Weekend Update

'The Way We See It' The Death of National Radio Boards? It is with deep regret that we must announce that we have been forced to end our association with RadioDiscussions.com (the former Radio-Info radio boards site). For some time, we have promoted and offered links to what is now RD, as well as occasionally featuring reports stemming from user posts at what was once the premiere and leading national radio boards site. However, a new policy by the RD website's new ownership specifically prohibits that. We would quote that policy (which is prominently displayed at the bottom of each page), except that quoting that (or any content on the site) is, according to the cited notice, itself prohibited. As for our personal participation in discussions, we have also ended that as we could not even quote ourselves here. The new ownership, it seems, claims ownership of user posts as soon as they are posted. The changes now occurring at the aforementioned site would seen to present another stellar opportunity for the operator of RadioInsight.com to revitalize his boards as it seems many longtime users/participants at RD are also upset about other related changes there. However, Lance Venta -- one of the original co-founders of the original Radio-Info boards, who after being ousted following the untimely passing of Doug Fleming and the subsequent seizing of the site by Doug's parents Diana and Rick Fleming, started his own RadioInsight -- has seemingly failed to follow through on his recent much heralded effort to launch a new "Community" (as we reported), and bring his boards back into prominence as part of a "full social media experience." Our observation is that our old frenemy is more concerned now with trying to compete with us, as well as others reporting radio and media news. The irony of that, to us, is that Lance was one of the strongest critics of the Flemings when they expanded the former Radio Info to a top-rate news site (as well as a board site), under former executive news editor Tom Taylor, later adding top specialty coverage from industry pros like Sean Ross and Phyllis Stark. (The former news site is now under separate new ownership -- with a greatly diminished, board-free, website that few in "music radio" believe has any credibility or value.) When MHBC launched almost seven years ago, our friends at AllAccess.com welcomed us -- and continued their friendship to us even after we subsequently launched TotalPopularMusic.com six years ago. They have been great to MHBC (and Mark Harris personally), and we've sought to be supportive of them at every opportunity. When all is said and done, for what they offer to the radio industry (as well as the recorded music industry), they are absolutely the best anywhere today. However, their attempts to launch their own boards (or "forums") has not been all that successful. Until a few days ago, RadioDiscussions remained the only thriving national radio boards site for broadcast professionals, observers of the industry and fans alike. Unless someone else is able to start a new venture (and do it successfully with an all-out effort), there is no "Facebook" of the radio boards genre to replace the "MySpace" of that venue. (Is RTK Media hearing this?) Few remember that Facebook couldn't touch MySpace until it was sold to News Corp, which proceeded to "change and improve" it until their investment died and Facebook filled the gap. Facebook did not kill MySpace. Under Rupert Murdoch, MySpace committed suicide. Facebook then accelerated -- although, not learning the lessons of the past, they are now seemingly attempting their own suicide! (We won't even get into how Tumblr is doing the same under its new Yahoo! ownership.) As we said at the time of the MySpace death, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The fix might actually break it. That might become its death, not its greater glory! There's always a reason that a specific site is the leader in its category. Overwhelming change while it's still the most successful of its genre is ALWAYS unwise. Our old friend Tom Anderson would likely say the same thing! It appears that national radio boards are now another nostalgic remembrance of the past. At least, that's "The Way We See It."