What is Digg?63 Comments
- kevinrose, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19“[TechTV was] losing tens of millions of dollars each year. You should all be thanking G4 for saving any bit of it at all.�
FALSE – While TechTV was not completely profitable, they had posted profitable quarters.
"I've seen [a lot] of hatred towards her-- [that] she [doesn’t] know [anything] about games-- [that] she's only eye candy-- [that] she'd be nothing without her cleavage. Some people despise her because they feel she is just reading off of cue-cards and is pretending to be an ‘exhert.’"
Ok, this is just laughable. Morgan Webb was my roommate for six months in San Francisco. Not only is she a gamer, but a true geek. Old TSS fans will remember her in-depth Windows hacks and tweaks. She’s one of the only girls I know that had Linux as her primary home OS.
“I know a lot of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes which I am absolutely not at liberty to discuss� Hmm, just so you all know he doesn’t actually work at G4 (they shoot elsewhere). I highly doubt the legitimacy of this post. - kevinrose, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Tommy -
After reading your original post (I didn't see that before – I don’t read G4 forums), I can see how you have been taken out of context. Sorry about that – nothing worse than people twisting your words.
Kevin Rose
[insert title here] - Tallarico, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3It seems like you can't edit a post once you submit it (unless I'm missing something?) Anyway... I just wanted to clear up my above post. I meant it to be in reference to the new version of Screen Savers as opposed to the old. I think the two Kevin's will be very cool together.
- Tallarico, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yo Kevin!,
No worries. I'm glad you took the time to read the original post. Sorry if any of this seemed like a Tech TV fan bashing... It's not my intention at all. I always liked the stuff you did and was sorry to see it gone. Hope you kick ass in your next gig which I'm sure will be cool as well!
Tommy
Tommy - ramiro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3The title is VERY, VERY misleading and slanted against Tommy Tallarico.
But not all is lost for I found the article below very explanative of what happened:
theGAmE71135, posted on Saturday January 15, 2005 4:23 AM
http://forums.g4techtv.com/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=329999&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=&STARTPAGE=12
A friend of mine who used to work for G4 had come across this topic and asked me to reply to it, as he chose to take G4's severance package which states that he cannot speak out against G4 or speak on the events that took place at G4. So of course, he asked me to. Now mind you, this is all being fed to me over the phone.
Here's how the story goes...
Anything these Tommy Tallarico's and Laura Foy's and G4 mods tell you about TechTV is just sugar coating things. TechTV was not purchased for the content nor was it purchased for its fans. It wasn't even purchased to see it salvaged. G4 never had any intentions of creating a technology network. What they were after were those 43.9 million homes that TechTV wasn't reaching. See, G4 had been turned down by both DirecTV and Dish Network before. They were a small company with a ridiculous concept funded by a company that has tried to take them under. DTV and Dish just weren't interested. However, if you've ever worked in television, you'd know that you must have those providers in order to survive.
TechTV also happened to be on the market as Paul Allen was trying to fund his latest project and TechTV wasn't pulling in the ratings he was looking for. TechTV was in 44 million homes (which included DirecTV and Dish Network subscirbers), yet only 02% of them were watching. Comcast saw this as a window of opportunity to get G4 on DirecTV and Dish. They didn't see this as an opportunity to gain TechTV's shows or even its fans. There were just so few of them that they didn't really care. So Comcast consumed TechTV.
Problem....
The contract that was initially signed between ZDTV and DirecTV had the network listed as a "News and Information" channel. G4 was not a "News and Information" channel and simply knocking TechTV out of the way would have resulted in a breach of contract. This would have meant that G4 would have had to sign a new contract that they knew DirecTV wouldn't have been willing to oblige. So they came up with this eloborate scheme to merge the two networks. Mind you, this merge was not done to continue to please the TechTV viewers. This was done to keep the other cable and satellite providers off of their backs. It was an expensive deal but it would have paid off in the long run.
