meanSpleen

Oooooo, TNN is giving up and succumbing to pressure... or something. It has decided to become the first MAN NETWORK. Everything will be man oriented, and hopefully, will not have to compete with Oxygen, Lifetime, WE, Style, H&G, .... yeah.

from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Apr15.html

"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.""

__________________
Like TFP? Donate To Keep It Alive!!

phunktastic

That stinks. I love TNN though, mostly because they show so much RealTV. That stupid trampoline/basketball game is soo stupid though. Its kinda cool for a few minutes, then you realize anybody could do it and its the same thing over and over again.

__________________
"Relax, the world will spin beside itself and suck you in. With threats and hopes beyond compare"

Quadraton

Except for Star Trek: TNG, there was nothing else I watched on that channel. Now, I don't even have it anymore. I switched back to basic cable because I'm tired of paying for all these specialty channels that have nothing but crap TV, 24 hours a day.

__________________
"A witty saying proves nothing"
- Voltaire

RaZ

RealTV is good, although it seems everytime I watch it it's always a re-run :

Ganguro

I like the fact that Heat isnt on MTV anymore, but i doubt the coverage will be any better since Viacom owns SPIKETV.
*sigh* why cant wrestling just be on ESPN2 or something?

phunktastic

RaZ, thats cause its on for like 2-3 hours every day! I'm trying to record as many episodes as I can onto the computer and then make a mega-episode with all my favorite clips on it. Then I can stop watching and will have no use for SpikeTV Well, except for that one new show they keep advertising, where its a competition but these poor people are getting destroyed.. haha,, looks like a good show to watch for the first few episodes

__________________
"Relax, the world will spin beside itself and suck you in. With threats and hopes beyond compare"

KillerYoda

I guess this means they're really trying to get rid of the Dukes of Hazzard image now.

__________________
"So you're Chekov, huh? Well, this here's McCoy. Find a Spock, we got us an away team."

samiam

So many channels, so little to watch. Sometimes I think that even repeats of RealTV are better than some of the lame programs that are supposed to entertain us.

Jadey

On Saturday nite they had some Japanese game show on that had the English over-dubbed and it was hilarious. It's one of those Japanese game shows where everyone makes a foold of themselves (or is that all of them). They had people going through obstacle courses and doing stupid stunts and it had me laughing my ass off.

BBtB

TNN was just dropped from the lowest priced package at directv. Personally I lost intrestest years ago. Er wait... I was never intrested. My mom used to watch it. Back when it played country music videos. Hah. I will say I am glad that "for men" networks are being made. I wont watch them really (except maybe rarely) but its the princiable. I am so god damn tired about hearing about all this for woman crap. Oprah should just die allready (and by that I mean die from hollywood. I am really a pacifist and do not wish any real harm on anyone... I just do not want to see her face... ever... again)

__________________
Meridae'n once played "death" at a game of chess that lasted for over two years. He finally beat death in a best 34 out of 67 match. At that time he could ask for any one thing and he could wish for the hope of all mankind... he looked death right in the eye and said ...

"I would like about three fiddy"

Reese

Most Extreme Elimination Challange was Hilarious!! The Commentators remind me of MST3k with the one liners like:

Guy1: "He'd addicted to illegal cock fighting."
Guy2: "Thats illlegal? My brother and I used to do it all the time."

muhaha I love that show.

__________________
“It is better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick” - Dave Barry

wraithhibn

Wrestling is the only thing on there I watch, and thats not very often. Star Trek as one of the main shows isnt going to cut it these days.

__________________
If you won't dress like the Victoria Secret girls, don't expect us to act like soap opera guys.