SyFy Portal

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SYFY PORTAL

URL	http://www.syfyportal.com/
Commercial?	Yes
Type of site	Science-fiction/fantasy entertainment news
Registration	None
Owner	The SyUniverse Group Inc.
Created by	Michael Hinman
Launched	Aug. 13, 1998

SyFy Portal is an entertainment news website focusing on science-fiction, fantasy and comic book television series and films.

1 History
2 Coverage
3 SyFy Radio
4 References

[edit] History

It premiered Aug. 13, 1998 by Florida-based print journalist Michael Hinman as "Syfyman's World," concentrating specifically on Star Trek: Insurrection and Earth: Final Conflict on GeoCities, but quickly expanded its horizons within weeks under the new moniker of "SyFy World." Hinman has said the name for the site, which is a variant spelling of "sci-fi" was inspired by the name from the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He has said that he originally want to call the site Psi Phi World, but that name had already been taken.

The site quickly become popular because of its inclusion of spoilers of television shows, mainly that of Earth: Final Conflict revealing plot details of episodes before they were aired in first-run syndication.

Many fans were introduced to the site in early 1999 when SyFy World launched its first ever SyFy Genre Awards, a fan-oriented online awards system allowing users to vote for their favorite actors and television shows once a day for 30 days. Hinman described it as a marketing move to help get people in the habit of going to the Web site each day.

By 2000, SyFy World had left GeoCities and became a part of Trek Nation, the parent network of TrekToday, a popular Star Trek website.^[1] However, by early 2001, Hinman and the owner of another website, Star Trek Portal, announced a merger of the two sites that became SyFy Portal. ^[2]

Boubel left the site in 2002 making Hinman the sole owner.^[3] Hinman then formed The SyUniverse Group, which put together a volunteer staff of programmers, graphic designers and writers to support SyFy Portal as well as future website expansions. The new staff, including lead designer Bryant Griffin, redesigned the site as well as the logo, producing the popular Star Wars-inspired logo of today. The SyUniverse Group was incorporated in Florida in March 2007. ^[4]

Hinman continues on as owner and site coordinator. Other key staff members include Nicholas Chase as the site's lead programmer and Wayne Hall as the site's news editor.

[edit] Coverage

In recent years, SyFy Portal has focused most of its editorial attention on SciFi Channel's reimagination of Battlestar Galactica as well as the NBC hit Heroes and the ABC series Lost.

SyFy Portal also has a history with the family of late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, including a series of interviews with Eugene W. Roddenberry Jr., the son of the late creator and actress wife Majel Barrett. The site also regularly interviews David Weddle, a co-producer on Battlestar Galactica as well as series musical writer Bear McCreary.

Other exclusive interview subjects included Star Trek director and actor Jonathan Frakes, one-time Star Trek movie scribe Erik Jendresen, Torchwood star John Barrowman, Star Trek activist Bjo Trimble, Star Trek: Enterprise actor Dominic Keating, actress Virginia Hey and writer Damian Kindler among others.

SyFy Portal has been known to take a position on specific television series, promoting the new Battlestar Galactica series before the first actor was even cast and calling for the end of Star Trek: Enterprise after its third season (it would later be renewed for a fourth).

[edit] SyFy Radio

On April 2, 2008, SyFy Portal launched its first online radio show through BlogTalkRadio called SyFy Radio. It is hosted by Michael Hinman and has scheduled guests that include Webmasters from competing sites as well as David Weddle from Battlestar Galactica and Eugene W. Roddenberry Jr. ^[5]