Update: Style Will Be Rebranded as Esquire Network, G4 Will Remain - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JamesG · 02-11-2013, 07:08 PM

In Makeover, a Channel Takes Its Cue From Esquire
by BILL CARTER
Published: February 10, 2013

Esquire, the magazine that has relied on the printed page for the last 80 years, is about to make a move into television.

On Monday, NBCUniversal will announce that it has concluded a deal with Hearst Magazines to rebrand one of NBC’s existing cable properties, the G4 network, as a new entity, the Esquire Network. The purpose: to refashion a cable channel that has been devoted to video gaming and devices into what NBC’s top cable executive described as “an upscale Bravo for men.”

Only last week, that executive, Bonnie Hammer, added Bravo — the network of “Real Housewives” and other female-centric lifestyle programming — to the portfolio of cable networks she oversees, so the juxtaposition is well timed.

The Esquire Network will have its debut on April 22. It will be available in 62 million homes with cable or satellite service.

Neither side would discuss the specific financial arrangements, but said the renamed channel was not a joint venture.

“We own G4,” Ms. Hammer said. “There are no ownership issues here.” David Carey, president of Hearst Magazines, the publisher of Esquire, said, “We have a strong interest in this succeeding.”

For viewers of the G4 network, the change will mean a sharp shift from the gaming-centered programming that attracted some men to shows that will draw an audience that NBC executives are persuaded Esquire stands for:

“The modern man, what being a man today is all about,” as Adam Stotsky, the general manager of the new network, said.

Specifically, NBC is hoping to capture a more educated, affluent, sophisticated male viewer, who is not being served, as its research concluded, by the male-oriented, nonsports programming on cable channels like Discovery and Spike.

“Much of today’s programming targets men in a one-dimensional way,” Mr. Stotsky said, with what he called “down-market shows” about “tattoos or pawn shops or storage lockers or axes or hillbillies.”

The Esquire Network will offer shows aimed at capturing other areas of interest, like cars, politics, world affairs, travel, fashion and cooking. David Granger, Esquire’s editor in chief, said he expected the programming to be “not duplicative of what readers find in the magazine, but in the same wheelhouse.”

Still, he said, there could be some crossovers. For example, “Funny Joke From a Beautiful Woman,” a feature Esquire has included on its Web site, could work as a piece between series, Mr. Granger said.

But Mr. Stotsky said his development staff would generate the program ideas. One of the network’s first original series is “Knife Fight,” a reality competition about “after-hours cook-offs” among young chefs.

The other original series is a travel show featuring celebrities called “The Getaway.”

Neither of those ideas originated in an editorial meeting at Esquire, but as Mr. Carey said, “This is not the magazine on TV; that would not work. The idea is to capture the essence of the magazine.”

Ms. Hammer called that the magazine’s brand. She said NBC had been aware of the limits of G4’s programming niche.

“Realistically, guys who are into gaming are not necessarily watching television,” she said. “If this was going to come under my portfolio, I’m a little brand crazy, so I said, let’s create a real brand, define a space, understand who we are programming for.”

Mr. Stotsky was responsible for seeking potential partners, and after some early discussions with Mr. Carey and Mr. Granger, an alliance with Esquire quickly gained traction.

Mr. Carey said that Hearst Magazines was “very focused on partnerships.” He pointed to its success in creating magazines tied to cable channels like the Food Network and HGTV.

Beyond the two original shows to be announced on Monday, the new channel will be filled in the short run with acquired programs — many, Mr. Stotsky said, from the library owned by NBCUniversal.

Two comedies that will appear are in the category of more sophisticated recent comedies, he said. One, “Parks and Recreation,” is owned by NBC and still on the broadcast network. It will get its first cable exposure on the Esquire Network.

The other, “Party Down,” about young caterers, achieved some cult status when it played on the cable network Starz three years ago.

That may mean that the actor Adam Scott, who stars in both shows, is something of the ideal for the Esquire Network. Mr. Stotsky said the channel is hoping to rely on the magazine’s “80 years of insight into what makes men tick.”

