caffienekitty | Rant: No frigging way.

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Rant: No frigging way.

This will primarily be of concern to people watching CityTV, so mostly Canadians. But if you're a sci-fi or Supernatural fan, you might be interested. Contains ranting, irrationality, and a wee bit of R-rated language.

As of this coming fall, CityTV stations will no longer air any sci-fi. At all.

According to this article, CityTV has announced it won't be airing any sci-fi programs this fall. Nothing. No Supernatural, no Reaper, no Stargate, none of the weird quirky ones that show up on Saturday afternoon that no one has ever heard of, like the Collector, or Relic Hunter. No nothing. I repeat. This isn't only Supernatural, this is all of their sci-fi programming.

They've decided they want to run more reality TV shows and ~~prime time soapy "who's doing who" crap~~ 'plastic surgery and fashion dramas'. To me, this is a ploy to force people who want sci-fi to subscribe to their specialty 'Space' channel. I was actually thinking about doing that before they pulled this bullshit. Now I'm very seriously considering changing my cell phone service provider because they are owned by the same company that decided this crap, Rogers Media Inc.

Oh and here's a lovely quote from the article:

""They're definitely trying to make the station lighter, in terms of programming that's not so dark or sci-fi-themed," says media buyer Valerie McMorran, of Starcom MediaVest. She notes that the fall lineup skews more female, citing Lipstick Jungle, Nip/Tuck and Ugly Betty as titles that will draw predominantly women."

Gee. Where have I heard that before? :-P

Who gave these people the idea that all women want to watch shows about people having sex, gossiping and talking about clothes, make-up, and plastic surgery? I'm female. Personally, I wouldn't go near that kind of stuff without a HazMat suit. No offense intended to anyone that does like it. That's just my own tastes and opinion. Like everybody else, I'm an individual, not a demographic.

Here is CityTV Vancouver's contact page, here is the station's 'Speaker's Corner' for Vancouver, an online version of their public opinion booths available around the lower mainland as far as I know and possibly also available in and around other cities with CityTV stations. I think I've got snail-mail addresses for four of the CityTV stations (found on the FAQ pages for each station, along with their main switchboard numbers), and might have one for Rogers Media Inc. (via a third party that thinks 'CANON' is a Canadian province, so I have no idea how reliable their info might be. :-P)

I need to calm down about this before I write anything to any of these people. I am seriously pissed. I can't even coherently describe why.

It's not even that I won't be able to see the new season of Supernatural when it comes out, because I will. I'm in an area lucky enough to have another viewing option, even if it is a dancing-green-baloney-Pussycat-Doll-splat-filled option (provided the CW doesn't fold and CW11 doesn't decide to switch teams some time over this summer *knocks wood*) It's just that this is like... it's like being a sci-fi fan back in high school. Sci-fi is getting stuffed into a locker by the 'popular' kids for being too weird. Again.

I've been ill though. I've had a bit of time off work and as a result my bullshit tolerance is way, way down. I'm probably over-reacting to this. I sure don't feel like I am right now. :-P

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i don't think its overreacting, its straight up bullshit. its exactly as you said, like the cw, with them pushing gossip girl and thinking that all girls/women will watch it. i watch gossip girl on occasion and one tree hill. but i don't love htem like i love supernatural and moreso than that, i cant tell you how many friggin times i have told people on message boards for fans of those shows that are all "OMG gossip girl is all women demographic!" by the stupid tweenies and me telling me, um...supernatural is mainly all females too you jackoffs.

i agree with the whole feeling like a geek thing. i love star wars, lord of the rings, harry potter, supernatural, roswell. those are all sci fi related things and i know im a geek okay? but i still hate when people act like woman must love shows that have to do with make up and clothes and men must like sports and blood and thats all.

*trying to Hulk out*

didn't work....

did use the contact link to send a letter that started with 'horrified and disgusted' though :)

maybe over-reacting a little....but that's what rants are for. And seriously, this is big. And stupid.

gah.

Ok I won't type all the cursing I was just uttering--but #$@#$@! Why do people always go with the lowest common denomonator, and yes, think all women want to watch soaps and pathetic reality shows that make most of us want to hurl things, or just plain..puke. Ok when I can be more coherent I am sending emails..this...%^$#@%. People are bloody hopeless, especially faceless corporations when they believe they are doing things "in the public interest." Bloody bull.

Sharon

additional - sending the links to the article and contact page to a friend who is a Stargate devotee. I imagine she'll be annoyed as hell too.

*gapey mouth* NO! Did they hire Dawn Ostroff or something?!

They. Did. NOT. *growls*

Do they not understand the demographics of their SF shows? Supernatural = watched by women. Stargate = watched by women. Reaper = … probably watched by women. Quirky ones = same as Reaper. And who says we can't be female and like guns, knives, demons, aliens, spaceships, and interesting combinations thereof? Honestly.

I've a mind to write them a letter or something too, but later, when I'm coherent, and have had time to think it over. Also, if we could scare up enough BC fans, we could probably arrange a picket or two. Perhaps hazmat suits could be involved.

Lucky, I subscribe through Shaw, whose basic viewing package includes Space, so at the very, very least, I'll get reruns.

Don't think you're overreacting, no. It's not the lack of Supernatural. It's the sexism, and I totally get behind that. The female geek must be heard!

"Lipstick Jungle, Nip/Tuck and Ugly Betty"

Oh, frell me. Yeah, no, not all women want to watch those, me included.

It's a ploy for cheaper tv, if anything. reality shows cost buttons to produce and buy in. Scripted drama costs and everytime you show it, you have to pay repeat fees.

