Kate Botello is a former American television personality best known for her work on the San Francisco, California-based ZDTV (later known as TechTV and then as G4).
Kate Botello is a former American television personality best known for her work on the San Francisco, California-based ZDTV (later known as TechTV and then as G4).
Botello graduated high school in Mendocino, California and studied theater in San Francisco. Following a series of temp jobs, she joined Ziff Davis as a tech support staffer. Botello's Judy Garland impression while installing a printer caught the attention of Leo Laporte, who offered her a co-hosting position on the technology-oriented television program The Screen Savers . [1] In 1999, Botello and Laporte were described as "the two most popular personalities on the only 24-hour national cable channel devoted exclusively to computers and the Internet". [2] When the pair appeared at a promotional event in York, Pennsylvania that year: "Geeks swarmed the local electronics store where Kate Botello and Leo Laporte were signing autographs. Security had to be called to help guide the two computer advice experts to their car." [3]
In 2000, Botello left The Screen Savers to co-host GameSpot TV, a video game review show, with Adam Sessler. In February 2001, the show was renamed Extended Play . She also co-hosted a TechTV video on computer basics with Chris Pirillo.
Botello left TechTV in 2002 and moved to Brooklyn, New York where she worked on Broadway as a freelance actor, singer and playwright. In her time there, she starred Off-Broadway as Judy Garland in the cabaret musical, Judy Garland and the Uninvited Company and the annual holiday musical, Judy's Christmas Garland. The cabaret show later toured other cities. A critic wrote that "Botello nails Garland's familiar speaking voice, singing voice and facial expressions". [4]
In November 2005, Botello moved to Traverse City, Michigan where she and Raymond Weigel founded Traverse City Web Design.
In June 2011, Botello began hosting Weird News Radio, [5] a weekly audio podcast, with Jim Harold. [5] She is also on the air from 7 to 10 am Eastern on "Classical IPR", part of Interlochen Public Radio, WIAA (FM), Interlochen, Michigan. Her latest endeavor is "Showtunes with Kate Botello" airing on Classical IPR, Sunday evenings at 7 pm EST. [6]
The Screen Savers is an American TV show that aired on TechTV from 1998 to 2005. The show launched concurrently with the channel ZDTV on May 11, 1998. The Screen Savers originally centered on computers, new technologies, and their adaptations in the world. However, after it was taken over by G4, the show became more general-interest oriented and focused somewhat less on technology. The final episode of The Screen Savers aired on March 18, 2005. Repeat episodes continued to air until March 25, 2005 when its replacement program Attack of the Show! began 3 days later on March 28, 2005. Two spiritual successors to The Screen Savers, This Week in Tech on the TWiT Network with Leo Laporte and Tekzilla on Revision3 with Patrick Norton, were started after the original show concluded. On April 19, 2015, Leo Laporte announced The New Screen Savers, which began airing on TWiT network May 2, 2015.
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TechTV was a 24-hour cable and satellite channel based in San Francisco featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. In 2004, it merged with the G4 gaming channel which ultimately dissolved TechTV programming. At the height of its six-year run, TechTV was broadcast in 70 countries, reached 43 million households, and claimed 1.9 million unique visitors monthly to its website. A focus on personality-driven product reviews and technical support made it a cultural hub for technology information worldwide, still existing today online through its former hosts' webcasts, most notably the TWiT Network.
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The Tech Guy was a widely syndicated US radio show hosted by Leo Laporte, formerly of TechTV and later with TWiT.tv. The show, which was first exclusively broadcast on KFI 640 AM in Los Angeles, was picked up for syndication by Premiere Networks in February 2007. Laporte streamed video of his side of the show on TWiT Live, including caller audio. The show was available live on Saturdays and Sundays at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
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