So here came G4techTV. A concept designed by G4's marketing team push quickly push G4 into peoples' homes without them realizing it. The network started out with a fairly even amount of TechTV and G4 shows. Each day featured 10 hours of G4 and 10 hours of TechTV. This would have appeared to be simply a merge between two network's programming to the untrained eye and more importantly, to the cable and satellite providers. However, if you took a look at the schedule, you would've noticed that 4 hours of TechTV's programming occured before 12pmEST, another one hit at 7pmEST, and the last 5 were all after 11pmEST while G4 programs all aired in between those times. The initial plan was simply to knock off each TechTV hour one by one until they were all filled with G4 programming, however, G4 saw potential in two TechTV shows. The first was X-Play, a gaming show that G4 had been after for quite some time. It was TechTV's highest rated program and had original content and writing that you just couldn't find on G4's gaming oriented programs. The other was The Screen Savers. The show was originally a show for computer help and how-to which also featured interviews with the computer industry's biggest names, however that wasn't what G4 saw for it. They saw it as a live program that they could possibly get as many celebrities and game designers on as possible. G4's Icons and Players were failing to cover events and releases in a timely fashion and The Screen Savers being live would solve that problem. TSS's Executive Producer, Paul Block had also been trying to squeeze more entertainment into the show so it was a sure keep. Paul Block had also convinced the G4 executives to keep his other show, Unscrewed with Martin Sargent, which was a show about internet culture, as it had only been on for less than a full season and could've also provided the celebrity interviews they needed. Chuck Hirsch was never a fan of the show, however, VP at the time, Vinnie Longobardo saw potential for it.
So it was set. X-Play, The Screen Savers, and Unscrewed with Martin Sargent were to move down to LA to be with G4 while G4 continued to knock off the other TechTV shows. By the time September rolled around, the schedule was looking at 7 TechTV hours and 13 G4 hours. G4's executives were simply explaining this to fans as lack of new content from the TechTV shows, however, G4 was showing reruns from as far back as 2002. X-Play, The Screen Savers, and Unscrewed with Martin Sargent began taping that month, although things weren't going very smoothly. In order to begin taping these shows, G4 was forced to shelve three of their programs, Arena, Cheat, and Filter which resulted in employees with virtually nothing to do. There were also two on-screen TechTV employees, Brendan Moran and Chi-Lan Lieu, who had no real projects to work on. The network became oversaturated with employees on the payroll who weren't really doing anything.
After many clashes between Charles and Vinnie over content direction, Vinnie stepped down as network VP. This meant that the future for Unscrewed with Martin Sargent looked very small as Charles was not a fan of the show at all. Charles was also unhappy with the direction of The Screen Savers. While the show had taken on more of an entertainment direction in content, it still wasn't the show that he wanted. As November rolled along, it was announced that there would be some changes at the network. On November 9th, it was announced that Unscrewed was cancelled and everyone from the show, outside of a couple of producers was fired. The show's ratings (although very early to call) were coming in low and Charles' dislike for the show caused its demise. The Screen Savers crew was told that there were going to be some changes on the show although no one was sure of what. On November 10th, the TSS crew was told that the show would not be in production again for another 3 weeks. The next day, a nightmare took place. The staff was cleaned out. A lot of the crew behind and in front of The Screen Savers was fired, the crew behind G4's least popular shows such as Cheat and Pulse were fired, and control of The Screen Savers was taken from Paul Block and handed to infamous EP, Jim Downs resulting in Paul Block's firing.
The entire leftover Screen Savers crew was unhappy about this but had initially signed 4 year contracts that stated that there would be severe legal action should they choose to quit. They were stuck under Jim Downs' control, who has a severe track record of mistreating employees. The Screen Savers went from a show that helped people with their technology problems to a show where they were able to pull in celebrity and major endorsements.
With the majority of the TechTV programs gone, G4 was now able go back to their original format. They had pulled in enough new viewers and sponsors to their programming during the so called "merge" to get support from DirecTV and Dish Network. Due to some contract issues, they weren't able to go back to the initial G4 TV For Gamers so they decided to relaunch as G4 Video Game Television.
So TechTV fans, G4 never cared about you. You were a minority in a much bigger picture. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Remember, this was all being fed to me over the phone. Don't shoot the messenger. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2really we all need to stop all of this. i fell so stupid about bashing. it is time for us to act like adults. savor the moment.enjoy it
- keithmcbride, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I think it is pretty fair to say that a large majority of the readers on this site value Kevin's opinion more than Tommy Talarico.
And yes, anyone who saw Morgan pre-Xplay will agree that she deserved her spot. And she was a lot cooler than the girl that was on Extended Play before her... - keithmcbride, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I, for one, actually watched Judgment Day pretty regularly before the merger, and only watched X-Play slightly less. It wasn't because of the program, just that it wasn't on very often and if anything, I would blame Adam Sessler for my not watching it.
As a businessman, I can't say that I'm surprised that Tommy said what he did. He built his own sound studio from the ground up and he and Victor Lucas owe a lot of their TV success to his great business skills.
As for TechTV being a "failure" on its own... How many people ever went to see a taping of Judgment Day? They don't have a live audience? Maybe because they know nobody would go see it...
