Tuesday, January 15, 2013

OPEN THREAD: No, Really, I'm Serious

I'm out of town, Confessors, and in meetings all day and evening.  So no new material the rest of this week.  You are all very careful custodians of the integrity of this site, so I am certain that in my absence you will post comments of interest in its spirit.

Hear something interesting on the channel?  Book it.

Care to weigh in on the "big changes at The Fan by May" versus "nah, maybe a few little ones" controversy?

Your views on the decline, if any, of The Hardline?

Ferrall?

Or, maybe you'd just like to continue the sizzling Pundendous, Vaginormous, Honeybaked Ham Billboard commentary from the prior post:

Post on Disturbing Honeybaked Ham Billboard Viewed in Passing Each Morning as I'm Listening to the Musers:

 
 
I hope to be back with more in a week.  If I have time before bedtime to weigh in, I'll do it.  Thanks in advance to all hearty Confessors.
 

58 comments:

  1. Might as well put this here then:

    Hardline really slammed weekend programming today, in particular Mitchell Karasik

    Some highlights:

    Jake: "...and Mitchell Karasik..."
    Mike: "Who's that?"
    Corby: "He's a ticker guy who can't read."
    Corby: "We hired a ticker guy that during every word, it sounds like he's about to swallow his tongue."
    Danny: "He got every singe word wrong."
    Mike: "This (talking about weekend talent) sounds like a totally different scene. This sounds like a completely different radio station. This doesn't sound like the Ticket I know."
    Mike: "We've hired our first official retard for the ticket tickers."
    Mike: "So watch out for that, CBS."

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  2. Well, now I feel kind of bad.

    I heard MK's debut and, contrary to my usual practice of giving newcomers a break, felt compelled to remark on it. I thought, as did at least one other Confessor, that surely the CTO get dozens of audition tapes for Tickerman types, surely some of them accomplished writers and readers, and this chap just didn't seem like one whose resume would rise to the top. It is incredibly difficult for young guys to make a dent in TV and radio and I like to see guys like MK getting a chance, so in general I don't comment on newcomers, but his early work has been . . . well, not as bad as The Hardline portrayed, but -- let's just say "puzzling."

    Hope this site did not unfairly spotlight Mitchell to his career detriment, I really do.

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  3. Shaggy, what else did they say about weekend programming?

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  4. Oh, it started with discussing the Tee Box meltdown (heard here: http://www.theunticket.com/teebox-e-brake-bonanza-1-12-13/ )

    They played the Karasik part of that montage. Most of what was said is what I posted. They also talked about how wild-ass the Sirois brothers are, marveled that Stu Cedar is the elder statesman, etc etc. it happened starting at 6:50 or so,
    So you can re-listen on the unticket tomorrow.

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  5. This site has nothing to do with "unfairly spotlighting Mitchell to his career detriment"

    He's terrible. On Saturday the Tee Box was ribbing him for not keeping up with the happenings at the station. As the plainsman mentioned, surely Cat and Rich receive tons of audition tapes.

    The word Plainsman used "puzzling" does sum it up correctly. I'm unable to listen every single weekend but he always seems to struggle every time I hear him.

    Although, I never recognized or paid attention to him until Plainsman started posting "Karasik Watch" updates.

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  6. In my estimation, the job description for Second-Tier Sports Radio Personality contains the following hard requirements:

    * Ability to speak English clearly
    * Ability to read written English aloud

    Under the heading of "Nice To Have" would be:

    * Ability to clearly convey a thought
    * Possess a pleasant speaking voice
    * Possess strong, detailed opinions about sports

    What I don't understand about the MK hiring is that he doesn't meet any of the job requirements. I don't have anything against the guy personally, I just don't understand how a guy who can't speak clearly and can't read the copy could get a job on America's favorite sports station that requires speaking clearly and reading copy.

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  7. I'm not so sure The Ticket higher-ups really have much talent when it comes to finding new talent. They haven't had to do a thing to the M-F lineup in years--the last significant addition was Donnie. And it's questionable if Donnie is anything special.

    I find TC's Top 10 to be generic, repetitive, and low-quality, especially compared to Jake's previous work or when KT fills in. His cadence and voice are not well suited for on-air. Many of the weekend Ticker guys are mediocre at best too. I personally feel CDS is overrated, and I don't understand the entire station's obsession with the Saturday morning shows. So just like the Hardline has been in cruise control, perhaps so has management.

