After 15 years of providing second-rate, and at often times, laughable coverage of the tech sector, it looks like TWiT is finally finished.
From one time boasting about having 14 million in annual sales, and owning 25% of all podcast revenue, Leo Laporte recently acknowledged that TWiT is screwed because sponsors now want proof that there are actual listeners, i.e. analytics that can’t be faked.
Here at TotalDrama we’ve been reporting on TWiT’s decline for years. From the elimination of certified on-air talent to the recruitment of questionable talent, Leo Laporte has continued to choose lavish vacations over investing money back into the business.
As previously covered, sponsorship continued to decline in 2019 and now in 2020, Leo Laporte admitted on March 3rd that first and second quarter sales have plummeted, blaming this on the coronavirus. However, it is obvious to anyone who runs an agency these sponsorships would have been sold and finalized in late-2019, so you can’t blame this one on the “invisible enemy”.
However, the current pandemic has undoubtedly made things worse, and while Lisa Laporte has shamelessly been spouting “coronavirus discounts”, sponsors do not seem to be interested:
<~Leo> Lisa and her team have pursued more than 700 companies in the past few weeks, with one sale. <~Leo> Listeners dropped off at first, but it's come back. <~Leo> I'm not too worried about the audience, but advertisers are dropping like flies.
We will continue to watch this with pitying interest but firmly believe Leo Laporte will retire because it is the easiest thing for him to do.
<Sawgrass> @Leo - another $480B just passed for small business <~Leo> well that's good Sawgrass <~Leo> I'm sure we'll need still more <~Leo> we haven't had to hit our line of credit yet <~Leo> but things aren't looking good <~Leo> we're starting to see slow pay and no pay for advertisers, numerous others have cancelled <Sawgrass> @Leo - still should get in line for $help <~Leo> I really don't want to take any loans <~Leo> I'd prefer to shut down than owe a bunch of money <Sawgrass> @Leo - keep you staff and it becomes grant? <~Leo> no it only becomes a grant if you don't make any money <~Leo> and the owners can't get paid <~Leo> I love my staff but I'm not working for free so that they can get paid <LonnDawg> Leo, you could apply for the business loans, Trump just said that people who abused the first allocation of money, are now by his own personal words are going to pay it back, however they manipulated the system... They been caught, so the next round of funding is in play and should be available in the next few days, don't fire anybody and you can keep the money ... I know you know all this stuff <~Leo> we'd have to repay the loan if we made a profit or if Lisa or I took a draw <~Leo> I love you guys but I'm not working for free for a year <Sawgrass> @Leo - time to retire like many of us :) <~Leo> we'll just ride it down - we're working very hard to get new advertisers who are still solvent <~Leo> but even solvent companies aren't doing much advertising, especially on podcasts <~Leo> as always, we'll do what we can afford to do <LonnDawg> Leo... I don't particularly like this particular individual because he's kind of testy... In his speech, but the information he hands out has been accurate, maybe Lisa or whoever does the accounting could review some of this guy's past updates, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgEFrvjnQJw to me, I think there's a misunderstanding, a business owner can take a portion of the money <~Leo> No we consulted with our CPA and it's clear that the terms were not suitable for us LonnDawg <~Leo> We got expert advice, I promise. <LonnDawg> ok... <~Leo> One of the principals I've always stuck to is living within our means. We only borrowed once and that was to build the brick house and we paid it back in six months. <~Leo> I'm not a high flyer. I'm not speculating on the future. <~Leo> We do what we can afford. <LonnDawg> Leo... A electrical company I used to work for had the same principle, he pretty much paid for everything and had very little loans on the business, mostly because construction is an unpredictable ride in the economy... <~Leo> That's why we don't carry a bunch of shows that don't pay for themselves. <~Leo> I'm not trying to build CNN. <~Leo> I'm not that ambitious. <~Leo> Lisa might be, but I hold her back. <~Leo> From day one there's always been two risks: loss of audience and loss of advertisers <~Leo> we wouldn't survive either - and I wouldn't want to <LonnDawg> Leo... that's interesting... Because Lisa is part salesman.... And I can see... Sometimes, they have to be held back for their own sake. :-)... Not all problems in the world can be mastered with salesmanship <~Leo> She's much more than a sales person, she's an entrepreneur. <~Leo> I'm just trying to do my shows in peace. <~Leo> It's a lucky thing she came along. <LonnDawg> yep...I know that Leo... It's not easy to put my thoughts in one sentence, she is a fantastic person with a lot of talent... <~Leo> The day I hired her I asked her to tell me why we should do anything but the five most profitable shows. <~Leo> she convinced me <~Leo> but I might win in the long run - we've had a great ride. I'm very content.
