walnut Creek, CA

Valley Times
Pleasanton, CA

West County Times
Richmond, CA

San Ramon Valley Times
Danville, CA

Detroit Free Press
Detroit, MI

Duluth News Tribune
Duluth, MN

The (Fort Wayne) News-Sentinel
Fort Wayne, IN

Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth, TX

Grand Forks Herald
Grand Forks, ND

The Kansas City Star
Kansas City, MO

Lexington Herald-Leader
Lexington, KY

The Macon Telegraph
Macon, GA

The Miami Herald
Miami, FL

el Nuevo Herald
Miami, FL

The (Monterey County) Herald
Monterey, CA

The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News
Myrtle Beach, SC

The Olathe Daily News
Olathe, KS

Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia, PA

The Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia, PA

Saint Paul Pioneer Press
Saint Paul, MN

San Jose Mercury News
San Jose, CA

The (San Luis Obispo) Tribune
San Luis Obispo, CA

(State College) Centre Daily Times
State College, PA

Tallahassee Democrat
Tallahassee, Fl

The (Warner Robins) Daily Sun
Warner Robins, GA

The Wichita Eagle
Wichita, KS

The (Wilkes-Barre) Times Leader
Wilkes-Barre, PA

Non-Daily Newspapers

The (Belton, Mo.) Star-Herald
Belton, MO

The (Cahokia-Dupo, Ill.) Herald
Cahokia, IL 62206

The (Cambria, Calif.) Cambrian
Cambria, CA

The (Cass County, Mo.) Democrat-Missourian
Harrisonville, MO

Florida Keys Keynoter
Marathon, FL

Highland (Ill.) News Leader
Highland, IL

Lee’s Summit (Mo.) Journal
Lee’s Summit, MO

Mansfield (Texas) News-Mirror
Mansfield, TX

The (Marissa-New Athens, Ill.) Journal-Messenger
Marissa, IL

(Morro Bay, Calif.) Sun-Bulletin
Morro Bay, CA

Hills Newspapers:
Alameda (Calif.) Journal
Berkeley (Calif.) Voice
The (El Cerrito,Calif.) Journal
The (North Oakland, Calif.) Montclarion
The (Piedmont, Calif.) Piedmonter
Oakland, CA 94619

The (O'Fallon, Ill.) Legal Reporter
O’Fallon, IL

O’Fallon Progress
O’Fallon, IL

The (Pinckneyville, Ill.) Democrat
Pinckneyville, IL

The (Pittston, Pa.) Sunday Dispatch
Pittston, PA

(Scott Air Force Base, Ill.) Base News
O’Fallon, IL

Sparta (Ill.) News-PlainDealer
Sparta, IL

The (Tavernier, Fla.) Reporter
Tavernier, FL

The Republic-Times
Waterloo, IL

[Bryn_Conwy]

Great article!!! - this need needs both a bump, and might i suggest forwarding to other media/fan/BB outlets?

[VBKatLou]

This article gets a two thumbs up! :aok: :aok:

I'll post the URL on the other boards I go to.

Way to go guys!

[PkTechSquirrel]

Thank you for posting that. I needed to hear that we're reaching people, our efforts are paying off and you know, I don't think anyone cares what Sci-fi thinks anymore. I'm still holding out hope that another network is watching. As far as our detractors are concerned...people are just showing their lack of passion. It's really very sad that so many people have such little joy in their lives that they can't let others revel in their own celebrations.
Oh well, thank you again.

[Zen Blade]

That's a great article.

Let's hope that a lot of people take the time to read it.

-Zen Blade

[Dominar of Action]

Very well-balanced article. Be sure to drop Julio a note (jojeda@pioneerpress.com) to let him know that you appreciate his taking the time to do the research that obviously went into this article. I was particularly impressed by the quote he got from Bill Amend.

If only all reporters were as interested in presenting both sides of the story.

[Kerlin]

Great article! I just sent him an email in thanks.

[Dominar of Action]

It would be sooo great if the article were picked up by other papers! That thought hadn't even occured to me. Hope somebody has thoughtfully supplied Julio with some of the eps so we can draw him further into our fold. To quote Chiana, "This is a good friend." ;)

[DZ_Crasher]

Can we email the writer and tell them how great the article was? Or would they rather we don't bug them?