He added, “When you look at Esquire as a print magazine, it’s really about a point of view, a way of life, telling intelligent witty stories.”

Mr. Granger said the magazine had survived both the media shift from print to digital and the recent recession, even managing to increase its circulation figure, to about 725,000 a month, in December.

This was accomplished, he said, by creatively expanding onto digital platforms including Web site and tablet applications. The median age of the magazine’s reader in the last several years falls in the range of 38 to 40 years old, he said.

Mr. Carey said current circulation figures alone should not reflect the brand’s value.

“It’s a funny thing about magazines,” he said. “The population of people who know and respect and see a particular magazine brand as an authority is usually much bigger than the audience of the actual magazine. I believe NBC saw the opportunity that the built-in awareness and respect for Esquire was multiples of the actual magazine audience.”

Mr. Carey said he “absolutely saw only an upside” for Esquire. “As we’ve seen from our other ventures, when you have both print and television working together, it clearly lifts all boats.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/11/bu...levision.html?

robyrob · 02-11-2013, 07:55 PM

i hope this thing tanks - I'm not their target demographic but i'm in their demographic range; the whole idea and everything they are aiming at seems like a pretty narrow audience with programming that probably won't appeal to very many outside that audience.

how well did P&R actually do in the ratings, and how well do the repeats do?
i'm probably going to complain to my cable service about this, i already have to pay for a lot of stupid channels like SPIKE and I was already mad at G4 but this seems even more useless.

Mr. Television · 02-11-2013, 08:07 PM

I never even watched it when it was G4.

mets82 · 02-11-2013, 11:04 PM

Upscale for Men?? Isnt that what G4 is? I dont understand what they mean an "upscale Bravo for men?"

Sterling Holobyte · 02-12-2013, 02:58 AM

I don't care what they become, I still won't watch it.
They were a lot better when they were TechTV. Then they had to go and crap it up.

jimpickens · 02-12-2013, 03:05 AM

In other words they are aiming towards the metrosexual, panty waist, swishy butt crowd.

robyrob · 02-12-2013, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimpickens

In other words they are aiming towards the metrosexual, panty waist, swishy butt crowd.

...who mostly claim that they don't even OWN a TV, let alone watch the thing - instead preferring to look down upon and mock those of us that do.

good luck, Esquire you and the hipsters deserve each other.

clj2 · 02-12-2013, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robyrob

...who mostly claim that they don't even OWN a TV, let alone watch the thing - instead preferring to look down upon and mock those of us that do.

good luck, Esquire you and the hipsters deserve each other.

The hipsters will probably be watching it on their 60" flatscreens in secret.

robyrob · 02-12-2013, 10:14 PM

hey - if this don't work out maybe they could try turning it into the Amish Channel, for Upscale Agrarian men

TMC · 02-13-2013, 03:44 AM

http://entertainment.time.com/2013/0...annel-for-men/

Aren't there already plenty of channels for men?

Ryan Chamberlain · 02-17-2013, 05:28 PM

And, the misogyny continues...

As it wasn't already bad enough on Spike.

MrCleveland · 02-17-2013, 07:02 PM

Another station that just sold-out and I refuse to watch.

jimpickens · 02-17-2013, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMC

http://entertainment.time.com/2013/0...annel-for-men/

Aren't there already plenty of channels for men?

If your into mainstream sports yes but except for the outdoor channel, the sportsman channel, fx and spike you don't have a wide variety for the non metrosexual hipster men and this channel I doubt will help.

JamesG · 05-30-2013, 01:47 PM

Esquire Network Rescheduled to Launch Sept. 23
Thursday, May 30, 2013
by Pavan

Esquire Network will debut on Monday, September 23, 2013.

More Info. Here: http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2013/0...to-launch.html

JamesG · 09-09-2013, 04:43 PM

Style Will Be Rebranded as Esquire Network
by NELLIE ANDREEVA
Monday September 9, 2013

There has been a change of plans for NBCUniversal‘s partnership with Hearst to launch an Esquire-branded cable network. Instead of NBCU’s male-centric G4 it will be the female-oriented Style that will morph into Esquire Network, which would target upscale male viewers.