Even if it were true that TechTV wasn't doing so well financially (which might explain why it was sold so easily) it can't be because TSS was not doing well. Had G4 canceled all other programs from TechTV and fired all the employees and not touched TSS, I think a lot more people would be willing to let it slide. - KevinJ, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Personally I loved TECHTV but, I have come to realize that G4 did a smart move in a business sense. They were able to take over a network keep a popular show on. Because the show is on later in the day. viewers are forced to watch the networks other crappy programming converting possibly 20% of TechTV viewers into G4 fans thus upping their ratings. I never said this was moral. LLTNR and Yatta Nippon and thebroken.org rulz...etc
- Tallarico, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1To SIN2000,
Thank you for the intelligent post and response. I can totally understand why the TechTV community would feel upset. If someone came in and stripped a network I watched and loved for so long I would be upset as well! I think that any TechTV fan has the right to be upset and angered by what took place.
I think what really hurt most of the TechTV fans is that it seemed like G4 & TechTV were "merging" as opposed to just being taken over and a few shows saved. The press release should have read... Tech TV is NO MORE. It is finished... and so is G4. Instead, they are going to take some of the more popular shows and form a new entity which is going to be focused around video games and the gamers lifestyle.
For all intents and purposes... TechTV is gone. I know it's probably hard for a lot of people to accept that... but unfortunately it's true. Don't hate me for saying this, but if the network was doing great and turning huge profits... it would still be around. It's just a simple fact that I'm trying to shed some light on to everyone. I'm not AGAINST TechTV. Why the hell would I be?? I'm into more technology than anyone! Christ... I do it for a living! Technology & creation has been my career in the video games industry for the last 15 years. I'm a Tech FREAK! People are getting offended because I'm offering up some facts that may help people to understand what happened. I am not a G4 lackey by any means!! I have been successfully running 4 companies long before G4 came along... and will continue to do so if they go away. This whole t.v. show thing is a part-time fun gig for me (I can tell you the pay SUCKS!!). But I have gotten to a point in my career where I don't need to do things for money. I do them for the enjoyment. I love working with Vic on the shows and will continue to do so even if G4 goes away. Our shows have been around for 8 years and appear on many different networks including MTV International. I'm not trying to brag here... just trying to show people that I have nothing to do with G4 corporate or am some kind of employed lackey who fears for their job and is only trying to defend G4. Because of my position (both business & creative) I know a lot of inside stuff that I'm willing to share with the fans if they are interested. Instead... I am confronted with misleading quotes taken out of context and pure hatred. I find that sad and ridiculous at the same time.
You are all going to have to realize that TechTV is gone. The fact that they kept the name probably wasn't the smartest thing they could have done to the fans and looking back... they may even would have done it differently.
G4's goal is to build a network around video gaming and the community surrounding it. Mistakes will be made, people will be wrongly fired and shows will be canceled. All I can do is try to best the best possible show we can with the little resources that are given to us. Being one of the highest rated shows on the network... we feel proud to be accomplishing this. If people want to hate me and flame me for speaking my mind... so be it! I'm completely secure in my career and position in life. I find it sad for others to judge and flame when I only base my thoughts and opinions upon what I perceive to be the facts and to speak my mind... straight from the heart with no B.S. (just like when I review a game on our show).
Tommy - chriskzoo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2The only thing sinking faster than G4 is Tommy Talarico's career.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1wow what a day . kevin __tommy__kevin __tommy__kevin __tommy__kevin . i would have like to see morgan webb. this article has move the cloud. it is great to see what kevin and tommy think about what is going on. everybody stop BITCHIN. i will keep on watchin both of the shows. but kevin i would like to see you brach off and start something new. and put it on basic cable
- Tallarico, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3WOAH WOAH WOAH!!! Hold on just a minute!
I was just informed about this from the Judgment Day forums and thought I'd drop by before this gets out of hand.
First of all... I COMPLETELY respect Morgan Webb for all the success she has achieved. She IS a total gamer, great show personality and a PERFECT fit for Adam and the show.
You people have COMPLETELY taken what I said out of context! (I guess I can't be surprised... this IS the internet!)
A person had said that I was one of the most popular but also one of the most hated personalities on G4TechTV. I agreed and said that Morgan Webb was also a very loved and hated personality from the network and gave a few things that OTHERS SAY ABOUT HER in the XPlay forums (which I sometimes frequent). THAT IS ALL!! Please read the thread before trying to blow something like that out of hand.
To Kevin Rose (if that is really him).
I'm a little surprised about your comments and attitude. I would have thought that someone like you (who I know has been through the same stuff a lot of us "on air personalities" go through... would have at least taken the time to read my post and not attack me without knowing all the facts.
