Life After TechTV's TechLive and Fresh Gear:
Becky Worley Speaks Out.

by John "Highway" Wu & Jim "The Konquerer" Adams
Staff Writers

Originally published December 3, 2004

In May 2004, hordes of cybergeeks were cut to the very core to find favorite TechTV shows such as TechLive and Fresh Gear out of production, after the station was purchased by G4 Media earlier in the year. TechLive was cancelled outright, and although Fresh Gear is still aired, no new episodes have been produced since TechTV was purchased.

We were able to catch up with TechLive's computer security analyst, Becky Worley, who's currently finishing up her Master's degree in Education and Computer Science at Stanford. We felt we needed to ask her a few important questions.

Favorite Old School Video Game	Galaga or Tetris
Favorite Black-n-White Movie	On the Waterfront. "Chah-lie, I coulda been somebody, I coulda been a contenda
Favorite Music from the 80s	I was such a Duran Duranimal
Favorite Music from the 90s	Sadly, country. I can sing all the Brooks and Dunn you could name
Favorite Movie from the 80s	Sixteen Candles. "Dong - Grandpa's talking to you"
Favorite Movie from the 90s	Training Day. (2001 is close enough)
Guilty Pleasure(s) in Life	My Water Bra. Oh yes, we all wear them (except for Morgan), but I believe in full disclosure. So there!
Favorite Physical Place That You've Visited	My home town -- MAUI! I also love Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Missoula, Montana

I've had some great fun trying to get people to think about tech differently. I was given carte blanche while working for TechLive and Fresh Gear -- anything I wanted I could report on. So I did a whole series about the germs that accumulate on your keyboard and mouse (ergo the photo of me eating lunch on the floor of the bathroom - it's cleaner than most cubicles)

I reviewed ridiculous products in ridiculous costumes like when I reviewed the IROC MP3 player as a jean suited, mullett wearing iRoc-Z driving rocker.

I also got to do opinion pieces on tech issues, like new laws against camera phones (the xerox'd butt shot was to prove that every new piece of technology is used for goofy reasons at first, then the joke gets old, like photocopying your butt, and people don't use the tech that way anymore).


I remember I opened 'whitehouse.com' on Call For Help once and got a full frontal on national TV and the 50-inch plasma next to my head, I was frantically closing pop-ups as we went to break. Oh! I once choked on my own spit while solo-anchoring the news, making another awkward, unplanned commercial break.


I broke my nose 3 times in the year that I was anchoring the 1 PM news for TechLive.


Well, I was playing rugby for the US at the time and that sure didn't sit well with my boss. After the 3rd break, I got my nose fixed and it was so swollen and ugly that when I came back to work, I had to read the news sideways toward the camera for 3 days.


What was I thinking? 'Stay home for a few more days you ugly cow!'


"wanted" ... right -- we took all kinds of crap home; usually these were long term loaners that the companies would either forget about or ask us to return at a later date. My favorites were/are: a GPS mapping tool for the car, the eye-toy and the boom construction headset (the best cell phone headset; bulky, but amazing).


I still have the ULI surfboard. The ULI surfboard is the Ultra Light Inflatable surfboard (hence the acronym). Unfortunately, the makers of the board did not realize that ULI is the hawaiian word for the male member. Since surfing originated in Hawaii, that little naming misfortune has been exposed in a few surfing magazines.


The literature for the surfboard was hilarious. Make sure to fully pump the ULI, it must be hard for you to ride it properly.


Sorry, that's a bit naughty, but I'm just telling you how funny all the subtext was.


Well, Chris got the anchor job that I thought I wanted.


I tried really hard to dislike him and I relished in the fact that some of the websites referred to him as a "Himbo" - male bimbo. Then a strange thing happened: I got to know Leary and really liked him. He has a fantastic self-deprecating sense of humor and a form of intelligence that is different from anyone I know.


I would have to be able to add Muppets too. Chris Leary -- Captain Link Hogthrob from "The Pigs in Space" skit. Leary had a million Fabio looks before he got to us. Or maybe Guy Smily?


Okay, I know I'm gonna get in trouble for this one, but I guess Miss Piggy. Melanie's such a little peanut, so you know that comparison is only in a few personality ways: she's a whirling dervish of energy, a part of everything and a girly girl to the core. And remember, Miss Piggy was THE STAR of the show.


I would have to say Corbin is Elmo. Off-camera and on-camera she is sweet, hard working and equally loveable.


Lindsey is one of my best friends and I would have a hard time categorizing her, so if you could combine Fozzie Bear and Janice from the band and maybe a little Big Bird (she kind of mothered us all, she is good at hugging people when they're upset), then maybe you'd get Lindsey. Oh, and throw in a little Miss Piggy for her Diva side.


Easy! Oscar the Grouch. Tough exterior, but a very smart, funny, hard-working guy. One of my favorite people at TechTV. But maybe he's one of those guys who heckled people at the theatre (Waldorf or Statler)

You know, I'm exposing that I watched a lot of TV as a kid and that I am taking this interview way too seriously.


I'm not holding anything back. The execs there are infinitely confused. As I mentioned in an earlier post, G4 CEO Charles Hirschorn has the leadership abilities of a clam. His vision is equally limited. As for the folks who chose to move down there, whether they are still working at G4 or have been let go, they are now being exposed to more TV opportunities than they would have had in San Francisco.

On a more personal note, I'm disappointed. I think TechTV was a unique entity, niche programming that listened to and interacted with its niche audience. When management stopped listening to our core audience and Paul Allen sold the company to appease whatever debt he had to Comcast, our little experiment was over. Maybe G4 is appeasing a similar niche for gamers, but I can't speak to that.


I really like Chi-Lan and wish her the best, she's smart and fun to work with. Other than that, I really never worked with Kevin, Sarah, and I don't know Kevin Pereira. The show just needs a focus, who are you broadcasting to and what do they want? Figure that out and make a cohesive TV show with real content. I was on the creation team for The Screen Savers and Call For Help in '98, that's what we did then, thought about the audience and then made a show we thought they'd learn from and enjoy.


Nah, I think I'm enjoying my life now a lot more than I did back then. I just finished hosting four pilots for the National Geographic Channel. The show is called Mother of All and it will debut at the end of January or beginning of February (I'll let you know the details when we get a confirmed air date).


The show is a building show, kind of like Monster Garage or Big. So far we've built an insane refridgerator for a fraternity, a river raft that is basically a water fighting barge for some river guides, a tailgate vehicle for some insane Oakland Raider fans, and a mobile barbecue for firefighters in San Francisco (hint: it can cook a hotdog in 1.8 seconds). I am welding, plasma cutting, and getting in lots of trouble. Luckily, I still have all my fingers attached. Hopefully the show gets picked up permanently.


I have some fantastic freelance gigs that pay the bills. Plus with a few of my old TechTV bosses, we're shopping a pilot for a new show. A few nibbles so far, but nothing's solid till the check is in the bank.


My other goal for the moment is to finish my Master's degree. I can thank Paul Allen for the fact that he and TechTV shelled out almost $50K for my master's at Stanford which I did while working full time at TechTV. What an amazing benefit.

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