How a tech reporter listens to consumers for advice – Talking Biz News

Radio offers the opportunity to expand its TV coverage, including longer interviews and real-time call-ins from listeners. But Substack, which he has been an early pioneer in since a 2019 introduction to the platform’s CEO, is where he believes the deepest connections are made.

“Substack provides the most intimate connection to the audience because they choose to subscribe to the content and they’re essentially asking to have you in their inbox,” Rich told us. “TV is very universal – with stories that I think everyone should know, even if they’re not techies – and radio is a little more involved because people tune in there, but they still come across. Substack feels more intentional.”

That intimacy isn’t a buzzword for Rich; it’s a full-time job, backed by more than 15 years of experience as Southern California’s favorite technology guru. He says his “secret weapon” is an inbox that overflows with messages from listeners asking for advice, all of which he responds to. Often this serves as an early warning of emerging developments in the tech world, and he tends to hear about email outages or security scams days before the mainstream media picks up the trail.