Gah, clueless television producers

[wraithfodder]

Someone posted this link on their LJ - http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117998604.html?categoryid=3521&cs=1# -

"We want people to come to this who've never heard of 'Battlestar Galactica,' " explains Sci Fi prexy Dave Howe, whose network has ordered 20 hours of the new series. "I think there was a barrier to entry for some viewers (for 'Galactica'), since it had the backdrop of space and spaceships."

Moore concurs, saying "We had viewers say that if they were able to trick their wives or girlfriends into watching 'Galactica,' they loved it."

But with the name "Battlestar Galactica" "screaming science fiction," he adds, "there was just such a high hurdle to get female viewers to even try it."

Did they think that women didn't watch scifi? Do they not realize how many women do watch scifi? I mean, gah, go to a convention sometime! And Stargate Atlantis and SG-1 seem to have lots of female fans. Maybe they just didn't, er, like BSG? Good grief, if space and spaceships were a 'barrier', then why did Star Trek succeed so well? Hmm...

Meanwhile, I have this feeling they will somehow tag-team Caprica with Stargate Universe after reading about Carpica... "You can just feel it running out of control, with its youth culture and its moral choices. There's doom in the air, but not doom in terms of the human spirit," Moore says.

Eh, kevetching done ;)

Comments

[whisper99.livejournal.com]

Well, this woman never made the jump to BSG because THEY CUT OFF STARBUCKS DICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARGH!!

As you can see I have some minor issues with the show. *cough*

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I remember when they decided 'starbuck will be a woman.' I mean, for those of who grew up with Dirk Benedict as Starbuck, well....

[whisper99.livejournal.com]

And try as I might, I just...I can't deal with it. They gutted the show when they made Starbuck a woman, IMO. The important part for me was the relationship between Starbuck and Apollo (closer even than brothers) - everything else would have been icing on the cake.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough, Starbuck didn't really turn me off from the show, but the camerawork (shaky), music and costuming (their outfits just screamed "I'm going to the gym") just annoyed me. Maybe I'll check it all out once the show is done and over and I can borrow the DVDs from someone, but it's not a priority...

[whisper99.livejournal.com]

I would have even settled for them killing off Starbuck in the pilot, and then saying Kara or whatever her name is was his wife/sister/whatEVER and took on his call sign to remember him by. Had they done that, I would have had less issues with the show.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

I can never understand why when they remake a show (which they do far too often) that they have to change the characters around from the original ones. Sigh.

[whisper99.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

[dovil.livejournal.com]

Did they think that women didn't watch scifi? Do they not realize how many women do watch scifi?

Ah, but only the woman who have been tricked into watching by their significant male others watch sci fi, otherwise we're too busy watching Lifetime Movies of the Week and crying while eating chocolates. Women also only watch sport because of men and feign interest, not having the necessary competitive nature to really enjoy it as nature has designed us to coo over babies and write sonnets about love 24/7.

Moore has just shown that he is a. Out of touch with their own networks demographics, b. Out of touch with women since 1954.

[timespirt.livejournal.com]

Well, since they changed all the men to woman for the most part, why would they expect woman to watch it!!!

[artemisiabrisol.livejournal.com]

Word.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Well, according to Television, the demographic of sci-fi viewers is made up of skinny, socially awkward teenage boys who can't get a date to the prom, and grown men who still live at home in their mother's basement.

[dovil.livejournal.com]

Found this, so yeah, just a LEETLE bit out of touch me thinks:

The first half of Battlestar Galactica season 4 averaged a 1.8 Household rating, 1,576,000 Adults 18-49 (+15%); 1,726,000 Adults 25-54 (+19%) and 2,326,000 total viewers (+13%). Battlestar enjoyed its best season ever for female viewers, delivering 592,000 Women 18-49 and 646,000 Women 25-54.

From here: http://nbcumv.com/scifi/release_detail.nbc/scifi-20081217000000-scifihasbestyear.html

[reedfem.livejournal.com]

I don't believe it's that they don't think women watch scifi, it's that they don't care...

