Nerdist

Nerdist Removes Chris Hardwick References from Website

~ jen

Chris Hardwick is in the news again, and the details connect to Nerdist (a website he used to be a big part of). The shortest explanation of what happened is that Nerdist has removed all references to Chris Hardwick from the website. This might sound strange, unless you know the context.

Earlier this year, Chris Hardwick announced the end of an era for the Nerdist podcast. He rebranded the podcast as ID10T with Chris Hardwick and moved it to his ID10T website. At the time, Hollywood Reporter stated that Legendary Entertainment (the parent company of Nerdist) owned the Nerdist name – but Chris Hardwick owned the Nerdist podcast and its library of episodes.

Nerdist (the website) has several podcasts, including: Bizarre States, Bruce Lee Podcast, Maltin on Movies, Nerdist Comics Panel, Nerdist News: WTF Friday, and many more. It also has videos, articles, and other stuff.

On June 14, 2018, Chloe Dykstra posted an article on Medium titled: “Rose-Colored Glasses: A Confession”. The article is about abuse she experienced from someone she had dated, and it starts with a trigger warning. The Medium article does not include the name of the person that Chloe Dykstra used to date.

Hollywood Reporter included the following in an article they wrote about Nerdist and Chris Hardwick: “In a lengthy essay posted to Medium on Thursday, Dykstra did say the perpetrator of the alleged abuse was 20 years her senior and described him as someone who went from being a “podcaster to a powerhouse CEO of his own company.” Hollywood Reporter continued: “Hardwick is 20 years older than Dykstra and CEO of Nerdist Industries. Legendary Entertainment acquired Nerdist in July 2012.”

On June 15, 2018, Nerdist released a statement in a tweet on their verified Twitter account:

Hey everyone,

Like you, we were shocked to read the news this morning. Nerdist prides itself on being an inclusive company made up of a positive, diverse community of people who come together to share, and discuss the things we love. That type of behavior is contrary to everything we stand for and believe in, and we absolutely don’t tolerate discrimination, harassment, and other forms of abuse….

It also included a statement from Nerdist’s parent company: “Chris Hardwick had no operational involvement with Nerdist for the two years preceding the expiration of his contract in December 2017. He no longer has any affiliation with Legendary Digital Networks. The company removed all reference to Mr. Hardwick even as the original Founder of Nerdist pending further investigation.”

Nerdist Podcast Rebranded as ID10T

~ jen

Earlier this month, Chris Hardwick announced the end of an era for Nerdist podcast. It has been rebranded as ID10T with Chris Hardwick, and will no longer be affiliated with Nerdist Industries. Instead, the ID10T with Chris Hardwick podcast will become part of the ID10T company that Chris Hardwick launched to sell collectible goods and host live events.

There is a rather lengthy description of ID10T with Chris Hardwick on iTunes:

I am Chris Hardwick. This podcast used to be called Nerdist. Now it is not. It is still basically just me talking about stuff and things with my two nerdy friends Jonah Ray and Matt Mira when they’re available, and usually someone more famous and smarter than all of us.

Swearing is fun, so we still do that occasionally. I hope you like this new iteration which is the same as before, but if a name hangs you up unhealthily I’m sure you will not hesitate to unfurl your rage not only in the ‘reviews’ section but also now on all the various social media platforms that have popped up since we started in 2010, effectively murdering blogs.

Hollywood Reporter interviewed Chris Hardwick about the rebrand. The Nerdist Podcast launched in February of 2010 and became the basis for Nerdist Industries, which built up a network of podcasts (and more). Nerdist Industries sold to Legendary Entertainment in 2012.

Chris Hardwick’s contract with Legendary Entertainment expired in 2017. He retains full ownership of The Nerdist Podcast and its library of episodes. But, Legendary Entertainment owns the name Nerdist. This explains the need for rebranding the podcast’s name, while keeping the content and style listeners have been enjoying.

The new name, ID10T, looked familiar to me. The About page on the ID10T company website reminded me of the meaning. “ID10T is a joke IT code that essentially means ‘user error’” You can probably work out how this code would be pronounced.

PodcastOne vs. Stitcher: Shots Fired

~ shawn ~ 3 Comments

PodcastOne LogoCelebrity-driven network PodcastOne made podcasting news yesterday when it announced it will be removing all of its shows as well as shows it represents to advertisers from the Stitcher streaming-media app. From a statement released by PodcastOne:

Stitcher continues to sell and distribute programming without the proper rights, consent and compensation PodcastOne and its talent are due.

And that:

(PodcastOne) has repeatedly tried to work with Stitcher, and requested the removal of programming without verbal or written consent to distribute, in addition to the discontinuance of video ads as post, pre-roll and pop-ups attributed to these podcasts. Stitcher continues to make PodcastOne programming available on the home screen of their app to listeners who are already ‘following’ the programs.

Also, PodcastOne CEO Norm Pattiz was quoted as saying:

In some cases, Stitcher has absolutely no rights to carry our programs, and in others, no rights to sell or monetize our exclusively represented content in any way. This has been an ongoing problem, and enough is enough. You can’t just steal content without permission. Podcasting is breaking through big time, not only with consumers but with advertisers as well. I see new players coming into the market, all touting technology that will allow them to grab podcasts for their subscribers. Let this be a message – make sure you have secured the rights from content suppliers before you distribute programing you don’t have the rights to.

I surveyed PodcastOne’s “Top 25” shows and found that most of them are no longer listed with Stitcher. Exceptions include podcasts that don’t originate with PodcastOne, such as Radiolab and The Laura Ingraham Show.

PodcastOne’s stance is that Stitcher was using PodcastOne’s shows without the company’s consent. Given Pattiz’s statement, it looks like he’s unhappy with Stitcher running ads against PodcastOne’s content. Speculation has flooded podcasting forums since the news broke as to what exactly is happening here. Is PodcastOne falling back on its roots as a radio syndicator (Westwood One) and trying to get Stitcher to pay PodcastOne to distribute its shows? Did Stitcher offer PodcastOne any kind of revenue sharing for running ads against its content? If so, could the two parties not reach a mutually beneficial agreement? How do the shows PodcastOne represents for advertising feel about PodcastOne wanting them to leave Stitcher as well? The mind reels with possibilities.

Regardless, this isn’t the first time that Stitcher has run afoul of a notable podcast network. Back in 2011, Nerdist had its own drama that ended up in its shows being removed from Stitcher. That situation has since been cleared up, so there’s some potential for PodcastOne and Stitcher to heal their divide.

One thing is certain. As podcasting enters its tenth year, we can expect more of these types of disputes. Big players are here and in some cases, big money is at stake. This case of PodcastOne vs. Stitcher is only the beginning.