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09/09/2002: campaigning for Farscape
The Sci-Fi Channel has now made an official announcement on the SciFiWire. I have had trouble reaching the scifi.com server during the last days. I guess their traffic is higher than usual, but I've seen the URL and its contents posted in several places.
Sigh.
Yeah, I knew it was true before, but this announcement makes it somehow even more tangible and depressing.
I continue to contribute my small part in the campaign, though a lot of other great people do certainly much more. I've written to the Sci-Fi Channel, mostly postcards to add bulk to the mail volume, because, let's face it, there is no way my handwritten letter from Germany will convince them that I'm part of their audience. One glance at the stamp and/or the post mark will show it's not from the US. However, I can contribute to the volume. Not that I don't write politely why they should keep Farscape and how disappointed I am, but I figure there is really no need for the most elaborate viewer demographics or arguments how I only watch their channel for Farscape, when it's obvious that I'm not on the same continent.
I have written (and faxed, and e-mailed) to EM.TV (on how and why they are related to this whole mess see farscape.wdsection.com). They may be only a secondary target in all our efforts -- and I'm still not sure I understand the exact intricacies of how all those media corporations are involved with each other -- but they are in Germany, and my mail will reach them quickly. On a related note, I have certainly already learned more about the tangle of international media business during this than I've ever wanted to know
With my faxes to The Sci-Fi Channel I faced another decision: sending them through a regular fax machine, which makes layout and such things possible, and thus gives a better look and probably has a greater impact, but also makes it easy to see that I'm not from the US; or using one of the free web based fax services, with a not so great look (and the fact that it comes from a fax service rather than an individual phone number) but effectively masking my location. Considering that I also don't own a fax machine (nor a fax capable internet connection) and would have had to send the faxes from friends' machines, I decided on the web-fax variant. The same with my faxes to WB, TNT and Showtime, suggesting that they might consider picking up Farscape to gain a great show with desirable demographics.
I've also send a note of thanks and support to all the cast and crew of Farscape who have made this wonderful show possible through their work, talent and dedication. I've send it to the central CrackersDoMatter@yahoo.com account that Fialka and Maayan set up.
So in the great scheme of things I'm not doing much, but after all it is the first show for which I participate in such a campaign at all, so considering my overall level of lethargy it shows the special place Farscape has in my affections.
I still hope that Farscape will get a fifth season, with Sci-Fi Channel or at another network, so that there will be at least some closure for the story.
Off to write some more faxes...
