Dave Howe flies to top of Sci Fi
Hammer steps back from day-to-day control
By JOSEF ADALIAN

Dave Howe has been beamed up to prexy of Sci Fi Channel, with longtime Sci Fi chief Bonnie Hammer stepping back from day-to-day control of the channel she helped build into a basic cable powerhouse.

I should have know a woman was involved in trying to ruin my shows.  Women are always trying to change couch potato geeks and trying to give them make overs so they can date their really ugly and fat friends so the good looking ones can get with the jocks!

Howe will now have direct oversight of Sci Fi's L.A.-based original programming department, which had previously reported to Hammer. He'll also control marketing, global brand strategy and the net's rapidly expanding digital domain.

Do you know what any of those words in that list mean?  If I were to make a guess I think they're saying they're going to bring in bull riding, a weekly Lifetime movie, and a makeover show.

Hammer will still be involved in Sci Fi, but she made it clear that the network was now Howe's to run.

"I've had my shot, and our team was able to take Sci Fi from basic obscurity to a No. 6 channel," Hammer said in an interview Tuesday. "I'm still going to be a part of the process, but far more distantly. It's time for someone else to have their fun and take it to the next level. I have tremendous faith in his abilities."

What does she mean she help to bring the show out of obscurity?  She was just lucky to work in a time when Farscape, Battlestar Galactica, and a bunch of other good shows came about.  See and she talks about having fun and "taking it to the next level".  What's that mean?  More reality shows and shows that have nothing to do with science fiction?  She probably though..."Hey guys...let's mess with these geeks...Wrestling and Reality Superhero shows!"

Promotion marks a rapid ascent for Howe, who joined the NBC U cabler six years ago from the BBC.Howe started at the net as exec VP of marketing and brand strategy. He was upped to g.m. in 2004 and has helped oversee the marketing and development of programming such as "Tin Man," "BSG" and "Eureka."

Really...how hard is it to market BSG?  Hey people...want to see the best show on TV?  Ya it even answers questions it brings up and has plot conclusions...unlike that homosexual LOST show....and it makes more sense than Heroes Season 2 did.

Howe worked with Hammer and original programming chief Mark Stern to reshape the Sci Fi brand, making the network more appealing to a non-geek crowd. Cabler ended 2007 with its best ratings and revenue since its launch.

WHAT THE F$!@*&^$&%%$@!k!!!  What's the point of having a station called the Sci-Fi Channel?  How many people flip to that channel, knowing what it is and say,....wow...I was not expecting Sci-Fi shows...I thought I could get some BLOODY WRESTLING to watch.  And "more appealing to a non-geek crowd"?  Is that why you have horrible B movies (I repeat myself) like MANsquito and Harpies and other shows that are just so bad that I can't even watch them (...ok I can watch them but half the time I think...ya know with the budget they could give me at least 1 more episode of Farscape or Dead Like Me or Firefly or John Doe).  That would be like me bringing a show to Lifetime that's a game show and it's to see how far a man can punch a pregnent woman...if you cause a miscarriage while wearing the Confederate flag...double your points!  How about having Food Network bring you a work out program with only skinny, good looking people?  How about forcing TNT to stop playing the same movie 4 times a day and ruining good movies like Shawshank Redemption?  How about Telemundo having English speaking programs to cater to our non-Mexican friends?  This just makes no sense.  Yes...they might need the money gained from such shows as wrestling...but hey...if they would stop making shows no one watches...they would save and make more money.

It also will no doubt increase speculation that Hammer could be poised for another promotion within the NBC U cable universe. She's overseen USA and Sci Fi for four years now, paving the way for major growth at both cablers. And with Jeff Gaspin promoted last year to a bigger gig within the conglom, there'd be room for a new exec to just focus on heading up all of the Peacock's cablers.

Yes...yes...go and ruin another great station.  How about making G4 TV even less like TechTV was?

"I'm a happy camper, and they treat me very well here," Hammer said of her NBC U bosses. "My assumption and my hope is that I will be around for a long time."

Howe identified several major immediate and long-term goals, most of which revolve around expanding the Sci Fi brand and building revenue streams not directly connected to the linear network.



"This brand has so much more untapped potential," Howe said. "My role is to really figure out how we take Sci Fi as a cable network and build it into more of an affinity lifestyle brand.

WTF does that even mean?   

"As things stand, we're primarily a cable TV brand," he added. "In five years' time, I'd love to be able to say that Sci Fi is no longer just a cable network but a category killer in videogames, mobile and the youth market."

Howe said that by the end of that five-year frame, he'd like to see one-third of Sci Fi's revenues coming from sources other than the cable channel. He also hinted that he's been having talks with sister company Universal Studios about launching a movie brand linked to the network.

"I'd love for there to be a Sci Fi Pictures label out there," he said, emphasizing that nothing was imminent.

Other priorities for Howe include:

    * International expansion. "At the end of 2007, Sci Fi was in 10 markets," he said. "By the end of 2008, we're hoping to be in 20 markets, and I think we might even surpass that."

    * Digital. Sci Fi launched a tech-themed site last year and has plans for more specialty offshoots of its Sci Fi.com hub. "You'll see us diversifying and spin off into more stand-alone websites," Howe said, identifying men 18-34 as the target of Sci Fi's digital love.

    * Replacing "Battlestar Galactica." Signature skein is preparing to exit, and Howe, working with Stern, is keen to find the next big scripted success for the channel.
     More than one option
         o (Film) Battlestar Galactica
         o (Tv) Battlestar Galactica
           Series Information, Seasons, Credits, Awards
         o (Tv) Battlestar Galactica
           Series Information, Seasons, Credits, Awards

Good job...let's just slaughter a shows that's waiting to die peacefully and with dignity...and let's just strip away its flesh so that it'll be picked clean and the fans can tare out their eyes with a rusty spoon.

"We just screened two pilots," Howe said. The WGA strike "has slowed us down, but it won't stop our growth in 2008."

Exec is also keen on continuing Sci Fi's expansion into unscripted series, pointing to the success of shows such as "Ghost Hunters."