A 1UP for Ziff Davis Media

For the past several months, Ziff Davis Media has been in the process of bankruptcy, despite predictions to have “[emerged] from Chapter 11″ by July 1^st. When I first heard of the plan, I was more than a little surprised, as the 1UP Yours podcast (one of many Ziff Davis web shows) was one of my long-standing favorites. Their 1 to 2 hour-long show starring Luke, Shane, Garnett, and John Davison was a weekly staple, along with Diggnation, Astronomy Cast, and Physics for Future Presidents.

Perhaps this is the reason I stopped listening to the 1UP Yours show sometime after the initial bankruptcy announcement. I now realize why things weren’t going so well for the 1UP Yours podcast. When Luke Smith left, despite my disappointment, I figured the show would still make it. Unfortunately, without Luke, Shane was nothing more than a shrill Sony shill. The only reprieve was John Davison’s soothing British accent and passion for racing simulators—but then he left, as well. Perhaps Luke and John saw the writing on the wall: the whole company was having problems staying ahead of the game.

Simon Cox, 1UP editor, assures readers the bankruptcy is “a rather positive step” for 1UP and Ziff Davis as a whole, but it seems that up until now the lack of funds available for 1UP Yours has kept the show from really being able to gel and takeoff.

Hopefully, those rumored new funds available to Ziff Davis will bring myself, and others, back as listeners. They may have permanently lost Luke and John, but it doesn’t mean that there isn’t other talent abundant in the company that can entertain and inform gamers with great news and reviews.