The TWiT Network Takes Off!

Tech broadcaster Tom Merritt joins TWiT - 'Buzz Out Loud' anchor moves to This Week in Tech network; TWiT also names CEO

4/19/2010

Petaluma, CA -- The TWiT netcast network has hired Tom Merritt to bring several news- and geek-oriented shows to the channel. Owned by longtime tech broadcaster, president and Chief TWiT Leo Laporte, the five-year-old company sees Merritt, his experience and following as the next step towards becoming a full-fledged 24-hour technology network.

Merritt leaves a position as co-host/co-creator of the popular daily tech news show "Buzz Out Loud" and the shows "The Real Deal" and "Top 5" on San Francisco-based CNET/CBS Interactive, where he has worked since 2004. He also currently co-hosts several independent geek and culture podcasts, including "FourCast," "Current Geek," "East Meets West" and "The Sword and Laser." Merritt has frequently appeared on TWiT's namesake show, a Sunday tech news roundtable with 175,000 viewers/listeners (as ranked by Podtrac).

"TWiT is a pioneer doing Internet video and audio right. Their live streaming, coverage depth and loyal and intelligent community have always impressed me," Merritt said, "I'm really excited to join Leo and the whole TWiT team."

"I've always seen TWiT as a place where great content creators could come and bring their visions to life," Laporte said. "Tom has my highest respect as a journalist of unquestioned talent and integrity, yet he also brings a broad knowledge of various tech-, science-, and geek-centric topics that are unmatched. We're thrilled to have him join the TWiT family."

TWiT is home to many of the world's most popular shows about technology, including "This Week in Tech" and the most popular shows about Apple, Microsoft, Google, Web 2.0, computer security, and more. The network broadcasts 20 live shows each week on its live-streaming channel http://live.twit.tv, offering most shows for download via iTunes and elsewhere.

Merritt and Laporte previously worked together at the cable network TechTV, where Merritt was executive web producer and morning host of the TechTV Radio morning news and talk show.

"Tom is so much more than a host," Laporte said. "I look to his expertise and experience to enhance TWiT and bring even better content to the network. His insight and talent bring us ever-closer to our goal of being a 24-hour network with incredible shows."

TWiT names CEO

Additionally, Laporte has named Lisa Kentzell as TWiT CEO. A former controller for the quarter-billion dollar real estate developer Basin Street Properties, Kentzell had been serving as vice president of finance for TWiT.

"We initially brought Lisa in as a consultant, and she immediately set about establishing the fiscal rigor that a growing company needs," Laporte said. "She quickly gained my confidence in all areas of our business, absorbing not only the ethos of our network, but visualizing the heights to which we aspire. Just as I see Tom as a partner in TWiT's content, in Lisa I've found the operations partner that will help take TWIT to the next level."

About Leo Laporte and TWiT
Leo Laporte is president and Chief TWiT of the TWiT netcast network and host of "This Week in Tech" (the world’s most popular technology podcast) and the nationally syndicated "Tech Guy" radio show. Laporte is the former host of "Call For Help" and “The Screensavers” on TechTV. He and other hosts currently create more than 40 hours of live technology programming each week, streamed live at http://live.twit.tv.