Thanks go out to Jimmy Schumacher who continues to provide the majority of story leads for this website. If you see anything newsworthy please (1) visit our chat room, or (2) leave an anonymous comment below, or (3) submit a tip by clicking on “Feedback & Tips” to the right. Thanks for sticking with us through these difficult times. Stay safe trolls!
You have to wonder how much butt wipe Leo is secretly hording?
Isn’t leo a bitcoin billionaire yet anyway. His shit nerd vlog podcast went down the crapper a long time ago.
“twit4.0 a show for grannies, truck drivers and shut-ins. We shun the tech journalism and talk social distancing. Hot tips from shut-ins on how to stay at home.” –twit
Walmart shopper» Quote comment
Yeah… time to bail. This is disturbing. Leo not worried about the audience, there is NO audience.
LastPass» Quote comment
Lol, Mary Jo cackling only half paying attention.
LastPass» Quote comment
She’s drunk.
Ken Sintek» Quote comment
Leo Laporte touched me without consent back in 2011. I’ve been too afraid to say anything but I can’t hold this in anymore.
Brian Brushwood» Quote comment
Once the fat Padre left, it was all downhill.
No, wait, once the fat Padre came on board with his fake smile it was all downhill. Then Oh Doctah and other tech experts kept things happening along with various fruits who came and went and came again.
Let’s face it, once Leo left his wife and married the small town bookkeeper, this story wrote itself. The sex chair and dick pics said it all. Vacations with “the boy” all over the world, the $2000 Leica lens for a guy who can’t frame a photo. It’s all excess and no common sense. The end result? Patreon? But hey, they got to see Italy and East Bumfuck, North Africa..
It was a nice try, but since it was all really TechTV II, it was bound to end up the same way.
It’s a miracle he wasn’t arrested for sexual misconduct and for groping every female he ran across except for the lesbians.
The Insider known as “Debbie”» Quote comment
$2000 isn’t unreasonable for a good lens. I think it was $20k or something.
Jimmy Jam» Quote comment
Remember when Leo had a PayPal “tip jar”, but at the same time was also bragging about his new (red) Mustang and hot tub and all the other expensive goodies he was buying with his ad money? And yet he kept pushing the tip jar? Was all that a subconscious “Fuck You” to the listeners dumb enough to donate?
This was back during the cottage days, when he still had a good reputation and lots of goodwill to capitalize on. How much would a Patreon generate for him today? Maybe enough to buy a cruise each year and hopefully keep Lisa happy? I hear those are pretty cheap nowadays.
Let this be a lesson kids. Manage your finances responsibly and stay out of the fast lane.
OK Boomer» Quote comment
Leo Bear, I’m not so sure we can continue.
Krystal 💗 Orchid» Quote comment
The death of TWIT can be traced all the way back to 2 main events.
1. Lisa taking control of Twit
2. Leo Canning Erik
If they would have kept younger talent in it would have made it more relatable to a younger generation. But thus you cant have a vampire at the top of the company.
Fake Alex Lindsay» Quote comment
I think there should be one more added.
3. Tom and gang leaving.
To me that was when things started to go downhill.
Esch» Quote comment
This is it.
RIP TWIT» Quote comment
Erik was just the Canary in the coal mine.
David» Quote comment
Erik was great, still tragic he committed suicide
Jude» Quote comment
You forgot building that godawful monstrosity of a studio.
Abby Laporte» Quote comment
I’ve been saying for years that TWiT’s future is Leo hosting the core shows out of a home office via Skype.
You could write a book about the downfall of TWiT, or make a really good 60-90 minute YouTube video. From the heydays of the cottage, to the victory lap at the Brick House, to the cheating scandal, Lisa pushing out the next wave of talent (Tom, Sarah, Iyaz), the dick picks, the falling out with Dvorak. This list is endless.
