Syfy, why do you have to suck?

Its remarkable how much ill will the Sci Fi channel has garnered over the years. I’ve never seen so much ire directed at a cable channel. I guess they figured there was nothing left to lose when they re-branded the network as “Syfy.” The blogosphere has already eviscerated the branding change, so I won’t elaborate on that mysterious choice.

The channel was doomed to mediocrity from day one because the name “Sci Fi Channel” creates a wide range of expectations across a broad set of demographically diverse viewers. The channel would never be able to please everybody, especially in a class of entertainment that is dominated by high budget production values that a fledgling cable channel wouldn’t have access to. As a result of those early positioning issues, and a recurring theme of poor programming choices, the channel is plagued by the eternal question:

“Syfy, why do you have to suck so bad?”

Despite the goofy handle, Syfy is by no means a total loss. The channel has solid assets in their more recent series like Battlestar and the Stargate spinoffs. Even Eureka is watchable. Better programming decisions can repair the fragile relationship with the audience, and here’s programming fix #1:

LOSE THE WRESTLING.

Every piece of programming on a channel becomes part of the channel’s brand image. The programming itself becomes a statement of purpose for the channel, and you develop a relationship with the audience based on that programming history. There is no scenario where Professional Wrestling makes sense as part of the Syfy brand image. They had to have known this when they programmed ECW, and the audience knows that they know it, so it feels like a slap in the face. Any credibility they have generated with other programming goes out the window with choices like this. Syfy President Dave Howe claims that “ECW has successfully brought new younger viewers to our channel.” Even if that were true, its not a viable longterm strategy. Viewers attracted to a genre of programming that has nothing to do with the mission of the channel are not likely to stay, and any gains will come at the cost of alienating the existing audience. Syfy would gain a temporary ratings bump by showing soft core porn on Saturday nights, but that doesn’t mean its good for the brand.