Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Omnibus Reaction to Last Batch of Comments


I admit, this is cheap, but I'm on the run and would like at least to refresh the thread.  A few thoughts on the last batch of comments, which I'll try to recap so you won't have to go back.

(1) Re Fan and (possibly) Ticket changes come 1-1-13 mentioned by a Confessor or two:  Has something been anounced, or is there some suggestion that there will be changes at the beginning of 2013?  There has been speculation for a long time about the results of the merger, but I hadn't heard anything definite.  Where did the "we may see changes in a month and a week" reference come from?

(2)  Re:  Boycott of music-related segments, punching out on music talk.  It might cause a blip on the stream numbers, but, as someone said, if you're not listening online, unless you're hooked up to a meter somewhere, your vote will not be counted. 

And, just so you know, the readership of this site is tiny, very tiny, compared to total Ticket listenership.  I have no idea how many total unique readers I have over the course of a week, but I'll tell you that my minimum unique-hits-per-day is around 100, rarely much fewer than that on weekdays, and my maximum is in the 200-300 range, usually on Mondays or Tuesdays, but sometimes spiking to 400-600 (rare).  (Page views much higher, maybe around a third again as many per day.)   My point is:  Anyone is welcome to urge a Ticket boycott here, but this site is probably not the best place to get an embargo started.

(3)   This site has been a fairly consistent defender of Corbally's broadcasting skills, and I was thinking today that his solo + Danny turn today after Mike took ill showed his talents to very good advantage.  Ask yourself -- if Mike retired or left the show tomorrow, would you listen to Corby and Danny over RaGE or ESPN?   I would, and, much as I like Mike and would hate to think I wouldn't be hearing him again, I have a feeling I'd like a Corby + Danny show even if the competition weren't moribund, and I'm not entirely sure that a plus-one would be at all necessary.

(4)  I'm very surprised by the interest in Jake "Z" Kemp, and by the division of opinion.  I'm in the pro-Jake camp.  So the guy has some opinions, what Ticket guy doesn't?  I don't find him obnoxious about any of them, not at all.  Don't agree with everything, but I find him easy to listen to and not as dogmatic as some Confessors have argued.  Again, I feel that we've been falsely conditioned to view Jake through the "space is super-gay" remark, and, as I said in a comment to the last post, he has a timbre to his voice that makes him sound a little like Dylan the Argumentative Teen -- he sounds younger than he is -- and I think he's slightly victimized by that as well.

Hey, Confessors, I really appreciated the solid batch of comments while I was on the road with the family.  Good work.

25 comments:

  1. End the speculation now. Nothing is happening or changing at the little one at the end of the year.

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  2. Listeners are boycotting music segments. I missed those comments. I'd like to boycott Tickers which feature audio of who-cares generic quotes from athletes or coaches along the lines of "well, we need to execute better" or "injuries are part of the game. Someone will just have to step up." I could really do without 90% of the audio they use in Tickers.

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  3. I could do without 100% of the Tickers period!

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  4. @ Anon 10:24 pm

    Go down to the 4th post in this link and it states from a respected person in the know that KTCK will be adding CBS Sports Radio programming. http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?topic=214441.0

    Maybe it's just nightly and weekend changes, but don't hold your breath on that.

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  5. Tickers are the highlight of White Elephant Day though.

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  6. Yes, I would listen to Corby and Danny, but only because of Danny. (Just as I probably wouldn't listen to the Orphanage if it were Davey and some B team spare.) Corby is highly entertaining when it comes to interviewing chicks or talking pop culture, but he can't be the lead horse for sports talk. They would HAVE TO get someone in there with some sports cred.

    The irony of Mike going home sick is that his level of disinterest is so high, I couldn't tell any difference in his manner.

    Rolling Stones talk on two segments yesterday - it's just a bit now.

    FWIW, I caught a few minutes of RaGE yesterday. They were playing a recording of a prank on Greggo, which included an F-bomb tirade. Greggo declared that he didn't think his attorney or his agent would think it was funny, but he quickly changed his tune and insisted he knew it was a prank all along.

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  7. If anyone kept track of the White Elephant results, would you please advise? Many thanks.

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  8. First off, and as an aside of sorts: Although they only happen sporadically (but of late more often), the anonymous comments, like for example the 10:24pm on this very thread, have grown stale. Offer up a reason as to why you think as you do, if you would, please. Playing the role of the pragmatic contrarian is pretty easy; and quite frankly, pretty lazy. If you have more in your bag than playing status quo/opposite man, show it. It would be great to have some nice counter arguments to think about.