Adi

[Mickie]

1. Has he seen farscape: Yes, he sent a courier to my house (twice) for dvds and he said that he went to at least five separate blockbusters in search of others. I think that Jul sent him some as well.

2. When I e-mailed my thanks and warned him to expect an avalance of e-mail he responded

'You mean more mail than I get from Macintosh users? ;-) '

so I don't think that he minds feedback :0

[robosapien]

Nice article, but it's dissapointing to see once again the standard Sci-Fi spin about low ratings and "rising production costs" without mention of the arguments refuting Sci-Fi's claims.

[kimrb]

A really excellent article. Knight-Ridder is a big outfit and we should expect this article to be picked up by many of their newspapers across the country. As fans, you should really have a sense of accomplishment with this response. Be sure to email this gentleman and thank him personally.:aok:

[kimrb]

An excellent article in a major market newspaper. Keep your eyes open as Knight-Ridder will spread this article among all of their other papers. Be sure to take the time to email this gentleman and thank him for his kind words and the use of his readership. We got our $1000 worth with just this article. Way to go Scapers.:finger:

[DangerWillRobinson]

Snerched from Kerlin at the Kansas board:

And if you liked the article, send its author a note at:

jojeda@pioneerpress.com

telling him how much you enjoyed it, and thanking him for his time in doing an impressive amount of research

[GeekedOut]

Lovely article. The author did research and he really went in depth for his research. All those quoted sounded professional and well mannered. Be proud!

[tcpike]

Thanks for the "heads up" over on the Midwestscapers site about this article. It's great that Pioneer Press did a write-up. I was wondering if the commercial/media press release faxes/e-mails sent to Pioneer Press and Star Tribune (and City Pages) before Thanksgiving holiday had any effect. Don Effenberger, the entertainment director at Pioneer Press was the person I spoke to personally about the press releases for the commercial and who requested that I e-mail the PR announcement to him directly. I asked that he e-mail me back that he had received the press release, AND HE DID! For that, I was REALLY impressed. Julio Ojeda-Zapata must've been asked to check it out the story. Now if we can only get Strib to generate some print!

[Twich]

Thanks for posting the link. :aok:

[dalantmm]

Just sent my thank you email. I invited him to continue monitoring the campaign, with the tease of "You ain't seen nothin' yet!"

[atlantagirl]

I sent him a note at 11:59 and got a response back within about one minute saying:

If Farscape gets a new lease of life, I will definitely write a follow-up article. Keep me informed on your efforts! Thanks

[dalantmm]

:( How come I didn't get a response? I wrote him before you.:bawl: Waaaa.....

:boom: Take that!

It's just not fair!!!:headbang:

:confused: What's the matter with me?

:goof: Just chalk it up to The Long Wait.

:D

Yes, I know I'm weird. Known that for years.

[Selena]

I sent the following letter to the editor in response to the editorial that appeared in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. I have posted it for all us "rabid Scaper fanatics" to read ...

In response to the article posted on Sun, Dec. 08, 2002 entitled: -Sci-Fi Network vs. the "Scapers"
BY JULIO OJEDA-ZAPATA ...
Firstly I would like to object strongly to the statement that Farscape fans are "rabid fanatics". We are ordinary people with ordinary jobs and a passion for excellent drama, which is what Farscape, happens to be. Rarely does a television series come along of the caliber of Farscape. Even more rare is a show with such a diverse audience appeal for this show reaches across the generations with teens enjoying the show as much as seniors do. The show is witty, clever, sexy and nail bitingly suspenseful. The writing is superb, the stars exceptionally talented and the special effects breathtaking. The Henson Muppet characters are as far removed from the Sesame Street Muppets as John Crichton is removed from his home planet Earth. The Muppets are characters in their own right, thanks to Mr. Henson’s mastery and brilliance.
Farscape was cancelled, Sci-Fi would have us believe, because of poor ratings but what Mr. Ojeda-Zapata was probably not told by Sci-Fi Channel was, that the network took steps to negatively influence the show's ratings by messing with the show's air times. They created huge gaps between season's episodes and have not shown any repeats of the series from the beginning. When Sci-Fi quote the poor ratings they are referring to polls of the show taken on the first showing of Farscape episodes at 8pm EST and did not include the second showing at 10pm EST.
Also, it was not just the fans of the show, (which enjoys a huge following in 5 countries outside the USA), that were surprised by the sudden cancellation but the entire cast and crew who were gearing up for shooting the promised 5th season.
It is small wonder that the show has had a dwindling audience as Sci-Fi have made sure that the majority of viewers have no idea when the show is on.

