Antrobus
03-27-2003, 08:26 AM
I haven't posted on FMD before although I've been a member for awhile. I've been posting over on the Kansas board. Anyway, there was a rather candid discussion in the current SFX mag regarding FarScape's creators friction with SciFi. It sounded like it was very unpleasant. If anyone was slightly disappointed with Season Four's beginning, it was SciFi's fault for pushing Kemper in a direction he didn't really want to go in.
Anyway, after reading it I found it interesting that several days prior to reading or knowing about the SFX article I sent the following letter to Ms Hammer and the other SciFi goons. I was urged by someone at the Kansas board to post the letter here as well. It goes to show that even someone on the sidelines could readily see what SciFi was doing to Farscape! So without delay....
Bonnie Hammer, President, The Sci-Fi Channel
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020-1513
March 20, 2003
Dear Ms. Hammer
After watching the recent FarScape trilogy "We're So Screwed" it is still incomprehensible to me how SciFi could cancel such an engaging, unique and quality show.
The Nielsen ratings for the second half of Farscape's Season Four appeared to be doing well given the fact that SciFi was offering the show no publicity. If your argument for canceling FarScape is that the SciFi channel is currently available in more households than it was when Farsape first aired four years ago (and thus felt it should be showing stronger ratings), then one must counter argue that SciFi showed no commitment in advertising FarScape to these new households.
Anyone familiar with business strategy knows that a product doesn't sell itself. It requires an advertising strategy in order to thrive and grow. SciFi denied FarScape that advertising strategy. I do not know whether that lack of advertising was intentional or not. If it was intentional, then the fact that FarScape's ratings did not show growth has to be attributed to SciFi and not to FarScape. If it was not intentional, the same still holds true since it shows a lack of management and direction at SciFi.
Any fan of good Science Fiction must question the current management of SciFi. I am well informed of public statements you have made regarding the genre and the road you want to take the SciFi channel down. I couldn't disagree with you more. I find from your comments that you appear to be out of touch with true Science Fiction enthusiasts. You appear willing to broadcast material of questionable merit and quality and then try to pass it off as Science Fiction. You then expect that the public will accept that material as Science Fiction without question or complaint. The failure of "The Dream Team" illustrates my point. There's a lesson to be learned there. I hope you are able to recognize it.
As for Farscape, SciFi had committed itself to a fifth season of the series. I don't see why you could not have delivered that fifth season, especially in light of all the advertising you spent on the now defunct The Dream Team. I predict you'll get the same ratings failures from Scare Tactics and Tremors - The Series. I envision all that wasted money as having been able to fund the fifth (and final) season of FarScape - even an abbreviated one. I believe that all FarScape fans would agree with me and therein is where much viewer frustration with SciFi springs. You squandered money on projects that failed and simultaneously sabotaged your second highest rated original series.
I am extremely disappointed in SciFi at this time. I see nothing currently on the network that is of interest to me. Perhaps in the future there will be some quality series like FarScape on SciFi. If and when I encounter it, I will watch it. However, from what I've read that the network will be showing throughout the coming year, I see nothing that appears promising or enticing. FarScape will be a tough act to follow.
In closing I would ask that if you indeed have no further interest in a final season of FarScape that you release the rights you hold to the eighty-eight previous episodes to the Henson Company. If you would do so, FarScape might be marketable to another network that would give it a new home and a new life. It seems that that would be the appropriate action SciFi should take in light of the fact that it reneged on a promise it made to FarScape's creators, actors and fans. Duplicity is not an attractive attribute.
Sincerely,
cc: Mark Stern, Head of Programming, The SciFi Channel
Michael Jackson, President and CEO, USA Entertainment
Thomas Vitale, Senior VP of Acquisitions, Scheduling, and Program Planning, The
SciFi Channel
Anyway, after reading it I found it interesting that several days prior to reading or knowing about the SFX article I sent the following letter to Ms Hammer and the other SciFi goons. I was urged by someone at the Kansas board to post the letter here as well. It goes to show that even someone on the sidelines could readily see what SciFi was doing to Farscape! So without delay....
Bonnie Hammer, President, The Sci-Fi Channel
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020-1513
March 20, 2003
Dear Ms. Hammer
After watching the recent FarScape trilogy "We're So Screwed" it is still incomprehensible to me how SciFi could cancel such an engaging, unique and quality show.
The Nielsen ratings for the second half of Farscape's Season Four appeared to be doing well given the fact that SciFi was offering the show no publicity. If your argument for canceling FarScape is that the SciFi channel is currently available in more households than it was when Farsape first aired four years ago (and thus felt it should be showing stronger ratings), then one must counter argue that SciFi showed no commitment in advertising FarScape to these new households.
Anyone familiar with business strategy knows that a product doesn't sell itself. It requires an advertising strategy in order to thrive and grow. SciFi denied FarScape that advertising strategy. I do not know whether that lack of advertising was intentional or not. If it was intentional, then the fact that FarScape's ratings did not show growth has to be attributed to SciFi and not to FarScape. If it was not intentional, the same still holds true since it shows a lack of management and direction at SciFi.
Any fan of good Science Fiction must question the current management of SciFi. I am well informed of public statements you have made regarding the genre and the road you want to take the SciFi channel down. I couldn't disagree with you more. I find from your comments that you appear to be out of touch with true Science Fiction enthusiasts. You appear willing to broadcast material of questionable merit and quality and then try to pass it off as Science Fiction. You then expect that the public will accept that material as Science Fiction without question or complaint. The failure of "The Dream Team" illustrates my point. There's a lesson to be learned there. I hope you are able to recognize it.
As for Farscape, SciFi had committed itself to a fifth season of the series. I don't see why you could not have delivered that fifth season, especially in light of all the advertising you spent on the now defunct The Dream Team. I predict you'll get the same ratings failures from Scare Tactics and Tremors - The Series. I envision all that wasted money as having been able to fund the fifth (and final) season of FarScape - even an abbreviated one. I believe that all FarScape fans would agree with me and therein is where much viewer frustration with SciFi springs. You squandered money on projects that failed and simultaneously sabotaged your second highest rated original series.
I am extremely disappointed in SciFi at this time. I see nothing currently on the network that is of interest to me. Perhaps in the future there will be some quality series like FarScape on SciFi. If and when I encounter it, I will watch it. However, from what I've read that the network will be showing throughout the coming year, I see nothing that appears promising or enticing. FarScape will be a tough act to follow.
In closing I would ask that if you indeed have no further interest in a final season of FarScape that you release the rights you hold to the eighty-eight previous episodes to the Henson Company. If you would do so, FarScape might be marketable to another network that would give it a new home and a new life. It seems that that would be the appropriate action SciFi should take in light of the fact that it reneged on a promise it made to FarScape's creators, actors and fans. Duplicity is not an attractive attribute.
Sincerely,
cc: Mark Stern, Head of Programming, The SciFi Channel
Michael Jackson, President and CEO, USA Entertainment
Thomas Vitale, Senior VP of Acquisitions, Scheduling, and Program Planning, The
SciFi Channel