Tom Merritt Fired from TWiT

[saukriver]

WW = Yesterday's News

The more I watch Windows Weekly, them more I realize Leo has no clue what he's talking about

The more I watch Windows Weekly, the more irrelevant I think Microsoft products are. Who really wants to hear Paul Thurrott drone on/defend products like "OneDrive," Outlook.com (hotmail re-labelled), the expensive Surface tablet, Windows Phone, etc.? (Incidentally, if you go back and listen to the Windows Weekly show when Windows 8 was first launched in beta in spring 2012, Paul Thurrott went on and on about how great it was. Now, he largely craps on it.)

I have 4 copies of Windows 7 running and 1 copy of Windows 8 (rejiggered to work like Windows 7). I use Office. The the rest of the Microsoft lineup is largely irrelevant.

And the incessant speculation about the the intrigue about what is going on in Redmond is a yawner, given that Microsoft's products are largely yesterday's news.

 

[Michael Goff]

The more I watch Windows Weekly, the more irrelevant I think Microsoft products are. Who really wants to hear Paul Thurrott drone on/defend products like "OneDrive," Outlook.com (hotmail re-labelled), the expensive Surface tablet, Windows Phone, etc.? (Incidentally, if you go back and listen to the Windows Weekly show when Windows 8 was first launched in beta in spring 2012, Paul Thurrott went on and on about how great it was. Now, he largely craps on it.)

I have 4 copies of Windows 7 running and 1 copy of Windows 8 (rejiggered to work like Windows 7). I use Office. The the rest of the Microsoft lineup is largely irrelevant.

And the incessant speculation about the the intrigue about what is going on in Redmond is a yawner, given that Microsoft's products are largely yesterday's news.

Why do you listen to Windows Weekly if you obviously don't like Microsoft? Do you intend to hear something about something not from Microsoft?

 

[saukriver]

Why do you listen to Windows Weekly if you obviously don't like Microsoft? Do you intend to hear something about something not from Microsoft?

Michael Goff, you must have read my post too quickly. Where the heck did I say that I did not like Microsoft? Let me underline what you obviously missed.

I have 4 copies of Windows 7 running and 1 copy of Windows 8 (rejiggered to work like Windows 7). I use Office. The the rest of the Microsoft lineup is largely irrelevant.

I think Windows 8 blows doors in its UX, but the under-the-hood stuff is okay. Office is fine. I would can the remainder of Microsoft's consumer products.

Slow down, and please go back and re-read.

 

[Michael Goff]

Michael Goff, you must have read my post too quickly. Where the heck did I say that I did not like Microsoft? Let me underline what you obviously missed.



I think Windows 8 blows doors in its UX, but the under-the-hood stuff is okay. Office is fine. I would can the remainder of Microsoft's consumer products.

Slow down, and please go back and re-read.

And yet you're saying Microsoft's products are irrelevant. You pretty much shoot down 8/10 of Microsoft's things for no reason. OneDrive and Outlook.com aren't bad products, but somehow they're irrelevant in your world (and thus you say they're irrelevant period).

Edit: Also, good thing you don't make a decision at Microsoft. You'd cripple them in the long term.

 

[saukriver]

Not exactly sure why you are refusing to understand that I am a still a loyal Microsoft Windows and Office customer.

The Window 8 UX is brain dead. It sprung from the mistaken belief that people wanted their laptop and dekktops to converge with a tablet into some sort of weirdo Yoga device. I have not left Windows; Windows left me.

Most of the rest of Microsoft's products are just irrelevant. Examples:

Windows Phone. Too few apps.

OneDrive. Why would I want to trust one source for cloud storage? The entire concept of "OneDrive" leaves me cold. I want multiple vendors of cloud storage, and I hate that I have to log on with my Microsoft ID (as opposed to a normal email address).

Outlook.com. Thanks. I had always wondered who in the world liked Outlook.com!​

 

[Michael Goff]

Not exactly sure why you are refusing to understand that I am a still a loyal Microsoft Windows and Office customer.

The Window 8 UX is brain dead. It sprung from the mistaken belief that people wanted their laptop and dekktops to converge with a tablet into some sort of weirdo Yoga device. I have not left Windows; Windows left me.

