TechTV
Encyclopedia
TechTV was a 24-hour cable
and satellite
channel
based in San Francisco featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. In 2004, it merged with the G4
gaming channel which ultimately dissolved TechTV programming. At the height of its six year run, TechTV was broadcast in 70 countries, reached 43 million households, and claimed 1.9 million unique visitors monthly to its website.
A focus on personality-driven product reviews and technical support made it a cultural hub for technology information worldwide, still existing today online through its former hosts' webcasts, most notably the TWiT Network
and Revision3.
's Vulcan Ventures
. Vulcan Ventures sold TechTV to G4 Media
(owned primarily by Comcast
), which merged it with the video game channel G4
in May 2004 to form G4techTV
. In February 2005, the name was changed back to G4, eliminating TechTV from the name completely.
, Kate Botello
, Patrick Norton
, Chris Pirillo
, John C. Dvorak
, Adam Sessler
, Kevin Rose
, Martin Sargent
, Morgan Webb
, Sarah Lane
, James Kim
, Sumi Das
, Alex Albrecht
, Stephanie Siemiller, Erica Hill
, Victoria Recano
, Robert Heron, Cat Schwartz, and Jim Louderback
.
Many former hosts of TechTV programs have gone on to create new programs distributed online: Leo Laporte
's This Week in Tech
, Chris Pirillo's live.pirillo.com
, Systm
, thebroken
, From The Shadows, commandN
, Diggnation
, Infected with Martin Sargent
, DL.TV, CrankyGeeks
, InDigital, East Meets West, and Weezy and the Swish are some of the current shows being produced.
Leo Laporte hosted Call for Help
which aired until April 6, 2007. It was revamped and renamed The Lab with Leo Laporte
and was shown on G4techTV Canada
and the Australian HOW TO Channel
. The show was filmed in HD and Laporte hoped to have it picked up by an American network. The series has since been cancelled due to poor ratings.
In July 2000, it was announced that ZDNet
would be acquired by CNET
, placing ZDTV in the awkward position of using the initials and logo of a company that soon would belong to its main TV programming rival. However, a new name was already being worked on.
Soon, TechTV made a huge commitment to live broadcasting when it launched a nine-hour experimental news program called TechLive
in April 2001. The show, which catered to daytraders and business types, never caught on with TechTV's geeky audience. In November 2001, following a massive round of layoffs, TechLive was divided into three one-hour shows. In the spring of 2002, TechLive was cut further into just one thirty-minute daily news magazine show, with a focus less on tech news and more on how technology changed people's lives.
Beginning March 15, 2001, TechTV experienced repeated layoffs. In 2002, Silicon Spin
(an opinion forum hosted by PC Magazine editor John C. Dvorak from the original ZDTV in May 1998) and AudioFile (a show for digital audio enthusiasts launched in August 2000) were canceled, but 2003 saw the introduction of several new shows (such as Performance, Robot Wars
, and Unscrewed with Martin Sargent
). "Internet Tonight
" was to be replaced by TechLive, but new shows created by repackaging old segments were run for several months after TechLive debuted.
In late 2001 and early 2002, many Comcast cable systems dropped TechTV from their channel lineups. At the time, some viewers speculated that this was done to eliminate a competitor to the Comcast-owned G4. When Comcast's G4 Media
acquired TechTV and merged it with G4 in 2004, a second theory emerged, which suggested that Comcast's actual motive was to lower TechTV's value, and ultimately its asking price.
TechTV was also broadcast over the air on KTQW
in Wichita
, Kansas until the TechTV name was dropped during the G4 merger.
A Canadian version of TechTV launched on September 7, 2001 as a joint venture of TechTV, Rogers Media
, and Shaw Communications
. The channel would later become G4techTV Canada to coincide with the American merger of TechTV and G4. The channel would change its name once again in mid-2009 to G4 Canada. In 2004, TechTV launched on Foxtel
Digital in Australia. After the merger with G4, TechTV (then called G4techTV) left Australia lineups as its international feed ceased. On Malaysia's ASTRO platform, repeats of the international feed was run for some time after the international feed ceased before starting to import G4TV programming and retransmitting them locally. In Japan, Sony's So-net
channel aired several TechTV programs until the fall of 2005 (they aired reruns after May 2004). In New Zealand, TechTV aired on Saturn Communications
's channel 34 until May 2004. In addition to those countries, TechTV had existence in Russia
and the United Kingdom.
Around May 6, G4 announced the termination of 250 employees from the San Francisco office by July 16, 2004, allowing approximately 80 to 100 employees to transition to G4's main office in Los Angeles if they agreed to relocate there. Shows from TechTV that weren't redundant to G4's offerings continued on until July, when the closing of the TechTV Offices would close the respective stages for these shows in turn.
