Email To TNT

[James]

I Sent the following email to TNT, thought maybe you guys would be interested to have a read. I wonder if I will get any responce. Douteful.

Enjoy.
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Well done.

Although I imagine that no one in the proverbial Ivory Tower will ever read this email, or if they did would take it seriously, they should be recognized for failing to adhere to the old (and true) saying of ôNever look a gift horse in the mouthö. Allow me to explain.

I recently purchased the box set of ôCrusadeö the little known spin off to ôBabylon 5ö and was wondering two things (well three actually but more on that latter). First and for most ôWhy no moreö? Answer - The series was cancelled. Second would be why the inconsistencies in the series. Answer - Bureaucracy.

I cannot believe that after five successful years of Babylon 5 shows/movies the powers that be would try and mess with something that worked so well, and when they found that they could not, canned it. There goes another five years of easy profit.

These people are short sighted, egotistical control freaks that would not recognized or accept a good idea unless it was memoÆd to them from the ôEstablishmentö

FOOLS!

Please note, I donÆt want you (the reader) to take this personally, it is a shot at those who did this, those who wanted to save face rather then admit that JMS was right. This is not directed at you or your organization as a whole. In any case just remember that you mean little to them so donÆt fight a battle for someone or something that pats your back with one hand and stabs it with the other.

Regards
James Pepper
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[Andrew_Swallow]

It is perfectly sensible for TNT to cancel Crusade. Babylon 5 viewers are mostly geeks where as TNTs viewers are mostly jocks. The two groups did not like each otherÆs programmes.

What was silly was the way TNT tried to kill the programme, by sabotage. The sensible thing to do was to sell Crusade to a geek channel.

[DGTWoodward]

It is perfectly sensible for TNT to cancel Crusade. Babylon 5 viewers are mostly geeks where as TNTs viewers are mostly jocks. The two groups did not like each otherÆs programmes.

What was silly was the way TNT tried to kill the programme, by sabotage. The sensible thing to do was to sell Crusade to a geek channel.

I have always assumed that the term "geek" is a derogatory term, so PAY ATTENTION!! Now I might be many things but I am not now nor have I EVER been a geek, and you will not find a bigger B5 fan than me.

I find these crap generalisations quite disturbing as I, in no way, believe B5 fans can be catagorised that way. Among B5 fans that I have met are a chartered accountant, a brain surgeon, a lawyer, a nightwatch-man, a housewife, a shop's senior buyer and so on. B5 appeals to people of all types, classes and ages. It also seems to gravitate towards the more intelligent.

As for TNT's choice to can the show, rather than being a sensible thing to do, it was hateful thing done out of spite because they just did not have the balls to tell JMS straight about their change of mind regarding cross-over audiences.

Really Andrew, how can someone with as much posting experience as you and all background info as has been presented on these very forums, can come up with such total bullshit.

[Kloreep]

What was silly was the way TNT tried to kill the programme, by sabotage. The sensible thing to do was to sell Crusade to a geek channel.

"Silly" doesn't even begin to cover it. What they should have done was honored their commitment to Season 1 while, as you say, searching for someone to sell it to.

I agree it may have been in their interest to sell it, though. I don't know about lumping Babylon 5 fans in to a "geek" category, but their survey did show Babylon 5 wasn't popular with viewers of their other shows, and the same lack of crossover with Babylon 5 fans and the rest of their shows.

Still doesn't mean they had to be honorless bleepers (how much are we allowed to curse on these boards?) and try to ruin the lives of JMS and the rest of the crew just to save on half a season's funding.

[Jan]

(how much are we allowed to curse on these boards?)

From the Rules and guidelines located

http://jmsnews.com/forums/showthread.php?t=394

Foul language *is* permitted, as long as it is not personally directed at a user or violates the second ôruleö above. Just donÆt be too obscene or vulgar.

HTH,

Jan

[Capt.Montoya]

I have always assumed that the term "geek" is a derogatory term, so PAY ATTENTION!! Now I might be many things but I am not now nor have I EVER been a geek, and you will not find a bigger B5 fan than me.

I find these crap generalisations quite disturbing as I, in no way, believe B5 fans can be catagorised that way. Among B5 fans that I have met are a chartered accountant, a brain surgeon, a lawyer, a nightwatch-man, a housewife, a shop's senior buyer and so on. B5 appeals to people of all types, classes and ages. It also seems to gravitate towards the more intelligent.

As for TNT's choice to can the show, rather than being a sensible thing to do, it was hateful thing done out of spite because they just did not have the balls to tell JMS straight about their change of mind regarding cross-over audiences.

Really Andrew, how can someone with as much posting experience as you and all background info as has been presented on these very forums, can come up with such total bullshit.

I think that B5 fans that call themselves "geeks" consider the term a compliment and a worthy badge, not derogatory.
At least that's what I've thought ever since I accepted my "geekyness"

[grumbler]

I have always assumed that the term "geek" is a derogatory term, so PAY ATTENTION!! Now I might be many things but I am not now nor have I EVER been a geek, and you will not find a bigger B5 fan than me.