Most of the rest of Microsoft's products are just irrelevant. Examples:

Windows Phone. Too few apps.

OneDrive. Why would I want to trust one source for cloud storage? The entire concept of "OneDrive" leaves me cold. I want multiple vendors of cloud storage, and I hate that I have to log on with my Microsoft ID (as opposed to a normal email address).

Outlook.com. Thanks. I had always wondered who in the world liked Outlook.com!​

Braindead? Simply because you don't like it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. I would say it's a rather unique experience that you will either like or not like, there's no middle ground.

WP: Too few apps at around 250k according to some sources. Oh yes, the WP app problem is numbers. /s.

No, it's that some companies can't code good apps (I'm looking at you, Kindle).

Having 250k apps should be enough in terms of numbers, though I'll admit that some apps are still missing. But even if it had 1,000,000 apps, they might be missing.

OneDrive: It's irrelevant to you, but not to millions and millions of people. Don't place your wants as everyone's.

Outlook.com: A lot of people like Outlook, that's why they have around two hundred and fifty million users. Or nobody likes it, one of the two.


Before somebody says "stop defending Microsoft", I'm only kind of responding because I like the products. I'm also responding because the initial response I responded to was a case of "I don't like it, ergo it's irrelevant period". That type of self-focused crap is wrong.

 

[saukriver]

Nice to hear someone likes Windows Phone.

 

[japanime]

So, back on topic... Has anyone here actually gone cold turkey and stopped listening/watching to TWiT entirely? Or, if not, do you think the changes have begun to help the network.

I've been TWiT-free since the end of January. And I don't miss it at all.

I wonder Leo has lost enough of his audience to realize that he (and Lisa) made too many ill-conceived moves. Or, maybe it's been just the opposite, and the network is getting stronger than ever.

 

[Nothlit]

So, back on topic... Has anyone here actually gone cold turkey and stopped listening/watching to TWiT entirely? Or, if not, do you think the changes have begun to help the network.

I've been TWiT-free since the end of January. And I don't miss it at all.

I wonder Leo has lost enough of his audience to realize that he (and Lisa) made too many ill-conceived moves. Or, maybe it's been just the opposite, and the network is getting stronger than ever.

I was a big TWiT fan in the early days (pre Brick House). During a trip to California a few years ago, I even visited the cottage and sat in on an episode of the Tech Guy.

The only TWiT show I still listen to is Security Now, because it's somewhat related to my profession, and because it's more Steve Gibson's show than Leo's, and Steve clearly puts some preparation into each episode.

My initial shift away from TWiT was 3 or 4 years ago to 5by5. But as Gruber, Siracusa, and Arment left 5by5, I mostly followed them away, too. My current podcast rotation includes ATP, The Talk Show, Security Now, The Incomparable, and Planet Money. I don't have time for much else, and I certainly don't miss any of the old TWiT shows that I used to listen to.

 

[rhett7660]

I was a big TWiT fan in the early days (pre Brick House). During a trip to California a few years ago, I even visited the cottage and sat in on an episode of the Tech Guy.

The only TWiT show I still listen to is Security Now, because it's somewhat related to my profession, and because it's more Steve Gibson's show than Leo's, and Steve clearly puts some preparation into each episode.

My initial shift away from TWiT was 3 or 4 years ago to 5by5. But as Gruber, Siracusa, and Arment left 5by5, I mostly followed them away, too. My current podcast rotation includes ATP, The Talk Show, Security Now, The Incomparable, and Planet Money. I don't have time for much else, and I certainly don't miss any of the old TWiT shows that I used to listen to.

I only listen to MBW and TWIPhoto, and that one is not on a regular basis. I too also listened to 5by5 but have cut it down to just one and that is Andy's show.

My other podcast are not really tech related. But my TWIT library is no where near what it used to be.

 

[JamonBull]

I haven't gone cold turkey and quit TWiT completely, but MacBreak Weekly is their ONLY show I listen to regularly now. This time last year I was listening to roughly four of their shows. I've started enjoying Rene Ritchie's iMore podcast more and more lately and I've also started listening to John Gruber's The Talk Show (which is great too). Adam Christianson's MacCast or Siracusa/Liss/Arment's Accidental Tech Podcast would HAVE to take the cake in terms of consistency though.