On May 10, 2004, G4 Media completed the acquisition of TechTV from Vulcan. G4techTV
was launched in the U.S. on May 28, 2004. This led to the cancellation of many of the TechTV channels throughout carriers across the world (e.g.: systems with both channels active, systems limiting Comcast's number of channels on their lineup, etc.) On January 3, 2005, TechTV International began airing select programs from G4techTV. After the closure deadline passed on July 16, 2004, only Los Angeles produced shows would air on the new channel. The final production originating at TechTV in San Francisco was the July 16, 2004 episode of The Screen Savers (which aired on September 2, 2004).
On February 15, 2005, the TechTV brand was dropped from the United States G4techTV feed, leaving the network name as G4 – Video Game Television which also echoed the changes in programming made to the channel due to the merger for both G4's original offering and the greatly diminished TechTV originated shows (exceptions noted below); since then, G4 has gone through a rebranding and has changed all programming current and future to position itself as a male oriented network.
survives somewhat in Attack of the Show!
, remaining an open-format hosted talk show. On March 17, 2005, the staff made an announcement that they intended to reformat The Screen Savers to better fit the network, including the change of its name (a computer term for a program to protect a monitor from burned-in imagery, which no longer fit when The Screen Savers stopped covering computer self-help and DIY programming). Once it changed to Attack of the Show (a reference to the Star Wars prequel "Attack of the Clones") on March 28, the studio audience was dropped, and while still covering technology to a lesser extent, it also covers autos, sports, movies, new products and pop culture. Kevin Rose
, Sarah Lane
, and Brendan Moran
stayed on after the transition to Attack of the Show for a short time, but Rose left on May 27, 2005, and both Lane and Moran left after their marriage on April 6, 2006, marking the final TechTV on-camera staff's exit from the program. Kevin Pereira
is the sole staff member who was present after the show moved to Los Angeles and remains host of Attack of the Show with other post-merger G4 staff.
Seven TechTV personalities, Kevin Rose
, Sarah Lane
, Morgan Webb
, Adam Sessler
, Chi-Lan Lieu
, Blair Butler
and Brendan Moran
relocated to Los Angeles to join G4. Only two TechTV shows, Anime Unleashed
and X-Play
, survived the merger without any major changes. Anime Unleashed (and in turn, all of the anime series which aired on the block) was canceled in March 2006. X-Play remains as the last TechTV created show that is still in production under G4.
As of January 2010, Sessler, Butler, and Webb are the only remaining TechTV personalities working at G4, with Sessler also holding the distinction of being the only host remaining from the initial launch of the TechTV Network in 1998.
in his blog on July 21, 2006. Further details were also announced by Chris Pirillo
on his blog. Nothing further has been mentioned about a reunion of TechTV staff since 2006.
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
and satellite
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
channel
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
based in San Francisco featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. In 2004, it merged with the G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
gaming channel which ultimately dissolved TechTV programming. At the height of its six year run, TechTV was broadcast in 70 countries, reached 43 million households, and claimed 1.9 million unique visitors monthly to its website.
A focus on personality-driven product reviews and technical support made it a cultural hub for technology information worldwide, still existing today online through its former hosts' webcasts, most notably the TWiT Network
TWiT.tv (network)
The TWiT Netcast Network, which is the operating trade name of TWiT LLC, is a podcast network run by technology broadcaster and author Leo Laporte. The network began operation in April 2005 with the launch of This Week in Tech. Security Now was the second podcast on the network, debuting in...
and Revision3.
Names
It originally was called ZDTV by its founder, Ziff-Davis, when it debuted on May 11, 1998. It later was owned by Paul AllenPaul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates...
's Vulcan Ventures
Vulcan Inc.
Vulcan Inc. is an investment and project management company founded in 1986 by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, to manage his investments...
. Vulcan Ventures sold TechTV to G4 Media
G4 Media
G4 Media, Inc. is the parent company of G4, a 24-hour cable and satellite channel originally dedicated to video games. NBCUniversal holds a controlling interest in G4 Media, with Dish Network holding a minority interest of approximately 12%...
(owned primarily by Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
), which merged it with the video game channel G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
in May 2004 to form G4techTV
G4techTV
G4techTV was a cable and satellite channel resulting from a merger between Comcast-owned G4 and TechTV. The headquarters is based in Los Angeles...
. In February 2005, the name was changed back to G4, eliminating TechTV from the name completely.
Show personalities
A few of the personalities and hosts that were featured on TechTV and G4techTV programming included Leo LaporteLeo Laporte
Léo Gordon Laporte is an Emmy Award winning, American technology broadcaster, author, and entrepreneur. A former resident of Providence, Rhode Island, he now lives in Petaluma, California with his wife Jennifer and two children, Abby and Henry....
, Kate Botello
Kate Botello
Kate Botello is a former American television personality best known for her work on the San Francisco, California-based ZDTV . She began her television career co-hosting the technology-oriented television program The Screen Savers alongside Leo Laporte...
