Judging by the amount of e-mail sent to TV show Digital Duo, its two hosts have a following that could fill the Pasadena Rose Bowl.
Judging by the amount of e-mail sent to TV show Digital Duo, its
two hosts have a following that could fill the Pasadena Rose Bowl.
The reason? Digital Duo, seen on Public Broadcasting Service stations,
helps educate legions of viewers who admit they are tested by technology
and generally lost in cyberspace. Framingham, MA-based ZMedia, which
produces the show, receives 200 e-mails a week from a collection of
viewers whose demographics include both geeks and grandmas.
The program was conceived by ZMedia’s Steve DePaul, who is also a
director on ABC’s NYPD Blue. DePaul got the idea when he sought out
advice on which CD-Rom he should buy for his son. He certainly didn’t
find any on TV. ’We wanted to produce a show where there were no
barriers and no base of knowledge necessary,’ says Digital Duo’s
executive producer Dennis Allen.
The show covers such subjects as how to clean your screen and the best
bags for carrying laptops. A recent installment shined a light on
technical support lines, whose only advice often is, ’Have you tried
rebooting?’ In their reviews, the two hosts, Steve Manes and Susan
Gregory Thomas, give products a ’save’ or ’delete.’
One episode saw the duo comparing the latest VCRs. The two gave an
explanation about how the machines operate, but went on to question
manufacturers’ claims. PR execs were no-doubt cringing to hear such
comments as ’It’s moronic ... And this aspect is a major
irritation.’
In another episode, the duo poured water on and threw a bowling ball at
a laptop to test the maker’s claims about the unit’s ruggedness. The
result? It continued to function with water in the keyboard and a
cracked LCD screen. That’s when PR pros come up trumps.
The viewers, however, love such brutality. ’It’s nice to see a program
that isn’t just a front for pushing a company’s products,’ read one
viewer’s e-mail. Manes, a former New York Times writer who now works for
Forbes and PC World, explains that being tough on some makes the praise
of others more credible. ’We’ll say negative things about XYZ and we’ll
also talk about the good things. It carries weight and people regard it
as objective.’
Manes and his co-host may be giving PR pros serious heartburn, but that
has not dissuaded the likes of industry titans Microsoft and Sony from
sending them material (though Manes says some PR pros have tried to
prevent the team from reviewing their goods).
Manes, who works in Seattle, certainly has the credentials to speak with
authority on the show’s subject. He has covered the computer industry
since 1982 and co-wrote the 1994 book Gates: How Microsoft’s Mogul
Reinvented an Industry - and Made Himself the Richest Man in
America.
Thomas joined the show recently, replacing The Wall Street Journal’s
Walter Mossberg, who has scaled back his duties. Mossberg does remain,
however, an Andy Rooney-esque commentator for the show. With her bubbly
personality, Thomas gives the show a younger feel. ’When Steve asked me
if I wanted to replace Walter Mossberg, I nearly dropped dead,’ she
says.
’Steve and Walter were two idols of mine.’ Thomas is based in New York
and writes about technology for US News & World Report and New
Woman.
A pitch directed to any one of these journalists could earn you either a
rough ride or a favorable comment in any number of media. Manes and
Thomas have virtually full editorial control of the show and converse
regularly on potential subjects. ’We have had a lot of people ask us
about cable modems and DSL,’ says Manes. ’Other people have asked us if
they should build their own computers.’
Executive producer Allen advises that pitches be sent to the reporters
at the magazines they write for. But when dealing with these two
interpreters of the hi-tech world, you’d better not use the fax; they
both prefer e-mail. If you’re sending a huge file, Manes pleads that you
call him first and ask permission. He recalls how one Microsoft PR
executive passed a virus onto his computer.
Thomas reminds PR pros to keep their pitches restricted to consumer
products: ’The show doesn’t cover business-to-business. It’s geared
toward home office and small business.’
Manes says that given its production schedule, the show can’t
accommodate breaking news. The half-hour program is recorded in batches
of four or six in a Boston studio and thus needs PR pros to think about
timeless items.
Manes is eager to get word of new products in advance and will agree to
embargoes to do so. However, because of the consumer-oriented nature of
the series, he doesn’t want material that is light-years away from
hitting the shelves.
Executive producer Allen advises PR pros not to send video, but rather
the products themselves so the show can record its own material. And
there is no point in suggesting guest speakers either; the show is
entirely fronted by the three journalists. But that situation may change
- Manes says the team is considering going on the road, filming from
trade conferences such as Comdex. Digital Duo has just wrapped for the
season, but next year’s production planning will start up again in the
new year.
The show’s web site, which carries video clips of reviews from the show,
is also attracting crowds, recording 30,000 visits a day. Part of the
attraction might be the give-aways courtesy of PR pros across the
country.
The team can’t accept gifts and so decided to give them away - along
with promotional items such as bathroom tissue, mugs and even dog
biscuits - to people who e-mail in.
Allen says when the show was first conceived, he felt public TV was the
only place it could exist. ’We wanted it to be free of industry
influence,’ he explains. However, much of public TV requires some kind
of sponsorship and ZMedia agreed to work with three underwriters:
Alcatel, barnesandnoble.com and E*trade. Part of the agreement is that
Digital Duo will not cover these companies on the program. With these
two, that could be either a blessing or a curse.
CONTACT LIST
Digital Duo ZMedia/Wave
11 California Ave.
Framingham, MA 01701-8869
Tel: (508) 626 9900, x3353
Fax: (508) 620 6275
Web site: www.digitalduo.com
E-mail: digitalduosgt@hotmail.com
Executive producer: Dennis Allen
Co-executive producer: Sherry Laser
Hosts/journalists: Stephen Manes, Susan Gregory Thomas
Contributor: Walter Mossberg.
