Buzz Out Loud Lounge: Death of BOL
Change != Death
by lkcor - 4/21/09 12:06 PM In reply to: Death of BOL by Rob-SedonaIt's unfair to blame Natali. The show is different but there have been lots of changes:
1. Guest hosts
2. Video emphasis
3. Chat room participation
4. NY studio integration
5. Natali in for Molly
All of these components add to the changes, and not all changes are bad. When Veronica left I was certain the show would be much worse, but it wasn't. It was different, but better in some and worse in others.
The changes with Natali (and the others) are no different, part better and part worse.
The main negative change has been the NY studio component. Not being in the same room really makes a difference in the chemistry. You can feel it when Cooley or Molly are remote, too. We can't blame Natali for that, her career is in NY.
change = death...or rebirth?... discuss! ;)
by shmody - 4/21/09 12:21 PM In reply to: Change != Death by lkcorchange = death...or rebirth?... discuss! 
Yeah, this tele-presence stuff doesn't quite do the trick...
More Cooley would be great! Regardless of his position on space
--S
Rebirth! That hope is why we hang around
by mattlp - 4/21/09 1:23 PM In reply to: change = death...or rebirth?... discuss! ;) by shmodyI'm tired that some folks say the "complainers" should shut up or unsubscribe. My wife gets upset when I'm unhappy at a restaurant and don't say anything. She says I should ask for the manager -- only that way can anything be done about it.
I, for one, remember the old BOL and hope a new BOL can be reborn. It hasn't happened yet. That's why I have complained since this last cast change. No, I don't want to unsubscribe. I'm hoping the powers that be realize enough listeners aren't happy and they make more changes. Make a more fun, exciting show than in recent months.
I agree that the show needs more energy. Cooley or Rafe may not always be right, but they have the energy.
Feedback is good, but...
by prostr8 - 4/22/09 6:27 PM In reply to: Rebirth! That hope is why we hang around by mattlpI agree that if you're not happy, you have a right to voice your concerns, but what people have been doing to Natalie goes beyond that to personal attacks. I don't think there's ever a place for that.
Unsubscribe and just stream
by soidl - 4/28/09 11:53 AM In reply to: Rebirth! That hope is why we hang around by mattlpI think that you are right. If you are not satisfied with something, you should speak up so that it can be corrected. I believe that the best way to make your voice heard is by unsubscribing to the RSS. The RSS subscribers are CNET's way of assuring advertisers that their ads are being downloaded. No advertisers = No revenue. If you only download episodes that interest you, then CNET will know that certain days and certain topics were more popular. If you just stream the podcast and stop it at a certain point, then it tells CNET that you are actively tuning out/turning off the podcast. I believe that our most powerful weapon for a rebirth of classic BOL is making the number of terminated streams jump whenever the episodes are truly without chemistry and life.
So Idle
Um?
by PacGamer - 4/21/09 12:38 PM In reply to: Death of BOL by Rob-SedonaI can see where you all are coming from, but um...why are you blaming Natali... She has done nothing except join up the podcast as a favor of Molly leaving. She has been getting bashed over and over and over again since then.
The way I see it now is: If you don't like the show (because of hosts, content, etc.) then unsubscribe. If you want to be supportive "veteran listener", continue to listen. It's okay to express your feelings and concerns, but once it gets to the point that you are actually hurting someone because of it, it needs to stop. This topic has been brought up on the forums many times since Molly announced her drop to 1 day a week.
Blame?
by markx74 - 4/21/09 12:56 PM In reply to: Um? by PacGamerI'm not blaming Natali. I think not being in the same room makes a big difference, and not for the good. I think Natali does fine, but she is still trying to find her place and role. The thing is that right now they need the Raef/Brian types to add energy to the whole thing.
I fear that some people somewhere up in CBS are messing it up though. Just my hunch, suspicion and baseless idea.
Agreed
by arma47 - 4/21/09 1:33 PM In reply to: Blame? by markx74I came here to post a thread about this but I'm happy to see that it has been done for me.
I love BOL, but I guess it is all about Tom, Molly and etc. They have great stories and they are 'leaders'.
I ussually listen to BOL while driving and it keeps me awake. All the NY episodes made me sleepy and tired.
This makes me sad.
Same Here
by szwjunk - 4/21/09 2:02 PM In reply to: Blame? by markx74I, too, got the sense that the New York episodes had a pretty flat feeling to them...
I will probably keep listening (perhaps not so avidly). I truly feel that the problem is having hosts in separate locations. It seems to make it much, much, harder to get the same level of interaction, anticipation, joshing around, and so on when the team is geographically separated. I don't blame anyone for this - I remember feeling that the shows where Molly and/or Tom dialed/Skyped in from home lost something too.