, Patrick Norton
Patrick Norton
Patrick Norton is most commonly known as the former co-host and managing editor of The Screen Savers, an interactive television program on TechTV geared toward the technology enthusiast...
, Chris Pirillo
Chris Pirillo
Christopher Joseph Pirillo is the founder and maintainer of Lockergnome, which is a network of blogs, web forums, mailing lists, and online communities. He spent two years hosting the TechTV television program Call for Help, where he also hosted the first annual Call-for-Help-a-Thon...
, John C. Dvorak
John C. Dvorak
John C. Dvorak is an American columnist and broadcaster in the areas of technology and computing. His writing extends back to the 1980s, when he was a mainstay of a variety of magazines. Dvorak is also the Vice-President of Mevio and well known for his work for Tech TV...
, Adam Sessler
Adam Sessler
Adam Donovan Sessler is co-host of X-Play on G4 with Morgan Webb and, as of December 17, 2008, editor-in-chief of G4's game content for the network. He is the only remaining television personality from the G4's origin network ZDTV.-Background:Sessler was born in Berkeley, California...
, Kevin Rose
Kevin Rose
Kevin Rose is an American Internet entrepreneur who co-founded Revision3, Digg, Pownce, and Milk...
, Martin Sargent
Martin Sargent
Martin Paul Sargent is an American television personality and was co-host of the This WEEK in FUN podcast with Sarah Lane...
, Morgan Webb
Morgan Webb
Morgan Ailis Webb is a co-host and senior segment producer of the G4 show X-Play, and host of the show G4 Underground...
, Sarah Lane
Sarah Lane
Sarah Christina Lane is an American television and Internet personality. She is most notably known for her appearances on TechTV's The Screen Savers, G4's Attack of the Show!, and Revision3's popSiren...
, James Kim
James Kim
James Kim was an American television personality and technology analyst for the former TechTV international cable television network, reviewing products for shows including The Screen Savers, Call for Help, and Fresh Gear...
, Sumi Das
Sumi Das
Sumi Das is the former co-host of TechTV's Fresh Gear. On July 3, 2003, she left TechTV to join the cable news channel MSNBC as a reporter. While there, she reported from Modesto, California on the Scott Peterson trial....
, Alex Albrecht
Alex Albrecht
Alexander Jennings Albrecht is an American television personality, actor and podcaster who resides in Brentwood a suburb of Los Angeles, California...
, Stephanie Siemiller, Erica Hill
Erica Hill
Erica Ruth Hill is an American journalist and co-anchor of The Early Show on CBS. Prior to her current position, she was the weekday news anchor and Saturday co-anchor of the show. Hill previously worked as an anchor and correspondent for CNN, Headline News and TechTV.- Personal life :Hill was...
, Victoria Recano
Victoria Recaño
Victoria Recaño is an American television personality currently working for TV Guide Network. Her last assignment was co-anchoring the 6 pm and 10 pm news on Los Angeles television station KTLA. She did that work from September 14, 2009 until late May 2010, when she left the show without any...
, Robert Heron, Cat Schwartz, and Jim Louderback
Jim Louderback
James 'Jim' Louderback is the CEO of Revision3. He has had numerous jobs in media companies involved in technology, most notably with TechTV and editor-in-chief of PC Magazine...
.
Many former hosts of TechTV programs have gone on to create new programs distributed online: Leo Laporte
Leo Laporte
Léo Gordon Laporte is an Emmy Award winning, American technology broadcaster, author, and entrepreneur. A former resident of Providence, Rhode Island, he now lives in Petaluma, California with his wife Jennifer and two children, Abby and Henry....
's This Week in Tech
This Week in Tech
This Week in Tech–casually referred to as TWiT, and formerly known as Revenge of the Screen Savers–is the weekly flagship podcast of the TWiT.tv network...
, Chris Pirillo's live.pirillo.com
Chris Pirillo
Christopher Joseph Pirillo is the founder and maintainer of Lockergnome, which is a network of blogs, web forums, mailing lists, and online communities. He spent two years hosting the TechTV television program Call for Help, where he also hosted the first annual Call-for-Help-a-Thon...
, Systm
Systm
Systm was a weekly video podcast produced by Revision3, geared toward “the common geek”, a “This Old House” for geeks, hosted by Patrick Norton and David Calkins, and focused on do it yourself projects.-History:...
, thebroken
Thebroken
thebroken is a video podcast produced by Revision3, focusing on software cracking, computer intrusion, and other "questionable activities". It was hosted by Kevin Rose and Dan Huard, with Ramzi as a regular comical feature, and geared toward anyone interested in computer security. The show...
, From The Shadows, commandN
CommandN
commandN is a twice monthly tech news video show with hosts/producers Amber MacArthur, Christopher Dick , Lara Killian, and Jeff MacArthur....