I am (name included) a Peri-operative Nurse from TN and I am Farscape!

[Dominar of Action]

No worries, dalantmm. I haven't gotten one either, and I sent him my thank you around 8:30 this morning. Poor thing must be starting at the top of his in-box and trying to work his way down. May be awhile before we hear from him (if he doesn't give up before then) :D

[JA_Shipper]

Well, in that case, I should be hearing from him soon. ;) I sent mine at 11:36 this morning.

Suse

[atlantagirl]

Weird. Maybe he knows someone with an e-mail address similar to mine and he opened it up thinking I was someone else? Maybe I should go play the Lotto today? I seem to have some mojo going.

[dalantmm]

:bgb: I'll just sit here, bouncing and grinning, watching my email inbox like a pot I want to boil.

Seriously though, I would imagine he's suffering from San Miguel Syndrome (a shocking flood of Farscape email). Should we send flowers?

[aeryncrichton]

I sent him an e-mail around 7:30 Pacific time this morning.....haven't heard anything back, but I figure he's overwhelmed. *g* But then, he was forewarned, with that comment from Bill Amend, right?

It's a great article, very balanced, didn't blow off either side..... Definitely the kind of thing that would make ME interested in what the show is all about!

[Kerlin]

dalantmm, I like the flowers idea...or maybe a fruit basket or something :). Let's hope he had some idea of what he was getting into...

[beowulf]

Julio @ St. Paul Pioneer Press just sent me a message announcing the new Pioneer Press Blog, in which we rate as the subject of the very first entry!As discussed, our blog has soft-launched (we're getting it up without much fanfare until it gets into a groove). Since the first entry is Farscape-related, I'm sending you the link:

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/business/technology/personal_technology/Be very nice to this man in your e-mails. He's not only helped our cause a great deal, but he's also on the verge of suffering the same fate as our own KimRB...becoming a Scaper! :aok:

[Dominar of Action]

Those Jim Henson animatronic characters aren't convincingBoy, will he ever come to regret that statement once he's seen more of the series :lol:

[RescueFarscape]

Here's one 'rabid fanatic' who thought the article was well-rounded and fair (for someone who doesn't know the whole story).

With all the email that poor man is getting, he'll know more than he ever wanted to know:ewink:

PS I think I may really BE a rabid fanatic. Someone got me talking about FS this afternoon, and another girl who knows me just said, 'Uh, oh.'

[katyaz]

I've been feeling like a "rabid fanatic" myself lately as well. I've noticed that it has become almost impossible for me to have a conversation on any topic without mentioning Farscape at least once during the conversation. Most of my friends have started to think that I've gone crazy :(

Someone mentioned the Lord of the Rings and how all the movies were filmed at the same time, and I immediately started to think about Farscape, and how the actors have said that scenes from different episodes have being filmed the same time, with scenes being filmed out of order, and how hard it must be for the actors to show character development in a situation like that.

Someone at work mentioned buying the James Bond DVD boxset, and my first immediate mental reaction (which I suppressed almost in time) was
"why did he waste his money on that when he could have bought the Farscape Season 1 DVD boxset instead?!". And I actually like James Bond... (The poor guy saw the tail end of my reaction and thought I believed he was crazy for liking James Bond movies, when the real truth was that I was the one that was going crazy. :ewink: We talked about it a little bit, though, and I think I've convinced him to borrow some of my DVDs and see what all the fuss is about. Unfortunately, he's leaving for India soon, and won't be able to help us with the ratings in January. But hey, maybe he can join us later...)

And just yesterday, someone started talking about rock-paper-scissors, and how hard it is to make your choices completely random, and it was all I could do to keep quiet and not launch into a long diatribe about Crichton and that scene where he's playing rock-paper-scissors with himself.

