Happy Birthday TechTV

Although there won't be much of a celebration on-air - I'm on vacation and The Screen Savers are taking a dark day today - Saturday, May 11, is the fourth anniversary of the launch of TechTV (and The Screen Savers and Call for Help). In past years the company has thrown big parties to celebrate, but this year, in the aftermath of two big layoffs, we're not doing much. Only half of the original staff members are still around. Many of the launch shows are gone. We've even lost some key markets in Las Vegas and New Jersey. There are some things to celebrate, though. The total number of subscribers continues to grow. More than 30 million households get TechTV now, which makes us a viable cable network. And we did very well in the April ratings book:

SAN FRANCISCO, May 9, 2002 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- TechTV, the only 24-hour cable television network dedicated to showcasing the impact technology has on our everyday lives and the world at large, delivers cable's highest concentration of Adults 18-49 and Men 25-54. Based on monthly data now available from Nielsen Media Research, TechTV ranked #1 for Men 25-54 and Adults 18-49 in VPVH (Viewer per 1000 Viewing Households) for the month of April. TechTV's VPVH of 870 for Adults 18-49 and of 627 for Men 25-54 ranked it above all other cable networks in April.

It's not the same as being #1 in the ratings, but it should help us win some advertising buys. So happy birthday, TechTV. It's been a long strange trip, with many twists. I feel a lot older than when I started (and I look it, too). But I still believe in our core mission: to empower people through technology. There's a long way to go still on that front, and TechTV continues to lead the way.