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G4 Moves Further From Technology Roots
Variety has a piece detailing some new hires at G4, all designed to further move the channel away from its technology roots. From the article: "One of Finn's priorities will be to scout people to profile when 'Icons' relaunches this summer. The 'Biography'-style skeinskein has been revamped to focus on figures that appeal to young men, including J.J. Abrams and Bryan SingerBryan Singer. She'll also continue to strengthen the lineup of guests visiting G4's live, studio-based series. In addition, both 'Filter' and 'Attack of the Show' will be relaunched in June with a scaled-back focus on technology. Heavier emphasis will be on attitude, humor and a broader range of male-oriented topics."
I thought AotS was a perfect balance, and it is the only show I watch on G4 regularly. If it turns into Maxim magazine on TV then I will be very disapointed. I catch Icons occiationly, but that's it. Are they trying to be like SpikeTV? I don't watch that channel either.
Well, that sucks. The whole reason I liked watching G4 was the Tech stuff. When they added Star Trek, I didn't mind. I like Star Trek, and if you stretch your logic it is kind of about technology as well. But the Man Show, Street Furry, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, none of those are really about tech. I guess you could make an argument about Street Furry being about Car technology, but I digress.
There are in fact women who watch G4, and they are totally leaving us out. We don't want to watch the Man Show (for obvious reasons), I want to watch shows that focus on Technology and Gaming. I want to have guests that all Geeks can enjoy, male or female, young or old. I want Icons to tell me about Tech/Geek icons, not male icons.
Wasn't Spike TV supposed to be the Chanel for men?
"Just call me Girly Blank"
Is this one of those Little Caesar's commercials?
Pizza Pizza!
I, for one, ditched G4 right after they killed TechTV. IMHO, Leo and Patrick and Kevin have much better and creative shows now. (Uh, minus Martin Sargent, who's a tool).
Targeted programming pretty much always sucks.
Good shows might appeal more to one demographic than another, but a good show is a good show.
For example, you can make a show like "Gilmour Girls" and 30-something women will like it more than most other folks, resulting in a "cult hit" within that demographic, and TV people love it when that happens, because it makes selling ad time easier... but if you get a bunch of executives to say "we need to find a show that hits the Gilmour Girls market", that show will almost certainly be a complete train wreck, because they are not setting out to make a good show that will happen to click with certain people, but setting out to click with those people and the need for it to be good is a distant second.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
Yeah, I've noticed program changes with Adult Swim. Someone tell me why they are showing "Saved by the Bell" on Adult Swim?
Yes! I listen to NYC Speedcore and do math at 3AM. I suggest you try it too.
Just hours after announcing their latest change, the G4 management have decided to update the channel again.
"Even with the recent changes," Finn said, "we still don't think we're still not reaching our target audience. We've decided that every program will be replaced with a guy sitting in shorts and a wifebeater, drinking a low-quality beer. The guy will occasionally scratch himself, and of course the wifebeater will be covered in the requisite motor oil and pit stains. We feel this'll really gel with the 'masculine audience' we're striving for."
Audiences will have to wait for the fall season for "Guy in a Wifebeater", but focus groups are already responding by vomiting.
You mean to tell me that the shiny video-game box can be used for non-interactive media?
How strange.
Wait a second... G4 was about technology? Dude, I had no idea!
Next thing you know, people will be saying that MTV was originally designed for music videos... *shudders* The world is all crazy, Mommy...
You are still innocent until proven guilty. What's changed is what they do to innocent people. - notnAP, #26891325
In the near future, G4 will acquire Spike TV. The new channel will be known as G4 Spike TV. Within 1-2 years, the station will be rebranded G4. Six months after that we will see an increase in programming of such things as "The Martha Steward Show"...
Insert Sig Here
What, no Morgan Webb? "I'm surrounded by blown Kha'ak but strangely unsatisfied."
XPlay is frequently so good that my non-gamer wife enjoys watching some of the reviews and Sketches, the reveiws are brutally honest and frequently remind her that she isn't missing much by not playing games other than DDR.
That was Cinematech. I believe they show both Cinematech *and* Cinematech: Nocturnal Emissions now. Neither are really as good as the old shows were.
;)
... You missed one of the greatest shows ever to grace the airwaves with its presence.
When G4 merged with TechTV (I miss Patrick and Leo!) and ditched The Screen Savers, Unscrewed, and Eye Drops, I knew that the station was going downhill. And yes, I know they -changed- The Screen Savers into 'Attack of the Most Boring, Stupid, Waste of Time and Oxygen, Idiot Hour, for Idiots, Run by a bunch of Kids instead of Patrick and Leo', before anyone tells me. Maybe I'm just bitter.
Don't they play 'The Man Show' on G4 now? Give me a break.
What they don't understand is that we ALREADY have 'SpikeTV', and honestly, it's a really f'ing stupid tv network (except for MXC). We DON'T need another one.
PS. Martin Sargent is one of the funniest people in the entire world, someone needs to pick him up for a similar show. If you missed Unscrewed
To the darkened skies once more, and ever onward.