If you read the My Favorite Podcasts post that I did back in September of 2009, then you know I love listening to podcasts in the car. And one of my favorite podcasts, up until recently, has always been Buzz Out Loud. I could keep up with the latest tech news, one of my obsessions, with a podcast that was not only relevant but funny. I thought the podcast team of Tom Merritt, Molly Wood and Jason Howell (aka JaMoTo) was just about perfect. I started every weekday listening to the Buzz Out Loud podcast from the previous day.
But change happens and about a year ago Tom Merritt moved from CNET to TWiT. Tom was replaced by Rafe Needleman. Rafe was no Tom but it was still my favorite podcast. Within two or three months of Tom Merritt moving to TWiT, Jason Howell made the same move in order to produce Tech News Today for Tom. I hated to see him make that move because that put an end to the last vestiges of JaMoTo. But even with that change, I still considered Buzz Out Loud my favorite podcast.
And then the change happened that broke Buzz Out Loud, Rafe was replaced by Brian Tong. I'd love to know why that change was made, because it ruined my favorite podcast. I love Molly Wood. Brian Tong, with a host other than Molly, I can handle. But I do not like the combination of Molly and Brian.
Since Molly and Brian became co-hosts, Buzz Out Loud has become some weird combination of the old Gadgettes show and Buzz Out Loud. And it's not that I didn't love Gadgettes. I absolutely hated to see that show come to an end. I loved the silliness of it and how it could be over-the-top. But you know what, Gadgettes was definitely not a family friendly show. That doesn't mean I didn't love the show, but I won't pretend that it was family friendly either. However, Buzz Out Loud was up until recently.
Since Molly and Brian began hosting Buzz Out Loud the show has gone from being humorous to just silly. And Brian brings a level of raunchy to the show that I just do not enjoy. I find myself wishing for the days when either Molly or Brian, preferably Brian, will be away from the show. Cause then I know Buzz Out Loud will be more like the show I used to love. (For instance, I know Brian is on vacation all this week and I cannot wait to listen to today's episode.)
If it wasn't for the fact that I am a fan of Molly Wood, I would have given up on Buzz Out Loud long ago. And if I didn't ride to work with my husband, who prefers Buzz Out Loud, Tech News Today would now be my first podcast of the day. I would only listen to Buzz Out Loud when I had extra time.
I know that Buzz Out Loud is not going to return to being hosted by Tom, Molly and Jason. But if someone at CNET could find a new co-host for Molly I would really appreciate it.
2 comments:
I can't believe that no one's commented on this in five months. You really hit the nail on the head with this posting.
My problems with the show go a bit deeper. Even before Merritt left, I had started avoiding ANY podcast with Tong because these productions seemed to be more like high school skits than professional presentations. Additionally, they eventually ended up being all about Brian.
I was devastated when Needleman was replaced by Tong. If fact, right before he started I tweeted him saying, "Great ... Brian Tong on Buzz Out Loud ... 40 minutes of giggling".
At any rate, I switched to Tech News Today a few days later and haven't been sorry since. I'm happy to have stumbled upon a kindred spirit.
I had to google just to see if I was the only one who felt that Buzz Out Loud's quality was taking a nose dive. Especially since they decided to become a once a week show. From the moment they did, I have become more appreciative and an even larger fan of Tech News Today on twit. Its sad what the execs over at CNET have done to the network. With any luck, Molly Wood comes over to TWIT.
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