Buzz Out Loud Lounge: I'm not feeling Natalie on Buzz out loud.
My $.0199999
by romeyinfc - 2/13/09 12:27 PM In reply to: I'm not feeling Natalie on Buzz out loud. by ludin101I'm sorry, but I'm in agreement that the show isn't what it used to be - and a lot of it comes down to what Natalie's bringing to the show. I've tried to give it a few weeks for the chemistry to work itself in, but after weeks I'm just not feeling it.
A lot has to do with personality and charism, but I think the remote broadcasting must be considered. I think it's been more difficult to establish chemistry when Natalie is doing shows remotely. You get the sense that a lot of queues are missed and ultimately everything is just hampered. Also there it can be interpreted that BOL seems like an afterthought for Natalie, especially when she's doing calls in a taxi.
I'm not trying to be slanderous or allege that the hosts aren't trying hard enough, but simply stating why the show has become a lot less engaging. It's disappointing because I used to listen to BOL the second it came out, and now I find itself going almost a week without listening, choosing other podcasts instead. I've come to the point of just deleting multiple episodes without even listening, something I would never have dreamed of a few months ago.
I know people are trying hard, but it's just not working. I would love for the show to even go to a 2 + Guest host format, with Natlie coming on once a week for those who really like her.
-Just my nearly $.02
The chemistry is just not there anymore
by minimalist - 2/13/09 1:43 PM In reply to: My $.0199999 by romeyinfcI too have started letting BOL’s pile up and often deleting them because it’s no longer a must-listen podcast.
The chemistry is just is not there anymore. Molly was the Alpha around which the whole show revolved. When she was gone for maternity there was a lot of dead air and awkward pauses (thankfully Veronica helped fill in the gaps).
Molly’s role is not an easy role to fill. Brian Tong is about as close as anybody has come to playing it well. Natali, as talented and she is, just isn’t the right fit for the spot she’s being asked to fill. Loaded is good but it is a very different kind of show. A multi-host show is a totally different beast than a solo show. It’s all about the interaction between the hosts. Chemistry can’t be faked. Its either there or it isn’t.
It could be just me
by kalel33 - 2/13/09 5:08 PM In reply to: The chemistry is just not there anymore by minimalistbut, I'm throwing out the conspiracy theory. Some of the geeky/cool things that Natali has said recently sound like she had it front of her before the show to bring up to get people the our type of audience to like her better.
I heard a few things, but the one about Anthrax on Married With Children sounded set up. Even the other guys seem to be acting during that time. Almost any girl who is her age didn't watch Married With Children and definitely didn't know who Anthrax was. She seems like the type who was a boy band fan, and not an '80s hair band.
Count me in...
by Berke.h - 2/19/09 5:12 PM In reply to: The chemistry is just not there anymore by minimalistWell, I've been holding it in but can't anymore.
I'm very sad to say that I don't get the same rush with the new setup. I like Natali, but I guess she's more suited to the visual data delivery system. That is she's great on Loaded. But on BOL, where are my giggles? Where are the chuckles that I used to involuntarily display during my commute then feel the gazes of other commuters? It has now become almost like any other listening done to kill idle time. I'm sorry but it's not just Molly leaving, It felt on occasion like Natali interrupting some witty conversation Tom and Jason was having just to add her thoughts. She's one of the hosts, of course she's entitled to do that, but it felt to me in instances that the inclusion killed the integrity of the topic.
I'm willing to stay on the podcast, but if nothing changes, it won't be too long before I unsubscribe too. Although it's not tech related, I've found myself to turn to NPR's wait wait podcast for the giggles, and that one is weekly, so in between every podcast, BOL feels like a filler now.
Tom is great, so is Jason. And Natali definitely isn't bad, but BOL needs some goofiness and upbeatness. Natali is very true and good, but in a serious fashion.