I also agree with the comment above regarding the relative hosts' volume levels. This was especially true of the New York episodes last week - while Jason sounded fine, and Natali could be heard OK (not as loud as Jason), the guest hosts on those shows were practically inaudible, to my ears.
Ah well. With TWiT degenerating into a drunken Twitter-fest this past episode, where else are you gonna go?!!
Tom and Molly have been a team for, literally, years...
by prostr8 - 4/22/09 6:47 PM In reply to: Same Here by szwjunkThey have a synergy developed over time. That can't be easily duplicated. I remember that Veronica didn't participate in the show right away, and when she did, she did so slowly over time (and was rather timid at that). Same with Jason. When he was brought onboard, you never heard from him. He's getting more involved, but still has awkward moments. Point is, both of them were given time to get into a groove. Natalie was brought in as a co-host. She was thrown head first into the fire.
I even recall, when Jason went out on a snowboarding trip, they had someone fill in for him. Some listeners were downright mean to that dude. I'm not surprised we never saw him again. I think some of you just won't accept any change.
Natalie is good. I watch her on Loaded and I have no complaints. She's still figuring out how she fits into this new team. There's nothing wrong with that, but she's not being given much of a chance.
As far as The New York episodes, I think you're all being unfair. Not only has Nat never been asked to be the primary host in the absence of all the other regulars, but she had to deal with technology issues which, apparently, are still plaguing the podcast. Case in point, in one of the episodes, Nat introduced a story and, when she was done, there was silence. Not a word from Jason or the guest host (404 host. can't remember) until Natalie asked them to speak up. That's not her fault. She's making the best of a difficult situation and should be commended for stepping up to the challenge of this new role and being willing to play primary while Tom was in Europe.
She deserves a little slack and a lot of credit. If anything, she's a little gunshy 'cause she's been so thoroughly hammered into the ground lately. It's hard to be yourself and be creative when you're under that kind of pressure.
I'm not unsubscribing. Yes, it's changed over the years, but it's still the best tech podcast I can find. Besides, nothing wrong with change as long as it's done with the listeners in mind.
Is it really that broken?
by JWKING100 - 4/21/09 11:46 PM In reply to: Um? by PacGamerIve been listening for a couple of years now. Comparing the show now to past shows I dont think is really fair. Ive found that the quality of the show can be dictated by the quality of the news. Given the fact that were in a downturn there does seem to be less tech news generally. This has been reflectd on shows such as Twit.
Also I dont think you can trash the NY shows they clearly had technical issues.
I don't think so
by Nicholas Buenk - 4/22/09 9:32 AM In reply to: Is it really that broken? by JWKING100It's not like there us a shortage of activity. Palm pre, windows 7 iPhone 3.0, mergers or companies and products dying from the recession, online movie streaming piracy stories and ISPs trying data caps rather than content throttling...
(NT) Sigh...You can't please everyone.
by kwahhn - 4/21/09 2:02 PM In reply to: Death of BOL by Rob-SedonaDeath of BOL
by wizkids32 - 4/21/09 2:43 PM In reply to: Death of BOL by Rob-SedonaFirst of all this isn't the death of BOL at all. Tom was on Vacation. Yes Natalie is in NYC but that is only reason. Next Jason was in NYC putting a tricaster in the NYC studios so I believe Todays BOL will be good Tom is back and Brian will be on so it will be better so don't give up yet it is still good.
transform th e BOL
by stompbox226 - 4/21/09 10:13 PM In reply to: Death of BOL by Rob-SedonaI read through some of this thread and it seems that we are indeed seeing the death of the old BOL. I have been listening since Veronica was still 'behind the board' and it seems that the quality and more importantly, the relevance of the show is gone.
Its not entirely a Natali thing - she can actually be quite charming and interesting but she is not a discussion leader. Honestly Tom is the best discussion leader, but Molly and even Veronica had some insights either based on experience or industry knowledge which really added to the dynamic and the content of the show. Molly's rants were in character but they articulated a side of the story - usually the side of the affected user.
Natali is a great anchor and spokesperson but her job is to "bring you the story" and she does exactly that. She can't be faulted for doing her job but she can't be expected to carry the show in the same format some listeners prefer. Not as a tech news commentary show. The show is becoming good promo for whatever CBS wants to push, but it no longer has perspective. It is flat - as was painfully exhibited in the last week of shows.
I went back and actively searched the recent podcasts for explanation of the hosting situation (within the podcast) and could find none. This seems to be unprofessional to me and it dissapoints me.
This is what is happening - CBS is trying to turn this into a commeercial for its traditional outlets and that is not a good thing - its actually a proble - as in conflict of interest
finger is hovering over "unsbscribe"
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