Messageboard Closures

[Guest]

After the demise of R3's messageboards comes this morning's announcement of the same fate for R4 and R7 boards, with the exception for the time being of the Archer's mb, on lst April...ha ha ha! to whoever selected that date! Seems patently obvious where R4 'management' have decided to devote the meagre budget for viewer's feedback..a Soap! So that's why that board been tarted up recently! Here's the link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbradio4/NF2766771?thread=8131856

[string]

You beat me to it! I've just popped over here to ask if anyone is going to do a board for R4? (And now we know why Anna has been absent for a while... .)

[french frank]

string - I've just posted below yours on the R4 board to say I will open a special R4 Drama & Readings forum here - at least to keep people together until you know what you want to do.

If there aren't too many new arrivals, we may not need a new forum - R3 people have posted here about R4 productions in the past. The cross posting may be useful

Genuinely sorry to hear the news, btw. But if you want a temporary lifeline ...

[Mobson7]

Yes string, I was wondering why there was no interjection over some of the rants and raves recently...perhaps we should also post on the R4 boards to see if there are any takers there, vis-a-vis an new board.

[cats22]

I have just spotted this too. I can't say I am surprised and I can only hope that the BBC will put the resources it saves by closing its message boards into its programmes.

I joined this board over the weekend for the drama discussions - thank you french frank for the post which drew attention to this forum.

[french frank]

Welcome, cats22. I'll see how many people arrive, and if you want a board dedicated to the R4 output you can have it. At least we can be a regrouping post if you want to move elsewhere.

[DracoM]

FF
I've just made a similar suggestion to R4 DTA posters.

[french frank]

FF
I've just made a similar suggestion to R4 DTA posters.

I don't think there seems much appetite for starting a new forum.

I'm surprised, they say 'In the case of Radio 4’s messageboard, only around 350 different people post in a month and fewer than 3000 people worldwide visit the messageboards'. For this forum, 290 users logged in over the past month and 232 of them posted. Not bad for a small forum that doesn't have the backing of the BBC's website to prop it up. I imagine the old Radio 3 boards were clocking up more posts than Radio 4's (I assume The Archers boards are separate).

[Bert Coules]

French Frank, I would certainly welcome a R4 section here, and a R7 (or rather R4Extra as it will be) one too. The R7 board in particular, though small and sometimes not very active, is a genuine community and its loss will be deeply felt by some. As with the R4 drama board, it's one of the very few places where programme makers and listeners can exchange views: I've found both areas hugely valuable and I don't want to see what they've accomplished vanish for ever.

Bert

[french frank]

Bert

I put out a couple of feelers last week (i.e. before the announcement) about people joining us here, and have repeated the offer. Don't want to look too pushy but any R4/R7 discussions which overlap with ours could easily transfer here if people wanted. I wasn't a messageboarder over there, so feel a bit as if I'm barging in trying to drum up business - not really the case.

I'll be open to any suggestions for new boards (Word of Mouth?) when we see who wants to use them.

[Bert Coules]

Frank, with your permission I'll post a message on the R7 board repeating your offer of a home here. I can see though that the R7 remit - most archive drama, comedy and the like - does make a slightly uneasy fit with this predominantly R3 discussion area.

[string]

french frank I'd love it if you could add something for R4/4extra drama here. How ironic you should mention your board just prior to the announcement of the closure - or do you have inside info?

I may even give more or R3 a go now I'll be reading these threads. And I see there is a thread for 'The Kiling' - your members clearly have taste!

[french frank]

french frank I'd love it if you could add something for R4/4extra drama here. How ironic you should mention your board just prior to the announcement of the closure - or do you have inside info?

Sometimes I do, but not about this . I've just cast a look over on the 6 Music website. Their two remaining boards were given a brand new look last week (I wondered where ol' Sherratt was hanging out these days), so they won't be closing yet. From all appearances they have far fewer posts than either the R4 boards or the R3 ones. I'm going to need some help with the logic here: The Archers boards survive because so many people use them; the 6 Music boards survive because ...

Bert - I'll leave it to you what you say over on R7. I've never listened so don't what it's about. [Comedy? ]

[french frank]

I don't think there seems much appetite for starting a new forum.

