Press Release from NBC Universal
New York, NY -- July 7, 2009 -- As part of its public service campaign empowering individuals to imagine and build a better tomorrow, Syfy's pro-social campaign Visions for Tomorrow, is launching a year-long initiative to provide free Wyfy (Wi-Fi) at New York City landmarks.
Wyfy by Syfy rolls out on Tuesday, July 7, in Rockefeller Center and later this summer in Union Square. July 7 also marks the day when SCI FI officially became Syfy on-air, online and in the community. The gala event to mark the new name kicks off when Dave Howe, President, Syfy, is joined by talent from the series EUREKA, WAREHOUSE 13 and DESTINATION TRUTH, along with public officials, to dedicate Syfy Imagination Park at Rockefeller Center. The centerpiece of the Park will be interactive set pieces inspired by the Syfy Brand Film "House of Imagination," including a Giant Viewmaster and a Larger than Life Lollipop.
"By offering free 'Wyfy' to New Yorkers and visitors alike, Syfy is providing an important public service while inviting everyone to imagine greater as they celebrate and experience Syfy's unique new spin on the imagination," said Dave Howe, President, Syfy.
"Wi-Fi has become such an important part of our daily lives," said Thomas Madden, Managing Director, Tishman Speyer. "We are thrilled to be able to partner with Syfy and offer the service free to the more than 300,000 visitors and New Yorkers who pass through Rockefeller Center daily."
"We are honored to be lighting up these iconic spaces -- the Plaza and the Concourse. It has been such a pleasure working with Tishman-Speyer and Syfy to make this happen," said Marshall Brown, CEO, Wired Towns. "Given these unique spaces, we are very proud of what our engineers have been able to accomplish. Syfy has given New York an extensive free public Wi-Fi network in the very heart of the city. At the same time through the local community portal they have given local businesses a greater visibility to their customers both wirelessly and on the web. This can remake the Plaza as a social space and the Concourse as a commercial space."
Syfy's Visions For Tomorrow is a multi-platform pro-social campaign using the power of science fiction to inspire individuals, organizations, corporations and policymakers to meet the growing challenges of the future and advance the idea that individuals can affect positive change. Guided by an advisory board of 19 of the world's most relevant visionaries and innovators in science, technology, design, journalism, film, television, business, government and future studies, the campaign utilizes public service announcements, educational curricula, and an interactive Web site (www.visionsfortomorrow.net) to impact the future.
Most recently, this spring Visions for Tomorrow partnered with ThinkQuest NYC (a non-profit organization that creatively brings together learning and technology for students and educators) to bring 100 New York City high school students to the United Nations for a panel discussion about Syfy's Peabody Award-winning series, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.
In addition to contributing to the dialogue led by moderator Whoopi Goldberg and featuring U.N. delegates, as well as the producers and stars of BATTLESTAR, the students then had the opportunity to create a web video based on the event. They then competed their projects in ThinkQuest NYC's annual Digital Media Competition, where the winning students -- and schools -- were awarded prizes.
Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in 95 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)
