TNN is no more -- long live "Spike"??!?!
04-15-03, 05:28 PM
#1
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TNN is no more -- long live "Spike"??!?!
Saw this story on the news wire, had to share it here... Quite bizarre, IMHO. We'll see if it works!
TNN changes its name to Spike, seeking male viewers
By DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Spike is no longer just the name of a famous film director or a volleyball move. Now it’s the name of a cable network, too.
Struggling TNN — which just two years ago changed from The Nashville Network to The National Network— announced Tuesday that, effective June 16, it will call itself Spike TV and become the first network aimed specifically at men.
“We just like the idea of having a guy’s name,” said Albie Hecht, network president. “We thought that was smart and fun and irreverent.”
TNN’s switch isn’t exactly a stretch. Since it already airs World Wrestling Entertainment, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and a made-up game of basketball played on trampolines called “slam ball,” nearly two-thirds of TNN’s audience is male, anyway.
Lifetime, Oxygen and the Women’s Entertainment network all seek female viewers. Although outlets like ESPN have a mostly male audience, Hecht said Spike TV is the first to explicitly identify this as a goal.
The switch also enables TNN, and parent company Viacom, a chance to outmaneuver the publishers of Maxim magazine. Dennis Publishing is developing a cable channel called the Maxim Entertainment Network, or MEN.
Viacom’s attempt two years ago to keep the TNN initials, though, confused some viewers who still saw it as a regional, country music-oriented channel.
TNN’s ratings have been sagging, with an average prime-time audience of a little more than 1 million viewers during the first three months of 2003, down 16 percent from the same year-earlier period. TNN dropped from the eighth-most popular basic cable station to 14th.
Its most popular programs, Monday’s two WWE wrestling shows, are off 22 percent in viewership, with “Star Trek” down 32 percent, Nielsen Media Research said.
They will remain on Spike TV. Spike will also work with Men’s Health magazine to produce segments on fitness or relationships, and CBS Marketwatch to provide financial updates.
New programs in the works include “A Guy and His Stuff,” about gizmos and gadgets, and “Top 10 Things Every Guy Should Experience,” which will follow men to top sporting events like the Super Bowl.
Spike TV is already available in 86 million television homes.
Despite the name, Hecht promises the network will be no He-Man Woman Hater’s Club.
“We’ll be unapologetically male,” he said. “But it will also be a place where women are welcomed.”
TNN changes its name to Spike, seeking male viewers
By DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Spike is no longer just the name of a famous film director or a volleyball move. Now it’s the name of a cable network, too.
Struggling TNN — which just two years ago changed from The Nashville Network to The National Network— announced Tuesday that, effective June 16, it will call itself Spike TV and become the first network aimed specifically at men.
“We just like the idea of having a guy’s name,” said Albie Hecht, network president. “We thought that was smart and fun and irreverent.”
TNN’s switch isn’t exactly a stretch. Since it already airs World Wrestling Entertainment, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and a made-up game of basketball played on trampolines called “slam ball,” nearly two-thirds of TNN’s audience is male, anyway.
Lifetime, Oxygen and the Women’s Entertainment network all seek female viewers. Although outlets like ESPN have a mostly male audience, Hecht said Spike TV is the first to explicitly identify this as a goal.
The switch also enables TNN, and parent company Viacom, a chance to outmaneuver the publishers of Maxim magazine. Dennis Publishing is developing a cable channel called the Maxim Entertainment Network, or MEN.
Viacom’s attempt two years ago to keep the TNN initials, though, confused some viewers who still saw it as a regional, country music-oriented channel.
TNN’s ratings have been sagging, with an average prime-time audience of a little more than 1 million viewers during the first three months of 2003, down 16 percent from the same year-earlier period. TNN dropped from the eighth-most popular basic cable station to 14th.
Its most popular programs, Monday’s two WWE wrestling shows, are off 22 percent in viewership, with “Star Trek” down 32 percent, Nielsen Media Research said.
They will remain on Spike TV. Spike will also work with Men’s Health magazine to produce segments on fitness or relationships, and CBS Marketwatch to provide financial updates.
New programs in the works include “A Guy and His Stuff,” about gizmos and gadgets, and “Top 10 Things Every Guy Should Experience,” which will follow men to top sporting events like the Super Bowl.
Spike TV is already available in 86 million television homes.
Despite the name, Hecht promises the network will be no He-Man Woman Hater’s Club.
“We’ll be unapologetically male,” he said. “But it will also be a place where women are welcomed.”
04-15-03, 05:47 PM
#2
DVD Talk Hero
First, they need to get rid of the black bar at the bottom, second, if they want to attract the male audience, give us more male oriented movies, and events to focus the attention to us.