You mentioned that TechTV was not completely profitable and they did have a few profitable quarters. This is what I said as well!! The overall network was losing tens of millions of dollars. Sure they may have had some profitable quarters but that doesn't change the fact that they still weren't doing as good as they should have for being in over 40 million homes. This isn't my opinion and I certainly don't mean any harm at this comment. The discussion arose about G4 & TechTV so I felt it necessary to point out that fact about TechTV. Lots of people are under the impression that TechTV was doing GREAT and that G4 came in and screwed the whole place up. My point was that TechTV was NOT doing as great as people think and that G4 was not doing as horrible either.
Next... you took my Morgan comment out of context as everyone else has. I realize you were defending your friend and old roommate and I totally respect that. Vic & I have to do this for each other as well. I just wish you would have read my actual post and realized that I did NOT say those things in the context they were presented. Now your words are coming across as being a negative hit upon me which I don't think is fair at all.
I have no beef with you or ANY of the TechTV fans here or anyplace else. I'm just sick and tired of hearing the TechTV audience say how badly G4 PURPOSELY screwed up the network. Whether any of you believe it or not, there are a lot of talented and hard-working people over at G4 who are completely dedicated to making the network successful. As I said in my thread over at the JD forums... G4 is FAR from perfect!! I know it... they know it. It's going to take a long time and a lot of "trying new stuff" to come to fruition. They are not focused on Tech like TechTV was. They are focused on video games and the lifestyle surrounding it. Yes. Some of that includes Tech but it also includes a lot of other stuff as well (which they are currently addressing). Everyone needs to realize that its NOT a TECH station anymore and that is why you are seeing the changes.
I absolutely don't want to start some kind of G4 vs. TechTV war here or anyplace else. I was merely trying to shed some light on the G4 side as well. I'm completely neutral. I don't work for G4... we are independent. We are on networks all over the world (including Mtv) and have been for the last 8 years.
I am completely open for discussion and intelligent conversation on this topic so if anyone cares to ask me questions or continue this in a mature way I'll be over at the JD forum talking about this in the G4/TECHTV thread.
Thanks for your time. I'm sorry that some of you feel the need to flame and hate me because you didn't bother to go through and read what the post really said. Hopefully you understand.
thanks,
Tommy Tallarico
President, Tommy Tallarico Studios, Inc. (www.tallarico.com)
President/Founder, G.A.N.G. (Game Audio Network Guild) [www.audiogang.org]
Host, writer, co-producer, The Electric Playground & Judgment Day television shows
Executive Producer/CEO, Video Games Live (www.videogameslive.com)
p.s. DAMN!! This board is cool. It acutally has a spell checker!! We need one of those over at the G4 forums!! :) - Weeples, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1As you can see, Tommy's a nice guy and wouldn't go around bashing and flaming people like y'all obviously love to do. Learn a little about someone before you decide if you like them or not.
- rayjay2380, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1tallarico made a reply to this story on the boards its:
For the record!!! I ABSOLUTELY DID NOT INSULT MORGAN WEBB IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM!!!
This is being completely taken out of context!!!
These people need to go back and read the thread please!!
Someone made the comment that I was one of the most hated people on the network and all I said is that I have heard "hated" comments about people like Morgan... and I just simply stated what OTHERS had said about her.
Please spread the news! This is ridiculous!
T.T. - SIN2000, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I have been into games since TRS80 and 5.25 floppy’s and have seen where games have come from and where they may end up… You however have been locked away in some office cubical and know nothing about your present work, the people in your industry, or what they do or have done…
In order to be proficient at what you do you should research your knowledge of the industry and the events that have taken place before you talk ignorantly about what you have no clue about.
G4 is a sinking ship, dont grab others to keep you from drowning in your sad pointless career… Tommy you work for a company that does not understand anything about tech or games….. They are only in business to make money and screw every body they can for money. You are no different then them except for the fact they are trying to do it to you too and I think you know that subconsciously….
Heres a helpful tip for those at G4 who “just don’t get it� and want to be as good as other shows and accumulate a fan base that really likes their shows and hosts ….. Care about how you think and act towards your audience… don’t tell you audience that they make you laugh when you do things that leave them feeling displaced and insulted. Dont say things that make you seem thoughtless, selfish and greedy… Try to perform your work like it is important and makes a difference in the world even if it is just a game or tech news show…
I don’t think the TSS issues are about a simple show that was changed …. I think TSS stood for a community of people that found a general interest in the issues and technologies that they talked about… somewhere done the line these people that stood behind the ideals that the show stood for with advanment in technology for the better of the people and their lives… got taken away unfairly and disassembled for corporate profit and network distribution… in our society we dislike this rampant corporate misconduct and feel the need for reasonability for bad business ethics…
You should not advise the community you think we suck for being displaced by your company … it only makes you seem less human and more like the corporate executive greed bots you work for there at G4/Comcast..
