Silicon Spin, part of TechTV since the channel's debut as ZDTV in May
1998, and Audiofile were both given cancellation slips as part of a
network schedule reorganization announced late Thursday.
Considered by some to be the Nightline of its genre, Silicon
Spin covers tech subjects in-depth through background reports and panel
debate moderated by John Dvorak on a daily basis. Its run will close at the end
of March.
Based on recent research, the show was becoming too Silicon Valley-centric
and was not as compelling to the network's general technology viewers, according
to senior vice president of programming Greg Drebin.
'It was a nice, long run. We're proud of the show and what it did. The short
and easy answer for the cancellation is that the definition of technology that
the audience demands from us is broader and more actionable than what the show
is able to achieve,' Drebin said.
For its part, Audiofile will continue through August, airing new
episodes, he added.
In other changes, Tech Live's 9 p.m. newscast will be halved to a
half-hour beginning April 1, while two new half-hour series -- The Tech Of
... , covering what's behind common occurrences from food to football, and
Eye Drops, a computer-animation showcase -- will also start that
week.
