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Comcast Fires TechTV Staff

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the no-one-left-to-save-the-screens dept.

Bocaj writes "Looks like it's curtains for TechTV staff. A Leo Laporte article says that Comcast has let the entire staff go. 'Per the WARN Act (governing plant closings) all the employees of TechTV have been given 60 days notice. The San Francisco operation will be shuttered by July. 100 of the existing jobs will be posted for those willing to relocate to LA.' No word on what will happen to all the shows or the channel."

7 of 664 comments (clear)

  1. Too bad... by Patik · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Screen Savers was one of the few informational shows that didn't cater to the lowest common denominator or sponsors. The hosts seemed honest with their opinions and they gave good tips. They also had good coverage of OSX and Linux, as well as interviews with people from the FCC and RIAA and other organizations of interest to slashdotters.

    1. Re:Too bad... by King_TJ · · Score: 5, Informative

      Personally, I find it a little insulting that Comcast would even think TechTV makes sense to merge with a *gaming channel*.

      Is that really all they think TechTV was --- a bunch of people PLAYING with their computers for fun and entertainment?

      It seems to me TechTV served a few very useful purposes, not the least of which was providing free, quality phone support to callers. (In this day and age of "prices shaved to the bone PCs", the average consumer is pretty much left in the dark if he/she has questions not covered by the instructions that came with a hardware or software product. What options do they get? Call India and have someone rattle off canned answers from a card?)

      Also, I found a number of very informative bits on TechTV over the years that even the most advanced computer user could appreciate. I remember enjoying an interview Leo did with the man who invented the first mouse (had his working prototype made out of wood on the show). I remember an interesting piece they did just recently with the site operator of rootkit.com. The list goes on, but the point is, TechTV wasn't just some show hawking the latest video games. They covered them, of course - but not without balance.

      With the original staff gone, and merging with G4, it sounds to me like it's going to get turned into a big promotional channel for selling video games and related gaming hardware, and will run off anyone just trying to be more productive with their PC, learn more about system security and administration, and so on.

  2. Press Release by Takara · · Score: 5, Informative

    Direct from the G4 press release, it looks like the only TechTV originals surviving are Anime Unleashed, X-Play, The Screen Savers, Fresh Gear, and Robot Wars. It doesn't say specifically if those are the only TechTV shows to continue or if any of the old staff will keep their position.
    As long as Adam Sessler doesn't come back I won't complain too much.

  3. Re:The important question... by ClickWir · · Score: 5, Informative

    Well at least we got to see Cat's....

    http://stuff.ubersite.com/10596966192071809/1/Ca tC ropped.jpg

  4. Re:The important question... by ClickWir · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://hektik.org/various/cat/index.html

    Might have to go here: http://hektik.org/various/#pictures and then click on Cat's link near the top. :-)

  5. Leo's Radio Show... by huchida · · Score: 5, Informative
    For those who aren't aware, Leo's got a weekend radio show.

    That's Los Angeles, but they do stream (Realplayer, naturally.)

  6. Petition, etc... by Shaper+of+Myths · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not that I think they'll listen, but some folks went to the trouble of setting these up (they are posted on Leo's board). Hey it worked for Star Trek and Family Guy right? =)

    Petition 1
    Petition 2
    Petition 3

    Also a direct link to the Comcast complaint bucket...

    Comcast Feedback