The movement to air "Daria" on basic cable began with Peter Guerin's petition to put it on The National Network. However, many felt that focusing on TNN made the movement too narrow, so with Peter's blessing, we have expanded our reach to include other cable channels. The first approximately 210 signatures on the petition are in response to his original letter. If you have already signed this petition, please do not sign again. And special thanks to Peter for kicking off this effort.
To: Viacom
In June 2002, we fans of "Daria" were overjoyed to learn that The-N Channel would be airing episodes of the show. What better way to give "Daria" a new lease on life and to promote it to new fans? Yet over the summer of 2002, our pleasure quickly turned to dismay as we saw the drastic changes The-N made in order to make the show more suitable for its 9 to 14 year old target audience.
Not only did The-N censor mild curse words, but it also cut out whole phrases, plotlines, even episodes that contained "questionable" material. That has led to more than a season's worth of "Daria" episodes being withheld from viewing, while several of the remaining episodes, such as the movie "Is It Fall Yet?", were so badly cut that plotlines lost all meaning. This, in spite of the fact that the show airs at 10 pm and 1 am respectively -- times when the majority of its target viewers would not be watching.
We "Daria" fans understand The-N's need to cater to its target demographic. We still applaud its decision to pick up the show and give it the chance to grow a new audience. However, the countless fans over the age of 14, who fell in love with the show during its run on MTV, have been left in a lurch. Our favorite show has been cut up, and aside from old VHS tapes, we don't have any other means of watching it. The situation is even worse for fans who have no digital cable and therefore do not even get The-N.
For these reasons we ask the executives at Viacom to air all of the "Daria" episodes, in their entirety, on one of your basic cable channels. The-N could continue to air the edited episodes and build a younger audience, while the current audience for the show could be retained with the uncensored airings. Such an arrangement is not unheard of: during "Ren and Stimpy"'s run, it aired simultaneously on MTV and Nickelodeon, a channel that caters to an even younger audience than The-N.
The most obvious cable channel would be Comedy Central, since Viacom recently assumed full ownership and has aired other discarded MTV toons, such as "Undergrads." Meanwhile other sharp-edged adult cartoons, from the quietly satirical "Dr. Katz" to the outrageous "South Park" have thrived. Comedy Central has even carried reruns of adult cartoons that originated on other channels, such as "The Critic" and "The Tick." Thus, it would not be a stretch for it to add "Daria" to the line-up.
Another possibility would be Spike TV, formerly TNN. That is where "Daria"'s predecessor, "Beavis and Butthead," and "Ren and Stimpy" are headed. Although the channel is attempting to cater to the tastes of teenage boys, last I heard, "Daria" was not reviled amongst the male population. See below.
And an outside possibility would be The Cartoon Network. Originally we believed that this option had little chance of working, since it is owned by rival AOL Time-Warner. Recently, though, CN announced plans to run FOX's "Futurama" episodes in its Adult Swim block, showing that it is willing to air programs that are not produced in-house. "Futurama" is more high-profile than "Daria," but lesser-known programs have basked in the Adult Swim block.
Besides pleasing the loyal fans, here are some reasons that airing "Daria" on a basic cable channel would benefit Viacom:
1) A sizeable chunk of the "Daria" viewers are 18 to 34 year old males, the target demographic for most cable channels. This valuable consumer group will be left to languish if the episodes continue to run on commercial-free The-N. Thus, airing "Daria" on a basic cable channel would mean broadening that important audience.
2) While retaining the current "Daria" fan base, a basic cable channel could also expect a big influx of new viewers once the 9 to 14 year olds who grew up watching edited "Daria" on The-N start thirsting for "the real thing."
In the case of Spike TV, it can be safely assumed that most of The-N's viewers never caught "Beavis and Butthead" or "Ren and Stimpy" during their original run, and thus would not automatically tune in for the reruns. However, if "Daria" were shown on TNN, not only would they be guaranteed to watch regularly, but there is a greater chance they would become hooked on more of the channel's programming.
3) "Daria" would be shown with commercials, which is really what this is all about. Any profits reaped from its airings on basic cable would amount to more than what it earns on The-N. And if Viacom placed it on one of its own channels, the costs would be minimal.
In short, if you don't think that "Daria" fans can be profitable, think again. When we fans are offered a good product, we empty our wallets in droves. "Is It Fall Yet?" the DVD, even with few extras, proved to be an unexpected success. Unexpected to Viacom, that is. We the fans knew we had it in us. The success paved the way for the "Is It College Yet?" DVD. We are an untapped consumer group ready and eager to splurge. Please don't underestimate us. If we work together, we can ensure that Viacom, the "Daria" fans, and most of all, "Daria" the show, comes out on top.
Signed,