Laurie

[Tim K in DC]

I voted No. As I said in another post, Tom and Laurie's rapport (which, if I used the actual term, was likely misspelled as the common phonetic "repoir") typically rules.

[Tom Scharpling]

FOTs -

This whole thing makes me sad. I'm very torn about the chat - on one hand it can be a place where FOTs can provide links and comments and assist the show. But on the other hand, there seems to be a very aggressive snarky quality to it of late that makes it impossible for me to read it while doing the show - whether it's people saying 'this bit is boring' ONE MINUTE IN (would someone please tell me when the S&W calls were ever about killing you in the first minute?!) or saying 'Pudge isn't funny tonight'.

The chat has become something that is more than a supplement to the show - it is now something closer to a live blog, where people are reviewing the show instantaneously. That's too much for me to handle while I'm doing the show. For those who complained about the Tom Waits calls last night, Where Were You? The best way to improve the show when bad callers are running wild is to CALL!!! Just typing how annoying the callers are tonight doesn't fix anything.

I love it when people write nice things and when people chip in jokes and comments that help elevate the program. But it is impossible for me to filter the good stuff out from the bad stuff. So, that said, I will no longer be visiting the chat any longer. This upsets me, but I have to let people do what they want. The show might pay a price for it - there will be a disconnect between me and you guys that I honestly appreciated. But the other options - closing down the chat, having someone moderate - are too lame and police-like and make things less fun. So the chat stays, but I go.

Tom.

PS - And of course Laurie isn't banned for life. If SPIKE can come back from HIS lifetime ban, I would think that Laurie might be able to swing a reprieve also. Come back!

[bookem_dan-o]

Honestly and quite seriously, I am 200% in favor in getting rid of the chat...for a year, at the very least.

I know that the FoT chat has been around in several incarnations for many years now, but Tom's post (as well as having to sift through my "classic" Best Show podcast archives to find a good rerun show for the feed) got me thinking about how different the calibre of callers used to be back when the chat was an "underground" thing (as dumb as that sounds) that not many people knew about. If you listen to the old archives, the quality of the callers is noticeably better.

I have to believe that by not having a live chatroom to serve as a distracting "second stage" to the real show, it will force many people who have something to contribute to the show to actually call in and talk about it, instead of just doing it only for the entertainment of people in the chatroom. There are so many insanely quick and witty people in the chat, it's really a shame that all that talent gets lost in the digital ether that is the FoT Chat.

(I just wish that I had a decent enough personality and less stagefright, otherwise I'd call in myself  )

[Richard_From_CHI]

Free Laurie!!!

[Richard_From_CHI]

What happened to Laurie's account I was going to send her a message and receive some wisdom on Miami. Is the new thing that those banned from the show are banned from the board too?

[John Junk]

The FOT need to hold onto their women.

[Andy]

The FOT need to hold onto their women.

word.

this is turning into a sausagefest.  btw, anyone want to sword fight?

[Tim K in DC]

PS - And of course Laurie isn't banned for life. If SPIKE can come back from HIS lifetime ban, I would think that Laurie might be able to swing a reprieve also. Come back!

Awesome.

I don't have an opinion on the chat, as, due to timing and other stuff, I never participated in it. I'll keep tuning in (or catching up via the podcast) regardless.

[Tyrannosaurus Rocks]

I think moderators would be a good idea. Give them certain rules, so they can't just boot people, and give the chatters certain rules. Or maybe a kick system.

Or just take it away. You know, make the peons feel your wrath.

[johnfgillson]

I'm a podcast listener because I work Tuesday nights so I am not much better. But, I don't know any of the FOT's personally but I can tell when you call in, and it really bugs me when Tom says that somebody said something on the chat... You're having this dialouge with each other and forgetting that the show is a call-in show. It's really annoying when Tom sets up games and nobody calls in. Again, I don't call in either but at least I'm not listening to the program live. The chat is taking away from listeners who aren't "connected" with WFMU and The Best Show. It's a radio show not a club people.

[Emerson]

In a week of severely limited internet access, one can miss a lot, eh?

A chat is what the chatters make it. In a lot of cases, I think the chat gave Tom's core audience a chance to sit back and giggle as the show itself sank. That always pissed me off, although I'm terrified of phones in general and was rarely part of the solution.

I hate that it came to this. Laurie always charmed me silly.

~EmD

[Sarah]

The thing is, were it not for the chat, I would not listen to show live, which means calling wouldn't even be an option.  Of course, I don't call as it is (well, I did once), but I may some day.  Sans chat, there wouldn't be a chance of it.