| The TWiT Netcast Network | |
|---|---|
| Owned by | Leo Laporte, TWiT LLC |
| Country | United States of America |
| Language | English |
| Broadcast area | Worldwide, via Internet |
| Headquarters | 140 Keller Street, Petaluma, CA |
| Website | http://twit.tv |
| Internet television | |
| Live Webcast | TWiT Live, (Free, available in English) |
The TWiT Netcast Network, which is the operating trade name of TWiT LLC, is a podcast (although TWiT uses the term netcast) 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 August of that year. Currently the network hosts nineteen podcasts and several live streaming shows covering various topics including Apple, Microsoft, Google, computer security, social networking and current technology news.
TWiT founder and owner Leo Laporte, in an October 2009 speech, stated that it grosses revenues of $1.5 million per year, while costs are around $350,000.[1] Later on October 24, 2009, Leo said during the TWiG (This Week in Google) show that revenues for the year would be closer to $2.5 million. Originally, the network started solely from his own funding as well as setting up a contribution system similar to the public radio model (but not tax-deductible). As the network has grown, a market for advertising in podcasts also developed, and most of the current shows carry advertising. On December 12, 2009, a message on the network's website stated that Leo was going to modify the company's funding: advertising would be used to run the company, and any contributions would go solely for his salary. However, this caused such a sudden increase in donations that he has unofficially stated he would limit how much he takes as income, and save the rest in a fund for future projects, such as a new studio.
TWiT gets its name from its first and flagship podcast, the popular This Week in Tech and the logo design originated from a traditional logic gate symbol of an "AND gate" turned on its side.
Contents |
The TWiT network was started by Leo Laporte in April 2005 after he posted a recording to his website, Leoville.com,[2] of him and other friends from TechTV talking about technology. Within days, the recording had been downloaded by thousands of people all over the world, and TWiT was born. Today, the network has grown to nineteen shows, and now has millions of viewers from all over the world. They currently employ 17 people, with full and part time jobs. Their revenues currently exceed 2.5 million dollars per year.
Tom Merritt has joined the staff of TWiT LLC as of June 1, 2010. He currently broadcasts a 30–40 minute show, Tech News Today, Monday through Friday.[3]
On July 24, 2011, the network moved from their former facility, the "TWiT Cottage", two blocks north, which had been in use since 2006, to a larger building known as the "TWiT Brick House", with the new studio facilities costing $1.2 million.[4]
Starting on April 30, 2008 Leo Laporte began broadcasting live video from his studio in Petaluma, CA at live.TWiT.tv . The format at times is free flowing, however it mostly serves as a live video feed of TWiT Network podcast creation. Guests usually appear via Skype for their respective podcasts, occasionally appearing via telephone when the Skype network has been down. Guests may also appear live in the studio if they are in the area. Production is handled by Leo himself using a NewTek Tricaster Broadcast streaming to flash video sites BitGravity, Ustream.tv and Justin.tv for the main TWiT Live page. Viewers can interact with the show through either Ustream and Justin.tv's chat rooms or through an IRC chat room. There is an approximate time delay of 5 seconds on the live stream.
TWiT Live has been used to air live coverage of large tech events. Leo produced live coverage of the 2009 Apple WWDC complete with a live pirate video stream from the auditorium floor. The current record for coverage on TWiT Live is the "24 Hours of the iPhone" event in July 2008, tracking the launch of the iPhone 3G around the globe as it went on sale in every timezone at 8am local. Leo stayed on air for the full 24 hours with only a few quick breaks. Calls were taken from people in line around the world, TWiT regulars, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Leo gave away 10 iPhone 3Gs during the broadcast complete with free audiobooks from Audible.com.
In January 2010, Leo Laporte and the TWiT team covered Consumer Electronics Show live from their stage in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. They covered two parties, Digital Experience Press Event and ShowStoppers Press Event live though an in-house built wireless broadcasting rig using a tablet computer which connected a camera and two microphones together and was streamed though EVDO and 3G cards. The broadcasting rig was made by TWiT's former Vice President of Engineering, Colleen Kelly. The trip to Consumer Electronics Show was sponsored by Ford Sync, Audible.com. Audio and Video podcasts were made and published on iTunes and on the TWiT website. It was the first time in a six year gap that Leo Laporte visited Consumer Electronics Show after the take over of TechTV. Laporte also announced that he was hopefully going to be back at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2011 which he did.
