| Wed Jul 21 21:50:52 EDT 1999 |
| Recent Report of Sci Fi Channel's Interest in Crusade an Overstatement
Several days ago, in conjunction with the rumor that Fox was interested in Crusade (which rumor is incorrect; see newsbit Fox Rumor Just Plain Wrong), another rumor hit Usenet. One poster had called Sci Fi Channel and reported that he had been told that they were interested in Crusade but probably would not get it if Fox wanted it. Further, Sci Fi allegedly told the poster that it would all come down to money. Sci Fi clarified, telling the poster that this did not mean that they would pick up Crusade if Fox passed on it. I decided to apply my sleuthing skills to this rumor at the same time as the "Fox rumor" quest. So, I got on the phone and called USA Networks (who own the Sci Fi Channel) and asked to speak to someone in programming. The switchboard attendant put me through to the "viewer line", which no one answered. I left a message. In fact, I left several messages. In each of them I mentioned the rumor I had heard and asked them to confirm or deny it. I also told them that I enjoy Crusade and think it is worth their while, which is probably why they did not bother to call me back. Later in the afternoon, I hit on a new tactic. I called the same number again, and once again asked to speak to someone in programming. I politely explained that I was a journalist (true, but not as impressively so as it probably sounded) trying to confirm a rumor that I had heard before printing it. I asked it I could please speak to a person this time. After what seemed like ten thousand transfers I spoke to someone in Business Affairs (who asked that neither he/she nor his/her boss be named), who took a message with the contents of the rumor and promised to call me back when he/she had tracked down some information about it. Fifteen minutes later the phone rang and I was informed that the persons with whom my source had checked had "no knowledge of the subject matter of the rumor." (This included the "Fox rumor".) Undaunted, I asked if there was anyone who might know something about the subject matter of the rumor, and I was connected directly to Sci Fi Channel's publicity. I repeated my "journalist-on-a-rumor-hunt" spiel and was transferred to Sci Fi Channel's Media Relations. I reached the voice mailbox of someone working in the office, and left a detailed message and my telephone number. Not figuring to have those calls returned at all, and especially not that day since it was nearing 5:00 in New York, I stepped out to do a few errands. When I returned 45 minutes later, there was a message on my machine. I played it back. The first message I had left paid off, and this was a return phone call from Media Relations at the Sci Fi Channel!! The message said: We do not know where those rumors got started. We are not looking at the show [Crusade].There was also a number for me to call if I wanted to talk to this person (who has asked to be identified only as a representative of the Sci Fi Channel) for further comment. Well, of course I did. The representative of the Sci Fi Channel with whom I spoke confirmed that no one he/she had spoken to had any knowledge about the "Fox rumor". I asked for clarification on the Sci Fi Channel's interest in Crusade -- exactly what did "We are not looking at the show" mean, did it mean "at this time", "we have never", "we will never", what? The representative of Sci-Fi Channel then appended "at this time," making the final statement from this Sci Fi Channel representative: "We are not looking at the show at this time."This left me, a fan of Crusade and an active supporter of the "Crusade Campaign" or the "Crusade for Crusade, in an awkward position. I decided to give J. Michael Straczynski (creator of Crusade; hereinafter JMS) an opportunity to comment on what I had heard before posting it here. At 12:43 am, July 21st, I received this comment from JMS: I can't comment on what the person that you spoke to said, only because I've gotten emails that have passed on both positive *and* negative comments...leading me to suspect that the perspective changes with whoever answers the phone.That's all from the frontlines then. My apologies for twisting your ear for this long. Since I am not at liberty to give out the names of people I spoke to at the Sci Fi Channel, it seemed important to be thorough. It is my credibility that comes into question here and I invite, even encourage you to email me, Allie Sawyer, if you have questions or comments. *In the interests of full disclosure, Allie Sawyer is my e-penname for things relating to speculative fiction; I use a penname in order to keep my e-publication credits separate from other publications. My real name is Alisa Schreibman. **All quotations are used with the express prior consent of the representative of Sci Fi Channel. Please do not repost without permission and proper attribution to the speaker and myself. |