http://forums.g4tv.com/showthread.php?p=2683761

Unread 10-31-2010, 07:12 PM #1
Mandark XX
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Unhappy Thank You, Neal and Co. ...
As Neal no longer does Open Source, I needed a place to post this.

Now that DirecTV has removed G4 due to, what they consider, a lack of value, I just want to say thank you, Neal, Ted and the folks at Comcast for all that you've done for G4. I can't say that I agree with what they're doing, but I can understand their point of view.

You folks have taken a channel whose target audience was computer and video game enthusiasts or fans of pop culture and turned it into a cesspool of bad reality TV, cheap, crappy movies (yes, most of those movies DO suck) and mindless "T&A" shows.

Thank you for successfully alienating your core audience, ignoring their feedback and devaluing this channel to the point where virtually no one cares if it lives or dies. I hate to say it but, with the exception of AOTS, X Play and Convention season, I'm not going to miss anything else you have to offer on G4.

You have sadly (but successfully) taken a channel that I once watched all day (as TechTV or the original G4 lineup of gaming related shows) and turned it into a channel that, were it not for the previously mentioned shows, I would probably take off my channel lineup voluntarily had DirecTV not done it for me.

Neal, you claim that your strategy of cutting back original programming and airing virtually royalty free shows has not only made a profit but increased channel ratings. I would really like to see those numbers for I find it extremely hard to believe. Did you make a profit?...probably. But I would speculate that it is the kind of profit that is made when
you are spending less and charging the same. That is phony profit combined with zero growth. Examples of true growth and profit would be AMC, FX or Syfy. That is quality, audience focused product to increase viewership and drive ad sales.

I bet that, if you really looked hard enough, one would find that your programming strategy and "proof" of profit and growth is a joke.

I guess all is not lost though as G4 is still (if barely) alive. Things can still be turned around to where this channel can have the respect and value that it so deserves.

Now, to Ted Harbert: You were right when you said that, "gaming has been demonstrated as being too narrow [for a channel]." I feel though that you need to develop or acquire more compelling programming to attract both audiences and ad sales. Think about why this channel exists in the first place and who the audience is. Tech, video gaming and kitschy pop culture. You want to add more value to G4? How about a show about comic book culture? Or an original series that deals with hackers or cyber-espionage? What about a Chris Gore hosted show about movies on the fringe? Maybe you could even rethink older shows like "The Screensavers". (I know. That is probably what became AOTS. But you could make something more focused on tech rather than the variety of AOTS.)

In terms of acquisition (or syndicated) programming, how about "Mystery Science Theater" or "Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp"? How about "The Bionic Man"? These are all things that I think people would watch during the off peak times. Of course, "The Big Bang Theory" or "Chuck" would be a no brainer when they become available for syndication. I would fear that the cost of those shows would be prohibitive in G4's current weak state.

Lastly, lose Neal Tiles. If you want good programming, DON'T hire a Marketing Executive! Get a programming executive or promote someone who knows the core audience. The choices that Neal and his team have made have done nothing but cheapen this channel. When the most that his team can do in terms of original programming is to produce E! knockoffs, then you have some real trouble.

This "open letter" has run much longer than I anticipated so I'll wrap it up. Although I'm going to miss AOTS and XPlay, this channel has been on life support for some time. (Since the beginning of the Neal Tiles era. Coincidence?...)