*Sigh* I think I might be in need of professional help, here. ;) Or maybe I'll just go home now, and force my friends to watch some more Farscape DVDs with me, instead. :ewink:

[Kerlin]

Ohhhh, trust me, I know. I have a Farscape quote for every occasion. My friends will say something, and I'll laugh to myself and wave them off. "Ah, no, just thinking of something John said in the episode I watched this morning..." They roll their eyes, pat me on the head, and keep walking...

[Dutch]

I sent mine early this morning, too, but it's ok if he doesn't reply; he wrote a beautiful, long article about the campaign. that's enough for me!

[waltersgirl]

i was VERY pleased with the article, especially with the fact that in the print version, the article made the first page of it's section with a pointer on the FRONT PAGE. the author was nothing but respectful and presented a well-balanced article. he was very interested in the campaign and the show, going so far as to watch before he wrote the article. Julio treated us very well and should be thanked for the time and genuine interest that he put into that article.

[JA_Shipper]

I agree, waltersgirl. His was the best article about the campaign that I've read so far. :aok:

Suse

[dalantmm]

Originally posted by Dutch
...it's ok if he doesn't reply; he wrote a beautiful, long article about the campaign. that's enough for me!

I agree 100%. I just got a little carried away with the smileys.:spin: Havin' a little fun.:ejest:

I'll be quiet now.:shutup:

:D

[maya]

That's exactly what I was thinking!!

Just sent him an email telling him I didn't think people were emailing just to prove how many of us there are (a thought he posted in his blog), but that we were just truly thankful, and that I was excited just to think of a new person getting to discover the wonders of Farscape, whether it's him or others that discover FS through his writing.

[Mickie]

I am pleased to report that the article was on the first page of the Tech section and had a pointer to it on the front page of the paper.

:D

[katyaz]

Here is my response:

Dear Mr. Ojeda-Zapata,

I would like to thank you for your wonderful article dealing with the
cancellation of Farscape and the fans' campaign to save the show. I have
been involved the campaign from the very beginning, and I have been
constantly amazed by how much we have been able to accomplish. It is
gratifying to see someone finally acknowledge all the hard work we have
put into this campaign.

I know that it must seem strange to you that so many people are fighting
so hard to save a TV show. (Hey, it even seems strange to me sometimes,
and I'm actually taking an active part in this campaign. I seriously
doubt that I would ever have gotten involved in a campaign like this for
any show other than Farscape.) I am really grateful to you for taking the
time to research the situation and to provide such a well-balanced article,
instead of just dismissing us all as "members of the 'Nut Job Community'",
as you must have been tempted to do.

No story is ever one-sided, and I appreciate the fact that you took the
time to present both sides of this situation. While I (obviously) disagree
with the people who say that there is no chance for Farscape to be brought
back (even if Sci-Fi doesn't renew Farscape, it's possible that some
other network might get interested in the show if the ratings are good
enough in January), I know that the odds are stacked against us in
this campaign, and it doesn't surprise me to learn that some people
believe that we are crazy for even attempting to fight Sci-Fi's decision.

Still, I am not ready to give up just yet. Tom Vitale, one of the vice
presidents of the Sci-Fi channel was once quoted as saying: "Actually,
that's the secret of the whole thing: Although we debate these issues
inside SciFi, the real power lies with you. We make decisions every day,
and then you, the viewer, tell us if we were right or wrong. Related
genres that earn high ratings and positive letters and e-mails will
continue to air, and programming that you reject won't, Ultimately, the
decisions made by SciFi's programmers are really in your hands." Well, we
the viewers are now trying to tell him what we want. I guess I just want
to see once and for all whether or not he was telling the truth. (Because
frankly, I refuse to believe that shows like "Tremors: The Series" and
"The Dream Team" could possibly have gotten even close to as many
positive letters and e-mails as Farscape has in the past few months.)

Thank you again for your great article.

Sincerely,

[my name], Farscape enthusiast.

PS: I know you are probably a little tired of hearing people talk about
why Farscape is such a great show, but in case you are still interested,
here is an article that I think does a very good job of summing up just
why it is that so many people love it so much:
http://www.farscapeworld.com/other/other/newbies.shtml. I hope you can check it out.