 

[gbredneck]

Time was, i'd listen to any and pretty much most of the TWIT content and considered it required listening. These days i can take it or leave it.

The only regulars for me these days are Windows Weekly, as I'm a great Paul Thurrott fan, not so taken with mary jo foley, but the dynamic seems to be working at the moment, Leo Laporte just seems to irritate me with his sometimes inane comments, that show he just doesn't understand what is being talked about.

Macbreak weekly still occasionally gets my view, but even that has become a little boring and staid, whilst i like Andy Inathko his playing of that darned ukelele gets my goat too.

I used to think TNT was a bit amateurish, until it went and Tech News Today became the news show, i just find the new show a little boring, staid and trying to be too businesslike. I'm sure mike elgan is a great writer, but that imho doesn't make someone a good show host.

Am now a regular listen to Tom's new show, and loving it.

My must listen podcasts / shows are :

What The Tech, and the British Tech Network's Mac Show. The former due to Paul Thurrott's input and the latter with Ewen Rankin, who is a true genius.

The real killer for me on TWIT these days is the advertising, when it was products that were actually relevant to tech (even if i didn't buy the products) i didn't mind them, but it would appear to me Leo has sold out when he starts selling loans, and finance products.

Sorry for a post thats a bit all over the place

 

[jb1280]

So, back on topic... Has anyone here actually gone cold turkey and stopped listening/watching to TWiT entirely? Or, if not, do you think the changes have begun to help the network.

I haven't listened to anything the network has released all calendar year, save the first 5 minutes of the last episode of This Week in Tech. It's not missed.

The introductions are too long. The ad reads are too long and include too many tangents. The analysis is sophomoric at best. There are other podcasts that are shorter and have better discussion and/or analysis.

Attention is a zero sum game and Laporte has done a poor job of retaining attention in an ever increasingly competitive landscape.

 

[jeremysteele]

So, back on topic... Has anyone here actually gone cold turkey and stopped listening/watching to TWiT entirely? Or, if not, do you think the changes have begun to help the network.

I've dropped nearly every tech podcast I was subscribed to.

Best decision ever.

Quite frankly, I couldn't stand listening to (mostly) unintelligible discussions. I tried to find a podcast that didn't either A) repeat the news (I can read the news) or B) repeat rumors (I can read rumors).

Unfortunately - hosts who have experience in the industry would, over time, shift from expressing their intelligent thoughts to simply repeating what they are reading online. It's sad - but I suppose it helps them churn out content quicker and appeal to a wider audience. More content = more shows = more ad revenue, of course.

Only podcast I check out now and then is security now - and even then 90+% of what they say is simply repeating news and not discussing it in any meaningful way

 

[saukriver]

So, back on topic... Has anyone here actually gone cold turkey and stopped listening/watching to TWiT entirely? Or, if not, do you think the changes have begun to help the network.

I've been TWiT-free since the end of January. And I don't miss it at all.

I wonder Leo has lost enough of his audience to realize that he (and Lisa) made too many ill-conceived moves. Or, maybe it's been just the opposite, and the network is getting stronger than ever.

Thanks for bringing this back on topic.

I think the TWIT network has improved in 2014. Of course, by late December 2013, TWIT was setting a very low bar for its own improvement in 2014. (A bit like the kid that runs a 20-minute mile the first day of PE: hard not to improve.)

TNToday--much punchier, less formulaic. I was wrong on Mike Elgan. He is not as boring as I thought, perhaps just unsure in a new job in early January 2014. Has cutback on the vocalized pauses. Elgan will really let it rip from time to time (e.g., "I think this had got to be the dumbest idea have seen in a long while.") I like the variety of tech reporters he brings on, sometimes in rapid succession. Keeps the entire show to 30 min.

TNTonite--I think this show with Sarah Lane is also good Very concise, around 10-12 minutes.

TWIT--About 1/2 the Sunday TWIT shows are really TWIG ("This Week in Gerontology"). 1/2 shows are good. Among the oldsters, I really like John C. Dvorak, but cannot stand Jerry Pournelle. Needs to continue to try to increase younger and/or female panelists.