The decision was announced by NBCU chairman Bonnie Hammer. Launch date remains September 23.

“Esquire Network offers an opportunity to introduce a lifestyle network that speaks to an upscale male audience underserved in the current marketplace,” she said.

“So, in an effort to establish the most productively diversified portfolio, the decision has been made to rebrand Style as the Esquire Network, which will debut on September 23rd, led by Adam Stotsky and his team.”

Style topper Salaam Coleman-Smith will stay on for the transition.

“Under the effective leadership of Salaam Coleman-Smith, the Style team has demonstrated enormous passion and dedication to their brand,” Hammer said.

“We are committed to making the pending changes as smooth as possible for everyone at Style. Salaam will play an integral role in the transition and at NBCUniversal in the future.”

The Esquire rebrand deal was made by Hammer as G4 was part of her previous cable portfolio. She added Style to her domain around the same time the pact with Hearst was completed last February.

Since then, upon further examination of NBCU’s entire portfolio, Hammer said the consensus was that the Style brand was redundant alongside Bravo, E! and Oxygen. “One of the hallmarks of our success is brand clarity,” she said.

“With Bravo, E! and Oxygen, we offer unique takes on popular culture for an ever-broadening audience, including the all-important female demo. In pursuit of that same demo, Style presents brand overlap within our portfolio.”

In the past several months, Esquire Network has amassed off-network series, including NBC’s "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon", "Parks and Recreation" and Starz’s "Party Down", and has ordered a couple of unscripted series.

For the foreseeable future, G4, which had focused on games, gear and gadgets, will stay status quo with Stotsky at the helm.

In anticipation of the transition to Esquire, the network had been winding down original production, cancelling long-running series "Attack of The Show!" and "X-Play" last fall. Its flagship show "American Ninja Warrior" is being shared with NBC.

