Podcasting Network to Provide Context & Analysis on Significant Areas of Technology

WebKnowHow
Monday, September 11, 2006; 07:59 AM

Leo Laporte, host and creator of popular podcast this WEEK in TECH (TWiT), announced the TWiT.tv Podcasting Network, becoming the largest independent podcast media company, featuring 10 technology podcasts. Each TWiT.tv podcast provides context and analysis of all the significant areas of technology, from the foremost authorities and personalities in the field. TWiT.tv podcasts include: this WEEK in TECH, this WEEK in MEDIA, Security Now! Inside the Net, FLOSS Weekly, The Daily Giz Wiz, MacBreak, The Tech Guy on KFI, Futures in Biotech and Radio Leo. The first advertisers on the TWiT.tv Podcast Network and the ad campaigns will run for three-months.

"We are judiciously expanding our podcast content to cover each significant area of technology with authoritative information from the foremost experts and beloved personalities that you know and trust," said Leo Laporte creator and host of TWiT.tv Podcast Network.

On many of the TWiT.tv podcasts, Laporte and his hosts recommend products that are the premier brands in technology. "We want to promote products our audience is interested in, from companies that we can endorse with utmost confidence. The unique power of advertising on the TWiT.tv Podcasting Network is that experts provide product recommendations in the podcasts and on the website, and the audience can link directly to advertisers websites to get more information and easily make a purchase," said Laporte.

"The TWiT.tv Podcast Network delivers what our audience is looking for: straightforward analysis by guys with years of experience covering the industry," said John C. Dvorak co-host of this WEEK in TECH Podcast. "TWiT gives tech enthusiasts the information they want in a format that makes the best use of down times such as their daily commute."

"Leo Laporte and all of the TWiT.tv Podcast hosts have developed an incredible rapport with their audiences," said Mark McCrery CEO and Co-Founder of Podtrac. "Now advertisers can leverage this relationship to market their products and services to reach tech savvy consumers, technology business decision makers and key influencers to the fast-growing podcast audience worldwide," said McCrery.

"The TWiT.tv Podcast Network is the new breed of media company amassing a targeted yet significant audience," said Paul Gold Vice President of Market Solutions at Mediamark Research Inc. (MRI). The Podtrac sample of the TWiT.tv audience has high Index values to MRI's Survey of the American Consumer. For example, TWiT has an Index value of 465 for purchasing $800 or more online in the past 12 months."

TWiT.tv Formats

TWiT.tv includes both reporting and interview formats. Most of the podcasts are 30 minute episodes -- just the right length to be listened to on a daily commute. The Daily Giz Wiz is ten minutes long, designed to listen to with a cup a coffee. The network's flagship show, this WEEK in TECH, often runs as long as an hour or more. All the TWiT.tv podcasts have to be short enough to fit on a CD. Many of the audience burn a CD and listen in the car to and from work. From Podtrac's recent survey data of the TWiT audience, 57% listen on an iPod, MP3 or other portable player, 38% listen on a computer and 1% listen on a cell phone.

TWiT.tv Podcast Network Programs and Expert Hosts

Security Now! is hosted by Leo Laporte and Steve Gibson, the best known practical leader in security who covers important issues in personal computer security and makes them understandable. Gibson created the Shields Up Internet Security Detection System and coined the term Spyware. (published Thursdays)

FLOSS Weekly (Free Libre Open Source Software) is hosted by Leo Laporte and Chris DiBona, the open source program manager at Google and long-term open source advocate. FLOSS Weekly uses the Spanish term libre to describe free as liberated, versus free of charge. DiBona is "The Connector" in the Open Source industry and hosts this interview show with thought leaders. (published Fridays)

Inside the Net is hosted by Leo Laporte and Amber MacArthur, a well known expert in Web usability and Web design. Inside the Net is an interview show focusing on Web 2.0 innovators and Internet industry luminaries. (published Tuesdays)

The Daily Giz Wiz is hosted by Leo Laporte and Dick DeBartolo, a long-term Mad Magazine writer who has also reported on gadgets regularly on the ABC Network. DeBartolo is the "Original Gadget Guy" and known as "Mad's Maddest Writer." (published weekday mornings)

MacBreak is hosted by Leo Laporte, Amber MacArthur, Emery Wells and Alex Lindsay and is an interview show with the most interesting people in the Mac universe covering everything Mac, including hardware, software, pro-apps and tips. (published weekly)

Futures in Biotech is hosted by Marc Pelletier, a well known expert and researcher in the Biotech industry. Pelletier interviews biotech thought leaders and experts. (published Wednesdays)

this WEEK in MEDIA is hosted by Alex Lindsay, Emery Wells, Kenji Kato and other media experts who examine key trends in media news. (published Thursdays)

this WEEK in TECH is a tech news roundtable with Leo Laporte, Patrick Norton, Kevin Rose, John D. Dvorak and other tech luminaries. (published Sunday nights)

The Tech Guy on KFI is hosted by Leo Laporte and is based on his radio computer help show that airs first on KFI AM 640 in Los Angeles. (published on Saturday and Sunday)

Radio Leo is a compilation of Leo Laporte's regular segments on KFI, CFRB, KGO, speeches and other audio content. (published periodically)