This Week in Google--okay about 1/4 of the time. Unfortunately, this show has disintegrated into Jarvis, Trepani, and LaPorte planting a kiss on Google's behind. Very little critique except that Jarvis preaching to the audience not to worry about privacy!

Windows Weekly--too long and too irrelevant. I could care less about Haddup, xBox, or how much Paul Thurrott likes OneDrive, hotmail or his Lumnia phone. It is a weekly discussion of how Windows 9/Threshold might unscrew Windows 8 in 2015, beer picks, and Audible recommendations. Better to watch Paul Thurrott on other, shorter podcasts. Haven't unsubuscribed because I use many Microsoft products, but I set this one to listen sometimtes at 2x speed.

AAA--not worth watching.​

What I did go "cold turkey" on was Tom Merritt's Daily Tech News Show (DTNS). I put "cold turkey" in quotes because that term is usually reserved for something you crave. Signal to noise just too low.

 

[DDaddyx2]

So, back on topic... Has anyone here actually gone cold turkey and stopped listening/watching to TWiT entirely? Or, if not, do you think the changes have begun to help the network.

I've been TWiT-free since the end of January. And I don't miss it at all.

I wonder Leo has lost enough of his audience to realize that he (and Lisa) made too many ill-conceived moves. Or, maybe it's been just the opposite, and the network is getting stronger than ever.

I still listen to Windows Weekly or MacBreak Weekly, but not with the same enthusiasm I used to. Saukriver hit Windows Weekly on the head: too long and too much focus on products no one cares about. Leo needs to trim both shows to an hour.

 

[Nalp2010]

Thanks for bringing this back on topic.

I think the TWIT network has improved in 2014. Of course, by late December 2013, TWIT was setting a very low bar for its own improvement in 2014. (A bit like the kid that runs a 20-minute mile the first day of PE: hard not to improve.)

TNToday--much punchier, less formulaic. I was wrong on Mike Elgan. He is not as boring as I thought, perhaps just unsure in a new job in early January 2014. Has cutback on the vocalized pauses. Elgan will really let it rip from time to time (e.g., "I think this had got to be the dumbest idea have seen in a long while.") I like the variety of tech reporters he brings on, sometimes in rapid succession. Keeps the entire show to 30 min.

TNTonite--I think this show with Sarah Lane is also good Very concise, around 10-12 minutes.

After the first TNT podcast with Elgan I thought he was probably the worst salaried podcaster I had ever seen and TWiT was going down like the Titanic. But you're right, the new shorter format with multiple journalists from across the world Skyping in works well now Elgan has had time to adjust. They were going to look for additional hosts and hired Tonya Hall but she's doing her own programme. Of course the risk with one host for TNT is that if Elgan leaves it really damages the podcast since the host and show are practically one and the same to viewers.

As for some of the other hosts ... Sarah Lane has really come into her own and now actually comes into the studio to earn her pay! Father Robert acts like an annoying thirteen year old(as opposed to a representative of a church) between shows but does actually have decent tech knowledge. Steve Gibson isn't the "security legend" he considers himself but he does put effort into his shows. Award for the smuggest regular guest goes to Andy Ihnatko, who Leo fawns over, making him doubly irritating.

You can watch many, many, hours of TWiT output and not really learn very much about technology beyond the superficial - however, for me, it's a free technology channel that broadcasts during the evening (UK time) and I can leave running in the background, on my desktop, while I do other things.

EDIT:

Oh, I forgot, regarding Tom Merritt - hosting via video link killed the spirit of the show for watchers, but that was his choice. Also appears he asked for $100,000 pay rise -

 

[MacNut]

I still think Elgan is a bad interviewer and host. His ad reads are horrible, he if still too stiff. He makes a great guest but he is not host material.

Honestly I barely watch TWiT anymore.

 

[saukriver]

More discussion of Leo's Twitter post on Tom Merritt "sucking TWIT dry". That apparently dates back to January

I still think Elgan is a bad interviewer and host. His ad reads are horrible, he if still too stiff. He makes a great guest but he is not host material.

Honestly I barely watch TWiT anymore.

Actually, I think Elgan has exhibited more personality. For example, in the show on 4-14, Elgan gave his point-of-view, saying that the Facebook idea of running a bank that people trust with money would falter because people barely trust FB to safeguard their personal information.