“He and his friends that work at the channel find the uproar over their recent events as funny.� - SmeRndmGy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1if only i cared. G4 is more childish than nickolodeon, disney, and fox family combined and i will never watch it again. i no longer care what they do or say about their network or shows. ***** 'em. all we can do now is hope they go out of business soon. the more you watch them and talk about them the longer they will still exist.
- EJohnson, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1The article is a HUGE misrepresentation about what Tommy said and the quotes were definitely taken out of context.
- DarkStalker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"I think the two Kevin's will be very cool together."
Agreed, they are working much better than I thought they would. I just wish the show wasn't pushed so far over to the general entertainment and lifestyle side of things these days. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0i am just laughing at all of this. looking at what kevin said. every one need to stop bashing. just stop. mabey g4 was a good thing for tech tv. for morgan . keep doing what you do. nice pic
- Tallarico, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2In my opinion.... I am owed an apology by some of you.
I also beleive the heading of this is completely misleading and should be changed.
Tommy - rayjay2380, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0there are somethings i agreed with tommy on and some things i didn't in his post's on the boards! the Morgan thing i didn't agree with while the we should be thanking G4 i did agree with!!!!!!
- the_mole1314, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1To Tom-
As a loyal TechTV viewer, I respect your opinions, but of course, you are being fed by the G4 hand. The main problem I have always had with G4 was their deceptive nature, keeping, but then killing, shows we loved, changing shows so they are no longer what they used to be, but keeping the names for brand appeal, and forgetting about the TechTV community. If G4 had captured both audiences, they WOULD have a hit channel on their hands, one that had tech news and information, Fresh Gear, Call for Help, TSS, and a gaming section, or gaming block, with Judgment Day, X-Play, Filter, and others.
The recent squirming, reshuffling, and re branding has alienated more and more people, not only of TechTV viewers, but also G4 viewers who don't want to see Filter turned into a generic top 10 show or see Pulse have Mac news on it. - smackjack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Im not watching jugment day anymore. Why are 90% of the ppl still complaining after 8 mounths?
- Dart, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I think a lot has been said on this issue. Seriously, it took me quite awhile to read them all. And I think a lot of people have valid points in here, while others are just jumping on the G4-bashing bandwagon. Yes, G4 did pretty much kill TechTV and assimilate it's corpse into the video-gaming collective. I was horrified when I heard the merger, because it meant the certain death of the shows I loved. But either way, it was a good business move. From either side of the story, they simultaneously rid themselves of their competition, and got into more viewers' homes. Good for them.
The only problem is: If you're going to make a network based on 'gaming and it's culture', you should at LEAST try and invest in the Tech aspect. Maybe in a seperate network or something, I don't know. But the people need a show like TSS. Sure, thebroken.org is a great side project, but it's just that. What we need is a fully funded Tech channel, which we don't have anymore due to G4.
Now, I'm not one for the pop-cultureish theme of G4. Hell, I am the anti-pop. But I know that plenty of gamers in my area watch it, and find it great. Personally, I consider myself more of a gamer than a geek, but it still doesn't appeal to me.
In the end, G4 is putting on the face of 'being a network for the gaming community'. Not exactly. They're trying to sell a product to a target audience that is rapidly expanding. Some of the employees (or a lot of them, I don't know) do care about gaming and such. But I'd be surprised if the Comcast execs had ever laid their hands on a controller for more than just a press release. Tech TV was a network of people who were passionate about their jobs, and enjoyed it. The shows were genuine, and the hosts didn't put on an act to please people. (well, most of them anyway)
In the end, Tech TV was a great network, but it's time has passed. Hopefully, another network like it will pop up in the future. Who knows, maybe Comcast could get the point about all this arguing and make a Tech network for the shows from Tech TV, and keep it seperate from their gaming. In my opinion, that would redeem what they have done. - DTX180, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Tommy, i think the reason why we (techtv fans) are angry is because we expected it to actually be g4techtv. How dumb does g4 think we are? You cant just use the name techtv and expect us to think it is techtv.
I was starting to drift away from techtv, only really watching tss and cfh. Then i heard about the merger, and for a while i started to watch the channel a lot more....for about a week. It just seems to me that g4 is MTV for gamers, and i (and a lot of other people who like music/gaming) dont like MTV for music, so why would we like g4 if it like MTV? Why couldnt g4 satisfy the few, but loud techtv fans and spend a little more cash to keep tss in san fran, so leo, patrick, yoshi and company could remain on the channel? I'm not blaming you, more of the g4 channel in general. I just get this feeling that it was all about greed. - stoopeck, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Um, the story (which I wrote) reallies on quotes directly from the G4TechTV message boards from posts by Tommy Tallarico. You can follow all the links. They're all real.
