It is so. damned. stupid. The Baby Boomers are richer than the generations that came after them (and there's bitterness about that). Unlike their parents and grandparents, they don't choose a brand and stick to it. It is not true that a Colgate buyer at 20 is a Colgate buyer at 50; that is why Colgate so frantically rebrands and tinkers all the time.
So why do they continue to court the cohort with the least disposable income, except for narrowly targeted products?
It seems like the television industry in general is flailing around with a lot of outdated modes of thinking at this point--everything from assumptions about demographic spending habits to methods for gathering ratings. But SciFi in particular seems determined that it wants to be the channel of men 18-24--witness all the wrestling programming. And hey, apparently ignoring its older and more female audience--which has plenty of money to spend on merchandise, and does so--makes good business sense somehow.
(Sadly, I suspect part of that thinking comes from the assumption that if you program for men, women will tune in anyway, which is another piece of thinking that I believe is increasingly outdated.)
I wish the weather would stay just like it is now for next weekend (aside from the fact that it looks like it's about to rain); the high today was around 82 degrees. In Atlanta! In August! It was heaven.
That elevator scene with Londo and G'Kar is high on my list of favorite scenes from the whole series. It's just so multi-layered. A majority of my favorite scenes from the series, in fact, involve the two of them.
And I must confess that Stargate Universe does not appeal to me AT ALL!!!! Two of the things I most appreciated about SG-1 (and even to an extent SGA, before we parted ways) were that a) the characters were adults with baggage and issues and life behind them, and b) it didn't all take place on a space ship. Obviously the second isn't a deal-breaker for me, considering the other ship-based shows I've loved, but somehow I don't think Universe is going to be another Farscape or BSG...
Londo and G'Kar are just fascinating to watch. I think there's a lot of what-could-have-been in their interactions, and the absolute, uncompromising harshness of what is instead.
One of the things I really, really love about SG-1 (and is also true of SGA, though it wasn't enough to counterbalance other things I didn't like in that show's case) is that the characters are all really good at what they do. They're experts, the best of the best, and even they have to stretch and struggle to come up with the answers. You don't get that kind of expertise when you're 22; it takes time. Without it, what you have is blind luck, which is far less interesting to watch.
Obviously the second isn't a deal-breaker for me, considering the other ship-based shows I've loved, but somehow I don't think Universe is going to be another Farscape or BSG...
I totally understand the D*C/shoe dilemma! I am trying to decide between comfort and looking better (I pinched a nerve in my foot standing in line last year, and it took a couple of months for the numbness to go away).
I don't know what it's going to take to wake up teevee execs to the fact that their current method of funding using Nielson ratings and advertising is completely *broken*. Sadly I think they'll continue to flail around for a long time yet. Although the SGA cancellation sort of seems to me like MGM saw the success of the 2 SG1 straight-to-DVD movies and decided to cut SciFi right out of the mix...
Although the SGA cancellation sort of seems to me like MGM saw the success of the 2 SG1 straight-to-DVD movies and decided to cut SciFi right out of the mix...
I think there were several factors involved, including but not limited to (1) the show's marginal ratings, (2) the need to re-negotiate actor contracts, with salary increases adding to production costs, and (3) the fact that SciFi/NBC/Universal runs the network but MGM owns the show. I'm sure the success of the SG-1 direct-to-DVD movies factored in too; I suspect we're going to see more and more direct transactions between content providers and audiences, without the whole Nielsen/advertising mess.
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So why do they continue to court the cohort with the least disposable income, except for narrowly targeted products?
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(Sadly, I suspect part of that thinking comes from the assumption that if you program for men, women will tune in anyway, which is another piece of thinking that I believe is increasingly outdated.)
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Comfortable ones. Heh.
I wish the weather would stay just like it is now for next weekend (aside from the fact that it looks like it's about to rain); the high today was around 82 degrees. In Atlanta! In August! It was heaven.
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It would be nice if the weather cooperates, but fortunately, we'll be in over-airconditioned ballrooms most of the time.
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And I must confess that Stargate Universe does not appeal to me AT ALL!!!! Two of the things I most appreciated about SG-1 (and even to an extent SGA, before we parted ways) were that a) the characters were adults with baggage and issues and life behind them, and b) it didn't all take place on a space ship. Obviously the second isn't a deal-breaker for me, considering the other ship-based shows I've loved, but somehow I don't think Universe is going to be another Farscape or BSG...
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One of the things I really, really love about SG-1 (and is also true of SGA, though it wasn't enough to counterbalance other things I didn't like in that show's case) is that the characters are all really good at what they do. They're experts, the best of the best, and even they have to stretch and struggle to come up with the answers. You don't get that kind of expertise when you're 22; it takes time. Without it, what you have is blind luck, which is far less interesting to watch.
Obviously the second isn't a deal-breaker for me, considering the other ship-based shows I've loved, but somehow I don't think Universe is going to be another Farscape or BSG...
For some reason, I suspect you're right...
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I don't know what it's going to take to wake up teevee execs to the fact that their current method of funding using Nielson ratings and advertising is completely *broken*. Sadly I think they'll continue to flail around for a long time yet. Although the SGA cancellation sort of seems to me like MGM saw the success of the 2 SG1 straight-to-DVD movies and decided to cut SciFi right out of the mix...
Reply
Although the SGA cancellation sort of seems to me like MGM saw the success of the 2 SG1 straight-to-DVD movies and decided to cut SciFi right out of the mix...
I think there were several factors involved, including but not limited to (1) the show's marginal ratings, (2) the need to re-negotiate actor contracts, with salary increases adding to production costs, and (3) the fact that SciFi/NBC/Universal runs the network but MGM owns the show. I'm sure the success of the SG-1 direct-to-DVD movies factored in too; I suspect we're going to see more and more direct transactions between content providers and audiences, without the whole Nielsen/advertising mess.
Reply
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