The following interview was conducted with Barry Showman who serves as Vice President
of programming for the SCI-FI Network.  The interview was conducted on 8/5/92 from 
the USA executive offices.

Question: When did the USA Network first hear about SCI-FI before they purchased it?

Barry:  I will tell you, from my understanding it was about a year ago.  Uh, it could
have been longer ago, so you really shouldn't quote me on it.  You know, I just walked 
into this position a few weeks ago.

Question:  Was SCI-FI the only type of channel the USA Network was considering forming 
or acquiring?

Barry:  I can't imagine that a successful cable operation like USA Network would not 
have explored all opportunities that were out there.  It's just good business.  What's 
important at telling about that, is that as they put out their feelers and researched 
the possible growth potential of each of these other channels.  They concluded that the
SCI-FI Channel had the best potential, and the most desirable demographics, and the 
broadest base of programming opportunities and scheduling opportunities!  Ultimately, 
that's what we have resolved is the essence of the SCI-FI Channel.  It's got the right 
reach, great upside potential, enormous depths of programming potential and I could 
understand why they would have made that decision.

Question:  Would you say the success of fantasy programming on USA influenced their 
desire for SCI-FI?

Barry:  Oh, I know great research was done by David Kenin (executive Vice President 
of programming) and Neil Hoffman and many other people at USA to determine the depth
of programs, the numbers, the hours, how far back they go, the range of programming 
opportunities before they came to a conclusion that there was vast opportunities out 
there.  

Question:  Are you at liberty to tell us how much USA paid Mitchell Rubenstein and 
Laurie S. Silvers for the SCI-FI Channel?

Barry:  NO-WAY!!!  I don't know.  More than a hundred and fifty dollars!  (He Jokes.)

Question:  Why did USA purchase Mitch Rubenstein and Laurie Silvers' science fiction 
network rather than forming a similar network of their own?

Barry:  Bare in mind that prior to USA purchasing the network three years of work had 
been done by Mitch Rubenstein.  Affiliate agreements in some cases had been reached, 
programming acquisitions had been made, certainly a logo or a concept, or a name had 
been worked on.  I think a lot of leg work had been done and as you've seen with other
cable mergers, like the Comedy Channel and HA, sometimes it's better to join forces 
and move ahead.  I of course am speculating on this.

Question:  The launch of SCI-FI under the Rubensteins had received much press 
announcing debuts that never occurred.  Could this past publicity damage USA's 
launch?

Barry:  That's a good question that only time will tell.  I will tell you that the 
response that we're getting now from avid fans, operators, and from regular fans is 
that it's almost impossible or hard to believe that it's actually happening!  They 
have been hearing about it for so long and they're quite anxious and eager to see it.
Others are just happy it's finally happening!  I think what has happened in the past 
will make it tougher for us, because I think the expectation is so great!  When ever 
you have built any body up to a level of great expectation sometimes the delivery 
might be disappointing.  We don't expect to be, but bare in mind some people have been 
waiting for three years and they care a whole lot about this product.  There's a great 
possessiveness with this subject and this product that doesn't apply to other 
categories.  People feel that they have a great ownership.  They have something invested
in it; in science fiction, horror and fantasy.  So I think the audience will both be 
relieved and hopefully satisfied, but some will be saying, "Boy, it's taken a long time
to get there!"  However, it didn't take USA a long time to get there.

Question:  Will the creation of the SCI-FI Network result in less science fiction, 
fantasy, and horror airing on the USA Network?

Barry:  Yeah, I think that's fair.  I think that's very fair, that those things that 
are more fitting conceptually for the SCI-FI Channel, that USA owns, will migrate.  You 
know, we are all one.  We are all reporting to the same president and CEO, the same 
executive vice president of programming.  It's only one company!  Negotiations with 
syndicates have allowed for dual usage.  Where ever we think that we might use something
on both we acquired product with two channels in mind, but I can see that which
is more appropriate will probably migrate to and stay strictly SCI-FI!

Question:  Will you be presenting low budget B-movies with campy tongue in cheek movie 
hosts like "USA UP ALL NIGHT" or Comedy Central's "MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATRE 3000"?

Barry:  We will have cult movies.  We will have fun things like that.  We haven't worked 
it all out yet but yeah, we'll be doing that.  We're looking at movie hosts and we're 
thinking about that kind of stuff because if ever there was a subject that leant itself 
to that it's this subject.

Question:  Is your programming line up based on popularity of particular shows or easy 
availability to USA?

Barry:  Well it's both.  Obviously we had to deal with what ever was available and what 
has to be available to us on an exclusive basis.  99% of everything purchased for the 
SCI-FI Channel is exclusive to the channel!  Not available in broadcast syndication 
currently!  That was real important.  The schedule is put together on reaching the 
largest audience possible.

Question:  What responses have you gotten from would be viewers about your programming?

Barry:  We've gotten responses to specific shows that have called up and said, "Hey, 
that's great.  I love "Doctor Who"!  I'm so glad it's going to be on."  Or, "I love 
"Dark Shadows", and "One Step Beyond".  That's a terrific idea!"  "Lost in Space" is a 
real popular one!  There's a lot of response to the prime time schedule "War of the 
Worlds" and "Battlestar Galactica"!  The ten P.M. series line up will change as the 
number of episodes runs out.  It's going to be a collection of shows!  We've have
seven episodes of "Gemini Man" after our debut of nine episodes of "Fantastic Journey" 
with Roddy McDowell.  This is one after the other.  These are small series that are very
hard to find and probably never played in syndication because there was too few episodes.  
When you come to it, you're going to get something fresh and new quite often because 
there's not ten or twelve or fifteen episodes!