Also, I mentioned that Tallarico doesn't work for G4 in the second paragraph. - lemurfemur, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Way too many people are jumping the gun and lambasting Tommy for no reason. If you don't like his show, or him in general, that's fine.. but at least don't like him for reasons that a valid. Not (a bunch of) quotes (taken the wrong) way via a (message) board.
Actually, like the original author said, the quotes from Tommy weren't even hateful or condescending. Just read it through and come to your own conclusions.. don't just skim it over with the title of this topic (Tallarico talks smack about TechTV & Morgan Webb) in mind. - egbert, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"... she's only eye candy-- [that] she'd be nothing without her cleavage."
When does Morgan Web show cleavage? - DarkStalker, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Basically this post is attempting to blow things out of proportion. I think I'm the only person that actually went through and read the entire thread (25 pages) at the G4TechTV forums.
First, if you haven't heard of Tommy, you probably aren't a hardcore gamer. He's done game music for 15 years and has a little more than a hundred games under his belt from Earthworm Jim to UT 2004 and Advent Rising. Judgment Day is one of the most popular shows on G4. His production group is doing exceedingly well. His shows are syndicated all over the US and Canada.
Basically everything Tommy said here is true. The purchase of TechTV, the retooling of the shows and so on are just business. You can take it personally if you choose, but it's not worth it. G4 basically felt that by absorbing TechTV, they could pull in a greater audience. It's true. G4 isn't trying to "ruin" shows just to piss people off. They're a business and so they are trying to find ways to bring in a wider audience, therefore the changes being made to shows which they think could do better. While I'm not happy with some of the changes (particularly to TSS), I understand them.
Where the linked article and story is wrong is saying that Tommy was knocking Morgan Webb whatsoever. His quotes are taken completely out of context here. Basically Tommy was trying to draw a parallel between himself and Morgan by saying that they both have their share of haters for irrational reasons. Tommy catches a lot of hell for his reviews of games where he occasionally ends up hating a really popular game. Morgan catches flack for being basically a knowledgable female on a network about a mostly male-oriented activity (though that is definitely changing), and WE CAN'T HAVE THAT CAN WE? That's why Tommy was saying that he hears her get a lot of criticism and repeated it. He was basically saying that he respects her and understands what it's like to be hated by a group of people for a stupid reason. Anyone that knows anything about Morgan knows that she's a hardcore gamer and geek (didn't know she uses Linux at home though.. wonder what distro). She originally worked as a programmer over at G4 from what I've been told. He knows she's not just some piece of eyecandy reading cue cards. I thought she especially showed her love for gaming when she had her live segment on TSS talking about what she liked at E3.
So before you start bashing the target of the post, actually read the stuff linked. This story is grossly misleading in an attempt to get more hits on a blog and nothing more. - bubba, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0j/k
- Tallarico, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1And my words of wisdom for you is to do a little research before opening your mouth. You won't look as stupid next time.
www.tallarico.com
Start reading! - Wamzlee, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I think comcast greatly underestimated the power of tech.
- silent_gamer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1 Funny thing is, he thinks we owe him an apology because we aren't psychic. How are we supposed to know what the heck he means when he posts? As he stated this is the internet. You don't know if someone's joking or being completely serious.
It also look likes he taking "Kevin Rose's" comments out of context just like he's accusing others of doing to him. What if the guy (Kevin Rose) wasn't attacking Tommy Tallarico? If he wasn't, then does Tommy owe Kevin an apology?
Anyway, he seems to think his career in video game music is his ticket to being a knowledgeable gamer. There's users on the board who know quite about video games. Besides, how would he know if Morgan was a "Hardcore" gamer or not? (this is from a different thread and yes I do have a link). Sure she may not have worked in video game music or may not know every publisher of the last 25 years but what constitutes a "hardcore gamer"? The thread in question is no surprise to me. He seems to be one of those people who can't stand to be wrong and shown up by another person. That's just what I get from his posts and not to mention some of the flame bait threads he posts.
From it sounds like to me is that we were being lied by both G4 and TechTv. I haven't seen any rock-solid proof supporting either side so who is to say which channel was doing better. He's probably not the most reliable source on these topics. He seems to spout out plenty of things without any proof. Of course, no one does when posting stuff. My opinion on that is an old adage from Mark Twain, "Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Both G4 and TechTv has been guilty of doing this. If you don't have proof then don't post crap just to get people excited. It's makes you look like an unreliable idiot.
Sure TechTv wasn't doing great as you stated. I doubt G4 was any better. Tommy let on on what condition TechTv was in but didn't say word on how good/bad G4 was doing. So let's hear on much better G4 was doing during that time period. Let's get both sides of the story out.