In May 2010, Leo Announced that TWiT would do more live coverage of major events and breaking news. Since then, they have covered events such as Google I/O, WWDC, E3, Maker Faire, Dragon Con, South By Southwest, Macworld Expo, and the Consumer Electronics Show. They have also covered breaking news such as Eric Schmidt stepping down as CEO of Google, Hewlett Packard's acquisition of Palm, Inc, Steve Jobs' resignation and death, and various press conferences and keynotes from companies such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook.
Leo Laporte has reported on The Weekly Daily Giz Wiz and Security Now! to have gotten an invitation to France, from President Sarkozy, to attend a G-8 summit on the Internet as well as such topics as security, use of the Internet, and how to protect yourself. This further shows the reach of Leo Laporte and TWiT.tv
| Show | Description | Genre | Hosts | Schedule | Launch Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This Week in Tech | The flagship netcast of the TWiT network and its namesake, it features roundtable discussions and debates surrounding the latest technology news. It is casually referred to as TWiT, thus spawning the name of the network built around it. The podcast was originally known as Revenge of The Screen Savers in reference to the original panel's former show, The Screen Savers, which aired on TechTV. After the first episode was posted Laporte received a cease and desist order from Comcast, owners of the intellectual property rights from TechTV, arguing it too closely resembled the defunct show's name. At one point it was offered in the most formats of any podcast on the network. These included a standard 64kps MP3, low-bandwidth 16kps MP3, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), and Ogg Vorbis versions. However, Leo Laporte announced the ending of the Ogg Vorbis version in August 2009 and finally the AAC and low bandwidth versions in early November 2009. The reasoning was the time and energy it took to encode all the versions of TWiT wasn't justified by the number of people choosing to listen to the show in those alternative formats. Bandwidth for the 64kps MP3 is provided by AOL Radio, this hosting is free in return for a mention of AOL Radio. The other versions, like most shows on the TWiT Network, were hosted by CacheFly. The show is usually posted every Monday morning at 1am Eastern to minimize the impact on the hosting company's servers. This Week in Tech is the recipient of the 2005, 2008, and 2010 People's Choice Podcast AwardsTechnology category. | Roundtable, Technology News |
Sunday |
Apr 17, 2005 | |
| Tech News Today | Every weekday, Tom Merritt former host of Buzz Out Loud (CNET) along with co-hosts Becky Worley (Tech TV, Good Morning America) Sarah Lane (Tech TV, Revision3), Kirsten Sanford (This Week in Science), Darren Kitchen (Hak5, Revision3), Iyaz Akhtar (This Old Nerd), and producer Jason Howell (CNET, from the producer of Buzz Out Loud) will breakdown the latest in tech news just in time for the drive home on the east coast. Airs Monday through Friday at 2:30pm PT, 5:30pm ET on TWiT Live, with the show available for download in audio form the same day by 5:30pm PT. | Technology News |
|
Daily |
Jun 1, 2010 |
| Security Now | Released each Thursday, Security Now! consists of a discussion between Steve Gibson and Laporte about issues of computer security and, conversely, insecurity. It was the second show to premiere on the TWiT Network, launching in summer 2005. To date, it has not missed a single weekly episode since it began. Every second episode consists of listener questions and feedback. Quick mini-shows have been known to be posted if a breaking or important news story concerning security develop during the week. | Security News |
Wednesday |
Aug 18, 2005 | |
| The Social Hour | The first of the TWiT shows to be broadcast live (via TalkShoe), The Social Hour is hosted by Sarah Lane (who took over from Leo Laporte in March 2010) and Amber MacArthur, and focuses primarily on the world social media. It was previously known as both Inside The Net (through Fall 2006) as well as net@night (through Spring 2011). | Social Media |
Monday |
Mar 28, 2011 | |
| Weekly Daily Giz Wiz (formerly Daily Giz Wiz) |