04-15-03, 05:48 PM
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04-15-03, 06:44 PM
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Even with the stupid name change, I have no desire to watch the "black bar" network.
Three name changes is rather odd: who do they think they are? ABC Family?
Three name changes is rather odd: who do they think they are? ABC Family?
04-15-03, 07:45 PM
#10
DVD Talk Legend
Horrible horrible name, but the idea of a channel for guys sounds solid. Unless of course, in a year Bonnie Hammer takes over and starts adding Oprah reruns and Bette Midler movie night, 'cuz she knows her target audiences so well. 
04-15-03, 07:55 PM
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The main question us nerds want to know.....
Will they keep showing reruns of TNG? I mean come on, you don't get more Male then that.
Will they keep showing reruns of TNG? I mean come on, you don't get more Male then that.
04-15-03, 08:00 PM
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Originally posted by Jackskeleton
The main question us nerds want to know.....
Will they keep showing reruns of TNG? I mean come on, you don't get more Male then that.
The main question us nerds want to know.....
Will they keep showing reruns of TNG? I mean come on, you don't get more Male then that.
All-males = ESPN
(Now how do we combine both
)
04-15-03, 08:37 PM
#16
DVD Talk Legend
I think every geek on the forum immediately thought what Josh posted when we read the title.
Nice to see that some people have enough confidence in Marsters to carry a whole network!!!
Nice to see that some people have enough confidence in Marsters to carry a whole network!!!
04-15-03, 09:07 PM
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SPIKE TV. Sounds really Proactive. 
Yeah, I'm glad other people hate the black bar. It's like those news crawlers except pointless. It just tells you the name of the show you're watching..
"Ohhhhh, its Star Trek"
No one is going to tune in for Bloodsport, Even if you do show it 3 nights in a row. I've wondered why they don't show CSI more, TV's top rated show, they have syndication rights, and its Never on there. I missed the first few years, so i'd tune in for that all the time.
If they're going to be so Heavy on the star trek, i wish they'd at least get DS9 in there to mix it up a little. I havn't had DS9 in my area since '96. And what's the deal with "TREK UNCUT" worst ad campaign on there... Was their a big problem with star trek episodes being edited for content??
Yeah, I'm glad other people hate the black bar. It's like those news crawlers except pointless. It just tells you the name of the show you're watching..
"Ohhhhh, its Star Trek"
No one is going to tune in for Bloodsport, Even if you do show it 3 nights in a row. I've wondered why they don't show CSI more, TV's top rated show, they have syndication rights, and its Never on there. I missed the first few years, so i'd tune in for that all the time.
If they're going to be so Heavy on the star trek, i wish they'd at least get DS9 in there to mix it up a little. I havn't had DS9 in my area since '96. And what's the deal with "TREK UNCUT" worst ad campaign on there... Was their a big problem with star trek episodes being edited for content??
04-15-03, 09:12 PM
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Well, I'd watch stuff on TNN if there wasn't a black bar covering full screen shows.
And maybe if they decided to be different and go back to the old way of showing bumpers and quit ruining shows with popups I'd watch even more. One thing I like about Scifi is that I find out titles of some B movies from the schedulebot that I never heard of before and might be interested in watching and then I try to see if I can rent it.
It's a shame I don't have any tapes of TV shows when all they did after commercials was pop up their logos and that's it. If I had them, I'd rather transfer those to DVD-R with lower quality than a recent copy from reruns on TV today with all the spam they show today.
I'm someone who can tell my nephew/nieces that watching a TV program was a pleasant experience without having part of the picture covered up.
And maybe if they decided to be different and go back to the old way of showing bumpers and quit ruining shows with popups I'd watch even more. One thing I like about Scifi is that I find out titles of some B movies from the schedulebot that I never heard of before and might be interested in watching and then I try to see if I can rent it.
It's a shame I don't have any tapes of TV shows when all they did after commercials was pop up their logos and that's it. If I had them, I'd rather transfer those to DVD-R with lower quality than a recent copy from reruns on TV today with all the spam they show today.
I'm someone who can tell my nephew/nieces that watching a TV program was a pleasant experience without having part of the picture covered up.
04-16-03, 06:01 AM
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Spike will also work with Men’s Health magazine to produce segments on fitness or relationships,
D
04-16-03, 10:21 AM
#25
DVD Talk Legend
Originally posted by Derrich
I hope they realize that guys don't watch fitness shows to learn how to get in shape.
D
I hope they realize that guys don't watch fitness shows to learn how to get in shape.
D
(Sorry -- Men's Health has always seemed like a PG-rated gay porn mag to me...
)