One of my favourite TV shows is no longer to be screened in Australia. It’s a sad day indeed. (No, it’s not Top Gear or Dr Who or even Torchwood. That wouldn’t be sad that would be disastrous!)

Yes, Lab With Leo on Foxtel’s How To Channel has had the pin pulled on it. What on where I hear you ask?
I was pointed to this show around 12 months ago by my colleague and friend Paul Zucker. Now Paul has been around a while in the IT business as a journo, editor and mentor, and generally when he says to have a look at something, it’s a good idea to comply as it is 99 times out of a hundred worth it.

Lab With Leo is a “gadgets” show, filmed in Vancouver, Canada, and runs nightly at 9:30, as said, on the Fox How To Channel. It covers computing, photography and gadgets with regular guests who have an extensive knowledge in their subject. What makes the show unique is that viewers can organise to be called and go to air “live” via Skype and discuss their needs or problems with Leo (Laporte), the host. Leo commutes from California to tape the show and has been around the computing scene since day one. He counts another old timer John Dvorak as one of his mates. He also wears very loud shirts.

The Lab With Leo is on Foxtel's How To Channel each night at 9:30pm

But here’s the catch; the show is only broadcast in Australia and Canada! As such around 40% of the callers are Aussie and in deference to this (and with assistance from Leo’s assistant Kate who is a Brit), the show is very careful to make sure all North Americanisms are removed or at worst minimised. For example, in lower thirds, “colour” is spelt with the “u”. Another is that Leo will refer to a caller’s “Mum” and not “Mom” and even our obscure place names are researched and pronounced correctly.

The show is fast paced, runs for 55 minutes and lets us know about a lot of products we haven’t got to see here yet. The on air personnel are relaxed and obviously have fun and become a little like friends. Indeed, after a reference to Port Hedland where I lived in my teenage years, I have since been corresponding regularly with Ryan Yewell who fronts “Yewell’s Jewels” – a segment of free software or useful websites – and Matt Harris, the producer (who has only recently left the show and is the aforementioned Kate’s partner).
In fact Ryan Yewell has agreed to syndicate via a column his work on Yewell’s Jewels for PC Update magazine for me and there was even talk of coming to Australia to film some episodes in Tasmania. No I don’t know why Tassie either.

So why has this show been pulled?

The usual. Lack of ratings, although who knows what figure The How To Channel puts on it. All they would give me is a 2 sentence response:

“The Lab with Leo has been consistently shown on the How To Channel for the past few years with very little audience response. ….. our research indicates that the program is not in line with the viewing preferences of our audience (edited for clarity)”

All this is a long way of getting to ponder the question about the transfer of “old media” eg print to “new media” eg online and video. Did Lab With Leo fail here – and as yet not been sold to any other country – because people just aren’t interested, or do they prefer they’re IT and gadgets in a more digestible format? Or is an hour show too long and they prefer smaller bites a la Sunrise. Or because it is not home grown – we haven’t seen a similar show on TV since the ill fated “Hot Chips” that I recall, although the game show on ABC2 has been signed for another season I understand, but that is very niche.

I once piloted such a show around 10 years back and only stopped as at that time, dot com was an ugly phrase and advertising was non-existent. Maybe it’s time for another crack, but, if the entire talents of Leo Laporte and his professional team cannot get it to work, I think I’ll leave it to someone else.

Have a watch of Lab With Leo while it is still on though, and let me know what you think.