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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."

29 of 664 comments (clear)

  1. The important question... by David+E.+Smith · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... so what will become of Playboy's proposed "Women of TechTV" photo shoot? I'm still waiting for Morgan b00bies.

    1. Re:The important question... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hey, if you still look at Playboy, you need to discover the wonderful world of porn, turn off that SPAM fitler, click a few links and wank away!

    2. 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

    3. 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. :-)

  2. Welcome to TechTV... by Morganth · · Score: 5, Funny

    Direct from Bangalore!

  3. Comcast weenie has a great idea... by gleepskip · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Let's buy a great channel and fire everybody!"

  4. 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 tekiegreg · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yup, and thus it was due to failure :-/

      --
      ...in bed
    2. Re:Too bad... by roll_w.it · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Yeah, I've been a fan for the last year or so, while there was a lot of stuff that wasn't relevant to me, I learned a lot, and was exposed to things that I hadn't thought were relevant. Kind of nice to hear media slamming MS, or complaining about how hard an install was(away from slashdot anyways).
      Made for great background noise to studying. I'm hoping that some of these people get hired back - maybe another broken show soon??? Otherwise, hope someone fills the gap and we get a bit more geek tv.

    3. 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.

    4. Re:Too bad... by markhb · · Score: 5, Funny
      ...imagine how betrayed you'd feel [if] Rob Malda started doing a TV show directed at the non-tech savvy in which he stated nothing but obvious crap.

      Wouldn't that just be Slashdot on TV?
      --
      Save Maine's economy: write stuff down. All comments are exclusively my own, not my employer.
  5. 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.

    1. Re:Press Release by evanbro · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I hope they don't dump Tech Live. Slashdot is great for instant coverage, but they did some nice stories on Tech Live; stuff that either wasn't important enough for Slashdot or something like that. It also came on at that perfect "i should do homework but i don't want to" time.

  6. Thanks Comcast by phisheadrew · · Score: 5, Interesting

    For taking my favorite channel off the air.

    I'm sure it will be replaced with something highly mediocre. Weren't they thinking of combining G4 and TechTV? Now its just going to be G4? I've personally tried to watch G4 and couldn't do it.

    I don't understand why they would can the entire network.

    Well, now that TechTV is gone, I've got no reason to keep the digital cable around, everything else I want is on basic cable.

    1. Re:Thanks Comcast by mattkinabrewmindspri · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Since when does anything Comcast does make any sense?
      • They put bandwidth restrictions on customers, but don't tell the customers what the restrictions are.
      • They try to buy Disney.
      • Now they buy TechTV, kill off a whole network of great programming, and replace it with G4? Seriously, what kind of loser wants to watch other people play games?
      --
      Albuquerque PC
  7. Enough with the overreactions by AvantLegion · · Score: 5, Insightful
    This doesn't mean that none of the shows or hosts will be brought back. It means all existing contracts are getting torn up, and Comcast may opt to bring some people back on their own terms.

    But, indeed, the merged network's headquarters will be in LA, where G4 has been headquartered. No surprise there.

    Still, does anyone think that Comcast is so stupid as to spend all this money on a network, and then get rid of everything that makes people watch it?

    1. Re:Enough with the overreactions by 511pf · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yes. They bought TechTV to get rid of their competition.

  8. truly a shame by linux_author · · Score: 5, Interesting

    - i was on TechTV a couple years ago... the publisher flew me out to SF and i got to take a cab to the studio... - the TechTV folks were very friendly, and Leo, et al. had a great crew... fast-paced, lots of good content, and an on-line chatter available in the studio to ask and respond to questions... - but of course, i'd expect nothing less from Comcast, one of the worst and most expensive cable companies in existence...

  9. Re:Replacement: Slashdot Channel? by nomadic · · Score: 5, Funny

    A Slashdot Channel would actually be pretty informative, covering lots of different aspects.

    Oh, god, I can just see it now. Bad grammar, no fact checking, and of course the announcer constantly breaking in with "THIS JUST IN!" 10 times a day for the same duplicate story.

  10. Finally, more bandwidth for World's Scariest... by potus98 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Finally! More broadcast bandwidth for the World's Scariest Reality Midget High School Survival Makeover Elimidate Police Fear Mini-series.

    Now if we could only wipe out those damn persistant channels of informative crap like PBS, Discovery, and that other "high-brow" crap. Maybe we'll finally get a whole channel dedicated to quality shows like "The View" and "American Idol".

    --
    This one gang kept wanting me to join cause I'm pretty good with a bo staff.
  11. 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.)

  12. Re:Replacement: Slashdot Channel? by Talez · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just what we need. Another FOX News.

  13. Stupid enough to cancel the wrong channel. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I had G4 when it first came out. Hell, I got a cable box to watch it I was so excited. I can't even describe how many problems they had, from lack of programming, to robot hosts who obviously could give less than 2 shits about gaming, to just insanely pointless programming (That MMORPG show with the HAL9000 voice over). I mean, 8 hours of programming cycled a week. How many times can you watch the same bad show a week? Technically 21. Pathetic.

    Want to merge G4 and TechTV? Fine. Kill G4 and take the maybe 2 hours of programming, fix it, and bring it to TechTV, the better channel.

    Instead, they do the opposite. They kill the wrong channel and basically put the staff that makes TechTV in a position to not want to migrate.

    Comcast should be brown-nosing Morgan Webb and Leo LaPorte like they have gold stuck up their asses. Leo is a pretty smart tech guy that is very personable, easy to understand, and loves his job (none of which are very common in the tech field lately).

    Morgan has a rabid army of unsexed fanboys that would pay an extra 10 bucks a month just to see her for 10 minutes a week. Sad, but true.

    Are we over-reacting? No.

    Because the deal hasn't even went through and Comcast already did the exact opposite of what they SHOULD have done.

  14. 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

  15. mirror by hiroshi912681 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Good point, someone DOES need to mirror their content before their site is possibly killed off. There's a plethora of information that should never die off. I've still gone back to look for things on their Internet Tonight links.

    Internet Tonight... wow... I miss ZDTV. =(

  16. Re:Boy was that weak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yah so what? I was told once, that there are two kinds of women in this world... There's the kind of woman you'd do, and then there is the kind of woman you'd do when you're drunk.

    Right now I'm drunk, and I'd definitely do her, but that doesn't answer the question which category she fits in to.

  17. My fifteen minutes... by Prime+Mover · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I work (still) at TechTV, in the IT department. AFAIK, next to nothing from the website is being kept. I know that G4 posted a job for an Oracle DBA to transition our DB to their MS SQL. We contacted them on it and they took the job down (google cache: http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:E3Q1eTpUtU0J:ww w.entertainmentcareers.net/jobid.asp%3Fjcode%3D229 34+G4+DBA&hl=en )
    A PHB at G4 has his blog at http://hardwarewhore.com/ Classy, no? Not hard to see that they are going to leave a big, flaming divot in the ground.

  18. Family Guy by bobobobo · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Hey it worked for Star Trek and Family Guy right? =)

    Actually, Family Guy's revival was largely attributable to phenomenal DVD sales.

  19. Re:Morgan Webb has been offered a new position... by Methuseus · · Score: 5, Funny

    stupid AC

    He deserves the funny mods, seeing as just about any single male here (and many who aren't) would love to say the same thing. Oh, and lesbians, I haven't counted you out, I'm just not part of the group so I don't feel comfortable making blanket statements about your sexual desire for Morgan.

    --
    Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, though I'm not yet sure about the universe. - A Einstein