    Changes: It does seem like something is coming down on/soon after the first of the year at both The FAN and The Ticket. To what extent, who knows. My gut feeling is that CBS Sports will become the overnight/Sunday afternoon feed for The Ticket, and the same feed/CBS national shows will play a more prominent role over at The FAN. However, I don't believe there will be any major changes over there --specifically, getting rid of RaGE. Even though RaGE's ratings warrant a swift kick out of the door. Especially when you consider the money spent and lengths gone to make the show successful. It really does bespeak to the utter mediocrity of Whitt and, yes, Greggo (at least Greggo without a strong partner, like Mike).

    While I love White Elephant day (can't wait till next week!), this drawing segment with all hosts on board talking at once, screaming at once, is giving me a headache. If this is what Plainsman was thinking about when he decided not to listen to Cowboy Theater 1310, well, I don't fault his thinking. Regardless of whether he made the right decision. My word, Gordo's constant screaming is killing me. I don't want to, but I'm about to punch out. Due solely to Gordo's screaming.

    Music: I'm with most the rest of you guys: I've had it with Stones talk. I love the Stones. And yet, I have no desire to see the new documentaries that have been released about them because The Hardline has killed my interest. I do think that by this time they must know there is a segment of their listeners that are bothered by this, and them being the way they are, think it's funny and are in some ways purposely poking that segment in the eye.

    Corby: I'm in complete agreement with Plainsman's statement. When you look across the spectrum of pm drive time sports/guy talk radio in this area, who would you listen to in lieu of Corby and Danny?

    Jake: He's not enough on my radar to engender a strong feeling either way. The only thing about him that stands out to me is his voice. More specifically, his odd sort of way he ends sentences which end with a word that ends with an "a." He sometimes does, sometimes doesn't pronounces the "a" in a strange east coast accent sort of way. It sounds very unnatural and affected. Actually, someone else in a thread a few months ago brought this up, too. Other than that, as I said, Jake is a non-factor for me. His work this past Sunday morning was OK. I know he's been doing IJB for a fairly long while now, but doing a podcast and doing live radio, I would imagine, are two different animals. LIke Scot Harrison and pretty much everyone else at the station, the more he does it, the better he'll get. One final thing: Plainsman has mentioned the "space is super-gay" comment as being a reason why Jake is a lightening rod with some on a few occasions now. I disagree with him that the comment provides for a false condition. He did say it; as he also gave himself the name "Jake Z." Those sort of comments and self-given titles do say something about the individual. What do they say? That's another thing altogether.


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  9. T4-
    The Ticket will get CBS Sports Radio's Scott Ferrall (9p-1am) because it is listed in a CBS Radio Press Release.

    http://www.cbsradio.com/single-press/1853?filter=2012

    A simulcast with The Fan for overnights with Damon Amendolara could also occur, but only The Fan was listed on that release.

    To start, The Fan will not carry the CBS Morning show (Tiki Barber/Dana Jacobsen/Tierney) or John Fienstein (in the next slot).

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  10. Jake didn't give himself the nickname. The Hardline did after they heard he went to a Jay-Z concert. Jake had two choices: try to run away from it and have the guys do everything they can to make it stick, or just embrace it because they'd try to make it stick anyway. Jake did the smart thing and embraced it. But that wouldn't fit your "lightning rod" narrative, would it? :)

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  11. From Gordo's website:

    Mornings 5:30-10am
    Hosts: Norm Hitzges, Donavan Lewis
    Yukmonkey: George Duncan
    Tickers: Dan McDowell
    Midmorning 10-noon
    Host: Gordon “Radio Golden Boy” Keith
    Tickers: Mike Rhyner

    Middays Noon to 3pm
    Hosts: Corby Davidson, Sean Bass
    Tickers: Mike Rhyner

    Afternoon drive 3-7pm
    Hosts: Bob Sturm, Ty Walker
    Yukmonkey: Rich Phillips
    Tickets: Craig “Junior” Miller

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  12. Okay, Grubes. Thanks for the correction on the origin of Jake's "Z" nickname. That still doesn't negate my comment's validity where "space is super-gay" and what it might say about himself and how others might perceive him. I don't have a "narrative," Grubes. If you go back and re-read my comment, I clearly state that I have no opinion on Jake's work. Why? Because, with the exception of what I find to be a strange speech issue, he's not on my radar. I even said that he did an OK job last Sunday; and that he'll get better with time, like everyone else. But to get back to your point, I'll reiterate what I said in my comment: I don't agree that the "sis-g" comment provides for a false condition. When we say something, we own it. Especially when said in such a public forum. (Though it being public doesn't give it anymore or less weight.) I'm not saying that the entirety of Jake ought to be judged by that comment. Absolutely not. It's obvious by my comment that I for one do not. What I am saying is that it does affect the way some view him, and because he said it, explained why he said it, indeed stood by it, it does not provide for a false condition. And by the way, for the record, I'm not judging the meaning or value behind the statement. Again, thanks for the nickname correction.