Question:  Why do you think people will flock to reruns of popular classic SCI-FI and 
horror series such as "Dark Shadows"?

Barry:  Well "Dark Shadows" did have about a five year run and popular products.  
"Dark Shadows" people will come back to both because they loved it when they first saw 
it.  Then there's the curiosity factor of those that never saw it!  They have heard about 
it, or maybe were too young to see it or didn't see all of them, and now we're going to 
have all 1,225 episodes of "Dark Shadows"!

Question:  Why do you think horror like "Dark Shadows" has such a tremendous cult 
following, that sprang from numerous fan clubs across the country?

Barry:  It is a classic in that it is a soap based on a vampire character.  This is a 
form that has been with us in the entertainment world many, many decades.  Whether it be 
Bela Lugosi as "Dracula" or Boris Karloff as "Frankenstein".  Nine of the top ten movies 
of all time have been based on science fiction, horror and fantasy: "E.T.", "Star Wars", 
you name it!  What I've also discovered that's marvelous is that people that have come 
out of the closet, that have admitted to being SCI-FI experts reading "Lovecraft".  
Cult is too small a word.  It's not nearly as narrow as it might appear to be!

Question:  Would SCI-FI ever produce their own new version of a classic series such as 
NBC did in 1991 with "Dark Shadows"?

Barry:  I would love to bring back, whether it's "Dark Shadows" or "The Incredible Hulk" 
or what ever!  It's certainly the way that USA has moved towards.  For example: 30 
original movies made for television in our world premiere.  If the right series were 
there at the right price... but that's down the line.  We're young, but that's possibly 
down the line!

Question:  Who do you think are the SCI-FI fans?

Barry:  Our research has shown us that there are 62 million active sci-fi fans.  They are 
heavy consumers of high-tech gear, VCRS, and PCs.  They are young (24 to 49).  They are 
educated, active in sports, and video rentals and movie-going.  They have young growing 
families and are into fixing up the house.

Question:  And are satellite dish owners?

Barry:  Yeah!  Exactly!!! I would say there's an absolute direct correlation.  Absolute 
direct!  We've also found that after they get a little older, the larger percentage of 
sci-fi fan is, surprisingly, female!

Question:  Is your day part schedule aimed at various members of the audience, based on 
a particular time of day?

Barry:  Yes, to some extent there is.  There are science fiction cartoons on weekend 
mornings like the animated "Star Trek" and the cartoon series "Beyond the Planet of the 
Apes".  There's morning and afternoon movies.  There's afternoon shows that appeal to 
younger viewers like "Doctor Who" and "Lost in Space", plus "Voyage to the Bottom of the 
Sea" and in the evening they get more adult.  Sure!  Other shows at even later hours like 
"Tales From the Dark Side" and Rod Serling's "Night Gallery" get even darker in content!

Question:  Where will you stand on showing gore and violence in your horror films?

Barry:  We will put on Freddy and "Halloween".  We will not put on everything.  Some are 
done a little more tastefully than others ad we will use caution at what we might edit out.  
So we will have those kinds of products, but we will not let them run as is, or everything 
in that genre.  

Question:  Are you directly involved with NASA in the NASA footage that SCI-FI will be 
airing, of which consists of 10,000 hours of NASA footage?

Barry:  I believe it was obtained directly from NASA.  We have agreements with them for 
some of this footage, sure.

Question:  Will you be covering NASA shuttle or satellite launches?

Barry:  We haven't worked that our yet.  Michael and I would like to do a live shot from 
a capsule, a shuttle or of a satellite.  Will we be carrying shuttle launches?  I don't 
know if we will.

Question:  Can you tell us about your made for T.V. movies or series?

Barry:  There is only that is done so far and that is Robby Benson in "Home Wrecker", a 
film pitting man against machine where an inventor's feminine computer tries to come 
between Benson and his wife with a plot involving jealousy and murder.  We also have 4 
original T.V. series that are now currently in pre-production for SCI-FI.

Question:  Can you let the secrets out of what those series are?

Barry:  Sure, one is called "Inside Space" of which is a look at the facts behind the 
fantasy of space travel and space life.  For instance, how space shoes are developed.  
How people live in space.  This is a fact based show.  We picked up a show which is 
aired on Canadian television called: "The Science Show".  That too will be fact based 
and will cover issues like the brain, genetics, artificial intelligence and communications.
We are picking up another show from one of our owner's production facilities called 
"Mysteries From Beyond the Other Dominion".  This will be a National Enquirer type show 
in the realm of science fiction.  We're also creating a show, I don't know if we'll call it 
"SCI-FI Extra" or what yet, but it's an "Entertainment Tonight" type show covering behind 
the scenes and facts in movie making, interviews with science fiction authors and 
convention happenings.  That type of thing.  Plus, we have an on-going feature called:  
"FTL News Feed" as a working title that stands for "Faster Than Light", and this will be 
fictionalized news reports. 

Question:  Out of curiosity, how much of your network staff are true science fiction / 
fantasy / horror fans and is it a criteria for getting a job at the SCI-FI Channel?

Barry:  Ha ha ha.  There's a very good mix.  I will tell you that most of my staff is a 
die hard.  I am a fan!  I'm not a fanatic.  I was not hired because I was a fanatic nor 
well versed in filmology.  I will tell you that everybody else that's on my staff or 
designated to work for SCI-FI in creative services or what ever is an absolute die hard!  
So, it's not a pre-requisite.  It sure helps, and we're looking for a mix.  We want people 
who are die hards and we want people who are just great talented people.

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