Wednesday, September 19, 2012

OPEN THREAD -- Intentional Grounding

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Missed the first show but caught the second.  First impression is that CTO programming has delivered another off-hours winner.

Two guys sitting around talking, both likable through the ear buds.  Some interviews.  Nobody gives speeches.  Nobody "announcing" to the listeners.  Solid content.



Just a couple of preliminary thoughts:

(1)  More David.  Got no problem at all with Robert, but it seems like he authored the distinct preponderance of syllables.  Wait -- I had to leave for a segment; that may have been Felix Jones talk that David might have helmed, so my count may be skewed.

(2)  Too short.  Needs a second hour.  They spent a long time on the Cowboys, also the subject of the two interviews, which was perfectly OK sports talk, but by Wednesday those topics had more or less been talked out.  Longed for Rangers talk.

(3)  Robert is much different on IG than on The Hardline.  He's shuffled off the hipster-local-sophisticate persona that he has when he's talking to Danny, Mike, and Corby.  (Actually -- I like that presentation; just saying it's different.)  He's much more reg'lar-guy on IG, which is also very appealing.

Anyway.  Small sample size, but it sounds good to me.  You?

27 comments:

  1. Totally agree with you. Except that I like Robert even more in this "incarnation" than when he's on The Hardline for the very reason that there's no hint of the NPR hipster sophisticate persona that ekes out a bit when he's on with THL. David is great. And yes, they need another hour. Hopefully once they get past the trial run period, Cat or whoever will give them the additional hour. I'd like to see it eventually expand to a nightly show. Or perhaps this will lead to there being more local weeknight/weekend night programming. Maybe this is just the beginning. Fingers crossed that it is. (MaSS or IJB...Cat, if you're listening...just sayin'.)

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  2. I wouldn't expect more than Cowboys talk. They are on only once a week for an hour and their job is probably to talk about the game from 3 days before.

    Saying that, I too wish they would talk more community quick hits topics though, if they get extended time in the future.

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  3. They are promoting it as a Cowboys show, so you shouldn't expect any Rangers talk unless they lose focus.

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  4. I hadn't perceived that from the ads, but probably should have. I mean, "Interntional Grounding" = football phrase = Cowboys focus. I'm sure you're right, I just missed it.

    But if so, that's a flaw. In a one-hour show the Wednesday after a game, you've already heard three days of commentary on how crappy Felix Jones is and how Jerry's man-Hog-love for him, insisting that he remain on the team and actually be given significant playing responsibility, is emblematic of why this team will never succeed with Jerry at the helm and looks like Garrett really isn't his own man like we'd hoped, etc., etc. And we've already had a taste of looking ahead to Tampa Bay. So IG threatens to be replowing old fields during its brief Wednesday PM sportsy talk.

    One more thing: Interviews: In a one-hour show, lose them, or no more than one. The stadium-naming guy was an ingenious idea, but didn't have much to offer re the Cowboys. Charlie Waters is a somewhat overexposed interviewee on The Ticket (albeit a good one).

    So after one or two listens, we've solved all the IG problems! Go to two hours, expand the topic palette, more David, curb the interviews. Then it will be perfect.

    I'm sure they're grateful!

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  5. What airs after IG? Ticket Top 5? Just wondering if TC will see less work/reduced pay somehow through this.

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  6. You're right, Plainsman, they were probably just waiting to hear from us before they made any changes. I'm sure they're relieved they can continue broadcasting.

    I also missed episode 1 but caught most of last night's. I thought Charlie was a good interview, as always, and the naming rights guy was pretty interesting. I agree that an hour is too short to get any kind of momentum or continuity, but we'll have to see how this plays out. I'll listen again if I'm in the car, but I can't say I'd go out of my way to catch it.

    Shaggy, it was an abbreviated Top-10, but TC was board op and tickers during IG, so it sounds like he didn't get any extra time off.

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  7. http://www.dallasobserver.com/bestof/2012/award/best-talk-radio-show-2821664/

    "It's difficult to single out the best talk radio show in Dallas, let alone on The Ticket. Each of the station's shows has its own appeal, avoiding sports-talk-at-all-costs for funny bits and raunchy laughs. The show in the mid-afternoon slot, BaD Radio, takes the most high-brow approach to its humor. The complex dynamic between Bob "The Sturminator" Sturm (a highly moral, Sunday school-attending sports super-genius), his foil Dan McDowell (a porn-loving vegetarian) and Donovan Lewis (the guy who introduced most of Dallas to "The Upper Decker") yields brilliant results every afternoon. OK, so maybe it's not all that high-brow. But, they do occasionally talk sports. After all, Sturm wrote a book about Dirk Nowitzki in a week."

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  8. Sorry, but I couldn't give a fig about what the Observer has to say about anything. Period. I don't care if I agree with what they have to say, either. It's one of the most irresponsible, unprofessional, vile, echo-chamber inhabiting publications/websites I've ever seen. Even for a Village Voice Media, the Observer is out of control. A publication for children, by children.

