The Tech Guy
Encyclopedia
The Tech Guy is a US-wide syndicated radio show, hosted by Leo Laporte
formerly of TechTV
and now TWiT.tv fame. The show, which was first exclusively broadcast on KFI
AM 640 in Los Angeles, California
, was picked up for syndication by Premiere Radio Networks
in February 2007. The show currently has over 100 terrestrial affiliates in cities including Los Angeles, California
, San Francisco, California
, Houston, Texas
, and Washington, DC. The show also airs on America's Talk
on XM Satellite Radio
. Leo streams video of his side of the show on TWiT Live. He used to not air the show's caller audio at the request of his affiliates, however as of early 2011, Laporte has started including caller audio on the episodes distributed on TWiT.
The show is a mixture of interviews and call-ins, as well as Leo's own thoughts and opinions on current events in technology. The current weekly guests are Scott Wilkinson to talk about home theater on Sunday, the Giz Wiz Dick DeBartolo
from Mad
to talk about gadgets on Saturday and Chris Marquardt of Tips from the Top Floor
to talk about digital photography. Prior to June 2008, weekly guests included: Steve Gibson, Paul Thurrott
, and Ron Rosberg; these guests were dropped to make time for more callers, which Leo cited as being the more important part of the program. The guest interviews are often pre-recorded to accommodate the guests' schedule. The guests connect to the show using Skype
.
. The current incarnation of the show began on KFI weekends in 2004, only months prior to the cancellation of Call for Help
and The Screen Savers
from the newly merged G4techTV
in the United States. According to Leo, he had to find a way to keep talking about technology, and facetiously mentioned that if it wasn't for KFI green lighting the show, he would have ended up "having to talk to [his] wife about it." The show ran weekends on KFI at 11 AM. Leo also appeared on Bill Handel
's morning show on Fridays for The Laporte Report segment, and continues to do so. Leo also does a Laporte Report live segment for CFRB in Toronto, Ontario Saturday mornings.
In late 2006, Leo notified his audience on net@nite that his contract with KFI was going to expire soon, and it was hinted at that he would only continue with Clear Channel
if The Tech Guy was syndicated. With the help of management at KFI, Premiere Radio Networks
picked up the show for syndication, and it was announced on January 27, 2007 that it would roll out nationally. On February 17, 2007, the newly syndicated Tech Guy radio show launched nationally on eleven radio stations, including KFI
. The show has added many affiliates, and has grown sharply from the original twelve to over one hundred (as of the summer of 2010).
The post-syndication KFI feed of The Tech Guy is customized so that it does not lose its local Los Angeles feel. The presentation is similar to that of Handel on the Law and Mike McConnell. Dr. Dean Edell's show is also customized with KFI identification within the show, even though the show originates from KGO
and is on tape delay.
that takes place when the show airs live on the irc.twit.tv server in the #twitlive channel. Leo participates in the chat during commercial breaks, under the name "Leo," and often refers to the chat to give him additional information to assist with some of the callers' questions. The channel is moderated to keep the chat clean and about the show being broadcast. There are several moderators in the chat room, including Dan, Mike_B, Mick, Inferno / Jay-san, Shooby, Sascha, and Coleen. Shooby and Sascha have both been responsible for keeping the show notes in the past, however now James DeRuvo is responsible for the show notes posted on Leo's site.
, distributed via RSS feed
at twit.tv/TTG. Until June 2011, shows were posted intermittently up to a week after their first airdate in order to meet the requirements of Laporte's Premiere contract for exclusivity purposes for the radio affiliates, and the live and taped video versions of the show required caller audio to be muted.
After Laporte renewed his Premiere deal that month, these conditions were relaxed, and the show is now allowed to be posted hours after first broadcast to TWiT, and caller audio is now heard on the live video and TWiT.am audio feeds. The new deal also allowed Laporte to solicit his traditional TWiT advertisers to sponsor the podcast feeds, while retaining his advertisers for the radio version.
. From there Premiere uploads it to their satellite network for distribution. Leo also streams his side of the show on TWiT Live.
July 24’s show was the last program produced at the TWiT Cottage, with Laporte parading through downtown Petaluma after the end of that day's show to the Brick House with his staff and onlookers to inaugurate the new facility, which opened an hour later with that week's This Week in Tech. The first Tech Guy show produced at the TWiT Brick House was on July 30, which also was the first broadcast from Leo's office set, which was built to resemble the former Cottage studio.