I already posted my thoughts on the new network at G4 so I feel that I'll save some energy for somethings else. - ramiro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Too many people do not read enough about the matter to warrant a valid opinion and give too much credit to what someone else says without verifying it themselves.
Then jump to the wrong conclusions and end up just adding fuel to the fire irresponsibly. - Tallarico, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Silentgamer said: "Funny thing is, he thinks we owe him an apology because we aren't psychic. How are we supposed to know what the heck he means when he posts?"
All I ask is for you to read what I REALLY said instead of flaming me based on a lie.
He also says: "Anyway, he seems to think his career in video game music is his ticket to being a knowledgeable gamer."
If you can list some other people who have worked on over 200 games and sit on every advisory board of every video game organization out there (AIAS, GDC, IGDA, GANG, etc.) please let me know. I've worked with hundreds of developers and every publisher in the world. I've worked with guys like Miyamoto and have had long discussions, been on panels and interviewed for our shows people like Will Wright & Sir Peter M. to name a few. I've discussed gaming market strategies over dinner with people like George Lucas. I would completely disagree with the statement that my career in video games doesn't make me a knowledgeable gamer.
And finally he calls me out to provide proof that G4 was doing well before the merger/take-over (whatever you want to call it).
Fact: G4 was less than 2 years old and was already in 12 million households. Zero to 12 million in less than 2 years is an INCREDIBLE feat for any cable network starting from nothing. Comcast (owners of G4) saw these incredible numbers and decided that by purchasing the "for sale" TechTV they could keep a few of the programs and invest into 44 million new households. Why is that seem so hard to comprehend?
Tommy - Tallarico, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Supawako said:
so much for the spell checker. i guess you didn't run it on your second entry.
Uh... it was supossed to be a joke. (whoops, I did it again!)
G4 has lost a lot of good TTV people and i haven't tuned it ever since the G4 was added. not just because i don't like the personalities but because the programing sucks.
The harsh truth of the matter which people need to realize is that G4 probably doesn't really care about the few loyal fans of TechTV. The rabid fan base just wasn't that big compared to the 44 million homes they were in. If it was bigger TechTV would still be around. G4's goal in purchasing TechTV was NOT to keep the very small loyal fan base happy. It was to get the homes and try to provide a network which more people will enjoy and hopefully broaden the viewing audience.
Will the focus on video games be the path that will lead them to the finish line?? Only time will tell. But to say that TechTV is gone and G4 were the people who ruined it just isn't accurate. G4 is trying to salvage some of the shows they feel can help them provide a wider audience interested in gaming.
Tommy - futureryo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0i like the way he talks smack about tech tv, when last time i checked g4's ratings sucked horribly. they cancelled all of their shows that made them g4 in fact the only show that i've noticed that have any new episodes are x-play and attack of the show (formerly the screen savers) 2 shows that came from tech tv, and the only ones with raitings. judgement day was a horrible show and tommy needs to get over himself. so booo yakka sha!
- supawako, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0so much for the spell checker. i guess you didn't run it on your second entry. your response was very P.C. in my opinion, a show that's based on gaming and things surrounding is less interesting than basing a show on tech and having gaming as an element to compliment it. nevertheless, G4 has lost a lot of good TTV people and i haven't tuned it ever since the G4 was added. not just because i don't like the personalities but because the programing sucks.
- whatever, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Here are some random facts/opinions/thoughts from a former TTV employee
Morgan Webb is a nice girl with an expensive brand name education who was chosen, along with several other inexperienced, some might say 'talentless' but attractive females to have prominent roles at TechTV. They literally went from being nobodies with zero track record in the industry to being allowed to write stories, interview famous people, and literally being propped up as on-air talent, virtually overnight. TechTV did this for several reasons which should be fairly obvious. Inexperienced and young people are more pliable and less demanding. TechTV was pretty cheap and didn't want to give on-air talent with chops and experience the contracts and salary they deserved. Also, this goes without saying, but young and attractive women attract the kind of fan base TechTV was looking for at the time, a younger and edgier demographic, predominantly male. Take a look at Morgan's chest and do the math. I'm not trying to 'dis' Morgan, I frankly could care less and don't spend a whole lot of time buying into any of the hype, positive or negative. Having met her, spoken to friends who have worked with her, and observed her on-air presence, she's just an average girl working the opportunity she was given, clearly because of her looks. She's no Mensa genius, and any expertise she has on gaming is something she learned on the job, not hard to do when required not to look like a poseur. The unfortunate aspect of this situation is that none of these inexperienced youngsters were ever required (nor took initiative of their own volition) to learn the skills required to be truly great on-air talent: learning how to speak, enunciate, develop a personality, be engaging, act, write, be creative, or do thorough research. They just skate by because they can. I don't know for sure, but that MAY be why people like Cat, Morgan, etc. have a contingency of watchers who have a difficult time taking them seriously and question whether they really are who they purport to be, Geeks and Gamers. These people weren't chosen for their expertise in tech or gaming - they were chosen because of their youth, relative good looks, and inexperience because it met the objectives of management who cared more about being in control, and short changing staff financially then they did about quality of reporting, and 'talent' in the true sense of the word.
