Little idea to do with SFX mag

[Mike@Pilots Chamber]

Be warned, this is one of my customary "off-the-wall" ideas that regularly don't work out the way anyone planned.

First, my congrats must go to Jadeshand for bringing up the SFX article in another thread. If you haven't read it, go here - http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8648

It contains interviews with David Kemper, Ben Browder and Claudia Black, and what Skiffy wanted from the show (if you can believe it, they wanted to turn it into a mix between South Park and Stargate).

You can also find the entire article there as well.

Anyway, how about we start sending this mag/pages from it/photocopied/scanned pages to Skiffy, AND other networks? I think just pages from it would work well, as nobody at Skiffy is going to bother looking through the entire magazine. And on the pages, highlight (either underline, or use a highlighter) some choice quotes proving how inept Skiffy were, and the large audience of Farscape?

Just a quick idea.

[vhsiv]

Good idea, though I am skeptical about sending anything to Skiffy, since they are the perpetrators. Maybe just one or two copies to Bonnie and Michael, so that they know that we know, and are in a position for a rebuttal, but no more.

Definitely the article ought to be PDF'ed and added to the online press kit. And the press contacts - Matt Roush, Diane Wertz, the *kind* Salon writer, etc. ought to get copies - if they haven't read them already...

But defefinitely to Viacom/Showtime/UPN...

[quendi]

btw, the *kind* Salon writer is Adrienne Crew.

and I agree, we should let Skiffy "know that we know".

[vhsiv]

Thanks, qwendi for being so sharp, so early in the a.m. The bonus round: There was another writer - Polish name, James (?) Poczwienak(?) or something like that, can't remember the publication? - 500 points.

[Mike@Pilots Chamber]

Maybe something else to go with it - a couple of e-mails to Adrienne Crew at SFX for producing such a great article (thanks quendi), and the other writer that vhsiv mentioned.

But yeah, limited distribution. We don't want to clog them up completely, just let them know we know. I think maybe we should ask SFX for permission on this one as well.

[Dominar of Action]

You shouldn't need SFX's permission to fax/mail pages out of their magazine.

[SabaceanBabe]

vhsiv, it was Time Magazine, and it was the article that sparked BraScape. I think you're right on the writer's name.

[DorothyGail]

Oh, yeah. This appeals to me. Rather than another letter, writing in the margins and highlights.

And a quote of the "Thank you and goodbye and frell you all" that SF put at the end of 422. Why was I not able to take that as an actual "Thank you" at face value?:moon:

[Mike@Pilots Chamber]

"Thank you and goodbye and frell you all" that SF put at the end of 422.

You better be joking. Skiffy better not have said that at the end of 422, though I wouldn't put it past them.

[VBKatLou]

Originally posted by vhsiv

Definitely the article ought to be PDF'ed and added to the online press kit. And the press contacts - Matt Roush, Diane Wertz, the *kind* Salon writer, etc. ought to get copies - if they haven't read them already...

But defefinitely to Viacom/Showtime/UPN...

I don't know, maybe it's a little too negative to include in the online press kit. I think the focus in the kit should be the high quality of the show, the broad demographics of the viewers, etc. I think it's better to keep the tone that is currently in place. It makes the kit look more professional. And while I found the article very interesting, network brass is not that interested in "behind the scenes gossip".

Of course, if an individual wants to send it, then fine. I just don't think the savefarscape.com name should be closely associated with spreading the article around.

It's like political campaigns. If you've ever noticed, most mudslinging ads are not payed for by the official (Republican/Democrat) party. They're paid for by "Friends of" that party.

Just my $.02 ;)

[jadeshand]

No, Mike, that's DG's translation which is how we American Scapers took it.

The actual quote was something along these lines:

"The Sci-Fi Channel would like to thank the creators, the cast and the viewers of Farscape for four great years."

I'm getting too old to feel such rage at a television screen.

[vhsiv]

James Poniewozik,
http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/from_redirect/0,10987,1101030317-430846,00.html
Unfortunately, the article is now in Time.com's pay-per-article archive, though we've got copy snurched on this site (http://www.watchfarscape.com/news/article.php?newsid=262).

I don't have a proper e-mail address for him, but I suspect if one were to send snail-mail to Time's NYC Headquarters, he'd get it.

James Poniewozik
Arts & Entertaiment
Time Inc.
1271 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

[MediaSavant]

I'm a bit uneasy about distributing this without Kemper's permission. Though he knew it would be published in a genre magazine, he may not have intended his words discussing his relationship with the network to be distributed to every network president who might be in the position of hiring him in the future.

Without David's implicit permission to distribute it that way, I wouldn't do it.

You must also keep in mind that the audience of network executives may not react to the content in the same way you do. Every one of them directs the creators of their shows to do things they may not want to do. Unless they have a runaway hit on their hands, every one of them has shows they'd like to see get higher ratings.

Their reaction to the article could be just the opposite of yours. They could see Kemper as a whiner and simpathize with the network's side.

It's a tension that is as old as Television itself--and probably goes back to radio.

[waltersgirl]

i'm inclined to agree with MediaSavant on this.

[uisceboo]

I am not comfortable with this for a few reasons.

One is that I am not sure what this will acheive, except to get the SFC crew in a bigger snit just when we want them to release the rights to Farscape reruns.

Two, if it's published, they already know that we know.

Three, I am solidly convinced that the entire TV industry knew about this last year, that this is the kind of dren they talk about at the watercooler, and that is why the press is so hard on Bonnie and supportive of Farscape.

The SciFi Channel set a bad, bad industry precedent by canning their flagship show, and they are being summarily flogged for it.

Granted, I enjoy being one of the people with the whip, but my objective is to put Farscape back on the air, not beat a dying horse....

"The Sci-Fi Channel would like to thank the creators, the cast and the viewers of Farscape for four great years."

...the last death rattle of a network that has committed slow, painful suicide.

[DorothyGail]

Mike - sorry, I sould have put some kind of tongue in cheek (maybe) smilies in there somewhere. I actuallly read their "thank you" to be a goodbye that included us viewers as well as Farscape cast and crew. In nicer words, a "see you 'round like a donut" kind of "thank you".

Nevertheless, we were all lumped in together in an ambiguous sort of way, as correctly quoted above.:(