, a community north of San Francisco
, and while KGO
is the San Francisco show affiliate, KFI
in Los Angeles, California
is considered the show's flagship. The show runs live weekends at 11 a.m. Pacific, 2 p.m. Eastern, with some stations delaying their airing until later in the day. Some affiliates opt to pick up both shows each weekend, while others only choose to run one day.
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....
formerly of TechTV
TechTV
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...
and now TWiT.tv fame. The show, which was first exclusively broadcast on KFI
KFI
KFI is an AM radio station in Los Angeles, California. It received its license to operate on March 31, 1922 and began operating on April 16, 1922 as one of the United States' first high-powered, "clear-channel" stations...
AM 640 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, was picked up for syndication by Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
in February 2007. The show currently has over 100 terrestrial affiliates in cities including Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, and Washington, DC. The show also airs on America's Talk
America's Talk
America's Talk is a news and talk radio channel on XM Satellite Radio, launched on 2007-11-19 on channel 158 and moved to 166 on 2011-05-04. Much like its sister talk channel XM Talk 168, it is a general news/talk focused channel. It was programmed by Sean Compton until 2008-04-01, in Cincinnati,...
on XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
. Leo streams video of his side of the show on TWiT Live. He used to not air the show's caller audio at the request of his affiliates, however as of early 2011, Laporte has started including caller audio on the episodes distributed on TWiT.
The show is a mixture of interviews and call-ins, as well as Leo's own thoughts and opinions on current events in technology. The current weekly guests are Scott Wilkinson to talk about home theater on Sunday, the Giz Wiz Dick DeBartolo
Dick DeBartolo
Dick DeBartolo is an American writer. He has most notably written for Mad. He is occasionally referred to as "Mads Maddest Writer," this being a twist on Don Martin's former status as "Mads Maddest Artist." DeBartolo served as the magazine's "Creative Consultant" from 1984 to 2009.Mad has long...
from Mad
Mad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
to talk about gadgets on Saturday and Chris Marquardt of Tips from the Top Floor
Tips From The Top Floor
Digital Photography Tips from the Top Floor is a podcast which presents tips and tricks about photography, mainly digital photography, in episodes normally rangingfrom 5 to 15 minutes in length and covering topics from image composition to post processing....
to talk about digital photography. Prior to June 2008, weekly guests included: Steve Gibson, Paul Thurrott
Paul Thurrott
Paul Brian Thurrott is a technology reporter, published author, podcaster, and the news editor for Windows IT Pro magazine...
, and Ron Rosberg; these guests were dropped to make time for more callers, which Leo cited as being the more important part of the program. The guest interviews are often pre-recorded to accommodate the guests' schedule. The guests connect to the show using Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
.
History
Leo Laporte has been doing one version or another of his technology talk show since 1990, including a syndicated show originating from KGOKGO (AM)
KGO is a news/talk-format radio station radio with offices and studios in San Francisco, California. Unlike most other American news/talk stations, KGO originates nearly all of its own programming locally. Since 1978, KGO radio has received Arbitron's number-one ranking in the Bay Area...
. The current incarnation of the show began on KFI weekends in 2004, only months prior to the cancellation of 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...
and The Screen Savers
The 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...
from the newly merged 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 the United States. According to Leo, he had to find a way to keep talking about technology, and facetiously mentioned that if it wasn't for KFI green lighting the show, he would have ended up "having to talk to [his] wife about it." The show ran weekends on KFI at 11 AM. Leo also appeared on Bill Handel
Bill Handel
William Wolf Handel is the director and founder of the Center for Surrogate Parenting and an AM radio personality in Los Angeles, California....
's morning show on Fridays for The Laporte Report segment, and continues to do so. Leo also does a Laporte Report live segment for CFRB in Toronto, Ontario Saturday mornings.
In late 2006, Leo notified his audience on net@nite that his contract with KFI was going to expire soon, and it was hinted at that he would only continue with Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
if The Tech Guy was syndicated. With the help of management at KFI, Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
picked up the show for syndication, and it was announced on January 27, 2007 that it would roll out nationally. On February 17, 2007, the newly syndicated Tech Guy radio show launched nationally on eleven radio stations, including KFI
KFI
KFI is an AM radio station in Los Angeles, California. It received its license to operate on March 31, 1922 and began operating on April 16, 1922 as one of the United States' first high-powered, "clear-channel" stations...
