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(1) I was wrong in previous comment about freshman Tickerman Mitchell Kerasik (sp) no longer broadcasting. He's doing Tickers this morning.
(2) I try always to listen to the Bob Sturm/Rich Phillips Cowboys pre-game. Always strong, and I like the teaming of Bob and Rich.
This season they've been required to feature other Ticket hosts. If anyone knows why the CTO believes this is necessary, please advise. Are they concerned about Sturm monopolization of two hours of broadcasting? Do they think there's not enough variety in the two-hour show? They already have David Newbury, David Moore, Norm doing the numbers, and pre-recorded George doing some keys to the game (although I'm thinking that maybe they don't do that last one anymore; I may be thinking to past seasons).
Why they make Mike R do stuff like this is a mystery. He has almost nothing to say. Junior had a good segment prepared. But the best, so far, has been -- Dan McDowell, last week. The best BaD broadcast I've heard in awhile, with some Dick Hicks spice in the bargain.
(3) Those George/Gordon Raising Cain's ads are effective. I've written in the past how utterly mediocre the Raising Cain's chicken product is, but the other day I was hungry and saw a Cain's up ahead so thought, hey, for George and Gordon, I'll give it a fifth try.
As usual: Friendly, fast, spotless, fresh/hot, and chicken utterly, 100% without flavor. And, in this case, under-battered, although it scarcely matters. What do they marinate it in for 24 hours? Water? And how they manage to develop a recipe for a batter that does not register on the tongue at all is a mystery of modern culinary science. Tip: salt.
(3) I'm liking MaSS. One way I judge showgrams is whether they get me interested in topics I know nothing about or otherwise have no interest in. This morning, MaSS did just that with its "local beer" segment.
We smack the CTO around a fair amount, but it must be said that it's made a good effort to come up with solid weekend programming. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I'd rather listen to MaSS than any other show on either of The Ticket's competitors, weekday, drive, or otherwise. The Ticket conversational formula must be impossible to duplicate, since no one has been able to do it, yet the CTO seems to identify the right types to put on a show that fits in The Ticket sound and broadcast theory. For that, they deserve some credit.
Those hits weren't as quick as I'd expected.
Ben and Skin is the only show from the competing stations that I'd take over MaSS. Personally I don't care for the craft-local brew beer segments. Because, quite frankly, I already have too many friends that know far too much as it is about craft-local brew beers. MaSS is at its best when Matt is talking hardcore sports. He's good at it. Where he's more stat oriented, Scot is more of a gut feeling guy. It's a good combo. If the Stars ever get up and running again, I look forward to Matt's analysis, and Scot's man on the street thoughts. It should be interesting, as Matt is a hockey guy and Scot seems eager to learn about new things and also has definite opinions that seem to resonate with the common fan. I have only two complaints. One is when Matt goes off the deep end on personal matters. Boundaries, buddy. Boundaries. It's one thing to come off as a bit eccentric, it's another to come off as creepy. The other is the whole church service schtick. It's lame. It's already tired and run its course. Plain and simple. I think the show is better than that sort of gimmicky bulsh.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Plainsman, about the addition of Ticket hosts to the pregame show. Why? It adds almost nothing. You're right in saying that Dan and Junior did a good job. But so what? They really aren't saying anything different than Bob, Rich, Dave (who is excellent, by the way), and Norm. If anything, they ought to add the additional voice to the post game show. Look, I know Donnie gets a lot of love and a lot of grief on this site. Pretty much in equal parts. I like Donnie's work on BaD. I think he was a much needed addition. However, as far as the postgame show goes, he repeats the same two or three points for the entire 2-3 hours. He latches on to a rather obvious and generic point about the game--i.e., one that even I can come up with--and applies it to every other point made and every issue that arises. I will say that he improves a bit with each season, and that so far this season has been his best. But it's not marked enough to warrant him as being the co host of a 2-3 hour post game show. He'd make a great third. Actually, I'd like to see Norm and Newbury. To me that would be some hardcore analysis. Newbury knows his stuff and is not afraid to tell the truth.
In my opinion, The Fan has a better pregame show than The Ticket. I know that Bob is a sports savant but he goes into more details, stats and info than I really need.
ReplyDeleteAlso, holding the broadcast rights gives the Fan more access to Cowboy stuff, such as the pregame interviews with Jerry, Brad Sham, Kristy Scales, etc.
I spent a good part of today's pregame switching back and forth and found nothing to change my mind.
East Texas, I've listened to the Fan pregame on occasion. I still give it to The Ticket, but not by a large margin. The Fan's stuff isn't bad at all, but I find the access requires them to talk to guys who are not going to give you the straight story.
ReplyDeleteWow, I listened to the Pre-Game Plus with Jake Kemp and David Newbury and it was terrific. Some great non-obvious points by Newbury, and Jake kept things moving when the statistics got a little heavy. I usually tune into the Sturm pre-game when it starts -- has this Pre-Game Plus been on for awhile? I like the Holy Roman Emperor's suggestion that David and Norm would make a great post-game pairing.
ReplyDeletePregame Plus has been around for years. It's usually only for 3PM starts.
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ReplyDelete909, thanks. I usually just tune in two hours before gametime, never knew there was a show before Sturm's. And I don't recall a commenter ever mentioning it. How long have Jake and Newbury been doing it?