On the other hand, bring Brian Cooley! I like him and his personality muchly. (not necessarily to say he's better than N. but rather for personal reasons. He reminds me of my bassoon teacher in England, and that provides me the jolt to enjoy the podcast more)
It's not Natalie, it's Molly.
by JBuzzer - 2/13/09 5:26 PM In reply to: I'm not feeling Natalie on Buzz out loud. by ludin101I've been a long time listener of BOL. Molly and Tom have a chemistry that makes even the dullest story interesting. Natalie is a good host and I still enjoy the show, but it would be difficult for anyone to fill Molly's shoes. Many of the comments reflect our wishes to bring her back. Since she won't be back, we should give Natalie a fair shot and recognize there can only be one Molly Wood.
It's neither Natali nor Molly...
by apaulio - 2/19/09 1:50 PM In reply to: It's not Natalie, it's Molly. by JBuzzerCan't remember what pointed me to the thread but it's been an interesting read.
For the most part the criticisms levelled at Natali are unfair: she's obviously knowledgable, in some parts of her field anyhow and no-one on the desk is super swatted up on everything so hey, that's not a problem to me.
She's also not a Molly replacement, because Molly's one of a kind and them's hard jewels to mine. So we can't blame her for not being something we miss, because hey, these things change. You might as well blame Tom for not being like Molly too...
She's also not going to have the same sort of chemistry that Molly and Tom had because she's off site! You can't have a snappy repartee if there's a million miles of cold hard numbers bouncing off satellites in between every sentence he says/she says. So that's an unfair crit too.
My problems, and the reasons I unsubscribed, are partially personal, partially critical and tbh not gargantuanly edifying to add here. I do think that Buzz, which for so long has excelled in snappy repartee, is the wrong show for her because she's a little more considered during a sentence and that drags the pace to a level which is distinctly un buzz length. I do think Natali should find a new show opener that said, as podcast of indeterminate length will always remind people of who's left the room. If I could make one other suggestion I'd probably suggest we go for a drinking game every time Natali says 'I can' or 'I did'. It'd be a killer.
So, yeah, after long listening I did pull the plug, and I do miss the show. T, B, J, BC and others all hit the highs of podcast interaction for me, Tom especially with the pun-ishing transitions 
but Natali is so detached from the show that it makes it disjointed in a way that I'm not feeling... Sorry, love the show, but I'm off for a break hoping that in three months the magic'll be back.
it's Molly, and Natali is fine
by alokpath - 2/23/09 5:48 PM In reply to: It's not Natalie, it's Molly. by JBuzzerMolly would be a tough act for anyone to follow.
I wasn't enjoying Natali at first either but she's growing on me. Those out-of-the-blue comments like the Runaway Bride make me laugh, and the Verizon rant made me guffaw in an elevator full of people. If she can keep those happening, then she's got my vote.
Self deprecatingly egocentric at best.
by apaulio - 2/24/09 12:40 AM In reply to: it's Molly, and Natali is fine by alokpath...don't know if it constitutes an improvement but Nat did make me laugh when she told Brian (I think) off for all of his comments being all about him, which I hope was her realising that, up to now, she's been mildly egocentric (to say the least) and bookending it... We'll see. Anyhow I know I said I was out but I missed Tommy M too much. I did only listen once though and that didn't bring me back.
Personally I think Natali will be better in three months, so that's when I've calendared to check it back out on a daily basis. Not overly sure if this constitutes whining or forward planning but hey ho.
Many little things = trouble
by giorgitd - 2/26/09 6:51 PM In reply to: Self deprecatingly egocentric at best. by apaulioI've been listening since 2005 and, rather than point the finger at any one issue, I think my disappointment with the show is really the combination of many things. My biggest objection - the hosts talk over one another frequently - as if getting heard is some sort of competition. Stop. Please.
Maybe this is due to the distance between NY and SF - plus the rotating nature of the SF-based hosts - plus the mix of personalities. I dunno.
But it's not consistently fun to listen to - as it used to be. I'm too busy to wait for the excellent nugget that appears too infrequently (but still does happen).
My only comment about Natali - she's trying hard, that's clear - but she doesn't seem invested in BOL. As if BOL were a stepping stone to endure on the way to something else. BOL as a stepping stone is how things turned out for Veronica, but she was invested and engaged during her time on BOL - as if she never planned to leave - and that made all the difference.