What do you guys think? Was that OK? (Oh, and RescueFarscape -- thanks for that Tom Vitale quote, by the way. ;) )

[Meltdown]

Originally posted by Mickie
I am pleased to report that the article was on the first page of the Tech section and had a pointer to it on the front page of the paper.

:D

Not only on the FRONT page of the Tech section (across the whole front page) but it also had a large picture of the ratscape astronaut John wanted poster in bright orange. Very eye catching :eek:

MD

[RescueFarscape]

That was great! :thumbs:

Good article to point him to. I just read that for the first time last night!

[harveywhispers]

Too cool!!!

Michelle

[waltersgirl]

just a sidenote....do you guys all realize that the particular evil smiley that kimrb uses above is actually flipping people off? those aren't two thumbs up. just so you know.

[atlantagirl]

waltersgirl, I've been wondering for a long time whether people realized what their smiley was doing.

Just in case, guys, the *thumbs* smiley is a thumbs up :thumbs:

The *finger* smiley is the bird :finger:

And they are not necessarily mutually interchangeable. :lol

Oh, and Beowulf -- sorry to go OT again :shutup:

[beowulf]

Originally posted by atlantagirl
Oh, and Beowulf -- sorry to go OT again :shutup: S'okay. I've given up. :rolleyes: Plus, I'm still :rofl: from the fact that Kim's been flipping us off all this time! :rollin:

[waltersgirl]

:D

[atlantagirl]

http://slashdot.org/articles/02/12/09/2035207.shtml?tid=167

This one was sparked by the Pioneer Press reporter.

On a side note, I just don't get slashdot. :confused:

[waltersgirl]

press is press, just keep telling yourself that. :D

[wmdopple]

Originally posted by atlantagirl
On a side note, I just don't get slashdot. :confused:

What's to get? It's a bunch of bored techies, blabbing about whatever keeps 'em interested.

Good place to get news, and a good source of interesting links and info... if you don't mind picking through the worthless bits. :D

[kimrb]

See what happens when you combine an old dog and new tricks. Having bi-focals doesn't help either. My bad.
I'm very pleased to see a second blog from our newest, and favorite, media guy. I can only echo beowulf's comments about treating this gentleman with the nothing but respect. And it looks like we've infected another muggle.:aok:

[ojezap]

Hi, I thought I'd post a thank you to all the Scapers who took the time to write me regarding my recent article. My Outlook new-mail chime was dinging pretty much nonstop yesterday. I think you've dethroned my Macintosh-using readers for sending me the most e-mail on a single subject. Yowza. Anyhow, I hope you'll keep me posted on Save Farscape developments. I'll consider writing a follow-up article as developments warrant.

Since I'm not sure I'll be regularly trolling your boards, I recommend contacting me at jojeda@pioneerpress.com with any news or other information.

P.S. I did get a chance to watch a bunch of Farscape episodes as research for my story, and I do like the series.

Take care!

Julio

[DangerWillRobinson]

So cool he took the time to come and register to say thanks.:) :aok:

[DangerWillRobinson]

The author took the time to register and to say thanks. Check out the Thread on this board.

[atlantagirl]

Welcome to the Dark Side, Julio!

You may now consider yourself an honorary nutjob. :bgb:

[GeekedOut]

That's great! Thanks for popping in!

[dalantmm]

:joy: I got my response. OK, it was for everybody, but hey. I'm part of everybody.:party: :party: :party: What a brave soul to venture into our twisted domain. :aok: Welcome!:D

[Tokeya]

:D A BIG Scaper welcome to Julio!!!

[Selena]

Oh dear! Did my response come across as 'pissed off' with the editorial? It wasn't meant to. I just wanted to clarify a couple of points. I think the article was reasonably well written and pretty much factual - unlike many articles that explore only one view.