[libra-traveller.livejournal.com]

Yes, but those grown men living in their mother's basement were probably introduced to scifi by their mothers!

[nialla]

Moore concurs, saying "We had viewers say that if they were able to trick their wives or girlfriends into watching 'Galactica,' they loved it."

Urge. To. Kill. Rising.

[points to icon for what seems like the eleventy billionth time]

[monkey-junkey.livejournal.com]

Ugh. The networks seriously need to change the way they determine their demographics.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Ha! Probably ;)

Clueless BSG TPTB

[sgafan33.livejournal.com]

I don't get it. Moore used to guest at Star Trek conventions. Now, if he had only gone to Trek conventions before Next Gen aired, he'd be right in his impression that the scifi audience was mostly guys, even though the campaign to bring back the original Star Trek was led by a woman. At least, that was my experience. But after Next Gen aired, I found the convention audience to be closer to half and half. And it's pretty much stayed that way. In fact, depending on the guests, a scifi/genre convention can skew more female.

Maybe the guys aren't going to conventions but are holed up in their basements watching tv.

[ladyniko.livejournal.com]

Oh, don't get me started on the idiots at Skiffy....

Bonnie Hammer, said, "I just couldn't get into it because of the hair." - in regards to the original BSG. This coming from a NETWORK EXECUTIVE....

I saw Dirk Benedict at a con in STL when they were talking about the remake & he said that he was only offered a bit part, not even a recurring role in the remake.

The people at Skiffy are still using the outdated models and totally ignoring the women when it comes to their programs. They still think that we don't watch anything more than reality and/or game shows at night along with the soaps during the day. (And, I watch none of the above - I run screaming in horror from stuff like Survivor & Big Brother... :p)

[ladyniko.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the camera work & the uniform tank tops - you'd think that going out into a space fighter, you'd want something more substantial to wear.....

The music didn't turn me off so much - I did like the opening theme.

However, the whole let's shove it full of sex to make the women watch mindset - totally turned me off. I wanted to see more interactions with the characters, yes, but to have it be a soap opera of who's sleeping w/ whose wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend of the moment totally got annoying.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

I never lasted far enough (1/2 through pilot, 1/2 way through two episodes) to see all the sex stuff, althought I'd read stuff here and there. Oh dear, but I do watch some Lifetime movies (not all) but certainly not eating chocolate while watching them) ;) But I do watch a lot of scifi. And even a totally male show, I'm sure "Destroyed in Seconds."! Take that, demographic collectors ;)

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

:)

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

They haven't figured out the downloading population yet, so.... long way aways :(

[colls]

It's been a common rant the past couple of years. My understanding is that a good majority of LJ'rs in fandom are women, so of course we make a big deal about it. There was some comm built on the "we're not the demographic" rant when SGU was announced although for the life of me I can't seem to find it at the moment. As a thirtysomething with disposable income enough to spend on fandom, the whole attitude of catering to young males raises my hackles a bit. On the other hand, if that's what TPTB have been doing all along and we're still fans... ^-^ just a thought...

But, that being said. Starbuck as a woman frakkin rocks!! I wish I had balls like her. ;) Sorry, but I had to say it. BSG is one of my many fandoms and the RDM's series has me hooked. Pairing Caprica with SGU isn't a bad thing in my book, but it doesn't impact me all that much personally, although I suppose it does impact the health of the shows overall.
I don't have cable and buy what I watch on iTunes anyway. (see, TPTB, I said buy, I purchase, spend greenbacks, the almighty money you're so greedy about).

Wow, I got chatty. What the hell did my coworker's put in that pot of coffee this morning?

[oxbastetxo.livejournal.com]

Seriously! I have to agree here. What a bunch of idiots! I was introduced to Scifi by....MY MOTHER! She started me on Trek when I was 5!

*sigh*

You know how many guys I've introduced to Scifi shows!!! Shoot! That was on of the things I was waiting to see about S and yes, he likes Scifi!