G4TechTV in Flames

I posted this as a new thread on the G4TechTV message boards a few weeks ago, and I think it is a good enough rant to merit the first post of my blog. I got 8 responses to it, 6 of them in complete agreement, and two from a 15 year old claiming I was calling all G4 viewers "children".

I do love irony.

An Open Letter to G4TechTV Management

When I think about the merger of G4 and TechTV, my blood doesn't boil the way it did, but I can still feel the temperature rise.

When I first heard about the merger, I envisioned a network where the best of both could be combined for a satisfying viewing experience: I imagined Adam & Morgan taking a more prominent role with the new network with strong gaming ties; I imagined Call for Help and the Screen Savers as flagship shows; I saw Tech Live informing a new audience; I thought "finally, an end to Thunderbirds, Anime Unleashed, and Wired for Sex". (Well, 1 out of 3, but you kept the most offensive ones.)

What we got was a demographic hodgepodge that doesn't seem to appeal to anyone. I am thinking that the only winners in this outcome were the G4 viewers (all 100 of them), while the thousands of TechTV viewers were left alienated.

How were we left alienated? Well, for starters, the gutting of a beloved cable channel. The replacement of some truly great shows with very high production values with TV that looked like it was, and I paraphrase, "TV for 7 year olds, by 7 year olds".

I can imagine the arguement made by those hundred G4 viewers saying that their favourite shows were every bit as good, but, children, please, let the adults talk.

G4TV.com - 3 twenty-somethings taking calls in a dark studio, calling each other names, and who at the end of the show ritually beat each other.

Pulse - where did they find that guy? He looks like the happy guy on those Encyte commercials. The constant rah-rah tone of the show really makes it difficult to watch. Prozac needed.

Filter - Pretty girl. Too bad she is hosting the equivalent of a video game popularity contest. Completely shallow and empty.

Sweat - A show named after perspiration. Lovely. And almost as much fun. The idea? Let's try to pick up chicks in or near the arcade.

Playerz - Oooooo - famous people have PlayStations AND XBox's. And they actually play them?....cool.

Judgment Day/Electric Playground - Perhaps the best hope for some integrity from the former solo network, but alas, when held up the harsh light of production values, it too falls short.

I understand that programming a television network is a difficult job, but that doesn't mean lowest common denominator broadcasting. Be responsible to the viewers you purchased from TechTV. You know the demographic: we're the ones with the paychecks that can buy product from your sponsors.

I had hoped the merger would bring an atmosphere of maturity to G4, while increasing the fun factor of TechTV - so far, it has failed on both counts.

I will continue to watch The Screen Savers after they move to L.A., along with X-Play, and Fresh Gear if it is still on, but I can say unequivocally that further slide in production values may have consequences. It is no secret that G4 was failing both in ratings and in revenues - the addition of TechTV programming could have helped, but I fear that not enough of it was kept, and I am prepared for the day when Comcast decides to cancel ALL programming in order to cut it's losses.

In my judgment, that day appears imminent.

Thank you for lowering my expectations, and also for narrowing my viewing options.

I wonder what is on A&E.