Buzz Out Loud

Buzz Out Loud is a daily podcast about tech related subjects, produced by CNET. Affectionately abbreviated "BOL" by fans, and known by their tagline as "CNET's podcast of indeterminate length" (or "CNET.com's podcast of indeterminate length"). The show is hosted by CNET editors Tom Merritt and Molly Wood. Additionally, Veronica Belmont had co-hosted the show until July 20th, 2007 when she left to work at Mahalo.com. During the show's public debut on April 25 2005, it promised to deliver "5 or so" minutes of Tom & Molly's take on tech news every second day, but has evolved into 30 minutes of tech-related banter and commentary on a daily basis (which is the origin of the "indeterminate length" moniker).

As early as 30 March 2005 during the "pre debut" phase of the podcast, Molly and Tom discussed subjects that have grown into mainstay themes throughout the life of the podcast: patent infringement lawsuits, the Apple iPod, and DRM.

On 21 May 2007, Jason Howell joined the podcast as producer.

Format
The show also occasionally features interviews; initially, these were integrated as a part of the show, but have since been spun off to their own line of programming due to listener requests. However, on occasion interviews are put on the main web feed. Tech luminaries such as Lawrence Lessig and Steve Wozniak have been interviewed, as well as several hosts from the TWiT.tv and Revision3 networks.

Listeners to the show are encouraged to submit their comments by email or by telephone, as well as to post to the Buzz Out Loud Forums. Most aired comments are included in the show's e-mail newsletter, which is available from the show's home page.

In November 2005, the show gained Earthlink as a sponsor. This marked the beginning of a period of continuity for the show, as almost all of the episodes have featured the trio of commentators. The exceptions of which usually involve one of the commentators being unavailable to record due to business trips, sick days, or vacations. In late March 2006, Buzz Out Loud switched to a new Earthlink sponsorship, having 11 different ads instead of the previous 1. Now they alternate between the 11 ads in the middle of the show and a longer ad at the end of the show.

On occasion, the Buzz Out Loud crew records live shows at technology trade shows, such as recordings done from Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Macworld done in January of 2006 and 2007. These live shows can include a live audience, comprised of fans of the show, and discussions on the different products that the commentators have been able to examine. Other times, one of the hosts will attend a live event, such as Molly at the former E3, and instead call in to the show before, during or after the event with updated information. In 2006, they produced a video episode of Buzz Out Loud at the San Francisco premiere of Snakes on a Plane. At CES 2007, video of the Buzz Out Loud podcast recording sessions were streamed live on Cnettv.com.

Guest hosts
Guest hosts appear on the podcast when either Merritt or Wood are unable to be in the studio. Various CNET employees have filled in, including producer Jason Howell, WebWare.com editor Rafe Needleman, automotive reviewer Brian Cooley, Crave editor Caroline McCarthy, and News.com blogger Erica Ogg. On rare occasions, the podcast is cancelled for the day when both hosts cannot make it and other arrangements cannot be made.

Cast Links

 * Tom Merritt's Web Site
 * Molly Wood's Web Site
 * Veronica Belmont's Web Site