Moniker meltdown
New divisions, weblet stutter in name game
Pity the poor execs who have to navigate the minefield of coming up with a snappy name for their new specialty arm or nascent network.
Over at Fox Searchlight, Peter Rice and his gang have yet to announce the name of their new youth label.
And several months into his job, John Lesher and his cohorts still haven't announced the new moniker for their Paramount arm. Just don't call it Par Classics. They prefer the interim label "New Specialty Division."
Alas, that might not be such a good idea, since temporary titles have a way of staying around.
The Weinstein Co. was only supposed to be a temporary name, but it ended it up sticking. Not a bad choice, perhaps, since Harvey and Bob Weinstein are an instantly recognizable brand.
Then there's the CW, CBS and Warners' new net. "C" stands for CBS; and "W" stand for Warners, get it?
Last week, CW execs proclaimed they've called off the search for an alternate name after commissioning a study that showed viewers are already familiar with the name.
OK. But it still sounds like the title of a country-western station.
How about Guy Walks Into a Bar? Or Bad Robot? Maybe Bad Hat Harry?
Sorry, those are already taken by various production shingles.