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  13. Oh, and I'm looking forward to hopefully hearing your fine work on The Hardline today, Grubes!

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  14. Would I choose to listen to Cobby/Danny over The Fail or ESPN? Without question.

    Would I choose to listen to Cobra/Danny over music of my choosing? I wouldn't, and I didn't yesterday. I stuck it out for about a segment and a half, but I just can't take that much Corby. My recommended daily allowance for the HL is already down to about 2 or 3 segments a day as it is. If it turns out that yesterday's show is the future of this thing, I'm going to be out completely.

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  15. Also, as is the case every year, I'm reeeeeeaaaaaly looking forward to While Elephant Day. I'm going to be glued to the radio for every one of The Junez'z tickers.

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  16. What is grubes doing on the hardline today?

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  17. The Hardline remote is in Denton so he's going to stop by.

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  18. duckandcover- Sorry to generalize. Just seemed like your comment had more bite to it than you think it did. No big deal. I should have left the "narrative" comment out because that gave *my* comment more bite than I intended. Can we still be friends?

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  19. Absolutely, Grubes. Looking forward to your radio gold, today!

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  20. I love Corby, but I think he has a problem knowing when to stop when things he does becomes irritating to the listener. Besides the Rolling Stones thing, e-news today had him reading the world's longest press release. It went on, and on, and on. He would of read the entire thing if Danny didn't stop him. Why would he think we want to listen to him read something?

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  21. The White Elephant recap on the Hardline solidified how much Rhyner has given up, or better yet, how little he cares about the listeners. I know that sounds cheesy, but if he did, would he be so dis-interested? Just like his comment back during Greggo-gate, "we don't owe you anything" That was real. He eventually walked back a tiny bit on that comment, but we know that's how he feels.

    He plans to write 1 ticker and repeat it each time....maybe he'll end up doing something different but I don't think it would surprise anyone if he stuck with that plan. I remember his 10-noon shift a few years back and it was a complete give-up. The fact that Corby immediately threw it out there that he was lazy means that they are aware of it on the show. Many people may complain about too much Corby, but he's had to pick up the slack or else the show would grind to a halt.
    Rhyner probably wants to retire but they money whipped him into staying because the station may be afraid of what happens when he leaves. But then again, why would he leave? Making mid-high 6 figures...coasting thru his job with no challenges or fear of consequences (ratings drops).. using the show as a free promotional tool for his band.. why give that up?

    I think the comments here represent a wide opinion out there....Danny & Corby would be successful. I think their radio talent would make them successful but also because of the pathetic options that are on the other stations.

    I'm a P1...been listening since 98. Given the age of some of the hosts, it's inevitable that change will happen eventually.

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  22. duckandcover: In turn, please offer up one doomsday prediction that has actually come true, and it might stem the eye rolls. Until then, pardon us if we choose to chuckle at the "end of days" proclamations often made on this site and in these comments.

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  23. @Anon 9:41am
    Your comment is a non-sequitor. That is, it has absolutely nothing, whatsoever, to do with my asking for folks like yourself to offer up some reasons for your snarky one-liners. Whether you agree or not with the doomsday comments, most of them provide at least some reason as to why they think X, Y, or Z. Moreover, if you want to play the show me yours and I'll show you mine game, then why don't you provide an example of an "end of days" comment. Other than one that is obviously snarky, I don't think you'll find an actual example. Most of the doom dealers around here claim that things either aren't as good as they once were, or that things seem to be changing or could change in the future and they don't like the direction. I can't recall a serious comment or a post by Plainsman that predicts the demise of the station. Of The FAN, yes. But not The Ticket. Please be mindful that seeing change, major or minor, on the horizon and predicting the demise of The Little One are two distinct things. As well, saying that if such and such a scenario occurs such and such thing could happen that might lead to the end is also different than predicting the end.

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  24. First thing that comes to mind: Several (serious) references to Mike quitting, including one that specifically said, "Mark it down. Mike quits on Monday." That was around four months ago.

    The commenter didn't say WHICH Monday, though, so I guess he could still be correct when Mike eventually retires (on the off chance it happens on a Monday). Just to cut off your next defense at the pass.

    Until then, carry on with doomsday.

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  25. Please provide the link to the comment. Sounds like a Grumpy Anon/Troll posting.

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