As reported on their site and elsewhere in the blogsphere, Rocketboom has lost 50% of its capital assets, namely Amanda Congdon. It appears it was time for her to fish in larger waters. While I personally did not find Ms. Congdon's trademark paper tossing and button pushing inspiring, I have read others who think she is an original talent - net, net she should find receptive outlets.

Rocketboom was able to generate a lot of media buzz as a daily IPTV show with short content people could digest; it was the first of its kind. What is striking is there was no Congdon II waiting in the wings, as people leave shows all the time. I still am not sure what Andrew's business model is, as a one-eBay ad sale does not a show make. There was something I read attributed to him about users paying for content however, I have not read anymore about it.

Going forward: On the technology side, I would suggest he trade in QuickTime and move to Flash, offer better indexing of content, and build a slicker UI. On the Ad side, I have to believe there are companies that would advertise pre-rolls; perhaps he could do an episode shot in a car where the car is the subtle product placement.

Regardless of the loss of Ms. Congdon, it should be remembered it was Andrew who gave birth to the site and the idea and is due plenty of credit. I would like to see him succeed.