, Diggnation
Diggnation
Diggnation is Revision3's flagship video podcast produced weekly. It is hosted by Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht, who had previously hosted TechTV's The Screen Savers together. Its main purpose is to discuss some of the top stories from Digg, the social news and bookmarking website developed by Rose...
, Infected with Martin Sargent
Infected with Martin Sargent
Infected by Martin Sargent was a weekly video podcast produced by Revision3, hosted by Martin Sargent. Sargent created the podcast as a spiritual successor to Unscrewed, the late night TV show he hosted on TechTV and later G4techTV...
, DL.TV, CrankyGeeks
CrankyGeeks
Cranky Geeks was a technology-related Internet show produced by Ziff Davis Media centered on discussion of technology topics of the week. It was hosted by industry pundit John C. Dvorak...
, InDigital, East Meets West, and Weezy and the Swish are some of the current shows being produced.
Leo Laporte hosted Call for Help
Call for Help
Call for Help, also known as CFH, was a computer-themed television program that first aired exclusively on TechTV , a cable and satellite television network focused on technology, and then aired on G4techTV Canada and the HOW TO Channel in Australia...
which aired until April 6, 2007. It was revamped and renamed The Lab with Leo Laporte
The Lab with Leo Laporte
The Lab with Leo Laporte was a technology-based television program hosted by Leo Laporte. Episode #1 debuted on April 23, 2007 on G4techTV Canada and HOW TO Channel Australia. The program was produced by Greedy Productions in Vancouver, BC. Production was overseen by the show's producer, Matt...
and was shown on G4techTV Canada
G4techTV Canada
G4 Canada is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Rogers Media. The name is licensed from NBCUniversal, who formerly owned a stake in the channel...
and the Australian HOW TO Channel
HOW TO Channel
HOW TO Channel was an Australian cable and satellite television channel. It was carried on the Foxtel Digital, Optus TV featuring Foxtel Digital and Austar Digital platforms. It was owned by Premier Media Group, a 50/50 joint venture of Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and News Corporation.The...
. The show was filmed in HD and Laporte hoped to have it picked up by an American network. The series has since been cancelled due to poor ratings.
ZDTV
Vulcan Ventures first invested in ZDTV, a network that supplemented content from Ziff-Davis' computer and technology based print publications (at the time including PC Magazine, MacWEEK, and eWEEK), in November 1998, acquiring a one-third interest from Ziff-Davis. In November 1999, Vulcan purchased the remaining two-thirds in a transaction that was completed on January 21, 2000. The deal (which permitted Vulcan to temporarily continue using the "ZD" initials and "red diamond" logo) was worth approximately $204.8 million.In July 2000, it was announced that ZDNet
ZDNet
ZDNet is a business technology news website published by CBS Interactive, along with TechRepublic and SmartPlanet. The brand was founded on April 1, 1991 as a general interest technology portal from Ziff Davis and evolved into an enterprise IT-focused online publication owned by CNET...
would be acquired by CNET
CNET
CNET is a tech media website that publishes news articles, blogs, and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics. Originally founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition...
, placing ZDTV in the awkward position of using the initials and logo of a company that soon would belong to its main TV programming rival. However, a new name was already being worked on.
TechTV
On August 21, 2000, ZDTV was renamed TechTV, and a new on-air strategy was announced along with several new series.Soon, TechTV made a huge commitment to live broadcasting when it launched a nine-hour experimental news program called TechLive
TechLive
TechLive was a live television program on the former technology-oriented channel TechTVTechLive broadcast technology and entertainment related news, product reviews, and stock market reports. The program was cancelled when TechTV and G4 merged in early 2004....
in April 2001. The show, which catered to daytraders and business types, never caught on with TechTV's geeky audience. In November 2001, following a massive round of layoffs, TechLive was divided into three one-hour shows. In the spring of 2002, TechLive was cut further into just one thirty-minute daily news magazine show, with a focus less on tech news and more on how technology changed people's lives.
Beginning March 15, 2001, TechTV experienced repeated layoffs. In 2002, Silicon Spin
Silicon Spin
Silicon Spin was a half-hour business-related technology television program that aired on ZDTV for several years during the dot-com era from 1998 to 2001. It featured guest panelists , usually business insiders, engaged in debates moderated by host John C...
(an opinion forum hosted by PC Magazine editor John C. Dvorak from the original ZDTV in May 1998) and AudioFile (a show for digital audio enthusiasts launched in August 2000) were canceled, but 2003 saw the introduction of several new shows (such as Performance, Robot Wars
Robot Wars (TV series)
Robot Wars is a British game show modelled on a US-based competition of the same name. It was broadcast on BBC Two from 1998 until 2003, with its final series broadcast on Five in 2003 and 2004. Additional series were filmed for specific sectors of the global market, including two series of Robot...
, and Unscrewed with Martin Sargent
Unscrewed with Martin Sargent
Unscrewed with Martin Sargent was a late night American television show focusing on the comedy of technology. It was produced at TechTV and aired from May 26, 2003 to December 2004...
