Re: CNET Radio RIP

[Aaron Read <aread@speakeasy.net>]

At 09:49 PM 1/19/2003 -0500, Mark Laurence wrote:
>On Sunday, January 19, 2003, at 11:45  AM, Hakim Madjid wrote:
>
>>CNet radio's problem, is of course, the severe economic depression in the
>>computer industry. That's pretty much why the format failed.
>
>I think the problem was content.  It was like listening to a tech-support 
>guy 24 hours a day.  I like computer news, I used to love the old CNet TV 
>show that started the whole operation.  But CNet Radio seemed completely 
>absorbed in geek talk and separated from the world around it.  I listened 
>for a week or two.  There was no news or content that had to do with 
>anything but computers.  It made me feel disconnected from reality and 
>sometimes bored.
>
>Mark

Speaking as a former dot-commer (and psychology major) myself, I can attest 
that many of us preferred to be disconnected from reality.  A lot of 
computer geeks revel in the fact that nobody else understands what they 
do.  Sometimes it's even so bad as to be a manifestation of a person's 
inability to find any value in their lives to the point where they have to 
feel superior somehow, so they feel that way by being uber-geek.  I knew 
SEVERAL folks who fell into that category (myself included!)    In that 
way, getting laid off was one of the better things that's happened in my life.

Anyways, CNet could get away catering exclusively to the geek crowd during 
the dot-com boom when it was trendy to be a geek, but now that we're in the 
bust...the money isn't there so it's a lot harder to justify being a 
"technology prima donna" (read "The Joy of Work" by Dilbert creator Scott 
Adams if you don't get that one...it's a funny book anyways) to the rest of 
the world - they know they don't have to put up with that kind of crap 
anymore.  :-)    So a lot of "TPD's" had to become more normal, and 
suddenly stuff like CNet radio wasn't as entertaining anymore.

Plus CNet was, as previously mentioned, heavily dependant on the dot-com 
sector for ad money and that's completely dried up.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaron "Bishop" Read             aread@speakeasy.net
FriedBagels Consulting          AOL-IM: readaaron
http://www.friedbagels.com      Boston, MA