Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The Ticket Should Hire Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton

How's that for getting to the point?  You may have thought you wandered onto another site.

Look, I know The Ticket Top 10 is probably cheap to produce, advertisers like it, you don't have to have a fancy host (although Chris House did a fine job, I thought, and Jake Z is staking a claim), and P1's get to hear stuff they didn't catch earlier in the day.  Personally, I think the DFW 7-11 slot is tailor-made for Hacksaw, and Hacksaw is tailor-made for both KTCK and the P1 Nation.  

Would anyone object if Dan Patrick got bumped an hour or two?

Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton  .  .  .  where have you heard that name?  You've heard it on The Hardline, where Mike R and the boys make merciless fun of Hacksaw.  And indeed, Hacksaw is, ah, somewhat over the top.  But if you were to hear him, as I did for nearly five years during drive time when I worked in San Diego, you would say -- this guy isn't all that different from Norman Hitzges -- also, I am told, a former target of Ticket hosts before he joined the team.


Okay, okay.  Yes.  It's the worst rug you have ever seen.  But I'm telling you, Confessors, he runs a helluvan entertaining sports-talk radio showgram.  

At the outset of his program -- I'm speaking of the way he ran the show some years ago, and I'd be surprised if he does it any differently now -- he puts "topics on the table," which is an amazing recap of the day's sports news.  His show is 100% sports, which is a complaint that non-P1's have about The Ticket.  No guy talk, no current events.    In further contrast to The Ticket showgram model, he takes a lot of calls.  Like Norm, however, while he is friendly and gracious to most callers, from time to time a caller will get under his skin and his "Hacksaw" persona will emerge. 

And by the way -- he is delighted to talk puck.

Alas, he has something of a history of issues with station management, and he also lost his gig as a superb play-by-play guy for the Chargers as a result of some contretemps or another.  A pity -- his play-by-play is frankly the best NFL pbp I've ever heard.  He got chased after one pre-season game when he was slated to be the Vikings play-by-play guy -- he does have some unfortunate race- and gender-related broadcast issues in his past that would have to be vetted.  (I don't know what they are.)

(That nice young Michael Gruber would have an unfathomably deep source of new drops should Hacksaw join The Little One.)

I see from Wikipedia that he's doing drive for XEPRS-AM 1090 ("XX 1090 Sports Radio"), the "X" denoting a Mexico-based transmitter, broadcasting into San Diego metro.   Details, details.

In all candor, I'd much rather hear original programming in the evening than the Top 10, no offense intended to whoever the host happens to be.  Hacksaw would, I believe, be an instant hit with the P1 Nation.  He'd have some issues with the hosts who have teased him in the past, but there are hosts right now who aren't all that fond of one another.  And The Ticket would add to its all-star roster with original local programming with a proven radio star.

P1's ask around.  Confessors, if you've ever lived in SoCal, give me your thoughts on Hacksaw.

I know this isn't going to happen.  But, as I never tire of reminding the Confessor Nation:  as Chicago sports-talk pioneer Chet Coppock used to tell his evening callers, "your dime, your dance floor."

Cumulus, he might come cheap.  He might well be willing to relocate.   Give it some thought.

PS:  It is conceivable that Norm H will not be able (although willing) to broadcast forever.  Hacksaw would be an absolutely perfect substitute, although he'd probably want a gig with more than two hours a day.  I don't know how old Hamilton is.  I'll leave the due diligence to the Cumulus HR department

3 comments:

  1. I have always been a supporter of original programming in the evening. I have the fortunate oppurtunity to sit & listen to The Ticket all day at work. I would enjoy to hear something original in the evening. I would prefer to hear something like The Orphange or the Rant. I'm not a BIG fan of complete caller driven shows. (ironic I know-- due to my reg. calls I make) Although it would be entertaining to hear the yuck monkey P1's. Ultimately I think Hacksaw is to rich for the Cumulus blood.

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  2. I agree P1 Steven. I would love to hear The Orphanage. When I get to listen on Saturdays (which is never) I stop down to listen. Of all potential shows they offer the most. I also really think The Ticket severely dropped the ball when they let Ben & Skin drop off of the schedule. There's probably more details there that I'm not aware of, but I've always enjoyed listening to them. I sometimes turn the channel to tune in.

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  3. I don't have the opportunity to listen at work, so I get about 2-3 hours of Ticket each day, mostly Musers and Hardline. So I really enjoy the Top 10.

    I'm fairly certain there are more people like me than those who listen all day, and the Top 10 is indispensable for us.

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