I hope someone of influence gets the chance to read this. You may listen or you may think that I have my head up my arse. It may do you well though, to listen to the people that this channel was supposed to be for.
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Unread Yesterday, 05:12 PM #2
MarioHead
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I completely agree with what you've said. I don't have much to say or respond, but the biggest thing I wanted to do was bump this.
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Unread Yesterday, 06:13 PM #3
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I might agree except tl;dr
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Unread Yesterday, 06:16 PM #4
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whether you want to believe it or not this channel over the last couple of years has seen growth and profit. you just dont want it to be with what you don't like.
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Unread Yesterday, 07:09 PM #5
GameFreak2103
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Originally Posted by Stewie_G View Post
I might agree except tl;dr
I have seen some serious insight into the problem that G4 is having and, this one being the best one I have read, I feel you are the most useless poster here. In the past two or three threads I saw with you posting in it, it had some serious and well thought out ideas for what G4 should do. In ever single one of those threads all I saw was you saying ,"TL;DR". Why don't you read it? I don't understand.
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Unread Yesterday, 07:11 PM #6
GameFreak2103
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whether you want to believe it or not this channel over the last couple of years has seen growth and profit. you just dont want it to be with what you don't like.
You missed the point, sure this channel has seen more and more profit, but it isn't through revenue generated by the audience, it's from spending less and less.
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Unread Yesterday, 07:36 PM #7
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I have to say that i agree completely with you, Mandark XX. AMC is a prime example of what can be done with an obscure network. They used to be much like G4 now they have Breaking Bad, Mad Men and now The Walking Dead under their belt. How in the world does AMC get The Walking Dead and G4 get That's Tough?! Stop blowing your budget on annual Pot documentaries and give us some real shows. I've been begging for a Blair Butler show for yrs, but i guess that will never happen.
And i actually like a lot of the Movies that don't suck, but i agree with you. It should be called Movies We could Afford. They havent played Fight Club in forever and i would watch that movie two and three times in a row.
And i just realized i won't even be able to watch those original Marvel Animes now! Now i'm re-pissed all over again. More stuff like that is what G4 needs.
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Unread Yesterday, 09:51 PM #8
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You missed the point, sure this channel has seen more and more profit, but it isn't through revenue generated by the audience, it's from spending less and less.
no, the made revenue because they started putting shows on the network that cost very little and returned a fair amount of money. i dont like cops or cheaters either but those shows are very easy to get and turn in a good profit because they're cheap. producing original programming is expensive. i would like to see them do it as much as anybody but i also understand the business side of the situation.
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Unread Yesterday, 11:23 PM #9
Mandark XX
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And i just realized i won't even be able to watch those original Marvel Animes now! Now i'm re-pissed all over again. More stuff like that is what G4 needs.
Aw crap, the Marvel animes. I forgot about that...

Also, in case anyone misconstrues some of my statements, when I say that G4 is still barely alive or they're in a weak state, I am talking about the identity of the channel, not that they're not fiscally healthy. They claim they are, but I can't prove that either way. I'll just have to take their word for it. What I can and have said is that, as a channel created for tech-heads and video gamers, G4 is barely recognizable. In that sense, G4 is barely alive.

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whether you want to believe it or not this channel over the last couple of years has seen growth and profit. you just dont want it to be with what you don't like.
I appreciate your stance, but I think you kind of miss my point. It's not a matter of what I like and don't like. It's more a matter of sacrificing the identity of the channel in favor of the lowest common denominator. That's like hitting someone in the nuts and bragging that you won the fight. You may have, but it's not a very respectable win.

In terms of profit and growth, those numbers can be easily manipulated. This goes to my point on what I call false profit. If you spend a quarter and make a quarter, you're breaking even. But if you spend a dime and still make that same quarter, you've made a profit. Is it a profit from enhancing or improving the product? No. You've brought in the same amount of money but have spent less then claim profit on the balance sheet. Companies do it all the time. It looks good and keeps the shareholders happy. But it's not growth.
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Unread Today, 01:06 AM #10
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I'm sorry yes it's growth. Again this goes to my point that i previously stated. They aren't growing with the content that you like. Like I also previously stated I dont like the "reality" content either. I think it's a bunch of crap but I do recall in 2007 they tried to maintain the gaming/tech vibe of the network and almost went out of business doing it. Ted Herbert is correct unfortunately people aren't gonna sit and watch a channel about video games and technology. In the television business it is about ratings because ratings bring in money. It's easy to say numbers can be manipulated (which they can) but people usually say that when those numbers dont show what they like.

Directv is right about one thing. G4 currently is not in the highest of neilsen rating channels. Alot of that has to do with two factors 1. where it's at on the cable service and 2. Yes, it's the content. I agree with most that if i wanted to watch 24/7 cop and cheater type of shows then i would go watch spike or something. They have been many rumors as to what g4 is going to become once the merger happens. At the recent presentation Jeff Zucker presenter to the press the main channels and franchises to come from the merger and G4 was one of those things. It will be interesting to see.
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