Stuart Feedback Andrews here from the Rue Morgue Podcast, one of the shows nominated for the Rondo "Best Multimedia Award" last year.

FULL DISCLOSURE HERE. I was the runner-up in the Rondos. If the Rondo award for Fright Bytes is stripped from Spiderbaby, I do NOT want it redirected to my show. 

So please don't take any of the following as 'hidden politicking' for me to snatch up the award for myself in light of the recent scandal.

I'm writing the following because I think this whole situation brings up problems with the Rondo voting system that should be addressed moving forward:

First off, I love the Rondos. I think they're fantastic and I'm a long time supporter. But I want to chime in about a few things I thought were problematic this year. I should have said something to David when all of this originally happened but as I was also nominated for the award, I didn't want it to come off as sour grapes or bad sportsmanship. But during the run up to the Rondo votes, Lianne Spiderbaby was very aggressive in her campaigning. She posted frequently to her vast social media networks (thousands and thousands of followers) with the same simple instructions:

Helping FRIGHT BYTES win is easy, just follow the steps:
1. Send a personal e-mail to: TARACO@AOL.COM
2. Write RONDO AWARDS in the subject
3. Write "I vote FRIGHT BYTES for BEST HORROR MULTIMEDIA"
4. Click SEND!

What I found to be distasteful about this sort of campaigning is that voters are not encouraged to vote in other categories. I've been nominated for Rondos before and have always campaigned myself but I always urge my supporters to vote in the other categories as well. Simply campaigning to have your fans blast off a 'pre-fabricated' email ballot with absolutely no acknowledgement of the other categories is problematic.

I recorded a couple of shows about this year's Rondo nominations. On one of the episodes, I mentioned to my co-host that we were up against some serious competition. I listed off my fellow podcasting nominees and explained to him that the award included other multimedia sites as well. To illustrate the extent of the competition, I made the following remark, "Even Quentin Tarantino's girlfriend is up for an award this year!"


Well, you can probably imagine that being defined purely as Quentin's girlfriend was annoying to Spiderbaby but in all fairness, that's exactly why she won. It was her appearances at the Oscars with him that amassed her a huge following of admirers and even some of his celebrity fans like Eli Roth tweeted on her behalf to vote for her. Neverthless, Spiderbaby responded to my comments with the following public outburst on her social media network:

I just heard from a friend today that on a particular podcast, I was reduced to "Quentin Tarantino's girlfriend" - they don't remember my name anymore, or the name of my show - I'm just someone's girlfriend now. 

Well, when Fright Bytes kicks their butt in votes in the Rondos, it won't be because I'm anyone's girlfriend, it won't be because they weren't even popular enough to get on the ballot first crack, it won't be because it took 24 hours to get them on the ballot either...

I will beat them fair and square because I never resorted to making fun of anyone, for picking fights with anyone, or for ruining anyone's attempt at success in this horror industry. I will beat them because Fright Bytes is a labor of love that comes from the horror-loving hearts of my brother and I, NOT because I'm someone's girlfriend. But hey, whatever helps you sleep at night...

Of course, I was just stunned by that reaction. I felt like I was transported back to junior school.

It also made the whole Rondo voting process seem bitter and ugly. I think it's right that the fans vote (rather than assign an elite group to hand out the awards) but there needs to be guidelines regarding 'fair play.' 

And may I please take this opportunity to make a case that for next year, Horror Podcasts (or better yet, Horror Talk Radio) should be its own designated award. It is a unique medium and a HUGELY popular one that needs to be more widely respected and recognized. 

And finally, for those coming to FAN EXPO in Toronto this year, please drop by my MISADVENTURES IN HORROR PODCASTING for what promises to be a very lively discussion! Mike White from the Projection Booth (one of the journalists who broke the Spiderbaby scandal) will be participating on the panel too! It will be incendiary.

MISADVENTURES IN HORROR PODCASTING
STUART FEEDBACK ANDREWS, the Godfather of Horror Talk Radio and host of the Rue Morgue Podcast, takes you down the rabbit hole of podcasting delirium! Joined by esteemed colleagues LAST CHANCE LANCE (Rue Morgue), MIKE WHITE (The Projection Booth), MIKE FELSHER (Dead Pit Radio), ALEXANDRA WEST and ANDREA “HELLBAT” SUBISSATI (The Faculty of Horror), Feedback and company will explore the ins and outs, and highs and lows, of proliferating in the dark realm of horror talk radio.

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Last Edited By: Cinephobia Jul 18 13 10:30 PM. Edited 11 times.