). "Internet Tonight
Internet Tonight
Internet Tonight was a television program on the cable network ZDTV . The show combined the "effervescent moxie" of Michaela Pereira with the "dry wit" of Scott Herriott, to bring the viewers the latest in Internet trends, humor, and news...
" was to be replaced by TechLive, but new shows created by repackaging old segments were run for several months after TechLive debuted.
In late 2001 and early 2002, many Comcast cable systems dropped TechTV from their channel lineups. At the time, some viewers speculated that this was done to eliminate a competitor to the Comcast-owned G4. When Comcast's G4 Media
G4 Media
G4 Media, Inc. is the parent company of G4, a 24-hour cable and satellite channel originally dedicated to video games. NBCUniversal holds a controlling interest in G4 Media, with Dish Network holding a minority interest of approximately 12%...
acquired TechTV and merged it with G4 in 2004, a second theory emerged, which suggested that Comcast's actual motive was to lower TechTV's value, and ultimately its asking price.
TechTV was also broadcast over the air on KTQW
KTQW-CA
KGPT-CA, channel 49, is a low-power television station in Wichita, Kansas, owned by Great Plains Television Network. KGPT is part of The Wichita Channels, which together with KSMI-51 brings 8 diverse networks to Wichita...
in Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Kansas until the TechTV name was dropped during the G4 merger.
A Canadian version of TechTV launched on September 7, 2001 as a joint venture of TechTV, Rogers Media
Rogers Media
Rogers Media Inc is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., which owns Canada's largest publishing company, Rogers Publishing Limited, which has more than 70 consumer and business publications. Rogers Media Inc...
, and Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...
. The channel would later become G4techTV Canada to coincide with the American merger of TechTV and G4. The channel would change its name once again in mid-2009 to G4 Canada. In 2004, TechTV launched on Foxtel
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
Digital in Australia. After the merger with G4, TechTV (then called G4techTV) left Australia lineups as its international feed ceased. On Malaysia's ASTRO platform, repeats of the international feed was run for some time after the international feed ceased before starting to import G4TV programming and retransmitting them locally. In Japan, Sony's So-net
So-net
is a Japanese internet service provider operated by and owned by Sony.- Timeline :* November 1995 - The operating company, Sony Communication Network Corporation was established as a subsidiary of Sony.* January 1996 - launched ISP business....
channel aired several TechTV programs until the fall of 2005 (they aired reruns after May 2004). In New Zealand, TechTV aired on Saturn Communications
Saturn Communications
Saturn Communications are an innovative Australian ICT integrator based in Hobart Tasmania. They service Southern Tasmania as well as most parts of Northern Tasmania...
's channel 34 until May 2004. In addition to those countries, TechTV had existence in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and the United Kingdom.
Merger & consolidation
On March 25, 2004, Comcast's G4 gaming channel announced a merger with TechTV. This move became hugely controversial among loyal fans of TechTV and Leo Laporte, who, because of a contract dispute with Vulcan, left the channel. Shows with Laporte, including The Screen Savers and Call for Help, continued on with remaining staff taking over his hosting duties.Around May 6, G4 announced the termination of 250 employees from the San Francisco office by July 16, 2004, allowing approximately 80 to 100 employees to transition to G4's main office in Los Angeles if they agreed to relocate there. Shows from TechTV that weren't redundant to G4's offerings continued on until July, when the closing of the TechTV Offices would close the respective stages for these shows in turn.
On May 10, 2004, G4 Media completed the acquisition of TechTV from Vulcan. G4techTV
G4techTV
G4techTV was a cable and satellite channel resulting from a merger between Comcast-owned G4 and TechTV. The headquarters is based in Los Angeles...
was launched in the U.S. on May 28, 2004. This led to the cancellation of many of the TechTV channels throughout carriers across the world (e.g.: systems with both channels active, systems limiting Comcast's number of channels on their lineup, etc.) On January 3, 2005, TechTV International began airing select programs from G4techTV. After the closure deadline passed on July 16, 2004, only Los Angeles produced shows would air on the new channel. The final production originating at TechTV in San Francisco was the July 16, 2004 episode of The Screen Savers (which aired on September 2, 2004).
On February 15, 2005, the TechTV brand was dropped from the United States G4techTV feed, leaving the network name as G4 – Video Game Television which also echoed the changes in programming made to the channel due to the merger for both G4's original offering and the greatly diminished TechTV originated shows (exceptions noted below); since then, G4 has gone through a rebranding and has changed all programming current and future to position itself as a male oriented network.
TechTV shows and personalities who survived the merger
The Screen SaversThe Screen Savers
The Screen Savers was a live American TV show on TechTV. The show launched concurrently with the channel ZDTV on May 11, 1998. The Screen Savers originally centered around computers, new technologies, and their adaptations in the world...
survives somewhat in Attack of the Show!
Attack of the Show!
