Comcast to shaft TechTV

[Jonbo298]

TechTV on Thursday told 285 of its San Francisco-based employees that they have 60 days to finish their work and move on. The move comes after cable-TV company Comcast announced plans to buy the struggling technology news outlet in March and merged it with its own G4 gaming network, based in Los Angeles.

Comcast said it plans to create 80 new positions after the acquisition closes, which is expected to receive regulatory approval early next week. TechTV employees will be given the opportunity to apply for those positions on the condition that they relocate to the Los Angeles office. Comcast will retain the San Francisco office as a "limited" G4 production facility for an indefinite period, according to G4 spokesman David Shane.

"There are 205 people impacted in total because of the 80 new positions created by the merger," Shane said. "We will work with employees to find new jobs in San Francisco or help them with the application process for the new positions."

Comcast will announce more detailed plans for the acquisition next week, said Shane. Those plans are expected to include information about which TechTV and G4 shows will be cancelled and which will remain in production. The company will negotiate contracts with specific on-air talent on a "case-by-case basis" at that time, he said.

Launched as ZDTV in 1998 by Ziff Davis Media, TechTV reaches nearly 44 million cable television subscribers. The organization's shows covered technology news, product reviews and consumer-focused tutorials. The company was purchased by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures in 2000.

Comcast launched G4 in 2002, targeting the 24-hour-a-day channel at young video gamers. Comcast has committed $150 million to G4 over five years, according to Shane.

Financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed, but people close to the companies said in March that Comcast paid close to $300 million.

"The purchase is a strong vote of confidence for G4," said Shane. "We're in 15 million cable homes today. With the merger, we will be in 44 million cable and satellite homes. That's massive distribution."

http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,63376,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_3

I'll keep my pissed off mood short and simple.

F*ck You Comcast

[Null]

THANK you Comcast!


:)

[Rndm_Perfection]

I've had comcast but never Tech TV...



Whaaat the hell? Oh well...

[Null]

I've had comcast but never Tech TV...



Whaaat the hell? Oh well...

be thankful. it sucked.

[Rndm_Perfection]

be thankful. it sucked.

It had late night animé, I hear. Considering I watch about 15 minutes of television per day (when I'm getting ready for school and the news is on), it'd be really nice to triple that time for one good animé a night, y'know?

[Jonbo298]

I watch TechTV quite often. I like the channel. Some of the shows are meh, but I always watch Call for Help and The ScreenSavers. If they dont at least bring those 2 shows over with the same hosts, then I'll just call my cable provider (NOT Comcast thank god) and cancel the Tier that will contain the bastard child of G4 and TechTV and explicitly give them the reason why.

[Null]

channel looked like a low budget channel. shows were stupid boring, cheezy.

i dont like G4 either.


Infact, i shall write to comcast and thank them. :) hehe

[Jonbo298]

umm....ok? TechTV looking like a low budget channel? I have to disagree

[Jason1]

Thats one channel we've never got around here. I always enjoy watching it while im on vacation though.

[thatmariolover]

I love Tech TV. I mean, if only for Screensavers and Call for Help. Jonbo's right. Great shows.

[Null]

umm....ok? TechTV looking like a low budget channel? I have to disagree


always did to me. got the cheapest lowest paid actors they can find. cuz the hosts for some of thoes shows were a bit :gay:


I dunno. all i can say is im glad it'll be gone. hopfully that channel will be replaced with something that i wont have to block the channel from the rotation anymore.

honestly tho. 90% of TV sucks anyway.

[GameMaster]

I can't get mad at Comcast, they deliver me blazing fast internet broadband for a fair, simple, low price.

[Vampyr]

channel looked like a low budget channel. shows were stupid boring, cheezy.

i dont like G4 either.


Infact, i shall write to comcast and thank them. :) hehe

:wtf: No comment on that.


This news makes me greatly angry. :mad:

I watch TechTV all the time. The Screen Savers, Call for Help, Fresh gear, Tech Live, and Xplay. Nooo! Comcast is evil!

[The Germanator]

I can't get mad at Comcast, they deliver me blazing fast internet broadband for a fair, simple, low price.

Ditto. Plus Comcast owns stake in pretty much every Philadelphia sports team, and I can't get down on them in that regard. I love Comcast Sportsnet too much to turn on them now. Without Comcast I wouldn't be able to watch Flyers, Sixers, and Phillies games, and what kind of person would I be without that luxury?

I :love: Comcast.

[Null]

I can't get mad at Comcast, they deliver me blazing fast internet broadband for a fair, simple, low price.



damn straight. i was gettting hella fast before with near 2mb/sec. Now they doubled the speed im getting well over 3, sometimes near 4mb/sec for same price.

i LOVE comcast :)

[Jonbo298]

always did to me. got the cheapest lowest paid actors they can find.

You honestly can not expect them to put more popular actors in there. They dont know sh*t about technology.

[Null]

yea. i expected them to put tom cruise on there to host.

come on man. you know thats what i meant.

I mean they put ppl on there to host that dont know how to act on tv, not some flipin tards that act so fruity.

and BTW, the hosts dont know anything anyway. they simply read what they're supposed to read.

[Dark Samurai]

Man, I cant even get TechTV or G4 on DirecTV, so screw them.

[manasecret]

I dunno. all i can say is im glad it'll be gone. hopfully that channel will be replaced with something that i wont have to block the channel from the rotation anymore.

honestly tho. 90% of TV sucks anyway.