It’s a shame to see what happened to Leo. He was an OG that should be revered in the tech community. Instead he’s a laughing stock, a footnote.
Thurrott Legend» Quote comment
Not even sure if he can have a redemption at this point. He has burnt too many bridges
RIP TWIT» Quote comment
Sarah Lane being the next wave of talent, LOL. She was already riding her fame from TechTV days when working at TWaT.
Jimmy Jam» Quote comment
The only show that I was listening to a few years ago was Windows Weekly but between smartass Leo & smartass Paul, I couldn’t stomach it. Best part of the show was MJ’s cat hopping up on the desk. Everyone is supposed to be impressed because the VP of whatever at Microsoft walked by & knew who Paul was & then Paul creamed his pants.
Too many decent podcasts out there to waste time with TWIT.
jhh» Quote comment
Leo Laporte: Expect a cease and desist letter within the next seven days.
Pornhub Legal Dept.» Quote comment
Why would take those very pricey cruises? Did he not see this, if not a certainty, at least a possibility?
Charles Chadwick» Quote comment
Didn’t matter at the time he had to keep Lisa primed and Happy. That costs money. She didn’t marry him for his looks.
Fake Alex Lindsay» Quote comment
But she doesn’t have looks either. She legit looks like shit. She has this manly scowl that’s ever-present and not nice to look at. I can’t think anyone would honestly find her attractive..
If it’s sex he was after I’m sure hiring an escort once a week would have been far cheaper in the long run than throwing away his marriage and shacking up with a butch dyke. It’s insane what men do when they hit that midlife crisis phase, I hope there’s a cure by the time I’m that old.
Jimmy Jam» Quote comment
Something about her is very masculine. Hard to believe someone would wreck their life for that.
jbh» Quote comment
This is a surprisingly solid point for this site! Dont worry though… going down this pathetic road isn’t a foregone conclusion. Many of us older guy do manage to dodge this.
anon» Quote comment
I’m surprised you didn’t include the part where Lisa admits to fucking up their taxes, so they had to pay a big chunk out of pocket. Discussion starts around 1:20: https://youtu.be/5l_u8kvwC94?t=4850
But don’t worry — the business owners are the martyrs because when times get tough, they don’t get paid as much. Which is kind of the point. You want praise for taking the risk of starting a business, but then you want sympathy and bailouts when things don’t work out.
Eat the rich.
JAS» Quote comment
He wants to quit, he gave up giving a shit 10 years ago. Now he can say”welp, the Coronavirus did us in” instead of admitting his shows have been utter dogshit since forever and nobody cares.
PS Leo the reason you don’t get invited to Apple events is because you are utterly and completely inconsequential
Abby Laporte» Quote comment
Things have improved without Mike Elgan. That is when i stopped watched TWiT. That guy was so boring to listen to.
Fake LEO» Quote comment
Amazing rise and fall. I remember looking at The Apple podcast most popular list and twit had like half the top twenty.
Gotta be the only podcasts that didn’t increase numbers with the huge growth of podcasting.
Bad decisions. Deteriorating talent. Couldn’t seem to change for the marketplace. Didn’t get on all the platforms early enough.
Jennyzeroo» Quote comment
Also think TWIT (the show) became more political. Politics is fine but that isn’t why you’re listening to a supposed tech podcast.
jbh» Quote comment
He wanted to be the CNN of tech. Maybe with the state of CNN these days we can consider that he succeeded.
Rmartin» Quote comment
Nah, CNN’s been doing pretty well lately. From Mediaite:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mediaite.com/tv/fox-news-draws-biggest-ratings-quarter-ever-cnn-prime-time-sees-massive-surge-in-viewership/amp/
Twit’s viewership is cratering. Only Leo could find a way to shrink a captive audience. Even that dumb new service Quibi had an okayish launch because people are home, bored, and consuming more content than ever because of this pandemic. TWIT seems to be the only media company not seeing huge raises in the ratings.
JAS» Quote comment
Only old conservative a-holes, and young delusional red pill a-holes, watch cable news which is why Fox dominates. Dont confuse what’s going on in the 27% lunatic echo chamber with reality.
That said, Leo should have just allocated a show to “shit week in social issues” and reserve that for raging incessantly at FB and Google and Twitter, covering social impact issues (which really isn’t “just politics” anymore), etc.