Attack of the Show! is an American live television program shown weeknights on G4, G4 Canada and Fuel TV in Australia. The program is hosted by Kevin Pereira and Candace Bailey...
, remaining an open-format hosted talk show. On March 17, 2005, the staff made an announcement that they intended to reformat The Screen Savers to better fit the network, including the change of its name (a computer term for a program to protect a monitor from burned-in imagery, which no longer fit when The Screen Savers stopped covering computer self-help and DIY programming). Once it changed to Attack of the Show (a reference to the Star Wars prequel "Attack of the Clones") on March 28, the studio audience was dropped, and while still covering technology to a lesser extent, it also covers autos, sports, movies, new products and pop culture. Kevin Rose
Kevin Rose
Kevin Rose is an American Internet entrepreneur who co-founded Revision3, Digg, Pownce, and Milk...
, Sarah Lane
Sarah Lane
Sarah Christina Lane is an American television and Internet personality. She is most notably known for her appearances on TechTV's The Screen Savers, G4's Attack of the Show!, and Revision3's popSiren...
, and Brendan Moran
Brendan Moran
Brendan Moran is an American television personality best known for his work as a co-host and field reporter on the G4 television program Attack of the Show!...
stayed on after the transition to Attack of the Show for a short time, but Rose left on May 27, 2005, and both Lane and Moran left after their marriage on April 6, 2006, marking the final TechTV on-camera staff's exit from the program. Kevin Pereira
Kevin Pereira
Kevin Pereira is co-host of G4's Attack of the Show! .-Biography:While in high school, Pereira hosted Pointless Audio under the pseudonym Captain Immy...
is the sole staff member who was present after the show moved to Los Angeles and remains host of Attack of the Show with other post-merger G4 staff.
Seven TechTV personalities, Kevin Rose
Kevin Rose
Kevin Rose is an American Internet entrepreneur who co-founded Revision3, Digg, Pownce, and Milk...
, Sarah Lane
Sarah Lane
Sarah Christina Lane is an American television and Internet personality. She is most notably known for her appearances on TechTV's The Screen Savers, G4's Attack of the Show!, and Revision3's popSiren...
, Morgan Webb
Morgan Webb
Morgan Ailis Webb is a co-host and senior segment producer of the G4 show X-Play, and host of the show G4 Underground...
, Adam Sessler
Adam Sessler
Adam Donovan Sessler is co-host of X-Play on G4 with Morgan Webb and, as of December 17, 2008, editor-in-chief of G4's game content for the network. He is the only remaining television personality from the G4's origin network ZDTV.-Background:Sessler was born in Berkeley, California...
, Chi-Lan Lieu
Chi-Lan Lieu
Chi-Lan Lieu previously worked on the TechTV show Fresh Gear as a correspondent until it was canceled following the merger of TechTV and G4. She later became an on-air contributor for The Screen Savers in November of 2004 until departing the network in January of 2005.Chi-Lan appears in the music...
, Blair Butler
Blair Butler
Blair Butler is an American stand-up comic, and a television host, known for her work on the "Fresh Ink" segment on the G4 program, Attack of the Show!.-Career:...
and Brendan Moran
Brendan Moran
Brendan Moran is an American television personality best known for his work as a co-host and field reporter on the G4 television program Attack of the Show!...
relocated to Los Angeles to join G4. Only two TechTV shows, Anime Unleashed
Anime Unleashed
Anime Unleashed was an anime block that was broadcast on the American cable TV network, G4. The block was placed on the original TechTV in early 2003 and moved to G4techTV after the two networks merged...
and X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
, survived the merger without any major changes. Anime Unleashed (and in turn, all of the anime series which aired on the block) was canceled in March 2006. X-Play remains as the last TechTV created show that is still in production under G4.
As of January 2010, Sessler, Butler, and Webb are the only remaining TechTV personalities working at G4, with Sessler also holding the distinction of being the only host remaining from the initial launch of the TechTV Network in 1998.
Programs
This is a list of programs broadcast by TechTV:- Anime UnleashedAnime UnleashedAnime Unleashed was an anime block that was broadcast on the American cable TV network, G4. The block was placed on the original TechTV in early 2003 and moved to G4techTV after the two networks merged...
- AudioFile
- Beyond TomorrowBeyond Tomorrow (TV series)Beyond Tomorrow is an Australian television series produced by Beyond Television Productions. It began airing in 1981 as Towards 2000, then in 1985 was renamed Beyond 2000, a name the show kept until its cancellation in 1999...
- Big ThinkersBig Thinkers (TV series)Big Thinkers is a former ZDTV television program. It featured a half-hour interview with a "big thinker" in science, technology, and other fields. The show was originally hosted by Mark Eddo, later replaced by John C. Dvorak. In 2001 the show changed its format, transforming from a weekly...