http://www.deadline.com/2013/09/styl...quire-network/

02-11-2013, 07:08 PM	#1
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57,049	Update: Style Will Be Rebranded as Esquire Network, G4 Will Remain In Makeover, a Channel Takes Its Cue From Esquire by BILL CARTER Published: February 10, 2013 Esquire, the magazine that has relied on the printed page for the last 80 years, is about to make a move into television. On Monday, NBCUniversal will announce that it has concluded a deal with Hearst Magazines to rebrand one of NBC’s existing cable properties, the G4 network, as a new entity, the Esquire Network. The purpose: to refashion a cable channel that has been devoted to video gaming and devices into what NBC’s top cable executive described as “an upscale Bravo for men.” Only last week, that executive, Bonnie Hammer, added Bravo — the network of “Real Housewives” and other female-centric lifestyle programming — to the portfolio of cable networks she oversees, so the juxtaposition is well timed. The Esquire Network will have its debut on April 22. It will be available in 62 million homes with cable or satellite service. Neither side would discuss the specific financial arrangements, but said the renamed channel was not a joint venture. “We own G4,” Ms. Hammer said. “There are no ownership issues here.” David Carey, president of Hearst Magazines, the publisher of Esquire, said, “We have a strong interest in this succeeding.” For viewers of the G4 network, the change will mean a sharp shift from the gaming-centered programming that attracted some men to shows that will draw an audience that NBC executives are persuaded Esquire stands for: “The modern man, what being a man today is all about,” as Adam Stotsky, the general manager of the new network, said. Specifically, NBC is hoping to capture a more educated, affluent, sophisticated male viewer, who is not being served, as its research concluded, by the male-oriented, nonsports programming on cable channels like Discovery and Spike. “Much of today’s programming targets men in a one-dimensional way,” Mr. Stotsky said, with what he called “down-market shows” about “tattoos or pawn shops or storage lockers or axes or hillbillies.” The Esquire Network will offer shows aimed at capturing other areas of interest, like cars, politics, world affairs, travel, fashion and cooking. David Granger, Esquire’s editor in chief, said he expected the programming to be “not duplicative of what readers find in the magazine, but in the same wheelhouse.” Still, he said, there could be some crossovers. For example, “Funny Joke From a Beautiful Woman,” a feature Esquire has included on its Web site, could work as a piece between series, Mr. Granger said. But Mr. Stotsky said his development staff would generate the program ideas. One of the network’s first original series is “Knife Fight,” a reality competition about “after-hours cook-offs” among young chefs. The other original series is a travel show featuring celebrities called “The Getaway.” Neither of those ideas originated in an editorial meeting at Esquire, but as Mr. Carey said, “This is not the magazine on TV; that would not work. The idea is to capture the essence of the magazine.” Ms. Hammer called that the magazine’s brand. She said NBC had been aware of the limits of G4’s programming niche. “Realistically, guys who are into gaming are not necessarily watching television,” she said. “If this was going to come under my portfolio, I’m a little brand crazy, so I said, let’s create a real brand, define a space, understand who we are programming for.” Mr. Stotsky was responsible for seeking potential partners, and after some early discussions with Mr. Carey and Mr. Granger, an alliance with Esquire quickly gained traction. Mr. Carey said that Hearst Magazines was “very focused on partnerships.” He pointed to its success in creating magazines tied to cable channels like the Food Network and HGTV. Beyond the two original shows to be announced on Monday, the new channel will be filled in the short run with acquired programs — many, Mr. Stotsky said, from the library owned by NBCUniversal. Two comedies that will appear are in the category of more sophisticated recent comedies, he said. One, “Parks and Recreation,” is owned by NBC and still on the broadcast network. It will get its first cable exposure on the Esquire Network. The other, “Party Down,” about young caterers, achieved some cult status when it played on the cable network Starz three years ago. That may mean that the actor Adam Scott, who stars in both shows, is something of the ideal for the Esquire Network. Mr. Stotsky said the channel is hoping to rely on the magazine’s “80 years of insight into what makes men tick.” He added, “When you look at Esquire as a print magazine, it’s really about a point of view, a way of life, telling intelligent witty stories.” Mr. Granger said the magazine had survived both the media shift from print to digital and the recent recession, even managing to increase its circulation figure, to about 725,000 a month, in December. This was accomplished, he said, by creatively expanding onto digital platforms including Web site and tablet applications. The median age of the magazine’s reader in the last several years falls in the range of 38 to 40 years old, he said. Mr. Carey said current circulation figures alone should not reflect the brand’s value. “It’s a funny thing about magazines,” he said. “The population of people who know and respect and see a particular magazine brand as an authority is usually much bigger than the audience of the actual magazine. I believe NBC saw the opportunity that the built-in awareness and respect for Esquire was multiples of the actual magazine audience.” Mr. Carey said he “absolutely saw only an upside” for Esquire. “As we’ve seen from our other ventures, when you have both print and television working together, it clearly lifts all boats.” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/11/bu...levision.html? Attached Images
	Last edited by JamesG; 09-09-2013 at 04:39 PM.

02-11-2013, 07:55 PM	#2
robyrob certified wackball#3 Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Aug 03, 2003 Location: hiding under the third booth at Arnold's Posts: 58,180	i hope this thing tanks - I'm not their target demographic but i'm in their demographic range; the whole idea and everything they are aiming at seems like a pretty narrow audience with programming that probably won't appeal to very many outside that audience. how well did P&R actually do in the ratings, and how well do the repeats do? i'm probably going to complain to my cable service about this, i already have to pay for a lot of stupid channels like SPIKE and I was already mad at G4 but this seems even more useless.
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02-11-2013, 08:07 PM	#3
Mr. Television 22 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,129	I never even watched it when it was G4.
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02-11-2013, 11:04 PM	#4
mets82 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Mar 14, 2011 Location: Connecticut Posts: 5,058	Upscale for Men?? Isnt that what G4 is? I dont understand what they mean an "upscale Bravo for men?"
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02-12-2013, 02:58 AM	#5
Sterling Holobyte Harper House Senior Member Join Date: Nov 07, 2002 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,896	I don't care what they become, I still won't watch it. They were a lot better when they were TechTV. Then they had to go and crap it up.
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02-12-2013, 03:05 AM	#6
jimpickens Member Senior Member Join Date: Nov 01, 2007 Location: weston,wv Posts: 1,389	In other words they are aiming towards the metrosexual, panty waist, swishy butt crowd.

