TWIT: This time I mean it!

EDITORIAL NOTE:  I REALLY am done with TWIT this time...

This will come as a surprise to some I'm sure but credit where credit is due..

Thank you Father Robert Ballecer... 

No, I haven't embraced the Dark side, been paid off, joined the priesthood or anything like that..

The decision came about after an exchange with Padre in the comments section of the most recent Windows Weekly on YouTube.  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOXrNSp4GM0  *look for Digital Dynamic)


During the conversation I realized that there simply wasn't any good reason to pay attention to TWIT anymore.

We've borne witness to the rise and fall of a grand idea.   Unfortunately, one that had become corrupted by greed, ego and hubris.

Let's be clear, there are no innocents.  Anyone who still remains under the unblinking eye of TWIT's management is in lockstep with its current direction.  

Past injustices are irrelevant as the affected have long since moved on to greener if not happier pastures outside the influence.

I've said this before but there is just no longer any THERE, there...

It's funny because the good Father mentioned how much time I've spent following TWIT and how I've often said I was done with them only to be drawn back with the latest atrocity.

It's nice that somebody was paying attention but what they've missed is the other 140 or so articles in this blog that had nothing to do with the troubled network.

I can't help what catches a reader's eye.  That any of those TWIT stories gained traction at all was surprising to me.  But far more telling is that there's a thriving community for them.

What I write, think or feel about TWIT is of far less concern, however, than the fact that people wanted to read it. 

But for me personally,  I'm done with it.  

Honestly, good or bad there's just nothing worth covering anymore.  I'll let the record stand and believe in the content I've already provided but I need to move in a more positive direction.  

For that I apologize to the readers who looked forward to the TWIT articles but it really is old news and honestly isn't going to get any more interesting.  

They've sunk as low as they can go so from now on I'll leave it to sites like Totaldrama.org to do the play by play.  

As for me, my TWIT soapbox has earned a well deserved retirement.  


It's said that even beyond hatred the worst thing you can do to another is be apathetic.

I invite you to join me in bestowing upon TWIT the great apathy of the enlightened and let this grandest of delusions  slip into a just demise in the inky darkness of disinterest.


Time to move on to a more worthy cause...

TWIT: Why the Totaldrama's of the world ever existed...

It's fairly obvious at this point that TWIT has lost a lot of fan base.  With popular hosts exiting and shady personal dramas playing out in front of all those Canon G10's in the studio, it's been a wild 4 years.  The net result is a network short on talent and long on expenses.

Even Laporte's "The Tech Guy" radio show hasn't escaped the black cloud that hangs over the network.  Just in the past 6 months for example, the show has virtually disappeared from the Phoenix area. 

Dropped entirely from  station 1480 AM KPHX, the only area frequency the show is still heard is the relative backwater 1000 watt 1230AM KFYI.  A station better known for its "B-list" conservative talk-radio programming.  That may not seem like a big deal until you realize that the Phoenix market ranks 13 (of 272) in the most recent Nielsen Market rankings.

I've often said that perhaps the problem with TWIT is that we see too much of the sausage being made.  From poorly timed sexting messages exposing an illicit affair to the brutal dressing down of a fan favorite host, TWIT's transparency has had a large role in dismantling a facade that Laporte has spent a career nurturing.

Blame him, blame his so-called "CEO," blame whomever you want but the simple fact of the matter is that Laporte is blatantly fallible and unapologetically so.

So when the banner of wholesome, family friendly content is hoisted nobody is buying it anymore. 

Meaning TWIT's days are numbered.  Nobody likes to see the seedy underbelly of their heroes especially advertisers.

Which leads us to Totaldrama.org or more recently Totaldrama.eu...

It is (soon to be was) a site devoted exclusively to badgering the TWIT network and more specifically Laporte himself. 

Irreverent isn't an adequate enough adjective to describe the vitriol slung at TWIT by the site.  It chronicles every misstep, every crude remark and every gaff.

It fed a disgruntled fan base looking for an outlet but soon that outlet will be no more.  While entertaining, the site could never be accused of having much in the way of journalistic integrity.  Most recent posts were trending toward outright rants and insults based on little more than unsubstantiated personal opinion.

While it's true that controversy is far more popular than more thoughtful content on the web, it's not a sustainable business model.  Especially when the target of your attacks has a shrinking audience.

The failure of totaldrama.eu shouldn't be looked upon as a vindication of TWIT's current course, however.  TWIT's not gaining any fans and the shows continue to fall in the podcast rankings.  The simple truth is that it's far more likely that the failure of totaldrama.eu has far more to do with an apathy toward TWIT.

In short we just don't care anymore...

TWIT: It's official Sarah Lane is out

So I'm sitting home watching  tonight's dinner of  Mac and Cheese bubble when I hear the familiar "ding!" of my email notification. 

Ah well, just another bit of spam I suppose...

Except it wasn't...

For 2 years we've borne witness to the exit of TWIT's most popular hosts including Tom Merritt, Kirsten Sanford (Dr. Kiki), Bryan Brushwood and now...

Sarah Lane.

From a Twitter post, the longtime TWIT sidekick and ever faithful  Sarah Lane (@sarahlane) announced that she would be leaving the full time employ of TWIT for a position as executive producer of video for TechCrunch (a news site focusing on tech companies.)

As of this writing nothing has been posted about the move on the TechCrunch site but the announcement was posted on Sarah Lane's personal blog and validated by a similar entry  on TWIT's blog.

According to TWIT's posting Sarah will continue to co-host Ipad Today and IFive for the Iphone *note

Along with Lane's departure comes news that longtime This Week in Google co-host Gina Trapani (@ginatrapani) will be "scaling back her involvement with the show to focus on her own venture, "ThnikUp."  She'll also be leaving the Android News show, All About Android.

Lastly, With all the exits comes a rare entrance, Megan Morrone (@meganmorrone).  Morrone is another alumnus from TechTV  and an early TWIT host of the show Jumping Monkeys.  She'll be taking over hosting duties from Lane for Tech News Tonight and IFive for the Iphone.

The message is clear.  This is not the TWIT you knew and all traces of the Merritt era of TWIT have now been wiped away replaced by a host known for more family friendly topics like geek parenting than hard hitting tech news. 

From a recent tweet from Morrone on Twitter..." I just used my Gmail address to sign into my OneDrive account on my MacBook. And I'd like to buy the world a Coke."

Expect more scintillating commentary like that in future episodes of Tech News Tonight...

It remains to be seen how the family values of Morrone will react to the innuendo and bawdy antics of a frequently lewd Laporte.

The departure of Lane above all else signals for many (myself included) the end of TWIT.  But for Lane, given the network's direction, it's likely the best career decision she could make and I wish her success..  

I began this series of articles by referencing the old adage of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.  It now appears we've not only thrown out the baby but have taken a grenade to the entire bathroom...

*You may notice a contradiction there.  In the earlier TWIT posting about Sarah Lane it was mentioned that she would continue IFive for the Iphone but the later Morrone announcement lists her as the new host.  Perhaps some last minute shuffling at play here.

TWIT: Say goodbye to being social

...and the hits keep comin!

I'm starting to feel like a gossip columnist but it's an occupational hazard when one follows the sinusoidal wave of chaos that TWIT appears to be lately.

While the bulk of TWIT programming has soldiered on with little change since my last article, when changes do happen they can be dramatic.

Take for instance the latest installment of Lisa Kentzell's "Changes at TWIT" found on the TWIT.TV home page and perhaps updated a bit too frequently.  

In it we find out:

• ·         OMGCraft is moving off the network
• ·         RedditUp is on hiatus
• ·         Marketing Mavericks is getting a new time slot (again)
• ·         The Social Hour is cancelled

Let's ignore the elephant in the room for a moment and deal with the less weighty of our little punch list.

