TNN Rebrands Itself Spike TV (Cable for Manly Men!)

Mediaweek.com ^ | April 15, 2003

[Timesink]

TNN Rebrands Itself Spike TV

APRIL 15, 2003 -

TNN: The National Network will become Spike TV on June 16 and will be repositioned as the first network targeting men.

"Today the first network for men has a name, and it's Spike TV," said Albie Hecht, president of TNN. "Spike TV captures the attributes and essence of what we want the first network for men to be. It's unapologetically male; it's active; it's smart and contemporary with a personality that's aggressive and irreverent. This is a first major step in our journey to super-serving men in a way no one has done before."

The network's new logo will be unveiled at the MTV Networks upfront presentation in New York City on Tuesday, May 6.

During a conference call, Hecht announced the network's first slate of male-skewing programming, which includes partnerships with Men's Health magazine and CBS MarketWatch.

The re-naming of the channel will be supported by a multi-million dollar awareness campaign that will include on-air, outdoor and print advertising.

Spike TV will be available in 86 million homes.

[Timesink]

TNN Rebrands Itself Spike TV

APRIL 15, 2003 -

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - TNN is driving a Spike through its countrified image.

The cable network, which is in the process of reshaping its lineup to become a destination for male viewers, is also changing its name. Starting Monday, June 16, the channel, which began life as The Nashville Network, will leave Music City for good and become Spike TV.

"We love Spike," network President Albie Hecht says. "It's a guy's name, it has personality, it's smart, sexy. It's unapologetically male ... it's aggressive and it's irreverent. Those are all of the qualities we really want for the first network for men."

Hecht says the goal of the newly christened network is to become a "home base" for male viewers, encompassing a range of new lifestyle shows and the current backbone of the network, which includes World Wrestling Entertainment, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and repeats of "CSI."

As part of the new strategy, the network has formed partnerships with a pair of men's magazines -- Men's Health and Stuff -- and its Viacom corporate sibling CBS MarketWatch for a set of brief reports on fitness, money, cars and gadgets that will air periodically throughout the network's broadcast day.

The network's long-in-development animation block will debut June 26, featuring "Stripperella," created by Stan Lee and starring Pamela Anderson, and "Gary the Rat," with Kelsey Grammer.

A weekend lifestyle block will make its debut in January, featuring new shows like the self-explanatory "Eight-Minute Workout Challenge" and "Ultimate Vacation Sweepstakes," a travel show that doubles as a contest.

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[sauropod]

What???!!!! No more Lifetime Channel? No more Oprah Book Club???!!!

[B Knotts]

Viacom totally destroyed this channel.

[Petronski]

Uh, is this from the Onion?

[dennisw]

Spike? Is this pathetic or what?

[Diddle E. Squat]

Which the public will soon rebrand as 'Dork TV'.

[B Knotts]

I should add that I no longer get to see PBR because of these idiots.

[Puppage]

SPIKE TV

[Timesink]

I should add that I no longer get to see PBR because of these idiots.

I was flipping around the other night and came across PBR on the Outdoor Life Network.

[B Knotts]

Yeah...it's on OLN, but that's not part of my satellite package. I miss the old TNN. Yee-haw!

[CanadianBacon]

I laughed when I saw the name. One of my co-workers is not so affectionately nicknamed " Spike the Dyke".

[B-Chan]

Every man I know is too busy working, taking care of his family, and doing household maintenance to need a "lifestyle" TV channel. All the "lifestyle" I need can be summed up in two words: Scotch and Golf, neither of which get the time they deserve in my already overcrowded daily routine. I take my wife out dancing once a week when schedules permit (we both love dancing) and we subscribe to a symphony series at the Bass Hall in Fort Worth. However, aside from that (and the occasional matinee movie or a couple of pints at our neighborhood tavern) I have little leisure time, and I suspect the situation for most real men is more or less the same.

This sounds more like an unemployed men's channel. Who else has the time to spare? Men with too much free time on their hands should consider going outside and throwing a baseball around or raking the leaves or playing with the dog or something instead of watching "Spike TV". I cannot understand how any real man would prefer to look at television every day instead of doing something in the Real World anyway.

To potential "Spike TV" viewers: The yard isn't going to cut itself, fellas. There are babies to bathe, wives to kiss, cats to tease with string. Get off the couch, for Pete's sake!

[headsonpikes]

"Spike the Dike'.

That was my first thought when I saw the name.

The Diesel Dykes in East Van will eat this up.

Rev those Harleys, grrrlz.

;^)

[Mr. Thorne]

I'm lazy and all, but for crying out loud... Spike TV?

And one of their flagship programs is Star Trek: Next Generation? More like sissy boy tv, that. And what's their other star? Overweight, sweaty guys in leotards.

Hmmmm. Effeminate starship captains and pro-wrestling.

I'll stick with Fox, thanks. Or TCM, where at least there's still the occasional John Wayne movie.

[B-Chan]

Yeah. The least they could do is show the REAL Star Trek, featuring hard-lovin', hard-fightin' Captain James T. Kirk.

[Blue Screen of Death]

Oh great, HGTV for guys. How to burp, fart, and scratch your privates.

[shadowman99]

The first thing I thought is "Spice channel" which is definately a guy's channel.

[sharktrager]

From "The Nashville Network" to "TNN (The Nashville Network)" to TNN (The National Network), to just TNN and now Spike TV?

They have some sort of identity crisis over there.

[MediaMole]

Spike TV sounds like something for the leather afficionado. (If you know what I mean.)