My annoyance is with the drongos (an Aussie term for morons) at Sci-Fi for sabotaging the series by a lack of publicity, their asinine scheduling and show cancellation. :boom:

As for the comments in response to my 'post' I must agree, that I too am somewhat fanatical when it comes to Farscape (although I don't foam at the mouth much - well not often anyway!) :elol: I've gone to great lengths to tell at least one person per day the Farscape storyline. I've even seriously contemplated buying the 1st episode on DVD and VHS to give as Christmas presents to all my friends and family. :D

If nothing else, this campaign has put all of us in touch with some wonderfully creative people. I am just blown away by the brilliance of some of the marketing ideas and other publicity suggestions - the cookbook being one of them. Pity Sci-Fi doesn't employ these creative geniuses. If they did the show would have never been cancelled. And although I don't see the faces behind the internet names, I feel like they are friends. :aok:

I am now hanging out, waiting impatiently for the T-shirts and bumper stickers and posters to appear so that I can adorn my car / office / briefcase / home etc.:rollin:

[ZHAANSSON]

I read that article with such pride. The comments regarding all of us as nut-jobs was hilarious since everyone here has intelligence, creativity and beautiful hearts. Those comments reinforced the weakness of the Sci-Fi Channel and the strengths and heart this group has shown in it's collaboration.

Everyone please give yourself a round of applause!

I'm so proud.

And a special thank you to those that interviewed for the article, your professionalism was wonderful.

[JA_Shipper]

Thanks for coming to the boards to respond, Julio!! :aok:

Suse

[Selena1]

I have to agree...it seems people around me only listen to be polite anymore...and today my daughter, while in the car, went off how everything with me these days is Farscape Farscape Farscape and that while she likes the show, she's sick of hearing about it.

*Sigh*......either I'm overly obsessed or she isn't interested enough...lol

[Shipscat]

Another one bites the dust!

And what is this about the MAc users? I have a Mac....

[RescueFarscape]

WOW

And a huge Scaper welcome, Julio.

Thanks for posting.

[ChampaignWalt]

That's a great article. I just thanked him in an email. I also included my demographics -- just in case there is a follow-up article.

[RescueFarscape]

http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=79218#post79218

And there it is, so you don't have to go searchin'.

His post's third from the top :thumbs:

Hey! This post has been merged! It really did make sense when I submitted it:lol:

[Selena]

It's a teenager / parent thing Selena1! I used to find, that if I was interested (substitue obsessed if you wish) in anything my teens were interested in, their interest quickly waned. So much for being a 'cool' parent!

I did however exact my personal revenge on this behavior, but had to wait quite a few years to do so. It is stated quite aptly in the movie STTWOK, "Revenge is a dish best served cold!"
As a teen, my youngest son was sick of hearing about the Vulcan this and the Vulcan that from Star Trek.
When he was married last year (now aged 30) and I was asked to toast the Bride and Groom ... (untraditional Aussie wedding) ... I finished with the toast ... "Live long and prosper!" and the entire reception party echoed the toast! :elol:

[waltersgirl]

bump

[trubador]

Blue suggested that i post this info into this thread as well. Enjoy, ya'll.
=============================
Originally posted by trubador
FYI...

In today's "TV Star" (The weekly local tv guide insert for the Ventura County Star newspaper) there is a cover story by it's editor, David Mason. The cover title is "Let's Chat: Fans go online for debates about 'Buffy,' 'Star Trek,' 'Friends' and other shows" (with a picture of Buffy's James Marsters).

The 2-page story starts on page three with the title, "Caught in the Web: Chat rooms revolve aound fans' favorite tv shows." Most of the article centers on chat rooms, bboards, fan fiction, bloodyawfulpoet.com, and the three shows mentioned above. But about 2/3's of the way thru the article are these two paragraphs:
=================================
"Fans at www.savefarscape.com are betting on the power of the Net to save the show at the 11th hour. Eleven new episodes will air, beginning Jan. 10, and fans say they hope to improve viewership to a 2.0 ratings share, something they think will make the Sci-Fi network change its mind. The network shocked fans and producers eariler this fall by cancelling what many see as the best sci-fi show on TV.

"The 'Farscape' fan site has served as a central place organizing grassroots fan clubs around country and the world. One result of that coordination has been fans producing their own TV commercials to publicize "Farscape." They're now airing 24 cities, including Los Angeles."
=====================================

There was also a Farscape photo with the caption:
"Fans are working to save 'Farscape' through efforts coordinated at www.savefarscape.com. the series stars, from left to right, Gigi Edgley, Rygel (voiced by Jonathan Hardy), Anthony Simcoe, Claudia Black and Ben Browder."

For those of you who want to thank Mr. Mason on this blurb/article, he can be reached at mason@insidevc.com