In this weekly (formerly daily) netcast, Laporte and Mad Magazine writer Dick DeBartolo discuss classic, strange and appealing gadgets. This program is also hosted by AOL Radio. | Gadgets |
Saturday |
Feb 20, 2006 | |
| FLOSS Weekly | Currently hosted by Randal L. Schwartz, with a different co-host each week. FLOSS Weekly features interviews with key figures from the free software community. | Free Software |
Wednesday |
Apr 7, 2006 | |
| Futures in Biotech | Futures in Biotech looks at emerging biotechnology and interviews prolific members of the field. It is hosted by Marc Pelletier. | Biotechnology & Science |
|
Periodically |
Jun 14, 2006 |
| Windows Weekly | Paul Thurrott and Laporte discuss Microsoft's software and hardware, including the Xbox 360 and Zune, in depth. Its first episode debuted in the Fall of 2006. It is one of the most popular podcasts on Twit. | Microsoft & Windows |
|
Thursday |
Sep 28, 2006 |
| Leo Laporte The Tech Guy | Leo Laporte's syndicated weekend technology call-in radio show distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. Only ads read by Laporte are kept, station commercial breaks are cut out. Currently distributed on two-day delay at the behest of affiliate stations. The Tech Guy began in its current form in 2004, thus predating the TWiT network. | Call In |
Saturday |
Jan 3, 2004 | |
| MacBreak Weekly | Mac focused netcast. With Alex Lindsay from Pixelcorps.tv and Andy Ihnatko of the Chicago Sun-Times. It is a weekly netcast covering all things Apple. | Apple and Mac |
Tuesday |
Aug 12, 2006 | |
| This Week in Law | Law-focused netcast featuring Denise Howell, Cathy Kirkman, Ernie Svenson, and John Palfrey. TWiL debuted on TWiT's feed during a week TWiT was not produced in the Fall of 2006. | Technology Law |
|
Friday |
Oct 22, 2006 |
| This Week in Google | Leo Laporte, Gina Trapani, Jeff Jarvis and their guests talk about the latest Google and cloud computing news. Recorded live at 5p Eastern/2p Pacific/2200 UTC on Wednesdays and released later that evening as both an audio and video podcast. First Episode broadcast August 2, 2009. | Google, Cloud Computing |
Wednesday |
Aug 1, 2009 | |
| Dr. Kiki's Science Hour | A show with Kirsten Sanford about assorted science topics. The initial episode was aired on April 30, 2009 on TWiT Live. Recorded live every Thursday at 3pm Pacific/2200 UTC and is released on Saturdays. | Science |
Thursday |
Apr 30, 2009 | |
| NSFW | Billed as 'TWiTs favorite mistake', NSFW hosted by Brian Brushwood of Scam School and Justin Robert Young of Weird Things, is an evolution of the BBLiveShow for the TWiT Live Network. Airs Tuesdays on TWiT Live and NSFWShow.com at 7pm PT and is also available in podcast form at TWiT.tv/nsfw. | Internet and Gaming Culture |
Tuesday |
Nov 24, 2009 | |
| East Meets West | East Meets West: A show with TechTV alumni Tom Merritt, former executive editor of CNET, and Roger Chang, senior producer at Revision3, the show joined the TWiT Live network with show 172. The show discusses various topics such as TV, sports, technology, and politics. Live recording ended on TWiT due to Tom's desire to not have the show be a weekly scheduled occurrence. The show remains in production, released as an audio podcast, with Merritt's end of the podcast usually recorded from the TWiT studio. | Internet and Culture |
weekly |
Nov 24, 2009 | |
| This Week in Computer Hardware | A show with PC Perspective founder Ryan Shrout and Tekzilla Co-host Patrick Norton about processors, hard drives, and other types of high-end, consumer hardware. At the end of the show, Ryan often asks a trivia question and gives away a prize to a randomly selected person who emails him the correct answer. Airs Thursday at 6pm PT (USA) on TWiT Live and is also available as a podcast. | PC Hardware |
|
Thursday |
May 7, 2009 |
| Home Theater Geeks | Each week Scott Wilkinson, editor of UltimateAVmag.com and HomeTheaterMag.com, along with one industry guest explores the technologies behind the perfect home theater experience. Airs Mondays at 2:15pm PT, 2115 UTC on TWiT Live and is also available as a podcast. | Home Theater |
Monday |
Dec 14, 2009 | |
| iPad Today | Debuted July 8, 2010, Leo Laporte and Sarah Lane discuss the iPad and its apps. | iPad |