This Week in TECH should be about Tech. And the notion that “well that’s what tech IS today!” is just wrong. Every other tech show that’s actually doing well is proof of this. It’s just that Leo, and the people he brings on, ONLY want to talk social commentary, not that actual tech news no longer exists.
anon» Quote comment
lol this all reminds me on those TV shows about sportsmen or whatever who spent their money on stupid sh… not saving or investing at all…. -.-
thedevilisinthedetails» Quote comment
Leo pushing out Tom, Sara, Iyaz, etc was the start of the end.
The new talent was overshadowing Leo, he realized it, they realized it, and as a result he slowly got rid of them.
And once you get rid of the new talent, and don’t do anything else to make the content better, you lose.
Leo couldn’t handle not being the star, and TWiT is dying because it is.
random dude» Quote comment
Bingo
Esch» Quote comment
Lol sure whatever you say there Tom
L. Laporte» Quote comment
I tried to watch this week in google today but I could not. There was no tech talk just a lot of one sided political opinion. I am surprised that any company would advertise on podcast that does not even live up to its name.
Jeb Jarus» Quote comment
Downfall red flags:
1 – Treating Sarah and Megan with never ending 7th grade sex quips. Bad move.
2- Paying for taxidermy of your dead dog. Ozzie’s member goes up and down using a motor and a blue tooth controller. That’s just not funny.
3- Annoying people who make a difference like John Charles Dvorak, Adam Curry, Brian Brushwood, Martin Sargent.
4- Did I mention the endless googie sex comments.
5-Photos of your weiner.
6- Having a guest index Leo’s computer live on air and come across the teen porn links.
7-Being a dick to people who were kind to him. He likes to say he doesn’t need to repay that because he gets bored with people quickly.
8-Pissing off Shannon Morse.
9-Having on Oh Docta as a pundit
10-Making Carstin Bondi wear a bow tie. Be careful it’s really a camera.
11- Hiring Mike Elgin and the This Week in Lady and the Ham Radio men and everyone else who is ancient.
12-Not kissing Jason Calicanis’s rectum as demanded by Jason.
13-Anyone want to add to this list?
Karen from Human Resources» Quote comment
Going after Cali Lewis’s underage sexcapades .
Leo’s Sister» Quote comment
I can tell you, it’s not pleasant.
Taxidermy 🦴 Ozzy» Quote comment
LOLOLOLOLOL
Duke Petaluma (famous hippie surfer)» Quote comment
Windows Weekly. A program dedicated to the incessant micro updates to Windows. Hosted by the most annoying guy ever, Paul Thurott.
Robert» Quote comment
Keeping Andy in-Art-co anywhere near a real business.
Phillip Smith» Quote comment
If Twit goes away, how will we find out Public Intellectual Jeff Jarvis’ Number of the Week on TWIG?
Can it be incorporated in White House Press Briefings?
Or published on the WHO website?
The Smithsonian?
Please tell me someone is taking steps to preserve this valuable resource and contribution.
Jibbering Jeff Jarvis» Quote comment
Marbles in his mouth pontificates for a good 5mins at the start of TWiG.
Joe» Quote comment
Jeff Jarvis.
I’ve come to recently realize that I have despised this guy most of my life. He just never goes away. Always finding some way to bloviate his opinion.
Self righteous, arrogant, pompous windbag.
Horrendous. Just horrendous.
Jennyzeroo» Quote comment
Twit haiku, from Karen in the HR office!
Tech priest went away.
Remote controlled dog Weiner.
Somewhere, Sarah smiles.
Ozzy is stuffed
What ever happened to bricks?
Somewhere Jason smiles
Karen from the HR Office» Quote comment
Where have you been?? Your videos are the only reason I wake up in the morning.
Carl E Marc» Quote comment
Getting rid of everyone was one issue, Erik, Tom to JCD.
The political stuff probably cut his audience by a 1/4th more since they all started that
Jmk» Quote comment
More like 3/4.
Dick DeBartolo» Quote comment
Red pill Cult45 “anti woke” angry young (and old) white male psychopaths, who live in an alternate reality created for them by Q and Sean Hannity where *donald trump* is some kind of superhero, and not a corrupt scumbag at all, are 25% of the country, so that’s 25%. Maybe another 25% from people who “get it” but dont want to constantly beat that drum and want to hear some actual tech news.
anon» Quote comment
Uncle Perv has sycophants? Must be the same folks who ate all those Tide Pods?
