TechTV Fans Mad as Hell

[Akasha]

Take two cable networks designed for technology enthusiasts with very different bents -- newbie G4 for young gamers and veteran TechTV for computer geeks of all ages -- and merge them. Fire the staff of TechTV, the network you bought, and be sure to drop the show that has some of the most fervent fans and a host with a cult following. For good measure, take the network's widely linked archives offline for weeks.

The reaction to the May 28 merger and creation of G4techTV continues to reverberate as gamers and tech geeks mourn the loss of their unique networks. TechTV, launched in 1998 as ZDTV, had the longest history and the most viewers. Judging by the hundreds of messages in disparate locations ranging from G4techTV's website to blogs by teenagers, it's safe to say it also has the most upset viewers.

G4 fans are willing to tell the TechTV types to stop whining, and some complain about the influx of computer geek shows. But the TechTV troops are throwing every digital bit they have at the problem, including a Yahoo news group called Long Live Tech TV with more than 700 members, a TechTV Meetup day and e-petitions. Web cartoon strip User Friendly is tackling the subject this week. At one point, Leoville, home of the discussion boards for deposed TechTV host Leo Laporte, drew 1,000 simultaneous users.

The dissent appears to come from a wide variety of people with a mix of backgrounds and interests. What they share is a sense of loss, the severing of a connection to a network they depended on for tips, tech help and entertainment. TechTV's shows and website, which has a monthly average of 1.9 million unique visitors, filled the gap for those without an IT department.

They don't like the new name, the website, the mix of programming, the loss of Call for Help hosted by Laporte, the error message that pops up when they try to reach the TechTV archives, the emphasis on games and the appeal to a younger audience.

Ken Edwards, a 26-year-old database specialist at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, has been watching since ZDTV launched. He claims to own every current game console but only watched one show on the old G4. He tracks some of the backlash to the cancellation of Call for Help and the uncertainty over Laporte's future. Edwards and other are bemused but pleased that Laporte's show has been picked up by G4techTV Canada and may eventually reach the United States through syndication.

The network's firing of the 285 employees at TechTV in San Francisco also caused resentment, even though some of them can apply for jobs in Los Angeles, where G4techTV is based. "It didn't look good to people," said Edwards, who wrote about the merger for his blog. "A lot of times that can hurt you more than anything else."

The New York Times' Circuits columnist David Pogue, a frequent visitor to TechTV's The Screen Savers, wrote two columns about the merger -- one lamenting the loss of TechTV as a tech-oriented resource for users of all ages and experience levels, and a follow-up quoting from some of the hundreds of messages he's received through e-mail and at his NYTimes.com forum.

"I wasn't surprised this would be the reaction of the TechTV fans," Pogue said in an interview. "I was surprised at the number of people."

John Mattos, 33, doesn't usually write complaint letters, but the director of systems integration and quality for iN Demand Networks in New York was irked enough to e-mail G4techTV. "I think if they knew what they were doing, they would understand I am their demographic," Mattos said. "I am the quintessential geek who has money to spend and finally got enough money to do all the stuff he wants to do."

To add insult to injury, Time Warner Cable dropped the merged channel in New York City and New Jersey on June 6, leaving Mattos and 700,000 former G4techTV households without access, according to G4techTV spokesman David Shane.

A Time Warner Cable representative said the cable operator doesn't have an agreement to carry the new network in those areas; Shane says the two are in negotiations and that the network has received several hundred e-mail complaints about G4techTV being dropped from the lineup.

Of course, Comcast was trying to solve problems, not create them, when the cable giant's programming division acquired TechTV last March from billionaire Paul Allen in a fire sale. G4, available in about 15 million households, needed distribution, and TechTV, with satellite and cable deals adding up to about 43 million households, had it. Accounting for overlap and the loss of carriage in New York and New Jersey, the combined network is available in nearly 44 million households, giving Comcast a better chance to attract advertisers.

G4techTV hopes to knock one major complaint off the list Friday with the launch of the TechTV Vault, the full multimedia archive from the previous site. Shane said G4techTV ratings for the first two weeks show G4 programs in six of the top 10 slots; the network was too small to be rated before the merger. He also said there has been an uptick in response to promotions.

Shane described the cancellation of Call for Help as "just a programming decision." He added that Laporte can be seen on segments of The Screen Savers and that the network is in negotiations with him "about other ways in which he can continue with the network." Laporte told his blog readers earlier this month that he was not in negotiations with G4techTV. Shane said the network is also negotiating with other TechTV talent.

As for the reaction by fans, Shane said, "We don't think there has been anything out of the ordinary about the response. These are two things that merged. We see them as being extremely complementary." Shane couldn't identify specific changes that have been made in response to the complaints but said the network has made every effort to listen, including adding a dedicated 800 number to handle comments on the merger. Additionally, G4techTV is currently developing new programs that might be more appealing to TechTV's core audience, Shane said.

Veteran viewer Edwards doesn't expect results from anyone's venting. "I just think they could have handled it Google Page Ranking-wise a little better, and I guess I'm definitely not alone."

Information Source : Wired News!

[Whispdragon]

This really ticked me off, now they got some crap [explitive deleted :p] shows on that are just pointless...

Horrible idea IMO

[boscolio]

it's a case of corporate fat cats at their most gluttoness.

this franchise is now rule as "death by greed"

:roll: