G4-TechTV merger is really backward

If you're a TechTV fan you know that Comcast bought the network to combine it with their own G4 network, creating the combined G4-TechTV. In the process, they cut a lot of the TechTV shows and laid-off a ton of people at the San Francisco location. Those that survived have to move to L.A.

Now that they're operating together, I can only help but feel that the merger was about as ass backward as can be. Most of the G4 shows suck. How? Let me count the ways.

First of all, it's a total sausage fest. There are a lot of very smart female tech geeks, and frankly they're more interesting for boy geeks to watch. G4 apparently had none. TechTV had many, and we've grown to love them. The only female I've seen on a G4 show so far is Julie from Real World New Orleans, and she's surprisingly not bad.

The production values suck. The shows have audio levels all over the place, poor audio quality, poor editing, amateur graphics, etc. Not impressed.

Did I mention that the air “talent” is generally terrible?

The merger should've gone the other way. I sure hope the programming execs from TechTV have some say in the future of the combined network, because whatever the G4 people have been doing is not going to help grow the network. It should be interesting to see how things go next week when The Screensavers moves to L.A.

The strongest shows on the network are TechTV shows. The Screensavers, X-Play and Unscrewed are good stuff. Damn shame they let go of Call for Help (and Leo Laporte for that matter).

A lot of this makes me wish that I was still working in broadcast. I'm not really applying my media savvy to the Web the way that I should, but it's just not the same medium as TV.

46 Comments

  • Yes, G4 TV sucks. I use to love watching tech tv but now I can't even stand to see the channel in my guide. I foresee many sad days ahead for those that liked tech tv.

  • G4 sucks the big one, I have to admit that some of the g4 shows are interesting but the reviews these people make are pretty freaking stupid. They point out key elements of a game and take points away for it. example: 2d fighting games like Street Fight VS SNK lose points for being 2d. 2d graphics make the game what it is.

  • i agree it sucks, even the webiste sucks. How could they get rid of Call For Help, that was one of the better shows and it recieved a lot of ratings. G4 is killing the TechTV image, name, and the Technical Television Image.

  • Don't just complain here, really let Comcast know how you feel by signing this petition. Its time we actually did something besides gripe in forums. Please sign and pass the URL on to all your friends!



    http://www.PetitionOnline.com/techback/petition.html

  • That will do exactly nothing. They didn't buy a network without a plan they thought made sense.

  • i agree at so do the people at the url come here if you are againsed the g4 ttv merger

  • Whew! I thought I was the only one who thought that the merger really sucked! I'm glad know that alot of others hate it too. I used to be an avid techtv wathcer and now my wife just asked me why I no longer watch the channel. The answer is because it's unbearable! Utterly Dreadful what they have done! Have they no plan or judgement that the idea is to attract viewers, not repel them? I think the term "Ass-Backwards" is so appropriate for this merger.

  • I hate G4techtv. I want TechTV, TechTV go alive! TechTV go alive! TechTV go alive! TechTV go alive!

  • Who do we write to bring back Call for Help?



    I tried 7 emails to g4 tech and all I get is automated generic responses.

  • Techtv has died :'( everything that was good is gone, the g4tv ceo cancelled everything that he didnt see as needed or "hip". Everything on g4 is exactly the same, they basically kept all of the g4 shows and cancelled half of the techtv shows (thankfully the screensavers is still here). But they'll be moving to LA and patrick is leaving to get married.





    Someday they'll realize the mistake they made.

  • Anyone know who the idiots are behind the debacle?

  • Tech TV definately kicked ass. I must agree with everyone as far as the programming goes, it sucks. I am very angry with this merger. It should have never happened. This channel should have been known as TechTVG4. G4 obviously don't know what they are doing. They need some of the execs from TechTV to show them how G4 how it is done. We should all get together and voice our dissatisfaction with the product.

  • It would appear from the threads on the G4TechTV forum (which is really just the G4 forum) that G4 has it's own unique fan base and that the two demographic groups will not merge. This says to me that Comcast has successfully done what corporate committee decision often does: take two profitable entities they do not understand, combine the worst of each, and destroy it all in the process.

    The heart of the tech industry in the US is San Francisco, so they move the whole operation to LA which is the home of neither gaming nor tech.

    G4 was not nearly as powerful as TechTV, and didn't have the same variety of successful shows, so they are mostly keeping G4 shows.

    The G4 site is busy and very difficult to navigate. TechTV's site was not ideal, but was functional and much more visually appealing. The G4 site despite not having content oriented graphics takes longer to load. Which site's design is more prevalent in the current one? G4.

    One thing is guaranteed, executives never admit mistakes, nor do big corporations. Don't expect TechTV to be saved by Comcast reversing itself, they won't.

  • This has to be the worst move that Comcast has made.

    I was hoping that perhaps a little of TechTV would wear off on G4, and create something like a happy medium.

    However, even after some time, Tommy Talirico's slime is dripping off of the entire channel. I miss my TechTV. I agree that G4's production was horrible before the merger, but the channel served a niche with 12-20 year old boys that had time to game all day. Plus, it was a good billboard for EBGames.

    TechTV was serious enough to cover the real meat and potatoes of computerdom. Everything from the dark arts to beginners help was covered, and it was presented in a grown up manner that didnt' talk down to anyone from the newbie to the professional.



    Since then, I have only really seen G4 programming on the channel. I miss my Screen Savers marathons, I miss my CFH, Nerd Nation, and so many other shows that seemed to have been replaced with lame ass re-runs of G4TV.com, Filter, and the rest of the G4 drivel.



    Hell, my local Time Warner cable provider even moved the channel from 44, which is accessable to almost everyone, to channel 141. It just no longer matters.



    I'm going to miss TechTV, I was a fan even in the days of ZDTV.

  • yup, this is the worst thing that could happen to a computer geek like me...how 'bout you?

    what do you say we boycott the g4 advertisers or flood their offices with "bring back nnn programs"...??? i dunno...g4 sucks plain and simple. a dim shadow of the tech tv that we got used to. just stop watching , i guess.

    tim

  • G4 - TV for MORONS

  • Please vote, at:



    http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=1734910



    I also think it sucks

  • I've seen countless complaints about G4TechTV's recent decisions to cancel shows and promote former G4 shows in their place. I agree wholeheartedly and that's how I found this board. But is there anyone out there who disagrees?



    Surely if the G4 people decided to axe so much of TechTV they must have figured they'd GAIN viewers in the long-run, right?



    I only watch "The Screen Savers" anymore but I can't stand Roger from Call For Help nor the stupid comments btwn Kevin and Sarah (we KNOW you're a couple. You don't have to keep shoving it in our faces!). I miss TechLive and SpySchool. I miss the late repeats (on the West Coast) of TSS since I'm not home when it first airs (4 p.m. PST). I was even starting to dig "Nerd Nation".



    G4 sucks. The cancellations are a decision they made they won't reverse, so there's no use for petitions or anything else. Fight the power by just plain not watching. I have the feeling they're going to freak in a few months when they see the ratings have dropped dramatically.

  • I am 14 well I will be 7-17 and what do I get for my b-day screen savers move to LA that sucks big time I was a fan back from zdtv I was not thrilled when zdtv moved to techtv but it rocked compard to this I am shore nothing will happen or all the techtv fans will stop watching and then them will pull the network because of money but that is just me any how I am glad to see I am not the only one how hates the merge but the first thing they have to do is fix hat web site it sucks ass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • g4 sucks I hate all of their shows

  • I always thought TechTV should move in a direction that is MORE technical and caters to more of the "harcore geek" . the screensavers is good, but in all reality for computer noobs.

    Now that it is G4 tech TV it's just a big fukn advertisment for x-box games. I dont know if you noticed but the tech tv staff is now barred from talking about "controversial" subjects like modchips, making game/dvd back-ups/ p2p or anything else that might piss off g4's advertising purchasers.



    I've never met anyone that enjoyed tech tv and also liked G4.

    as a matter of fact everyone I know that likes techTV HATES G4

  • But @sscore: do you know anyone who likes G4 but not TechTV?



    I'm hoping that in a few months Comcast will notice that ratings have dropped dramatically and will "bring back" shows they cancelled that viewers liked. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. By then it would have been months since I watched G4TechTV, so how would I know those shows are back on. I can't bare to watch G4TechTV now! It's hosts are annoying and its shows are juvenile. Just the kind of thing their targeted demographic is looking for (teenage EBGames customers). No offence.

  • Comcast execs do not care about your opinions. They care about money. They have made such obscene profits from their cable rip-off, that they can buy anything they want. Buying techtv concentrates gaming advertiser revenues, so they can make more money. Techtv is gone. If you want technical information, you may have to read a book. Good Luck

  • I agree with you all my friends. I loved TechTV too. I used to watch five hours of TechTV!!!!!!!!!! And now I watch Discovery! This mother f***** G4 people suck d***. They can’t do s***. They suck at; editing, and broadcasting interesting and helpful shows. I can’t believe what happened to those TechTV People. Soon this mother f****** will lose everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If there was something to do to bring TechTV back, I hope everyone will participate in.

  • and these idiots even moved the channel tooooooooooooooooooooooooo?!?!?!?!

  • I've got a new strategy. I've started watching just long enough to get the names of the advertisers on G4TechTV, and inform THEM of the boycott!

  • I'm glad I found a good place to vent my hatred of G4. Everything has been screwed up since G4 showed up. I knew it was going to be bad when I saw the commercials for the merger, but I didn't sense anything this terrible. Out of about the dozen G4 shows they've added, I only like one (I don't mind admitting it), which is Filter. Other than that, all of their shows are horrible! I enjoy video games, but, like most of you, I don't want to watch a show where they show the screen of someone playing a new game for 30 minutes. Also, even though I didn't always understand it, I enjoyed watching shows like Call for Help where they talk about the technology behind the games and computers. I'm proud to say that I only tune in for one G4 show. Other than that, I only watch The Screen Savers, X-Play, and Unscrewed all three of them, of course, were watchable back with just TechTV. One of my main fears about the future TechTV is that even if people quit watching G4 shows, we could still lose TechTV shows because the entire network could be cancelled then.

    To sum it all up: The G4TechTV merger was a terrible idea and, sadly, I doubt that it will ever become as good as TechTV was. Well, I feel a little better now...

  • i'm glad to see that there are a few of us that don't like what is happening.



    techtv was something i looked forward to seeing, i would even wait through some of the "paid programming" to be sure i got all that tech tv had to offer.



    now i have a difficult time sitting through the really bad g4 stuff to see the tech tv programs.

    i would rather see re-runs of the tech tv programming, than watch the g4 stuff.



    and the move to L.A.?

    that's a bad idea.



    i liked watching the familier backdrops when the tech tv crew would be doing the outdoor scenes in and around the san francisco bay area.



    L.A. is just too hot and unfreindly for me to feel comfortable there, even if it's just on the tube.

  • NB. I know this rambles far too long-- feel free to cut the post as you wish=============



    I feel as if a great friend has died--and all that remains is pleasant memories.

    Reading the thread reveals the frustration of the ole' TechTV faithful--alot of ranting sprinkled with some resignation that it's all over.



    It appears that Comcast has a mission vastly divergent from what Tech TV (exec level) had, and whoever controlled Tech TV 'sold-out,' (or got duped).



    The influence of the adv $$ and/or ratings seem the vulnerable avenues to attack, (turning some gaming strategy back in G4's faces).



    Bottom line remains "money, money, money makes the world go 'round."



    The only way to pressure for change is to appeal to someone, some competition???, with a profit motive significant enough to turn heads.



    1. To just simply boycot advertizers doesn't send a strong enuf msg---They need to know who we are, and why their adv $$ are being mis-spent--



    2. Not all the adv companies are targeting Tech TV viewers- but the CDW, Dell, Gateway, etc execs might notice a coord expression of 'anger'--



    3. Impact from ratings drops (don't watch G4 junk) should further drive down adv$$ for Comcast--sure they'll still have G4 advs- but only that.



    4. We need a new voice in the wilderness (w/major resources) to seize this opp, pick up the pieces of Tech TV (under a new ID) and separate from Comcast, and fly.



    5. Can cable/satellite companies help?? Any public service avenues that could promote tech ed channels (ie: like Leo's 'Tech in the classroom' segments on CFH?)

  • The merger really brought me down. The only show I really watch andymore are TSS, and sometimes X-Play (Still like the name Extended Play better though...). Haven't seen much of a difference from X-Play though.



    TSS... oh boy, where to start. First, I don't know if Leo got kicked from the "anchor" or whatever position or he dropped back on his own. He still has a little segment but, hell, he's the guy that basically started the show, he had been with it as front-man for like 5 years or something like that. Kevin... I like him, I just liked him better as "the dark tipper" when he had a little segment on the show about modded PS2/X-Box and the like. I'm not a fan of him doing the front work, but whatever. I kinda miss Martin being on the show, but the few episodes of Unscrewed I've found mildly humorour.



    C'mon, bring back the old line up. Really made it good when I got home from work or school to relax and find myself watching people who know about computers. Oh, btw, what happened to Yoshi? He still on TSS? I just haven't seen him after he put a window on a CD-ROM, or whatever it was...

  • What in world is going? G4 is a dumb show point blank! I will miss techtv........:-(

  • I say we create a paypal account to donate money to. Then when we reach a certain amount of money we start an anti-G4 string of commercials. And better yet put them on there channel!

  • Tis a sad day indeed..

  • One of the worst business decisions ever, next too AOL-Time Warner. Comcast only did this to get a hand in the Gaming business, This led to the creation of G4. But it was a Dud when it first aired. Comcast only wants TTV's TV reach for G4. But people are still turned off by G4's programming and now TTV has gotten into the mix. But Comcast are starting there own On Demand Gaming service. So if that is more profitable then This channel then they will mostlikey Dimantle it.

  • I hate to say this but i dont think TECH TV is coming back. It was good while it lasted.



    (i like the paypal idea)

  • -sob sob- fuck comcast









  • That Paypal idea does intrigue me. I'm pretty sure you've all seen those commercials for a company called HotWire.com. They show 6 pictures, and a miniature plane being guided by a guys hand over the company logo (Did you notice that the girl falling on the bed looks like Laura Swisher?). Well, if say, 100,000 people would donate just $1 apiece to the "Save TechTV AD Campaign" fund, that's be one hundred thousand dollars. I know that there's way more than 100,000 of us that support the wonderful network that was TechTV. We must stand for ourselves, and prove to Comcast, as well as every other big corporation, that this nation was founded "To the people, by the people, and for the people." and not "for greed and for money" as these corporations seem to think. This can only work if we stand proud and speak as one voice. Alot of things I used to love have been taken away from me, and TechTV seems the only one that I have even a slim chance to bring back. Now, if we were to seriously create a "Bring Back TechTV Ad Campaign" Paypal account, i'd personally save up and donate as much as I can, whenever I can, where ever I can to this cause. I strongly feel that us Tech geeks possess much greater power than Comcast thinks we do. Well, i'm NOT going to lay down and take this like a fool. I am NOT going to watch this faceless, nameless "G4TechTV"! Even in the case that this didn't work, I think it would be a great to say that we, as one community, tried. We tried to preserve what we love in our lives: A great Tech network that brought us the highest quality programming possible (Well, except Robot Wars. . .screw that show).



    Thank you all for reading what I had to say. God bless you.



    Michael Mitchell.



    If anyone would like to contact me, my yahoo messenger address is:

    AmadeusK545



    My email is: Amadeus2490atyahoo.com

    (That's so that the bots that crawl through messageboards can't spam me. Replace the "at" with the familiar "@" sign.)

  • Back in 2002 when I found out about G4, I liked it the first time I saw it. It was my favorite channel at one point. When I went to college, I found out about TechTV and I liked that channel as well. G4 and TechTV were my two favorite channels. G4 was airing in Detroit snd Tech TV was airing in Flint. Somehow I knew that one day the two channels would merge. I just knew it. When they finally merged, I thought it was for the better and thought I was going to be the best channel ever. Well, I was wrong. G4TechTV cancelled many TechTY shows and aired plenty of G4 shows. I liked the merger at first, but now I hate it. G4 basically took over TechTV. TechTV was a much better channel that G4 will ever be. My best friend liked TechTV and when the merger happened, he was not happy at all. Everytime we turn to G4, we both say "G4 Sucks".

  • arrgh, now its just showing star trek 24/7

  • Bring TechTV back!!! I used to watch that channel religiously and the E3 coverage was amazing. I used to take off from work just to watch it!

    The Screensavers, Call for Help, TechNews, Fresh Gear, Extended Play (formerly Game Spot TV).... omfg what were they thinking?

    You take it from a primarily tech channel, and now have the man show, star trek, fastlane, and other Fox shows? Are you friggin kidding me?!

    Are these people just paying a 3 year April Fools Joke that they will surprise us with in a few months? God I hope so!

  • g4 suks becuase they have shows that have nothing to do with video games

  • c'mon its been two years since the so called merger (take over) cough cough happend and let me just say that since those year things have changed i mean look at all the suckiness that was added apon the previous suckiness its approching a whole new suck so we need to complain two to the 3rd power times as hard as hard because the exects are sofa king we tar did so the might think we are just being sarcastic about our thousand or so complaints ;-)

    - kisuke_ice 17

  • Yep,,, its Late October 2007 and G4 STILL SUUUUUUUUCKS!!!!!!!!!

  • G4's a sleazy company that are making a fool out of themselves. Everyone wants the old sh!t back and I agree. The sh!t they have today, I don't think anyone's really watching or gives a damn. Unfortunally, they're airing LOST coming this fall, which is even a bigger turnoff for gaming/tech fans. We want the old channels back, the old channels that give us gaming, and tech fans what we want and not some corrupted pigs to takeover it and turn it into another MTV sh!thole wasteland.

  • I agree with the statement about taking points away from key elements in games. Like that one time they complaned about Metal Slug being cartooney. It's supposed to be cartooney. G4 doesn't even have any sense of art/beauty, they just rate every game on counting poly/textures/pixels/colors are. They consider using bright colors to be a result of bad programming, because they are too niave to realize it doesn't work that way. They also have no sense of fun. A game could be moving super fast, with tons of cool explosions and special effects, with tons of stuff going on at one time, and G4 doesn't notice it because they're busy counting pixels and textures in little puddles of mud on the ground and stuff.

  • Having never watched TechTV (or even any of the old G4 shows until recently), I can still say that G4 is a pathetic channel of sheer suckiness. I happen to sport two X chromosomes, so seeing near-nekkid chicks as frequently as I do on that channel is IQ-draining and mind-vexing (although I can't see lonely, date-less males NOT enjoying that...or most dudes, I guess). Seeing the early complaints about the older G4 shows makes me feel even worse, as I'd MUCH rather watch Game Makers, Cinematech, Judgement Day, Portal (...I actually like that show a lot...), Filter, Arena, and the rest in place of the majority of the dreck (discluding X-Play, which isn't half-bad) on now. I'd almost include Attack of the Show and Ninja Warrior in those parenthesis, but AotS's audience annoys the crap out of me, and Ninja Warrior, although I like it a lot, has been shown on G4...oh, about a million times more than it should be and will be. If our whining does seem to make G4 become all the more suckier, then I can only imagine what the channel will look like in 4 more years.

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