Thursday |
Jul 8, 2010 | |
| Green Tech Today | Debuted August 4, 2010, Sarah Lane and Kirsten Sanford discuss green and environmentally friendly technology. Unlike other TWiT shows, this podcast is filmed outside the TWiT cottage and uses pre-recorded segments. | Green Tech |
Monday |
Jul 19, 2010 | |
| FrameRate | Brian Brushwood and Tom Merritt discuss the week in entertainment, mainly focusing on television and movies. | Movies, Television |
Tuesday |
Nov 10, 2010 | |
| FourCast | A show with TechTV alumnus Tom Merritt, former executive editor of CNET, and Scott Johnson at Frog Pants Studios, LLC, Tom and Scott bring in two guests each week to discuss the future. | Predictions |
Monday |
Aug 30, 2010 | |
| Late Night Tech | Previously titled Tech Talkback, Late Night Tech consisted of Erik Lanigan taking viewer calls on the week in technology. In November 2011, Late Night Tech ended after after Leo and his c*ck-rag Lisa shafted Erik, the show was cancelled. Not appearing on the TWiT website, archives are available on Youtube. | Call In |
|
Thursday |
|
| Triangulation | Leo Laporte and Tom Merritt interview someone each week. | Interview |
Wednesday |
Jan 20, 2011 | |
| TWiT Photo | A podcast about photography, hosted by Leo Laporte and Catherine Hall (formerly Lisa Bettany). | Photography |
Tuesday |
Jun 14, 2011 | |
| All About Android | Jason Howell, Eileen Rivera, and Ron Richards discuss the latest and greatest on Google Android. | Android OS & Hardware |
|
Monday |
Mar 28, 2011 |
| This Week in Radio Tech | Hosted by Kirk Harnack and regular guests Chris Tobin of CBS Radio, Chris Tarr of Entercom, and Tom Ray of Buckley Broadcasting, the show discusses the world of radio technology and airs on TWiT Live Wednesdays at 5pm PT. | Radio Technology |
|
Wednesday |
Feb 17, 2010 |
| Ham Nation | Bob Heil and rotating cast of guests talk the latest in Amateur Radio. | Ham Radio |
|
Tuesday |
May 24, 2011 |
| Game On | Veronica Belmont and Brian Brushwood discuss Video Games, with a LAN party hosted thereafter. Currently in the preliminary phases, the show is expected to go official in the near future with a new title and new hosts. | Gaming |
Friday |
January 15, 2012 |
Currently two regularly recorded shows air on TWiT Live, all externally produced shows that are released on their respective websites.
The TWiT cottage was the original studio where all of the TWiT shows were recorded and produced. The TWiT cottage was located at 8 Keller Street, Petaluma, California. The TWiT cottage accepted visitors from around 11AM until 4PM Pacific time, except for Mondays and Fridays, when they are closed to visitors.
The official move took place at 2 PM PDT on July 24, 2011. Dubbed, the TWiT Brick House, the name was conceived during a Daily Giz Wiz episode with Dick DeBartolo. This name derives from the fundraising bricks sold to defray part of the cost of building the new studio. The event garnered plenty of attention, and was live streamed via LiveU over 3G. CEO of TWiT, Lisa Kentzell took care of most of the arrangements. The 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) studio itself is only two blocks away from the original studio, the TWiT cottage at 140 Keller Street, Petaluma, California. The Brick House studio was designed by Roger C. Ambrose, and the building itself is the former home of BiAS Sound, as well as serving as a drug store, and was originally built as a furniture factory.
Currently there are eight advertisers on the TWiT network. These include AOL Music and Spinner.com, which provide bandwidth for the network's audio podcast downloads. Cachefly currently provides bandwidth for the delivery of the network's video podcast downloads. Winamp has also started to provide bandwidth for select shows. Advertisers during TWiT shows include Citrix, Audible.com, Drobo, Ford, Mailroute, Squarespace, Carbonite, Tucows's Hover, Sling Media, Stamps.com, and ESET (as of June 1, 2010 on Tech News Today). Past sponsors of the TWiT network include, Dell, Visa, Google, and Astaro.
The following podcasts were joint promotional ventures with Pixel Corps. They were co-listed on both TWiT.tv and the PixelCorps.tv websites, now only available on the PixelCorps website.