Spike
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.
If Viacom wants a name with machoism, they should just call it
 (AP)  "We just like the idea of having a guy's name. We thought that was smart and fun and irreverent." Albie Hecht, Network president  |
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Jun 3, 10:16 PM (ET)
By SAMUEL MAULL
NEW YORK (AP) - Filmmaker Spike Lee has sued Viacom Inc. (VIA) over plans to rename its TNN cable channel Spike TV as part of its campaign to attract male viewers.
In court papers filed Tuesday, Lee asked for an injunction against Viacom's use of the name, saying he had never given his consent for it to be used.
"The media description of this change of name, as well as comments made to me and my wife, confirmed what was obvious - that Spike TV referred to Spike Lee," Lee said in court papers.
The judge directed Viacom to explain why it shouldn't be barred from using the name.
TNN, which bills Spike TV as "the first network for men," said it was "confident that the court will reject any legal claims by Mr. Lee to the popular word and name Spike."
Viacom bought TNN in 2000, and said in April that it would change the channel's name to Spike TV on June 16 in an attempt to increase the number of men in an audience that is already about two-thirds male. It said on Tuesday that it was confident the court would reject Lee's claims to the name Spike.
Viacom also owns CBS, Showtime movie channel, VH1, UPN, book publisher Simon & Schuster and other properties.
According to Lee, TNN's president, Albie Hecht, has said the public associates the name 'Spike' with Lee.
Lee, whose given name is Shelton Jackson Lee, included in court papers affidavits from people including former Sen. Bill Bradley, and actors Ossie Davis and Ed Norton. The affidavits said the signers had thought of Lee when they heard about Spike TV and some said they believed he had become affiliated with the network.
Lee directed Nike sneaker commercials with Michael Jordan. His movies include "Malcolm X,""Jungle Fever" and "Do the Right Thing."
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This reminds me when Oleg Cassini's lawyers sent a "cease and desist" letter to the Jet Propulsion Lab for naming a spacecraft "Cassini" without permission. They reminded JPL that Oleg has a strong copyright position on the brand and trademark "Cassini". Who knows, maybe Oleg is actually related to:
Giovanni Domenico Cassini, 1625-1712 (Aka Jean Dominique) Italian-born French astronomer. Cassini was the first director of the Royal Observatory in Paris. He discovered four of Saturn's moons (Tethys, Dione, Rhea and Iapetus) and the major gap in its rings.