May 07, 2004

Just some thoughts on TechTV

I just read a few things about firing (or as they would say laying off) the entire staff of TechTV.

From what I have been able to gather they may not have done things the way I would have liked to see it done but what's done is done. So here is how I am seeing things, and I could be completely off base here.

Comcast bought TechTV with intentions to merge it with G4. Their intention now is to merge the channels and do away with TechTV's studios in San Fancisco in favor of their own studios in Los Angelas. So to that point it was obvious that pretty much the entire production staff of TechTV was doomed. However they did do away with ALL employees correct? Now from what I read they intend to rehire 80 people from the San Fran office, certainly this could include on air talent (and in my opinion it had better or they really are dead in the water). So why go through all the trouble of invoking the WARN act? Simple, when you rehire you redo contracts, would you want to have to pay employees operating under a contract written up by the competition?

So to that end I understand some of the things happening, but I do not agree with them, at this point personally I am operating under the assumption that I am losing a decent sized chunk of my daily routine. Back when I had Comcast cable I attempted watching G4 a few times, I just found it to be a terrible station, in fairness maybe they are better now but honestly I'm not in the market for that big a change. If Comcast decides to resurrect TechTV shows without TechTV hosts that will be a real black death move, but one it seems to me that they may take. I'm just basing these thoughts on some of the business practices I've seen so far up to this point.

Of course this is just a first opinion not necessarily overly educated on all the info out there, just the very basic, I do supremely hope I am wrong..