Sci Fi Channel Steers Away From the “Geek” Demographic

I am a spelling snob, and my greatest pet peeve is the conscious misspelling of common words to make them appear more hip and cool. For example, “night” becomes “nite,” “light” becomes “lite,” etc. Somehow it has become okay to change the English language to one’s fickle delight. Imagine my frustration in this age of texting, Facebooking, and Twittering, wherein this genre of abbreviated writing is rampant.

The Sci Fi network is joining the bandwagon of language distortion. As of July 7, their name will change to SyFy in an effort to appear less geeky and appeal to a wider demographic.

According to Tim Brooks, who helped launch the Sci Fi Channel, “the name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that …” Seriously? Stereotyping and insulting your core audience is not the best marketing strategy.

The Sci Fi Channel has already tried to branch out by incorporating wrestling, original movies and reality shows in its programming. The name change is yet another step toward homogenization and the potential alienation of its most loyal viewers—the geeks. At least they know how to spell.

--Tessa G.