- Body HitsBody HitsBody Hits is a TV series which focused on what goes on inside people's bodies as they fight their way through their hectic modern lifestyle. Dr. John Marsden was the show's host for its entirety. The programme aired on BBC Three in the United Kingdom, TechTV in the United States, The LifeStyle...
- Call for HelpCall for HelpCall for Help, also known as CFH, was a computer-themed television program that first aired exclusively on TechTV , a cable and satellite television network focused on technology, and then aired on G4techTV Canada and the HOW TO Channel in Australia...
- Computer ShopperComputer ShopperComputer Shopper could refer to the following publications:* Computer Shopper - a home computer magazine published in the United Kingdom* Computer Shopper - a home computer magazine published in the United States...
- Conspiracies
- CyberCrimeCyberCrimeCyberCrime was an innovative, weekly America television program on TechTV that focused on the dangers facing computer users. Filmed in San Francisco, California, the show was hosted by Alex Wellen and Jennifer London...
- Dash's Animation House
- Digital Avenue
- Eye DropsEye DropsEye Drops was a television program on TechTV that showcased short computer animation movies and clips made using off the shelf 3D animation software. The show claimed to showcase all different types of animation, but only a very small number of shorts featured non-CG animation...
- Fresh GearFresh GearFresh Gear was a television program on ZDTV then known as TechTV that showcased the latest in personal technology. It was hosted by Stephanie Siemiller and Chris Leary. The original hosts were Jim Louderback and Sumi Das....
- Future Fighting MachinesFuture Fighting MachinesFuture Fighting Machines was a TV programme which examines the latest innovations in military hardware and military technology. It was produced by Tiger Aspect Productions. It has been broadcast on The Discovery Channel, TechTV and UKTV History. Each episode ran for 30 minutes, and the show ran...
- Internet TonightInternet TonightInternet Tonight was a television program on the cable network ZDTV . The show combined the "effervescent moxie" of Michaela Pereira with the "dry wit" of Scott Herriott, to bring the viewers the latest in Internet trends, humor, and news...
- Invent This!Invent This!Invent This! is a TV series that aired on TechTV at the end of 2003. Invent This! profiled ordinary people demonstrating their inventions. Only one season were shot. The show was not renewed when TechTV and G4 merged in early 2004.-Episodes:-External links:*...
- Living with the FutureLiving with the FutureLiving with the Future is a television documentary series first broadcast on 15 January 2007 on BBC Four. It is a follow-up series to Living with Modernism, also on BBC Four....
(international) - Max HeadroomMax Headroom (TV series)Max Headroom is a British-produced American science fiction television series by Chrysalis/Lakeside Productions that aired in the United States on ABC from March 1987 to May 1988. The series was based on the Channel 4 British TV pilot Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future...
- Music Wars
- The Money MachineThe Money MachineThe Money Machine was a show on ZDTV, and later TechTV, hosted by Carmine Gallo. The show offered investment advice to viewers, predominantly on how to begin investing via the internet. When TechLive debuted in 2001, The Money Machine was discontinued in favor of money segments during the new show....
- Nerd NationNerd NationNerd Nation is an American TV show on TechTV that focused on the life of nerds and other geeks. The series lasted 10 episodes. Re-runs also ran on G4 in late 2005....
- Page ViewPage viewA page view or page impression is a request to load a single HTML file of an Internet site. On the World Wide Web a 'page' request would result from a web surfer clicking on a link on another 'page' pointing to the 'page' in question. This should be contrasted with a hit, which refers to a...
- Performance
- Plastic SurgeryPlastic surgeryPlastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
(international) - Robot WarsRobot Wars (TV series)Robot Wars is a British game show modelled on a US-based competition of the same name. It was broadcast on BBC Two from 1998 until 2003, with its final series broadcast on Five in 2003 and 2004. Additional series were filmed for specific sectors of the global market, including two series of Robot...
- The Screen SaversThe Screen SaversThe Screen Savers was a live American TV show on TechTV. The show launched concurrently with the channel ZDTV on May 11, 1998. The Screen Savers originally centered around computers, new technologies, and their adaptations in the world...
- Secret, Strange & TrueSecret, Strange & TrueSecret, Strange, & True was a 60 minute American TV Show produced and aired by TechTV from October 20, 2002 to October 12, 2003. Reruns were also aired on G4techTV in June 2004. The show documented stories that blurred the line defining fact from fiction...
- Silicon SpinSilicon SpinSilicon Spin was a half-hour business-related technology television program that aired on ZDTV for several years during the dot-com era from 1998 to 2001. It featured guest panelists , usually business insiders, engaged in debates moderated by host John C...
- Spy School
- Strange Science (international)
- TechLiveTechLiveTechLive was a live television program on the former technology-oriented channel TechTVTechLive broadcast technology and entertainment related news, product reviews, and stock market reports. The program was cancelled when TechTV and G4 merged in early 2004....