I agree Eglan's ad reads are stiff. But I skip through those.

 

[satcomer]

So, back on topic... Has anyone here actually gone cold turkey and stopped listening/watching to TWiT entirely?
I've been TWiT-free since the end of January. And I don't miss it at all

I have gone cold turkey since last Fall. Leo's Fanboy rants were getting over the edge and his radio show just went south for the winter and never came back the same.

I wonder Leo has lost enough of his audience to realize that he (and Lisa) made too many ill-conceived moves. Or, maybe it's been just the opposite, and the network is getting stronger than ever.

I don't even want to listen to find out. I am starting to feel that a lot of other people are thinking the same way I am thinking. He went corporate just as the blow back against Internet authority went into full swing. Leo let go his roots and that decision has bit him in the arse.

 

[Statcoder]

I'm still a daily listener of TWIT because it's a lot of great content that is free. I'm also happy to listen to and support Tom Merrit's daily show which is funded Patreon subscriptions. The new TNT is different in that there is a lot less Buzz Out Loud style banter among people who have been working with each other for years.

Leo has spoken, plenty of times, about the benefit of having loyal followers going back to Tech TV and the backlash that results from on-air personality changes. His problem is that he can't offload the responsibility for unpopular business decisions to unseen bosses like every other media outlet can.

You have to admire how the guy lays out his business and private life for everyone else to examine on a daily basis. There was one show where he actually played a clip from Tech TV that had resulted in a sexual harassment accusation from his co-host (it was a joke that she didn't like).

 

[japanime]

TWIT--About 1/2 the Sunday TWIT shows are really TWIG ("This Week in Gerontology"). 1/2 shows are good. Among the oldsters, I really like John C. Dvorak, but cannot stand Jerry Pournelle. Needs to continue to try to increase younger and/or female panelists.

That's why I had stopped listening to the Sunday show (long before I gave up the network all together) — way too much old-boy humor. Other than Dvorak (who is great because he's still relevant), the rest of the geezers that Leo was hosting on a regular basis are annoying.

And Pournelle is insufferable. He knows almost nothing about 21st-century technology, while his memory of the previous century's tech is hazy at best. Plus, he spends half his time ranting about the publishers who made him marginally famous in the first place. Ridiculous.

 

[ccollinsradio]

Mike Elgan/Tom

Am I the only one who has noticed that Mike Elgan isn't improving? Also, TNT is never all live now... It's him and Skype. Not much different from Tom being on Skype.

Beyond all that, people liked Tom enough (me included) to fund his show via Patreon for Daily Tech News Show. He is doing very, very well now. The only show I watch on Twit now is Windows Weekly. I can almost guarantee that way more people watch DTNS than TNT.

Losing Iyaz was a big mistake too. Tom is very popular and well respected in Tech. Mike Elgan is still fumbling words and sputtering around 6 months in. I used to love TNT.

Leo had something unique and trendsetting with TWIT. If he keeps losing the good people, he will start to sink. Tom and Iyaz were great. I can't watch Mike or even Padre anymore. Know how is horrible now and don't get me started on the nightmare that is OMGChad.

 

[Statcoder]

I think TNT is a little meatier these days on the journalistic side and I like it. The guests are more topic-targeted rather than simply asking the tech pundit of the day to comment on what they read. Previously, there had been a lot of "Well, what do you think of this in France?".

 

[ouimetnick]

Am I the only one who has noticed that Mike Elgan isn't improving? Also, TNT is never all live now... It's him and Skype. Not much different from Tom being on Skype.

Beyond all that, people liked Tom enough (me included) to fund his show via Patreon for Daily Tech News Show. He is doing very, very well now. The only show I watch on Twit now is Windows Weekly. I can almost guarantee that way more people watch DTNS than TNT.

Losing Iyaz was a big mistake too. Tom is very popular and well respected in Tech. Mike Elgan is still fumbling words and sputtering around 6 months in. I used to love TNT.

Leo had something unique and trendsetting with TWIT. If he keeps losing the good people, he will start to sink. Tom and Iyaz were great. I can't watch Mike or even Padre anymore. Know how is horrible now and don't get me started on the nightmare that is OMGChad.

He has already been sinking for quite a while now.