THEY'RE CALLING IT A REBUILD
 
By Mark Neuling
Photojournalist for TechTV
 
 
Early spring in northern California will fool you.  It can masquerade as summer in disguise.  The temperature creeps towards 80 degrees; most of the major rain storms have passed and the air is crisp and clean.  It’s one reason why so many of us love living here.
 
One recent Sunday afternoon, my family and I were invited over to the home of a friend of ours for some barbecued steak and chicken.  As we parked in front of her home I noticed a large hand-written sign, “Demolition Sale” it read.  I poked fun at our friend Laurie.   “Is that for your place?” I asked.  You see her home was built in 1922, and I doubt if it’s had a coat of paint since.   All the same there is a lot of equity in the place.
 
Our friend has two small dogs that my daughter loves to play with.  So before lunch we decided to take the dogs for a walk past the home scheduled for demolition.  Down the block we walked in the shade of oaks and redwoods.  There sat the little forlorn house, fenced off but open to the public.  Sign a waiver and go on in.   Bring your own tools, pay a fee and take home a piece of the old place.   Most of the bathroom fixtures were gone.  Someone the day before had dug up most of the roses.  Surprisingly the kitchen sink was still intact.
 
It was a small single story ranch house.  Most likely built in the late 1940’s or early 50’s.  Two bedrooms, one bath with a tiny in-law unit attached to the garage.  It couldn’t have been more than 1250 square feet.  As we left I asked Laurie what it had sold for.  “A million dollars,” she casually replied.   She should know.  She appraises real estate for a living.  Yes, someone paid a million dollars for the right to demolish a house.  They will spend an equal or greater amount to rebuild on the lot.  Such is real estate in northern California.
 
Later that same week it was announced that TechTV was being sold to Comcast and that we would merge with a network they operate called G4.  They would keep 3 or 4 of our premier shows, the newscast not being on the initial list.  Operations would move to Los Angeles.  The trade journals were calling this a “rebuild.”  The Titanic had hit the iceberg.  We didn’t know how big the hole was or how long we’d stay afloat.  Nor did we know if we’d have a lifeboat waiting.
 
After the announcement curious transformations began to take place.  Beards were trimmed.  Haircuts suddenly became popular among the male employees.  In the news department, secretive calls while out on assignment were placed to agents as reporters sought work.  Producers wanted stand-ups shot for their demo-reels.  The tape library had never gone through so much VHS tape as a cottage industry was launched for the production of resume reels.  And we all worked like there would be no tomorrow.
 
Sadly there was no tomorrow.  The original reports were pretty accurate.   After weeks of declining moral the sale was concluded in mid-May. We were given a 60-day notice.   For nearly all the 280 employees of TechTV the first week of July will bring a different kind of Independence Day.  A few will find jobs with the newly merged network and make the move to Los Angeles.  The news department went black May 21st.   This is the third sale I’ve gone through in my career and the first time I ever been laid off.  As for me, my lifeboat arrived the week before the deal closed.  I’ll be moving to CNBC’s bureau in Palo Alto.  It’s not a staff position, and it’s part-time, but it’s a job.   It’s kind of nice to have reached a stage in your career where employers call you.  Again, it isn’t always what you know, it’s who you know.
 
Never the less this was a great job and a wonderful experience.  There are so many people to thank.  First of all Carolyn Kane, Scott Warren and Dan Brekke, our management team for TechLive.  They hired people who were good at what they did, and then they got out of our way and let us do our jobs.  Most importantly they hired good people.  And Jocelyn McDonnell was mom to us all.
 
I was fortunate to work with some of the best producers, reporters and editors that I have ever encountered in nearly 20 years of doing television. There was wonderful mix of veterans with decades of news experience; to youngsters, who not too many years ago were still in college.  We learned and grew together.  Most importantly we told good stories.
 
And of course there are my friends and colleagues in the photography department.  Dave Koehn (whom I’ve known since 1988), Mark Dougherty (Washington D.C.), Amy Ocheltree, Morgan Schmidt-Feng and Scott Stoneback.  We each had unique styles that blended together in our stories.  I learned, admired, emulated and copied from each of you.  I become a better photographer, and a much better journalist.  We did network caliber stories under local news deadlines. 
 
Thanks to Dirck Halstead of the Digital Journalist for providing this forum.  My friends, digital journalism with its balance of photography, video and writing is the future, and it is here now.  Amy Bowers, thanks for your kind words.  And last but not least a special thanks to Dick Kraus. 
 
TechTV was a unique mix of television, technology, the inter-net and publishing. It could well be the model for future media corporations.   Best wishes and continued success to it and the people who will carry it forward.

Mark Neuling

EOM
 

Here are some snapshots from my days at TechTV.

Amy Ocheltree and Martin Sargent interview a Star Wars character in San Francisco. May 2002. ©Mark Neuling 2004

The author and Becky Worley –reporter. Encino, California. March 2004. ©Mark Neuling 2004

Brett Larson (now of WCBS) is photographed by Scott Stoneback. November 2002. ©Mark Neuling 2004

David Stevenson interviews a farmer. Manteca, California. July 2002. ©Mark Neuling 2004

Morgan Schmidt-Feng sets up a shot. November 2003. ©Mark Neuling 2004

TechTV studios. San Francisco, California. March 2004. ©Mark Neuling

Erica Hill (now of CNN) showing she’s got muscle. San Francisco, California. August 2002. ©Mark Neuling 2004

Brett Larson and Brendan Moran; hurry up and wait. May 2002. ©Mark Neuling 2004

Lindsey Arent, Michaela Pereira (now of KTLA), Barbara Moffatt, Andy Jordan and Scott Stoneback in the TechTV studios. November 2003. ©Mark Neuling 2004

Jim Goldman (now with CNBC), Brendan Moran and Dave Koehn on the set of "Fresh Gear." November 2003. ©Mark Neuling 2004

The floor manager positions a set in the TechTV studios. March 2004. ©Mark Neuling 2004

Andy Jordan – producer. ©Mark Neuling 2004

Jessica Corbin – anchor. ©Mark Neuling 2004

Hahn Choi and Dave Koehn head for the unemployment line. May 2004. ©Mark Neuling 2004

Theresa Keane – satellite coordinator, Lindsey Arent – reporter. May 2004. ©Mark Neuling

John O’Leary – producer, Stephanie Siemiller – hostess. May 2004. ©Mark Neuling 2004

Jay Momet – facilities coordinator with his job-training papers. May 2004. ©Mark Neuling 2004

Lindsey Arent and Chris Leary share a moment prior to taping a show. May 2004. ©Mark Neuling

Marc Levenson – bio-tech reporter and N.Y. Yankees fan. May 2004. ©Mark Neuling

Melanie Kim – reporter. May 2004. ©Mark Neuling 2004

Chris Leary – anchor. May 2004. ©Mark Neuling 2004

Becky Worley with a story on CNN Headline News. March 2004. ©Mark Neuling 2004

The TechTV set with old scripts. ©Mark Neuling 2004

The staff of the TechLive news department. November 2003. ©Mark Neuling 2004

The opinions expressed are still, solely those of the author.
© Mark Neuling 2004
 
Email address is now – theneulings@Juno.com
 
 
TechTV is the world’s leading cable and satellite television channel covering technology news, information, and entertainment from a consumer, industry, and market perspective 24 hours a day.  Available in more than 75 million households across 70 countries, TechTV is also the world’s largest producer and distributor of programming about technology.
Copyright TechTV 2003 TechTV Inc. All rights reserved.