[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.

[Support Free Republic]

Donate Here By Secure Server

Or mail checks to
FreeRepublic , LLC
PO BOX 9771
FRESNO, CA 93794
or you can use
PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com

Become A Monthly Donor STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER THREAD-
It is in the breaking news sidebar! Thanks Registered

[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

[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!

[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.)

[I still care]

I won't even let my kids watch the commercials from this channel. It really is sick.

[BobinIL]

It looks like giving all of the country music shows, hunting, shooting and fishing shows the boot isn't panning out very well. So what do they do, go even further the oposite direction from what TNN was in the first place. Thank god I get OLN and the outdoors channel on my sattelite.

[Pete'sWife]

Ugh

Can "Butch TV" be far behind?

[ihatemyalarmclock]

TNN is reinventing itself again. Time to change the oil in my car!

[jimt]

They'd better dump the flashing, violent commercials and the stupid banners running during shows if they want me to watch.

I used to watch Star Trek TNJ but the damn flashing commercials gave me headaches and their idiot banners drove me nuts.

[George W. Bush]

Sounds gay, gayer, gayest.

It reminds me of that stupid book, "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche". I probably offended a few people by pointing out that real men don't read those kinds of books.