The grueling reality of producing a weekly show wears down *casting pioneers

Absolute turmoil, if that is the correct word, erupted earlier this week when an extremely popular netcast (or podcast) failed to go live. This Week in Tech or TWiT as it's called by show host Leo Laporte is a weekly *cast about juicy tech news. What sets TWiT apart from the masses is that it also features several guests usually widely known tech commentators on every show. The problem is that coordinating the guests can be a bit difficult, but until now that had not been a problem.

However according to Laporte's official TWiT blog last week's episode wasn't recorded for this very reason. In a spur of the moment reaction he made the now infamous post that caused TWiT fans, otherwise known as the TWiT Army, to launch into a frenzy. Leo later posted reassurance that TWiT would continue though probably not as a weekly show.

Like a lot of stories in the blogosphere this one ignited quickly only to burn out nearly as fast. Still it was wake up call to all of us that both enjoy *casts and have created them ourselves. I'll admit that my foray into podcasting nearly two years ago was short lived, but I learned a few things in the process. First it takes a great deal of time to properly prepare for any sort of production like this. In the traditional world of broadcast you'd have a staff of folks compiling information, refining image and producing the content. But when you are a *caster you don't have that luxury and trying to cope with the demands of producing a top quality show can quickly wear you down.

I don't fault many of the top *casters for closing up shop, in fact I admire the ones that manage to stick around after the initial buzz dies down. As much as I appreciate having hot news nugget delivered to my speakers every week, I can't say that it's something that I couldn't live without. Nor am I ready to pay for it, which is probably the wrong thing to tell anyone who's trying to make a living producing this sort of content.

That being said I think shows like TWiT are paving the way for the next round of tech programming. At this point it's merely conjecture but I whole heartily believe that if shows like TWiT can round up enough listeners and the right metrics, the show could be pitched as a downloadable video cast. I have no idea what the viewership is for programs like DLTV, but I have a feeling that techheads are hungry for original content and will go through the hoops to get it. Programs could further broaden their reach by teaming up with sites like YouTube for easier distribution, which would make it easier for less savvy viewers.

What is key to this entire endeavor is the monetization of *casting in general. Though I believe there is value to the "long tail" theory, I do think that there is a minimum threshold that one must exceed in order to make the niche audience a profitable one. If content creators can partner with smart distribution services and technologies I believe they could potentially reach enough viewers and at such a cost that breaking even would be possible. It is that and a continued growth in rich content, which I hope for. You may not get rich, but you may be able to make a living doing what you love.