02-12-2013, 10:14 PM	#9
robyrob certified wackball#3 Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Aug 03, 2003 Location: hiding under the third booth at Arnold's Posts: 58,180	hey - if this don't work out maybe they could try turning it into the Amish Channel, for Upscale Agrarian men

02-13-2013, 03:44 AM	#10
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 125,524	Do upscale men really need an Esquire TV channel? http://entertainment.time.com/2013/0...annel-for-men/ Aren't there already plenty of channels for men?

02-17-2013, 05:28 PM	#11
Ryan Chamberlain Return Of The Silverburg 2018! Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 10, 2011 Location: Still hiding in Miles Silverburg's closet. Posts: 663	And, the misogyny continues... As it wasn't already bad enough on Spike.
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02-17-2013, 07:02 PM	#12
MrCleveland Drew Carey from Hell Forum Star Join Date: Nov 10, 2007 Location: The City of Cleveland, in The State of Cleveland, in The United States of Cleveland Posts: 14,222	Another station that just sold-out and I refuse to watch.
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05-30-2013, 01:47 PM	#14
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57,049	Esquire Network Rescheduled to Launch Sept. 23 Thursday, May 30, 2013 by Pavan Esquire Network will debut on Monday, September 23, 2013. More Info. Here: http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2013/0...to-launch.html Attached Images

09-09-2013, 04:43 PM	#15
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57,049	Style Will Be Rebranded as Esquire Network by NELLIE ANDREEVA Monday September 9, 2013 There has been a change of plans for NBCUniversal‘s partnership with Hearst to launch an Esquire-branded cable network. Instead of NBCU’s male-centric G4 it will be the female-oriented Style that will morph into Esquire Network, which would target upscale male viewers. The decision was announced by NBCU chairman Bonnie Hammer. Launch date remains September 23. “Esquire Network offers an opportunity to introduce a lifestyle network that speaks to an upscale male audience underserved in the current marketplace,” she said. “So, in an effort to establish the most productively diversified portfolio, the decision has been made to rebrand Style as the Esquire Network, which will debut on September 23rd, led by Adam Stotsky and his team.” Style topper Salaam Coleman-Smith will stay on for the transition. “Under the effective leadership of Salaam Coleman-Smith, the Style team has demonstrated enormous passion and dedication to their brand,” Hammer said. “We are committed to making the pending changes as smooth as possible for everyone at Style. Salaam will play an integral role in the transition and at NBCUniversal in the future.” The Esquire rebrand deal was made by Hammer as G4 was part of her previous cable portfolio. She added Style to her domain around the same time the pact with Hearst was completed last February. Since then, upon further examination of NBCU’s entire portfolio, Hammer said the consensus was that the Style brand was redundant alongside Bravo, E! and Oxygen. “One of the hallmarks of our success is brand clarity,” she said. “With Bravo, E! and Oxygen, we offer unique takes on popular culture for an ever-broadening audience, including the all-important female demo. In pursuit of that same demo, Style presents brand overlap within our portfolio.” In the past several months, Esquire Network has amassed off-network series, including NBC’s "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon", "Parks and Recreation" and Starz’s "Party Down", and has ordered a couple of unscripted series. For the foreseeable future, G4, which had focused on games, gear and gadgets, will stay status quo with Stotsky at the helm. In anticipation of the transition to Esquire, the network had been winding down original production, cancelling long-running series "Attack of The Show!" and "X-Play" last fall. Its flagship show "American Ninja Warrior" is being shared with NBC. http://www.deadline.com/2013/09/styl...quire-network/ Attached Images