The term "geek" as it was used in the last century was, indeed, derogatory, but in this century is a self-designated term for those who care more about the reality than the appearances of things.

I proudly claim the title of geek, support the claim that B5 fanss are generally geeks and urge you to get an up-to-date dictionary.

Mark Twain described dictionaries as "monuments to the language as spoken 100 years ago."

[Andrew_Swallow]

It also seems to gravitate towards the more intelligent.

Geeks are intelligent - one of the reasons that the muscle bound oafs dislike us.

The only people they like are violent bullies whose hobbies are wine, women and song.

[Bonehead]

Well, although I'm English and we dont use the term 'jock', I guess I would be classed as one. My passion being football (or soccer to those of you from across the water)

This may surprise you to know, but I'm a huge B5 fan as well.

Next you'll be telling me I cant like Star Trek and B5, but I do. This argument is old and any such labels are nonsense....

...and yes, 90% of the time the term 'geek' is meant as derogatory.

[Dr Maturin]

Geeks are intelligent - one of the reasons that the muscle bound oafs dislike us.

The only people they like are violent bullies whose hobbies are wine, women and song.

What about me? I am both intelligent and a musclebound oaf (6'6, 270lbs -- that's 1.98m, 122kg for you non-Americans). I like B5 and low-brow entertainment.

[Towelmaster]

What about me? I am both intelligent and a musclebound oaf (6'6, 270lbs -- that's 1.98m, 122kg for you non-Americans). I like B5 and low-brow entertainment.

Well you cannot be adequately described ZhD, a description like that would make a mess all over the Nielsen-system.

I personally don't give a flying f*ck about what people call me. Nerd, Geek, Jock(?), whatevah. Sticks and stones...

I do think the first posting was/is a bit one-sided. More info is available through the various channels. To me it seems the TNT-approach was basically 'if we don't make Crusade then nobody else will either'... Stupid yes, an insult to the fans yes. But it made perfect sense from a business-point of view then. Now, after half a billion in sales from B-5 DVD's alone, perhaps TNT is quietly cursing their own judgement. Which means that they'll do it all over again next time but for other reasons...

[Andrew_Swallow]

What about me? I am both intelligent and a musclebound oaf (6'6, 270lbs -- that's 1.98m, 122kg for you non-Americans). I like B5 and low-brow entertainment.

Sorry Z'ha'dumDweller since by definition an oaf is stupid you cannot be both intelligent and an oaf.


Towelmaster - nerds and jocks are normally considered to be opposites.

Wikipedia definition of Jock
" 3. In American English it is a slang term for an athlete, sometimes one thought of as stupid. This term is especially common in secondary schools and colleges. The stereotypical jock is obsessed with sports. It may have come from 'jockstrap', slang for 'athletic supporter'. "

[Towelmaster]

Towelmaster - nerds and jocks are normally considered to be opposites.

Wikipedia definition of Jock
" 3. In American English it is a slang term for an athlete, sometimes one thought of as stupid. This term is especially common in secondary schools and colleges. The stereotypical jock is obsessed with sports. It may have come from 'jockstrap', slang for 'athletic supporter'. "

Yeah, and I don't give a damn what some people decide to call me. I've got better things to do with my time... ;-) Is all I'm saying...

Even though I do have a brain the size of a planet...
(thank you Marvin. GOD! That movie has to come out soon now!)

[Garibaldi's Hair]

Without wanting to get into the Geek / Jock debate (other than to say I have no problem with being considered "a bit of a geek"), I think everyone is making the same point, but thinking it is a disagreement as far as Crusade goes.

The bottom line is ...

TNT discovered that B5 viewers were tuning in for B5 and then tuned out again at the end, not sticking around for their other programmes, whilst regular TNT viewers tuned out for B5 and tuned back in again at the end. If their goal was to use Crusade to increase the TNT viewer base, their experience with B5 indicated it would be a massive mailure.

In that context their decision to cancel the show made perfect sense from a commercial point of view, and I imagine they would still feel that way, as they would never have seen a penny of the DVD profits, since both B5 and Crusade belong to WB.

What was stupid/childish/add your own insult, was the way they went about it. They should have gone to JMS and WB and said they wanted out of the contract to produce Crusade, but that would have meant (presumably) contractual penalties for pulling the plug.

Rather than front up to WB with the truth, they just set about destroying the show by making demands that they knew JMS would never agree to and claim WB/JMS had breached the contract by not giving them the show they wanted.

Having done all that they obviously didn't want anyone else to make the show a success so, much as the Drakh did in ACtA, they poisoned the well.

TNT did behave despicably in the way they went about cancelling Crusade, but I would defend until my dying day their right to cancel it if it wasn't achieving what they wanted it to achieve.

[Towelmaster]

My thoughts exactly. They do not deserve any prize for style. But TNT is business. The only thing they did that I think is inexcusable to the fans is the way they blocked others from continuing the series.