OMGCraft:

While OMGCraft's appeal was admittedly niche, it was arguably a better show than say "Marketing Mavericks" with more of a following if it's companion YouTube channel is any indicator.  

Considering what the show started out as and what it became after joining TWIT's "official" lineup it's understandable that host Chad "OMGChad" Johnson would choose to take it off network.  If it returns to the more freeform format of its TWIT "beta" days it should do well for Johnson and I honestly hope that comes to pass.

RedditUP:

While mildly entertaining I never quite understood the point of this show.  Co-hosted by Sarah Lane and Chad Johnson, It covered the happenings of the social network that isn't, specifically Reddit.  While Lane and Johnson did their best,  the show was the equivalent of somebody building a podcast around their twitter feed. 

But at least it wasn't...

Marketing Mavericks:

So the wildly successful (that's sarcasm folks) marketing podcast is getting moved to another time slot, again.  This is the TWIT podcast that introduces viewers to those giants of industry that brought the world opt-out spam, singing chickens and pop-up ads.  

Considering the far more "niche" OMGCraft podcast consistently produces episodes that can crest 20,000 views on its associated YouTube channel, Marketing Mavericks by comparison struggles to reach 50.  Why this show continues while other more popular examples regularly get the boot is a continuing mystery.

Which brings us to the elephant in the room...

The Social Hour:

"...We are also retiring The Social Hour. Originally called net@night, it is one of our longest-running netcasts, starting when “social media” was still in its infancy. As the landscape has matured and trends have shifted towards apps, we feel that social media coverage is now a part of almost every show on our network..."

This one is almost on par with Tom Merritt leaving...

While admittedly "The Social Hour" at times seemed more like an hour spent with a couple of chattering valley girls, the content was nonetheless relevant to its audience.  With no social media rock left unturned even those with a passing interest could find something of use. 

Considering the strict adherence Laporte and Kentzell demand of TWIT shows to be profitable, it's longevity could only be a result of its popularity with viewers...right?

It's abrupt departure is likely more significant than it may seem on the surface.

The Social Hour debuted on March 30, 2011 picking up where its TWIT predecessor "Net@night" had left off with host Amber MacArthur and Sarah Lane taking over co-host duties from Laporte.  Meaning that some incarnation of the show had continuously ran for nearly 9 years on the TWIT network before being deemed "redundant."

The decision was apparently made within the last week as no indication of the show's cancellation was indicated during the most recent episode that found Lane closing with, "We will see you next week."

Apparently not Sarah...

There was no episode of "The Social Hour" (not even a rerun) during its normal timeslot this week making the hour long void between "Know How" and "Coding 101" conspicuously present. 

Even the show's icon had been moved to the "retired shows" section of the twit.tv website.  A small but powerful statement as most retired shows have historically remained in the "current shows" lineup for at least a month.

The justification, " ...we feel that social media coverage is now a part of almost every show on our network..." plays to the supposed redundancy of content.  Yet TWIT still maintains not one but 3 shows based on the Apple Ecosystem with Macbreak weekly frequently rehashing content from Ipad Today, I5 for the Iphone not to mention This Week in Tech.

And what of the lackluster Tech News Today (TNT)?  Are we to infer that because a topic is covered that any other presentation is considered redundant as well?

Then we must conclude that other TWIT shows like Windows Weekly, Security Now, This Week in Tech and a host of others that regularly cover the same content as TNT are also on the chopping block.

It seems a double standard is at play here...

Perhaps this is part of a grand plan to eliminate any show on the TWIT network that may threaten the relevance of the news department. 

Although I don't see how that's possible considering the lack of improvement in Elgan's performance on TNT after 9 months.   TNT is nowhere to be found on the Itunes top 40 tech podcasts.  Which begs the question, if TNT isn't popular any more and isn't making enough money for TWIT because of it then isn't TNT itself "redundant?"

If we apply the same standard to TNT as has been brought to bear on other TWIT shows that have been cancelled then TNT must itself be discontinued.      