ReplyDeleteI agree with the MaSS comments. I catch a little bit of their show every Sunday on the way to and from church and these guys have really grown together. I'd definitely take them over anything on the other stations and I think if they had a daily show they might really be able to become something. It seems like over the past month they've kinda dropped the churchy schtick somewhat. Matt often points out it's just an acronym and uses their full show name more often and Scot has stopped doing that really churchy intro to their weird stories segment. I like it, they've become a good pairing and I always enjoy listening.
ReplyDeleteNewbury and Jake, I'd never heard them before. First time together? I like Jake Z, I think he's got something.
Jake and Newbury were great. I think it's the Newbury side of things that made them so. Because Newbury and SeaBass are extremely good together. So you see my point? The common denominator is Newbury. He seems to have learned a lot from his, to put it bluntly, days of being nothing less than disrespectful to, and disdainful towards, Matt McClearin. Conversely, Matt has recently taken strides to quell his apparent instinctual need to express things in public that ought not be. The kids are getting grownzed up. I think the future of The Ticket is in good hands.
ReplyDeleteOn a related note: when was the last time CdS was on air? I know they have many fans that comment on this blog, but I don't particularly like the show. Way too frenetic and way too many voices. Besides, Mike Sirois does a fantastic job both producing Norm's show and acting as his foil when need be. Surely that's enough work for one man.
Plainsman, please provide some examples for this comment "...requires them to talk to guys who are not going to give you the straight story."
ReplyDeleteNot sure what you mean by this. Do you think some hosts or Cowboy insiders are giving factually incorrect information on purpose? As opposed to merely stating a different opinion.
If you answer yes, then what would be the motive(s) behind it. Surely opposing teams are not listening to the Fan pregame for intel.
the return of cirque is near. this link is their enemy.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.smumustangs.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/smu-m-footbl-sched.html
East Tex: It isn't necessary to think that any of who you are referring to as "Cowboy insiders" are deliberately lying to listeners in order to be not very interested in what they have to say. (Terrible sentence.) Yeah, I would absolutely rather listen to Newbury, Moore, and Hitzges than I would any one of them, and rather listen to Sturm than any of the Fan pre-game hosts.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, we're in general agreement that the Fan pre-game is a fairly OK show, well worth a listen for a change of pace.
This is only the second time Newbs and Jake have been paired up - for those who remember, they were the first show on the air after the Rangers choked away the World Series last year. I haven't heard the show yet, but I thought it would be a decent pairing and it looks like other posters who heard the show agree.
ReplyDeleteHaving a plus-one for Cowboys pre-game was a bit they rolled out last year, and it was pretty failed. Some hosts actually try (Craig, Corby, Jub), and some mail it in (Rhynes, and possibly Dan). Joe Lecci is in charge of producing it, and he tends to receive little cooperation from the plus-one if Dan's comments from last week are to be believed.
CDS hasn't been on in nearly a month due to Cash being sent to Germany to visit Dirk's family, lots of SMU, and, of course, Raceweek. I'm suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
This is CTO; interesting feedback, appreciate the comments.
ReplyDeleteDon't want to be a lurker so here goes....I will say when someone up here has a good idea or the rare (rare) occassion Rich or I do, we feel the best way to know if it is going to work is to throw it on the air. We trust the guys and the bench players to treat them as pros and give them a chance.
Talking specifically here about Newbury on the Pregame show (Bob and Newbury's idea) Jake and Newbury on Pregame plus (Newbury's idea) and the idea of having the regular hosts chime in on pre, yes was mine. Take that as you will. <--self depricating comment.
The idea there is simple. P1s like our show hosts, so why aren't they contributing (loose term) to our most important weekend programming i.e Cowboys? We rolled out the regular hosts during Mavs Playoffs/FInals pre and post, and the same for Rangers ALCS/WS (sniff).
If I didn't think they added value, I wouldn't do it.
Thanks
CTO of the Americas
Pan-American CTO: Thank you very much for the post and the information.
ReplyDeleteI hope no one on this site has conveyed the impression that the decision to add plus-ones to the Cowboys show was taken for reasons other than management's good-faith belief that it would improve the show. Overall, the feeling seems to be that it's a mixed bag -- some hosts getting on board, others somewhat less enthusiastic. (When Mike reported that this was his last scheduled appearance for the year and Bob invited him back any time, Mike's response was that he would "take it under advisement.")
In any event, thanks to the responsible CTO for working to enhance weekend broadcasting (largely successful), and a special Thanks to You for Shopping at My Ticket Confession. I'm offering discounts for Ticket insiders, so please keep us posted and apply necessary correctives, as you feel necessary.
Thanks for "Intentional Grounding," CTO of the Americas. Now please extend it another hour!
ReplyDeleteHaven't checked this thread in a while, so it's nice to see a reply from the CTO of the Americas here.
ReplyDeleteIf I may make a small correction to your statement - I would amend "P1s like our hosts" with "P1s like our hosts when they're engaged". Of course, the P1 audience is wide and has varied tastes, and I fully realize that I'm only one data point.
I thought adding extra hosts to the mix worked really well for things like playoff Mavs and Rangers games because you could sense their enthusiasm and you knew that they'd probably be talking about the game regardless of whether or not they had a microphone in front of them. Adding them to a pregame show for which there is little anticipation (on account of the Cowboys suckage) doesn't seem to have the same effect. Now, if you were to add the same hosts to the postgame show so they could join in on the dogpile....
Thanks for keeping an eye/ear open, Cattt.
Your work article, blogs I mean over all contents is must read stuff.
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