Here it is! Best wishes to all who sail in her!

[Russ]

My feelings and inclinations on the possible or potential future of specific R4 and R7 boards are:

R4 ‘The Choice is Yours’ - this is predominantly a topical news-based board, often a bit argumentative, the regular protagonists being comparatively small in number. It does however provide a place to discuss the multitude of R4 non-drama programmes, particularly since the Arts and Science boards were cut a few months ago, and thus attracts a slightly wider participation for such programmes. Given ‘Platform 3’ and ‘Arts & Ideas’ sections here, I would suggest nothing new or specific needs to be set up here, but the contributions on R4 non-drama are often very informative, and it will be a shame to miss out on them, although I’m unclear as to how to ‘sell’ any for3.org’s role in the non-drama area.

R4 ‘Drama & Readings’ - this is probably the most focussed of all the R4 boards in terms of R4 output, and is invariably on topic. There is a need to provide a home for the posters here in my view (but then I would say that wouldn’t I), but whether it should be rolled into ‘Arts & Ideas’ or should have a specific ‘Radio 4 Drama & Readings’ section I’m not sure, probably the latter would be a smarter and more welcoming strategy. There are occasional/rare contributions from producers and writers. In terms of timescale, I would see the setting up of a place here on for3.org as a priority, so that we can notify it before further splintering and dilution of the old community takes place.

R4 ‘Word of Mouth’ - this is a specific focus for wordsmiths, and whilst discussions are often sparked by R4 output, they are rarely related to specific R4 output. Its populace is brainy, but tends not to crossover to other R4 boards much. My feeling is that most of them will probably migrate, if they intend to migrate anywhere, to Mustardland’s Village Hall or The Bull Upstairs.

R4 ‘Mornington Crescent’ - this is strictly word game territory, well populated by a large but insular audience. It’s current existence is quite surprising considering the mini-cull of a few months ago. Most likely they will migrate to The Bull Upstairs, which has an identical brief.

R7 ‘Drama & Best Sellers’ - very much the equivalent of R4’s D&R board, with a small but enthusiastic set of posters. Now that R7 will soon be R4X, and the latter letting its older items roll off the schedule to make way for more recent R4 drama repeats, there is a strong argument for providing both camps with the same ‘home’ here, but no doubt others would disagree with that. Janaru, the R7 board version of ff, will probably now concentrate on beebotron.org/phorum, where she is a leading light, and many R7 posters will probably migrate there, if they haven’t already done so.

R7 ‘7th dimension’ - strictly for the sci-fi fans, which features strongly in R7’s repetitious output. This is the smallest volume R7 board. There hasn’t been any specific reaction as yet to the MB closure, but they will probably migrate to beebotron or other sci-fi fora.

R7 ‘Comedy’ - fairly self-explanatory, and relating to the mainly-ancient R4 (or even Home Service!) classic output, but likely to feature more repeats of newer R4 material in the future.

R7 ‘The Lounge’ - this is for general R7 output/info, and had it continued, would be the place for the extended editions of Desert Island Discs and of course the new ‘Ambridge Extra’ soap, both of which the BBC are dangling, carrot-wise, to increase R4X’s audience.

Generally, it’s probably true that the R7 MB demographic is a bit older than that of R4’s. Many of the R7-ers are probably of the view that they’ve had an enjoyable 7 and a bit years, and many of them will simply call it a day, not wanting to enter the unfamiliarity of a new place to discuss the same old repeats over again. Many of the R7-ers motivated to migrate will probably follow the herd through to beebotron. The new factor is of course R7’s relaunch as R4X, and this will bring forth a new group of potential posters asking themselves where they can go to have a natter with other listeners, and the BBC has a bit of a strategic problem on its hand supporting 8 current Mustardland boards but nowhere to discuss its brand-new Ambridge Extra, on which much of R4X’s future health and direction will depend.

for3.org has an undeniable ‘artistic’ base, so it’s a delicate matter as to how and how much it should seek to expand itself, but there’s no denying that a multiplicity of subject areas on a board will create a livelier place overall (not that for3.org is lacking in that respect). Other boards will of course be touting for business!

Quite a conundrum really, and difficult to form a consensus on what for3.org’s future role and signature might be.