Monday, February 22, 2010

A Modest Proposal for the Hardline – PART 1: My Ticket Confession

If you are coming to this blog for the first time, let me re-introduce its reason for being:

I love The Ticket. I love some parts of it more than others, but I love pretty much all of it. One exception, and maybe I'll get to that some day if I'm feeling dyspeptic, but let's just say that I'm an unapologetic P1. I listen, I defend, I think it's about the best reason to live in the DFW area.

But when you spend enough time with something you love, you notice the blemishes, the weaknesses, the occasional departure from the ideal. Those things can be endearing, but you still wish you could lean over and push that errant strand of hair back over her ear.

That's how I feel about the Ticket. They could leave it just the way it is and it's still the most enjoyable thing on the radio. Nothing sounds like it anywhere. I am familiar with sports radio offerings in several major markets. Nothing touches The Ticket. I tried listening to a competing sports-talk station not long ago, and it was appalling. Impossible to believe that a major radio outlet in this market couldn't attract any better talent than the jamoke they had taking calls.

But from time to time, I hazard the thought that a faithful listener might offer a suggestion or two, respectfully expressed, affectionately offered, with some reasoning behind it. The intimacy of The Ticket’s presentation – they want you to view these guys like pals whose conversations you’re just dropping into – encourages a highly personal reaction, which is sometimes unavoidably judgmental.

That's My Ticket Confession – The Ticket is incomparable, but I worry about it sometimes like one would a beloved child.

I have a modest proposal for The Hardline.

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