Agreed for both. :)

I used to love TechTV when I didn't get it at home and could only watch it at cooler houses. But then I got it at home and now never watch it. The only channel worse is G4.

Oh, and anime sucks.

Seriously, though, ScreenSavers and Call for Help were all right, but they weren't compelling TV, more like background TV a la what a lot of people do with ESPN.

I have to go further, Neo. 95% of TV sucks anyway. :p

[Null]

im Null. not neo :P

[GT News]

im Null. not neo :P

Why are you Null.
Oh I get it.

[Null]

yea you get it....you get my foot up your ass in a second.

[manasecret]

Uhhh, it was a typo. Three typos. All in a row.

:sneaky:

[TheSlyMoogle]

I watch TechTV quite often. I like the channel. Some of the shows are meh, but I always watch Call for Help and The ScreenSavers. If they dont at least bring those 2 shows over with the same hosts, then I'll just call my cable provider (NOT Comcast thank god) and cancel the Tier that will contain the bastard child of G4 and TechTV and explicitly give them the reason why.

Um, I'm totally convinced Leo and Patrick are gay together. Also they're entirely too enthusiastic about kilts? You only see grown men that excited about kilts in Ireland and Scotland? Hmm... I'll miss X-Play, also the anime sucked. I hated most of it. Like one show was good, and I forgot what it was called. Stick with Adult Swin. Trigun... :D

[Vampyr]

Um, I'm totally convinced Leo and Patrick are gay together. Also they're entirely too enthusiastic about kilts? You only see grown men that excited about kilts in Ireland and Scotland? Hmm... I'll miss X-Play, also the anime sucked. I hated most of it. Like one show was good, and I forgot what it was called. Stick with Adult Swin. Trigun... :D

But you think everyone is "gay"....

[Bond]

THANK you Comcast!


:)
That's pretty asinine of you considering 285 people just lost their jobs.

[TheSlyMoogle]

But you think everyone is "gay"....

Most of the time I'm just joking. I really mean it this time though... Super gay. They're at least gay seperately. Martin Sargent on the other hand is the incredibly straight slacker/stoner guy who got his own late night show. Whoa!

Lol, Martin is probably gay in all reality and Leo and Patrick are super straight. One time I saw TSS and Leo hit on the anchor lady for tech news, or whatever it's called. Hmmmm...

Then they were all like "Leo, your wife will divorce you!"

[Jonbo298]

Thanks to Bond for sending me the link on what shows are staying. The one show thats going thats being shafted I watch quite often is Call for Help.

All details here. http://www.g4techtv.com/faq.html

Tech TV Stays
* Anime Unleashed
* Body Hits
* Eye Drops
* Fresh Gear
* Future Fighting Machines
* Invent This
* Nerd Nation
* Robot Wars
* The Screen Savers
* Thunderbirds
* Unscrewed
* X-Play

G4 Stays
* Arena
* Cheat!
* Cinematech
* Electric Playground
* Filter
* G4TV.com
* Icons
* Judgment Day
* Players
* Portal
* Pulse
* Sweat

[Vampyr]

Thanks to Bond for sending me the link on what shows are staying. The one show thats going thats being shafted I watch quite often is Call for Help.

All details here. http://www.g4techtv.com/faq.html

Tech TV Stays
* Anime Unleashed
* Body Hits
* Eye Drops
* Fresh Gear
* Future Fighting Machines
* Invent This
* Nerd Nation
* Robot Wars
* The Screen Savers
* Thunderbirds
* Unscrewed
* X-Play

G4 Stays
* Arena
* Cheat!
* Cinematech
* Electric Playground
* Filter
* G4TV.com
* Icons
* Judgment Day
* Players
* Portal
* Pulse
* Sweat


I have a very important question.

I get TechTV, but I dont get G4. hmmm. Will I get the channel it's going to be on?

Either way, I'm really going to miss call for help. *cries*

[Bond]

Yes.

[Jonbo298]

If you only have one or the other, your gonna get the new channel. If your cable provider has one or the other (or both :p) and they wont get the new channel, call and complain because Comcast as far as i know is allowing anyone with either or or both to get the new channel.

[Null]

Comcast pwns j00.

my cable internet line just tested at 4.2mb/sec. :):):):)

[Rndm_Perfection]

Comcast pwns j00.

my cable internet line just tested at 4.2mb/sec. :):):):)

Must.... overcome... envy!

[TheSlyMoogle]

Thanks to Bond for sending me the link on what shows are staying. The one show thats going thats being shafted I watch quite often is Call for Help.

All details here. http://www.g4techtv.com/faq.html

Tech TV Stays
* Anime Unleashed
* Body Hits
* Eye Drops
* Fresh Gear
* Future Fighting Machines
* Invent This
* Nerd Nation
* Robot Wars
* The Screen Savers
* Thunderbirds
* Unscrewed
* X-Play

G4 Stays
* Arena
* Cheat!
* Cinematech
* Electric Playground
* Filter
* G4TV.com
* Icons
* Judgment Day
* Players
* Portal
* Pulse
* Sweat


WHOA! Is Julie from Real World New Orleans still on Electric Playground? Because I heard she got a job on it, and that it was on both Discovery Kids and G4. Oh... Julie is soooo hot... :) I don't have G4 but I caught it on Discovery Kids once and she wasn't on it. So... Yeah?