Good leave...
by Matthew Es - 2/23/09 9:50 PM In reply to: I'm not feeling Natalie on Buzz out loud. by ludin101attention *****. What does your post add that all the other anti-natalie threads didnt? Just a bunch of whiners
I <3 Natalie! Just not on BOL...
by davemoyer2005 - 2/24/09 10:57 AM In reply to: I'm not feeling Natalie on Buzz out loud. by ludin101I have to agree with most of the people on this thread. Listened to BOL since 2005, and dealt with the changes since then because the essence of the show remained the same - the unique chemistry between Tom and Molly.
Whether it's anything that was posted here, the fact that she's in New York (I, personally, think that's a big part of it), her different style or her schedule, at this point I just don't feel the fit. While not to this extreme (it's just the analogy that popped into my head), Whoopi Goldberg couldn't host the O'Reilly Factor. It doesn't fit.
Natali is an AWESOME tech journalist, and she does an incredible job with all she does on Loaded and CBS. However, BOL just doesn't work this way for me and evidently a lot of other people, so I, too, have pretty much stopped listening to the show. Still tuning in every so often though! Always waiting for a change for the better!
Bring MOlly Back
by ygaber - 3/4/09 11:50 PM In reply to: I <3 Natalie! Just not on BOL... by davemoyer2005I think the best way is to creat a page to a post and each one of us that wats Molly to come back sign it, then we mail to to Molly, maybe this was she get how much she is needed on the show and how much we want her back.
a few things
by manon74 - 3/5/09 5:49 AM In reply to: I'm not feeling Natalie on Buzz out loud. by ludin101Molly isn't coming back as a full time host. That's the reality. Natali is doing her best with what she has been given. It was a great opportunity for her and she jumped in full force and I think she sounds a lot more comfortable now then at the beginning. There are a few things that just totally annoy me about her and I wanted to just see if anyone else has noticed. Why does she feel she has to make transitions into other stories... that's Tom's deal. Let him have that, he's always had it and I find it so funny when he tries and oops, that didn't sound too good, but so what. Second, and this is something that has naturally progressed now and is WAY better. At first she seemed to think she had to rant like Molly and would almost try to force it, but now when she needs to go off on something she does it, and in her own way.
I think Natali has a strong personality and that is why people seem a bit divided about whether or not to like her. She is the new full time host of BOL. Take it or leave it. I did consider not listening, but I want my tech news and this is the BEST show to listen to, HANDS DOWN!
It bugs me
by d00tch - 3/5/09 11:43 AM In reply to: a few things by manon74to feel this way, but I've definitely given Natali a shot at this. I listen every day, and every day I'm disappointed. BOL was all about Tom and Molly. I don't really understand why Molly's gone...I don't see her in more videos or podcasts than before...and frankly, Molly is THE reason I became interested in cnet. Tom and Jason are great (I like Top 5, Tom), but without Molly, BOL isn't just "not the same." It's not as good.
I love Natali. I thought she was amazingly good on a recent episode of The 404, and I subscribe to Loaded. But it's so painfully obvious that cnet and CBS are doing everything they can to make Natali their public tech face that they've run her ragged. Between Loaded, BOL, her constant TV appearances and whatever else, she seems more like the wannabe celebrity dropped into the middle of BOL than a "host."
When Molly was on, I always felt like I was listening to a friend. A really funny, brilliant, hot-headed friend who met me for my commute every day. Now I feel like we, the listeners, weren't important enough to Molly for her to stick around (she said it was her decision).
Tom makes a good point above about whether any of us liked the other 2/3 of the show. I hope Tom, Jason and Natali don't take anything I've said as a slight at all. I'm a huge Tom and Jason fan. And I'm always disappointed to find MTI on Loaded because, well, I'm a Natali fan too. But I miss Molly. I really want her back. And if there's any way to bring her back to buzztown, please, please, somebody do it.
We're all getting emotional...
by Berke.h - 3/5/09 4:12 PM In reply to: It bugs me by d00tch...because of Molly's leaving. And I think what you're saying is true, but unfortunately truth hurts.
It hurts that Molly won't ever come back. People will wither have to accept it, or listeners will fade out slowly and BOL will eventually become BOM (Buzz Out Monologously).
Former is a better probability than the latter.
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