Don't hold your breath...

Kentzell has stated in the past that her goal was to make TWIT less dependent on Laporte's persona and allow him more personal time away from the network.  Truth be told, by and large he has backed away from all but the core TWIT shows.  In that respect she's succeeded but even a cursory examination of Laporte's demeanor over the past year suggests that the changes may not have yielded the expected results.

Watch any recent podcast of "The Tech Guy," Laporte's syndicated radio show, and frequently the lovable teddy bear of tech is instead curt and irritable.  For example, a recent caller to the show found themselves on the receiving end of the "dump button" because Laporte was unhappy with the pace of the caller's question and later justified the action by saying the caller, "just wanted a free phone."  

It's not an isolated incident either...

Even Laporte's guests aren't immune as they're often talked over or cut off mid sentence regardless of the proximity of a commercial break.  It's almost as though Laporte is in a race to the finish of every show and would rather be somewhere else.

It's likely the result of stress but unfortunately it appears that even indulging in the recreation that only Laporte's wealth can bring still can't alleviate it.

For his own sake, perhaps Laporte should consider just leaving things be at TWIT for awhile. 

Baby, Bathwater and now the tub...TWIT changes continue

Watching today's TNT episode with new lead, Mike Elgan, at the helm it became obvious that changes at TWIT aren't quite done yet.

With Iyaz Akhtar's sudden departure for CNET last week, only Sarah Lane and Jason Howell of the Merritt era crew remain.

Leo Laporte attempted to soften the blow by heading up the New Years Eve episode of TNT alongside new TNT boss Mike Elgan.  Watching the episode one  thing became clear.  Where Tom Merritt was about collaboration,  Mike Elgan is all about a certain way of doing things...that being,.his way.

Politlely deflecting commentary to the contrary it was obvious that the edict has gone out.  My way or the highway will likely be the order of the day.

The strange thing was, that his delivery was about as interesting as a wet dish rag .  A more passive and submissive tone seems to surface around Laporte's bravado.  His stage presence lacked charisma and at times it seems he'd be more suited to stamping driver's licenses at a DMV window. In short a newsman but not an anchor.

What we do know is that Elgan is a willing tool of Laporte to push his grand plans of recreating TNT as the CNN of tech with a focus on "breaking news"   As such there wasn't anything new there.  It's a mantra that Laporte has droned so many times in the month since the announcement of Tom Merritt's departure.

With a playful yet overt dig at Sarah Lane for breaking into tears during Tom Merritt's last address to TNT fans yesterday (Dec. 30), it was obvious that Laporte was desperately trying to move away from the topic of Merritt's departure.

Soon after came Laporte and Elgan's gentle but obvious chorus of what they thought TNT wasn't doing well enough.

After which the first hints at tension began showing through the cracks when Lane rose to the defense of TNT's previous work.  After Elgan commented that he wanted TNT to be more "global" and didn't want to just be "reporting American tech news for Americans." Lane instantly responded with, " I don't think TNT was ever doing that!".  Elgan's response, "Right"

Apparently, award winning or not, TNT wasn't living up to Leo's expectations under Merritt's rule.
It's obvious that the remaining hosts (Sarah and Jason Howell) will not have as prominent a role as they did under Merritt and it's likely a reason Iyaz Akhtar chose to make such a curiously timed exit from the show.

It makes sense, TWIT has literally thrown the baby out with the bathwater and will have to move fast to fill the vacuum.  That means nothing of the Merritt era at TWIT can remain if they don't want to be constantly hampered by his ghost.  The painful part is to see the significant contributions of TNT crew past and present be devalued for the sake of a whim AKA: breaking tech news.

In the end don't be surprised to see Mike Elgan sitting with a completely different TNT cast by this time next year. Whether that's a good or bad thing is dependent on whether or not you can accept the changes Elgan brings to TNT.

I know what I think but make up your own mind.  The episode in question is provided below... Advance to 36:21 for Elgan's commmentary on the old TNT.