You don't for reality.

It's somewhere around 40% of women and a corresponding number of men don't like the programmes aimed at their gender. However, 60% do and there's more them than one of us;P The channel's figured they'll make more dough off pleasing 60% all of the time than varying mixes the rest of the time.

But trying to find a fitness mag that wasn't airheaded and how to look cute at the gym is torture.

Exactly. It's a generalization and it does not hold true.

This is frustrating because this is the only non-cable station that carries any sci-fi around here. CW is a cable station for us, and the Space channel is a specialty channel like the sci-fi network, so anyone who can't get or can't afford cable just had 90% of their access to sci-fi programming cut, because this one station had the majority of available non-cable sci-fi available. They basically have been airing any sci-fi shows filmed in Vancouver. arg.

If I had the time and cash, I'd drive over to Vancouver and spam their 'Speaker's corner" boxes with "Bring back science fiction" protests. While holding a really big sign because I would drop dead if I showed up on TV, and that would not be a useful course of action.

Awesome! Spread the word! :-)

Exactly. I just tried to send a coherent comment and it degenerated into "You people are idiots" only in greater, more profane detail. :-P

That's exactly what I thought. They've come cown with a bad case of Dawn Ostroffism, the disease that makes networks think all women are sex and appearance obsessed twinkies. :-P

Exactly. I wish I knew people in Vancouver or the other CityTV cities I could spread this to. Get people together and do protests in front of their speaker's corner locations and studios. :-(

I subscribe through Shaw, whose basic viewing package includes Space

I'm on Shaw too, but it's not included in my area. It's an extra 23 bucks a month to get that channel and a whole shwackload of other crap. :-P Like I say, I was thinking about it originally, but now it feels like it's being forced on me, and I am very not happy about that.

Exactly. I hate that kind of stuff, always have. Why do they have to make these stupid assumptions about people?? I don't know a single person who fits into what would be assumed about them based on their demographic.

It's a ploy for cheaper tv

That too. And it digusts me. I could rant endlessly about Reality TV, but I know there are people out there who like it, and hell, I even went to a Survivor finale party or two once. It really pisses me off now because scripted dramas, even as crappy as many of them are, are the popular artform of this century. In ten years, who is going to know or remember a single reality show contestant eating bugs or having cow brains dumped on them? It's a spectacle, nothing more. There is no storytelling, there is no enduring cultural or monetary value in a reality show. It's on, someone wins, it's over. The repeats run for lousy ratings, because what's the flaming point of watching if you know who wins?

Guess I ranted anyway. Sorry... :-/

It's somewhere around 40% of women and a corresponding number of men don't like the programmes aimed at their gender.

See, that toasts my muffins. If they know this, why are they even still bothering to categorize things by gender demographic? Just make a good show and let whoever likes it like it!

However, 60% do and there's more them than one of us

We'll just have to be louder to make up for our numbers. :-)

FACK! your kidding!? grrr! at least at school i get the CW in the main room (or at least i did...) but FUCK!

thats just NOT COOL!. not cool at all!

*is thinking of starting a protest*

Why oh why do they always pick on the geeks? SciFi fans are the most devoted, loyal fans that are. Do they really think that soap fans would watch the same episode over & over again and be grateful for the opportunity? Thankfully I have always subscribed to Space, so I am not affected too badly but come on "reality shows" suck - I won't reveal what but it's completely gross. Gossip shows are boring - why would anyone care about that crap. As for fashion shows - half an hour once a season is all anyone ever needs. Besides which I never seen one that deals with the reality of regular lifestyles, it's all stuff I couldn't afford, isn't available here and won't suit me anyway. Why not just run infomercials 24/7? As for "drama" there are a finite possible set of situations they can come up with, and once you have seen them all - it's just not that interesting anymore - you might as well watch soaps and rot your brain. If this is what City plans, I won't put them on for background noise - that's what the radio is for.

The CityTV Snail-mail adresses are on the FAQ pages at each City site... and occasionally telephone numbers and fax numbers....

Exactly. The thing is, until the 80's and 90's, sci-fi fans were used to and often proud of, being a semi-secret subculture. Networks are still operating on the assumption that if they pound on the geeks, we'll take it quietly and go back to lurking silently underground. We've had a heyday the past ten years or so, with Sci-fi shows entering and in some cases taking over the mainstream. We aren't the furtive shadowy sci-fi fans of yesteryear, keeping quiet so we don't get beat on. We're mainstream, and we aren't going back.

When the program change comes in, I'm boycotting CityTV. Not that that'll be hard, considering the only stuff they'll have on is stuff I never watch anyway. :-P

I don't know very many, but I'll spread the word about this to those who do. With luck, they can tell their friends, who'll tell their friends… XD

Aw man, that's unfortunate, and an awful lot of money to pay for, basically, one good station too. Yech.

*nods* I think its easier to make my feelings known by NOT watching the network at all... *nods* yeah.

I wonder how their ratings will drop?

I'm kind of wondering, since they haven't made any big public announcements if they're hoping that people will just accept the change and either watch the new stuff or not watch at all without making any noise about it. I doubt that since this is the schedule they are showing their advertisers that it is open to being changed before next fall, but I'm not going to let them do it without telling them exactly what I think about it. Once I calm down enough not to start swearing violently mid-letter. :-P

Best case that can be hoped for I think is enough intelligent negative comments going in now and in the fall to make them reconsider their decision when it comes time to plan next year's schedule.

HOLY SHIT. O_o I have just emailed them locally. Hopefully enough like-minded women can smack some sense into them!

Women, men, fish, it's all good. Like-minded smackery shall occur. *nods*

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