Thursday
Mar202008
Ten Years After
Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 7:57AM 
I have a plane ticket to Vancouver for this Monday. I was scheduled to fly there to tape Week 44 of The Lab with Leo. Except I'm not. After 645 Canadian episodes of Call for Help and The Lab, Rogers has decided to cancel the show.
It's a decision I can't help but agree with.
Our Australian affiliate, the How-To Network, had stopped running the show due to poor ratings. The Canadian ratings haven't been so hot, either. The slide began a year ago when Amber left the show. The entire staff left in January and I was left the last man standing. I'm not good with slow fades. It's time to move on.
Rogers is planning to replace it with a daily, live show which is, ironically, what Call for Help used to be, but unless I pack up and move to Canada there's no way I could host it, so we've parted ways amicably. I will always be grateful to them for keeping Call for Help alive these past four years. I have worked with many wonderful Canadians both in front of and behind the camera, many of whom will continue to be friends and partners as I segue into new ventures.
TV, like all performing arts, is full of transitions. It's graduation day over and over again. You know you'll see some people again, and you also know that others, many of whom have been close friends, will drift away never to been seen again. It's sad, but it's inevitable. Every new beginning is also the beginning of the end. I guess that's life.
There will be new shows through May; we were producing several months ahead. Repeats of both Call for Help and The Lab will continue indefinitely. Everything comes to an end except re-runs.
Call for Help launched on May 11, 1998. It was cancelled April 2004 and revived by Rogers two months later. Ten years after its birth, four years after its resurrection, and after nearly 2,000 shows, Call for Help is finally over.
Except, it's not. I'll talk about the next chapter tomorrow.
This is Call for Help the way it was meant to be - with a handsome young host (hey it was eight years ago!) and guests Martin Sargent and Andy Ihnatko.
tagged Call For Help, TV, The Lab in Blog, News
Call For Help, TV, The Lab in Blog, News
Reader Comments (176)
RIP, Call for Help. You were a great show. Thanks to all involved.
i always loved watching call for help & screensavers back in the day when i first got familiar with you leo. sad to see this part of those memories fade away, but it is understandable and part of life.
Now on with the show! Long live TWiT live!
Sad to see you go
Heard so many wonderful things about the show from Snowball and it sounded like fun
Good job Leo
And to put a nerdy spin on this
Go rest our heroes
Leo, Its been a great run but I have a feeling bigger and better things are on the way.
Now you'll have more time for TWIT Video... : )
Im sorry to hear that... I loved it when you were on techtv in the states. LONG LIVE TWIT!!!
Leo, Sorry to hear the show is over, but seems to make a lot of sense. I've been a loyal listener to TWiT, TWiM, and MacBreak Weekly since they've come out. Many of the topics end up on my own podcast that I do with a few of my friends from work. Tried to make it MacWorld Expo this year to meet you and Alex, but things got in the way. Keep up all the great work!
My family and i are with you through the next move. Much like buying local food, we'd rather consume our media directly from the source. we have faith in the next project. Thank you. Baltimore, Md.
Pesky cliffhanger endings!
I have cancelled my G4/tech tv channel, The Lab was the last show worth watching and without Amber, the chemistry was never the same.
I am thrilled however about your new venture Leo! I can finally get the Apple TV and have something worth watching on it. Especially as we still can rent/buy movie and tv shows up here in The Great White North.
Nice post, Leo. Hope TwitLive is everything you're hoping it'll be and more!
Very sad to see this happen. Leo you're great at explaining difficult or technical things, in an easy to understand way.
You will be missed here in Australia.
p.s. I hope you still plan on coming out here for a visit sometime.
Thanks for all your hard work, Leo.
I was 13 years old when I fist discovered what was then ZDTV back in 1998. I initially watched it for Gamespot TV, but also got really interested in Call For Help and The Screensavers. I found that my interest grew and grew and became a loyal viewer just about every day. It was probably the thrill of my life to that point when you took a live call of mine back in 1999.
Ten years later, I'm fresh out of college and I'm now working professionally as a web developer. And in all honesty, I have your shows to thank. Amongst other factors, growing up on ZD/TechTV helped to teach me everything I know.
It's unfortunate that the show got canceled but luckily when one door closes another opens, TWIT Live is going to be great!
The future is 100% online... TWIT Live! I'll be watching. You keep me coming in Berlin Leo... thanks for that!
Wow... that was some crazy slip... "You keep me COMPANY in Berlin...". Once I stop laughing the shame will kick in!
I'm so sorry to hear this, however I'm happy I still have a large repository of shows I can watch :) If you ever need a new tech girl sidekick, I'm always available ;)
A very profound and sad post. No matter what the ratings were, you have always helped people to understand the world of tech and how it changes and transforms our lives year after year. I have followed you for many years and just wanted to say thank you for all that you do. You inform and entertain us all at the same. We, your true fans, will follow you where ever you may go. In a totally non stalking way of course.
You have a very powerful purpose Leo. It only has to be for the best and we all look forward to more wonderful work from you.
Jamie
Allthingsthatfly.com
That is pretty sad, Call for help and The Screensavers where both a big part of my education, to see them both finally kaput is rather shocking. Thankfully, we still have TWiT.
It's often sad when a familiar chapter ends, but when one door closes, go find a window. In the US, we've missed the show for years, but we haven't missed you. Why? Because the new internet media rocks, and we have you every week, ratings and corporate pressures be damned. Long live TWiT, indeed, sir.
Keep up the great work and thanks for all the fish!
Bob
Sorry to hear about the cancellation. I've been hearing tidbits on twitter the last week or so.
But, the bright side is the move to TWiT Live. I'm super excited about this. Throw in the new Tivo update and I'll have Leo back on my TV soon!
Being from Argentina I could never watch these shows, but I always wanted to. All I know is that both you, Leo, and Amber were involved, and I already know it was good TV.
But as Michael said up there, one door closes and another one opens and TWiT Live! seems to be it - and I for one, am extremely happy and excited about this venture. Long Live TWiT!
It's sad when something like call for help fades away but if it was slipping and with the following of TWIT I'm sure that you will have more then enough to do. Keep on making those shows that we love!