I had no idea who this Tommy person was before I took a look at his site. He may be an egomaniac, I really have no idea and again, could care less. I did look at his formidable achievements including awards, album releases, work on real games, and his guild, and I couldn't help but think this is a person who has accomplished some things with his mind, and has obviously set out to make a name for himself in his field of interest. Morgan is not even in the same league with this person, so I'm not sure what all the controversy is about. Why these two people would ever 'debate' is beyond my comprehension.
A last word about G4. What they did was dishonest and predatory. They never had an inkling of respect for what Tech TV had built or for the fans of this network. Yes, "it's business", but when your business is public and makes use of a large community of 'fans' who are passionate about the subject matter, this is where things get complicated. When you aren't honest (let's be even more frank, when you outright LIE) in order to get the distribution you couldn't have otherwise earned, as another poster pointed out, you set yourself up for the kind of large-scale finger pointing, bitching and complaining that's gone on since G4 flushed TechTV down the sewer. When you purport to be interested in carrying on the TechTV brand and content knowing full well all along that your real interest is in maintaining the distribution, and perhaps converting a few tech fans over to the G4 side, that's shifty and manipulative, and yes, that's business. But to think that people don't have a right to complain, or hate what G4 stands for, is bizarre. Mediocrity and predatory, sleazy, devoid of merit commercialism and cynical exploitation of youth culture shouldn't ever be just left alone to remain unchecked or uncriticized. Who the ***** are these Comcast pimps, anyway? They don't care about gamers, kids, creating something of value, integrity, believing in something... just a bunch of suits trying to 'own' something that doesn't belong to them, at a price as rock-bottom as they can get it. ***** them, ***** G4, and every other business that operates like it, I say.
What-ever. - kimuuu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yeah, the title is very misleading and words are being twisted here. I'm only digging this because of the discussion between KRose, Tommy Tallarico, and the Diggers! Sweet!
- bubba, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0i would just like 2 say victor L and tallarico are the coolest people ever
- mynameisnick, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Someone from the TechTV-G4 forums said Tommy has a "continent-sized ego." Now I believe it.
- bubba, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0i think morgan w and julie stoffer should be in the same room and start making out
- bubba, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0g4 tech tv and mtv are the best channels i have ever heard of victor lucas and tallarico totally make it worth watching same with morgan webb and adam sessler they are so cool on x-play the only bad show on g4 tv is call for help but besides that g4 rools i entered that contest on elec. play.com but when does it end anyway tallarico u rock u r my idol
- DogNo7, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0I can only hope that G4 suffers a quick and painful death.
I think why these anti-G4 discussions have gone on so long is that TechTV had a small but fiercely loyal fanbase.
Only with the demise of G4 will a gaping hole be apparent to everyone, including the sat and cable providers, that needs to be refilled.
Help me, Kevin Rose Kanobe, you are my only hope. - plop47, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0this dude tommy is a tool. I think he only plays video games because he is so good at business. He saw the industry growing when he graduated from business school and decided this would be an easy career to ride the coat tails of. He sucks. Just my humble opinion sorry if anyone else likes this guy.
- thebrokenfan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Tommy should suck a lemon and stop hating on Webb. Just cause she had a big spread in Stuff and has a best seller in the book stores is NO REASON TO HATE. As far as TechTV, It was great until G4 came along. I still miss walking by the old TechTV Studios in San Francisco. Tommy should stick to his left handed lover Victor Lucas and that LAME Electric Playground. That show is GAY 80's Style!
- dimalife, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Unlike what Tommy says, i think X-play was(is) successful not solely because it's a show about games, but because it's a good show about games- It's funny, original, and it appeals to most gamers. [G4 bash] G4 is acting in an odd manner imo - they want to appeal to a larger audience of gamers, (this is why G4TechTV is now Gaming oriented), but the quality and the content of (many) their shows renders their potential target audience a very limited age group that is in no way the same powerful 18-35 sector Tommy talks about in his posts.
Oh, and i must say i can never tell the two gaming shows hosted by Tallarico apart. So much for originality. - stark23x, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Tommy Tallarico, until this story I had never heard of you.
Ever.
I think that says it all. -
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