Norma» Quote comment
I’ll always wonder what would’ve happened if we’d stayed in the cottage and turned it all into one big set, rented/bought the cinderblock building next door for the editors and off-air staff, and just done something more Dan Patrick-style rather than trying to become the CNN of tech. I’m glad he’s finally over that.
Fred» Quote comment
Leaving the cottage was the start of the downfall. The capital and debt for the Brickhouse caused decision that took away from the atmosphere that attracted true tech fans. Then he turned things over to Lisa…and things went really downhill. Shows lost their “geekiness” in favor of mass appeal and others were filling the void with YouTube and podcast channels on a much lower budget than Leo had – he never evolved and people like Linus Tech Tips, Jupiter Broadcasting and
many others took the audience he had from the Cottage days from their home studios.
He should have stayed at the cottage and worked with hosts to make home studios instead of building the Brickhouse..
egftechman» Quote comment
Well it certainly explains the number of advertisements for TWiT TV I keep seeing.
Won’t stop it circling the drain, well until Leo gets stuck in the drain.
Dougal» Quote comment
This is the greatest site, please never stop. We need more!
Darth Rob» Quote comment
Missing in the explanation were two primary reasons for TWiT’s demise.
TWiT is cheap and lazy.
t takes work to research and present new tech ideas and products. Leo does no show prep and burps up Theee Tech Guy answers garbled out of his fleeting, addled understanding of Windows 98 and XP.
TWiT had several chances to hire or retain vibrant viable journalists only to pass on spending money.
Nothing in Leo’s explanations hits the mark.
MilkArgument» Quote comment
It is difficult to comprehend anyone so feeble minded as to think others might believe this:
From
https://www.artisanalagency.com/contact-us
86% of the TWiT audience made a purchase based on an advertisement they heard on TWiT
78% of TWiT listeners have a graduate or advanced degree
63% of TWiT listeners are involved in their company’s decision making
If these are Artisinal’s assertions, no wonder prospective sponsors want proof.
Exasperated» Quote comment
Mikah smartly tuning out the known quantity => the Leo BS, fat happy Leo
Buddy» Quote comment
Please stop writing in about Mr. Laporte, porn and harrasment… that’s a California problem.
Lori Beetle Eyes Lightfoot» Quote comment
Sounds good Lori.
Sarah Lane» Quote comment
Thing is, the big 2 platforms (YouTube and Twitch) is filled with content like this now from far far better, likeable, and younger people. When TWiT first started, you really didn’t have a go to option – maybe you did on YouTube because Twitch was Justin TV then (it was all just chatting streams). When Justin TVwas bought to Twitch it was just about gaming, then they allowed IRL streaming and podcasts etc.
Fuck you, how do you like that?» Quote comment
I think our audience is dying off, we love our hater trolls though, well Leo does.
Lisa “Spook Show” Laporte» Quote comment
I think most people on here just moved on, or now are laughing at lolcows on the Internet.
I wouldn’t consider Leo a lolcow.
Fuck you, how do you like that?» Quote comment
Decided to dip my toe back into the TWIT pond a month ago. Shocking to see how few views they are generating. The few remaining shows are ponderous and lengthy. Leo was always a prat, but he has driven away all the younger talent. In a way it’s sad, but Leo earned this. How he attracts guests is a mystery.
Michael T Lambert» Quote comment
The downfall started with moving to the brick house. The cottage and “prosumer” equipment worked well, also proved guests and even hosts didn’t have to be on-site to make the shows work. I know he had talked about another cottage style studio on the East coast somewhere – personally, I’m was thinking a UK “cottage” would have been great, they could each produce programming during their daytimes and not really overlap…But for a “new media” pioneer, making the cottage work on a modest budget, he quickly went to the traditional, “big media” model at the brick house and decided to spare no expense……….Then Lisa became CEO……..
Beer» Quote comment
Excellent analysis. And if he had moved to and BOUGHT not leased space in the Brick House, it would have been smarter. I’ve never seen such a pair of dummies Leo and Lisa. The could have had a multi-million dollar empire that could have sold for big money like Gimlet and others. Talk about stupid.
THE Observer» Quote comment