(formerly ZDTV News (1998–2000) and TechTV News (2000–2001)) - Techno GamesTechno GamesTechno Games was BBC Television's Olympic Games for robots. It was a spin-off from the hugely successful Robot Wars. The TV series was shown on BBC2 every weekday for a fortnight from the third Monday in March just after Science Week...
- The Tech of
- ThunderbirdsThunderbirds (TV series)Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s science fiction television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation"...
- Titans of TechTitans of TechTitans of Tech, also known as TechTV's Titans of Tech, was a 60 minute documentary type American television program on TechTV that profiled the tech industry's leaders. The show was produced and aired in 2001. Some of the people profiled on the show include Michael Dell, Steve Ballmer and John...
- Tomorrow's WorldTomorrow's WorldTomorrow's World was a long-running BBC television series, showcasing new developments in the world of science and technology. First aired on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003.- Content :...
- Unscrewed with Martin SargentUnscrewed with Martin SargentUnscrewed with Martin Sargent was a late night American television show focusing on the comedy of technology. It was produced at TechTV and aired from May 26, 2003 to December 2004...
- Wired For SexWired For SexWired For Sex is a television program on the former TechTV network showcasing how technology and the Internet have affected sex, including topics ranging from pornography to cyber sex. It was cancelled shortly before TechTV was bought by G4 Media in May 2004 and merged with G4 to form G4techTV...
- Working the WebWorking the WebWorking the Web was a short lived 30 minute American television program on ZDTV that aired from 2000 to 2001. The show, filmed in San Francisco, California, was hosted by Gary Bolles with David Stevenson and David Spark as correspondents. Each episode showed off the best ways to find jobs using...
- X-PlayX-PlayX-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
(formerly GameSpot TV (1998–2001) and Extended Play (2001–2003)) - You Made ItYou Made ItYou Made It was an American television program on ZDTV from 2000 to 2001 that showed off video clips that viewers created. The 30 minute show, filmed in San Francisco, California, was hosted by Michaela Pereira....
- Zip File
Reunion
A possible TechTV reunion was announced by Leo LaporteLeo Laporte
Léo Gordon Laporte is an Emmy Award winning, American technology broadcaster, author, and entrepreneur. A former resident of Providence, Rhode Island, he now lives in Petaluma, California with his wife Jennifer and two children, Abby and Henry....
in his blog on July 21, 2006. Further details were also announced by Chris Pirillo
Chris Pirillo
Christopher Joseph Pirillo is the founder and maintainer of Lockergnome, which is a network of blogs, web forums, mailing lists, and online communities. He spent two years hosting the TechTV television program Call for Help, where he also hosted the first annual Call-for-Help-a-Thon...
on his blog. Nothing further has been mentioned about a reunion of TechTV staff since 2006.
See also
- List of programs broadcast by TechTV
- List of TechTV Personalities
- The TechTV Portal
- Revision3
- TWiT.tv
- DL.TV
- CNET TVCNET TVCNET TV is a San Francisco, California based Internet television network showing original programming catering to the niche market of technology enthusiasts, operated by CBS Interactive through their CNET.com brand. CNET TV originated as the television program production arm of CNET Networks in the...
, TechTV's primary competition until the 2004 merger with G4. CNET TV once aired syndicated on USA Network and the Sci-Fi Channel (SyFy), it now runs as an Online Video network and through On-Demand service with cable and satellite.
External links
- TechTV Greece
- TechTV Israel
- TechTV website (redirects to G4 website)
- The TechTV Vault
- Internet Archive of TechTV website
- UndoTV website (redirects to geeks.pirillo.com)
- ZDTV starts broadcasting – News.com, May 11, 1998
- G4 Canada website, which identified as G4techTV until June 2009. Continued to host Leo Laporte's TV Shows (Call for Help, The Lab) until cancelled in 2008 after sale to Rogers Comm., and shares programming from American produced shows from Comcast, Turner Broadcasting and other networks. Owned by Rogers Communications.
- DigitalLife TV – Targeted to replace the former TechTV network with the original concept, ownership, and hosts. Network went offline in 2009, with all hosts now employed on Revision3.
- Revision3 – A online video network co-founded by Kevin Rose covering Technology. Features TekzillaTekzillaTekzilla is a biweekly video podcast on the Revision3 network. It is currently hosted by Patrick Norton, Veronica Belmont and Robert Heron with Garnett Lee and Roger Chang as frequent guest hosts...
with Patrick Norton formerly of The Screen Savers, and diggnationDiggnationDiggnation is Revision3's flagship video podcast produced weekly. It is hosted by Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht, who had previously hosted TechTV's The Screen Savers together. Its main purpose is to discuss some of the top stories from Digg, the social news and bookmarking website developed by Rose...
. - TWiT.TV – (This Week in Tech) Leo Laporte's Podcast and online video network aimed at filling the void left by TechTV. Also hosted This Week in Fun with Sarah Lane and Martin Sargent, until it was put on indefinite hiatus in January 2010.