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  9. I don't ever look at the Observer, I just thought their take on best talk show in DFW was mildly interesting. Although their explanation of why it's the best leaves a lot to be desired.

    They also picked Corby as best personality and The Ticket as best talk station.

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  10. Nothing wrong with picking The Ticket as the best talk station, as they are. But Corby as the best personality, c'mon. Even Danny and Rhyner had some misbelief in their voices when they discussed on the air, although I'm sure they were playing it up a little for the radio.

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  11. What's ironic about the award for Corby is that he is cited for being a yuck monkey, not a sports talker.

    For some reason, they neglected to mention the award to The Orphanage for Best Background Noise (or I missed it).

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  12. I swear, it seems like the more I'm turned off by Corby and The Hardline in general, the more successful they become. I did find it pretty petty today when Rhyner made the "Is he less relevant now than ever, or even remembered any longer?" after a Greggo drop. Then why are Greggo drops still being played after all this time? And why are you commenting on him? And why is Danny chiming in about it? Is there something I'm missing here? I don't listen to RaGE. Do they make a lot, or any, Hardline or Rhyner comments? If so, then I can kind of see why this crap goes on with The Hardline. But if not, then it makes Rhyner look small and nasty. If the guy is so inconsequential to you and to the listener, then why waste the time? Can someone help me to understand?

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  13. Good questions, 110.

    I haven't heard a Ticket/Hardline reference on RaGE, but, like you, I seldom listen. Anyone: Any Ticket/HL sniping on RaGE or The Fan generally?

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  14. Hey, Ticket Tribute Guy -- we need to hear from you more often than once every two months. What's the latest? (www.tickettribute.com)

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  15. Why did Corky win The Observer's "best personality?" I'm not sure if it was his high-pitched, forced laugh as if he's incrementally letting air out of a balloon, or that he admitted he listens to one of the analysts on the NFL channel and repeats the guy's post-game analysis on the Ticket, or how he forcefully repeats his points a second time due to his lack of confidence to form an argument.

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  16. I have not heard RAGE throw down on the Hardline directly, but I have heard RW make the general declaration that the FAN was going to whip the Ticket's ass, or words to that effect.

    I have not heard Greggo make direct references to the Hardline, but I have heard him admit to how badly he screwed up.

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  17. I hate to ask this here, but I don't know where else to ask it. Can someone please explain the meaning behind the "vaginal slice born born" that people say when they call in to vote on the emergency break of the week. Thank you!

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  18. Newbie- In the late 90's/2000s, Corby would occasionally call in Gordo to help out on bits. For one of them, Corby handed Gordo a hand-written script. Corby's hand-writing is chicken scratch, to put it kindly. When Gordo came across a certain set of lines he couldn't decipher, he asked Corby, "What does this say? Vaginal Slice Born Born?" Naturally, they both busted out laughing and it became a new Ticket catchphrase.

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  19. Grubes, still Sweet. Thanks.

    All newbies are welcome and it doesn't hurt to ask questions about old stuff. I still have a lot myself, and I'm sure lots of folks did not know that story.

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  20. Thanks Grubes!

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  21. oryantl 6What idiot at Observer picked that Corby dumbass as Best Personality? When he goes wireless into a crowd, that is the biggest waste of time. He should go up on sexual assault charges for that massive ear rape!

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  22. Grubes, thanks for that tidbit. I had not idea that's how VSBB was born. I did like how in yesterday's episode, the guy who normally says it got cut off about 75% into it, but was back about 3 calls later. He's persistent.

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  23. Just listened to part of Intentional Grounding on the unticket. I was so bored that I couldn't get through it. I can see it having potential if they go away from Cowboys talk, and use Wilonsky in a better role. I don't really see the appeal, but I will try to listen again soon. It might be better when heard live.

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  24. I play Call of Duty online, and there's a player whose handle is VSBB. I asked if it meant what I thought it meant, and he said yep. I told him to stay hard, he said right back at you brother, and half the kids in the lobby started calling us gay (except not in polite terms). It was funny as hell.

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  25. Oh dear. OU loses to Kansas State.

    Get ready for a monster dose of Sighing Corby, voted by the Dallas Observer as the Best Sighing Radio Personality.

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  26. A poster on Shaggybevo relays that the SeaBass was in a bad car wreck on Friday night. His twitter has been silent since 558pm Friday evening. I find it hard to believe Mr. Diamond Talk would've been able to stay tweet quiet this weekend considering that crazy Yanks/A's game on Saturday, not to mention the good guys' games as well. I'm not seeing anything on Grubes' (I know they aren't roommates anymore) or Newbury's feeds that something happened.

    http://www.shaggybevo.com/board/showthread.php/40511-If-BaD-Radio-isn-t-on-from-3-7-p.m.-...?p=4408189&viewfull=1#post4408189

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  27. I was going to put up an "unconfirmed" new post for comment and good wishes re the just previous comment but Blogger is busted and I can't create new posts right now. Obviously the foregoing information is uncofirmed to this site.

    Irrespective of the facts, we wish Sean Bass the very best, whatever his circumstances.

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