. The show has added many affiliates, and has grown sharply from the original twelve to over one hundred (as of the summer of 2010).
The post-syndication KFI feed of The Tech Guy is customized so that it does not lose its local Los Angeles feel. The presentation is similar to that of Handel on the Law and Mike McConnell. Dr. Dean Edell's show is also customized with KFI identification within the show, even though the show originates from KGO
KGO (AM)
KGO is a news/talk-format radio station radio with offices and studios in San Francisco, California. Unlike most other American news/talk stations, KGO originates nearly all of its own programming locally. Since 1978, KGO radio has received Arbitron's number-one ranking in the Bay Area...
and is on tape delay.
Live chat
There is a public Internet Relay ChatInternet Relay Chat
Internet Relay Chat is a protocol for real-time Internet text messaging or synchronous conferencing. It is mainly designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels, but also allows one-to-one communication via private message as well as chat and data transfer, including file...
that takes place when the show airs live on the irc.twit.tv server in the #twitlive channel. Leo participates in the chat during commercial breaks, under the name "Leo," and often refers to the chat to give him additional information to assist with some of the callers' questions. The channel is moderated to keep the chat clean and about the show being broadcast. There are several moderators in the chat room, including Dan, Mike_B, Mick, Inferno / Jay-san, Shooby, Sascha, and Coleen. Shooby and Sascha have both been responsible for keeping the show notes in the past, however now James DeRuvo is responsible for the show notes posted on Leo's site.
Podcast
Every show is available as a podcast on the TWiT networkTWiT.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...
, distributed via RSS feed
RSS (file format)
RSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format...
at twit.tv/TTG. Until June 2011, shows were posted intermittently up to a week after their first airdate in order to meet the requirements of Laporte's Premiere contract for exclusivity purposes for the radio affiliates, and the live and taped video versions of the show required caller audio to be muted.After Laporte renewed his Premiere deal that month, these conditions were relaxed, and the show is now allowed to be posted hours after first broadcast to TWiT, and caller audio is now heard on the live video and TWiT.am audio feeds. The new deal also allowed Laporte to solicit his traditional TWiT advertisers to sponsor the podcast feeds, while retaining his advertisers for the radio version.
Technical Details
The show was produced from Leo Laporte's TWiT Cottage but moved to the new TWiT Studio known as the TWiT Brick House in July 2011. It is streamed to Premiere Radio Networks via Laporte's direct ISDN line connection to Premiere at 64 kbpsKBPS
KBPS is a high school radio station run by Benson Polytechnic High School students enrolled in the radio broadcasting program. It is owned by Portland Public Schools...
. From there Premiere uploads it to their satellite network for distribution. Leo also streams his side of the show on TWiT Live.
July 24’s show was the last program produced at the TWiT Cottage, with Laporte parading through downtown Petaluma after the end of that day's show to the Brick House with his staff and onlookers to inaugurate the new facility, which opened an hour later with that week's This Week in Tech. The first Tech Guy show produced at the TWiT Brick House was on July 30, which also was the first broadcast from Leo's office set, which was built to resemble the former Cottage studio.
Tech Guy affiliates
Laporte's Tech Guy radio show is syndicated to several affiliates across America. The show originates from the "TWiT Cottage" in Petaluma, CaliforniaPetaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...
, a community north of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, and while KGO
KGO (AM)
KGO is a news/talk-format radio station radio with offices and studios in San Francisco, California. Unlike most other American news/talk stations, KGO originates nearly all of its own programming locally. Since 1978, KGO radio has received Arbitron's number-one ranking in the Bay Area...
is the San Francisco show affiliate, KFI
KFI
KFI is an AM radio station in Los Angeles, California. It received its license to operate on March 31, 1922 and began operating on April 16, 1922 as one of the United States' first high-powered, "clear-channel" stations...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
is considered the show's flagship. The show runs live weekends at 11 a.m. Pacific, 2 p.m. Eastern, with some stations delaying their airing until later in the day. Some affiliates opt to pick up both shows each weekend, while others only choose to run one day.