    But, on the other hand, like I've mentioned previously, if Kelly Webster can keep her job despite being unable to read on-air, being good at radio really may be much more difficult than we all assume.

    And I have no doubt the Fan will be making wholesale changes after the Super Bowl. When your morning and evening drive both turn in Jacksonville Jaguars performances you can't just keep rolling out the same roster and expect to compete.

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  8. Junior made a good point this morning. If the Ravens make it to the Super Bowl (and I think it will happen because the football gods want to torture me with Ray Lewis adoration and adulation), they will have to deal with an overly smug Nasty Nestor.

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  9. @Scruffy - Start doubting dude. Changes-probably, Wholesale-no way. Keep in mind-while the 2012 ratings were tough 6a-7p. Generally the same team had ratings success in 2011, and there's a little show on from 7p-Mid that's been dominating.

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  10. Haha! "Dominating." Against what? Replays, national feeds, and Mavs games? It's always sad when a FAN employee comes on here and tries to act the big man.

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  11. What ratings success are you talking about? Seriously. Please don't come on here with that spin crap. The FAN's ratings, across the board, were, are, and have been since its inception, abysmal. They've publicly made beating The Ticket their goal (which is fine), and they've FAILED miserably. They've not made even a speck of a dent. So take your weak stuff back to The FAN offices, friend. That sort of crap might work with your CBS higher ups, ya know: "hey I can spin things to make it actually look like we're sucking less...that way we can keep this thing going because CBS is so monied and so stupid they could care less just how bad we are, unless we really f things up," but it won't fly here, pal.

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  12. @4:29 PM Anonymous

    Sorry, I can't believe you until you provide numbers. As far as I can remember the numbers have been about the same the last two years, so why was 2011 a success? And as for you comment about the same crew did it once, that sounds a lot like Jerra saying HE won 3 Super Bowls and he can do it again. Good luck with that and peace be with you.

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  13. Slim, I think you mean 944 anon.

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  14. Thanks, I'm new, trying to figure this out.

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  15. I think he's talking about the Rangers playoff run ratings. So yeah.

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  16. So, Mr. Anonymous CBS Radio employee, when exactly did ratings get over Jacksonville's win total for 2012?

    The only reason there wouldn't be wholesale changes is because that would be admitting complete failure, and because there's no local media types that haven't already flamed out in radio or more spare Ticket employees to pull away who anyone would care about. But when your evening drive can't eat into a Hardline show that most people freely admit is half-assing most of the time and a crew of self-amused blowhards on ESPN, your radio station isn't successful. And advertisers don't care about after 7 pm.

    Has Dez been put on IR yet?

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  17. @Anon CBS Employee

    Rejected out to half court!

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  18. Maybe the Fan plans to scoop up Moore and Wilonsky when Intentional Grounding ends its run.

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  19. man, those Progressive commercials are really wearing out their welcome. I've had to turn off the stream about a dozen times today and almost every day this week. Do the CTO get free handjobs from Flo if they run Progressive commercials every break?

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  20. I just finished listening to THL's discussion of the weekend shows. Like ap Tweeted today, Mike nails it: It's not The Ticket I know, but it's where this thing is going.

    So just where is it going?

    I recall a nice debate between an Anon and another named commenter (whose name I cannot remember) pertaining to this topic. To wit: What direction is the station going once the main hosts begin to move on? Is it going down the CdS/IJB path, or will it continue on as is?

    I agree that those are the two possible paths this thing will take. The only third possibility is if it goes more and more national; if that's the case, then I would imagine most P1s like us will move down the dial, switch over to satellite, go all iPod, or read more books.

    Are there any real differences between the two? If so, what are they?

    I believe there are differences. Foundational ones. The "Weekend Path" (WEP) is based on comedy, while the "Weekday Path" (WDP) is based on what I'll call the "Classic Ticket Model" (CTM); this consists of programming rooted in sports, but with an equal mixture of guy talk, and to a lesser extent (sans morning am drive) intentional comedy. This distinction is huge. Why? Because WEP is trying to make the listener laugh--by any means necessary. It's all bam-bam rapid-fire, every member of the crew having equal say/airtime, and there's a sense of each member trying to crack the other up. This can give off a "this is about us"/listener be damned vibe. There's also a presumption held by the hosts that the listener is of their demo and "gets" his/the crew's sense of humor/jokes. This can be especially problematic when many of the comedic routines offered are from movies, Youtube clips, real comedian's acts, etc., that many listeners might not be familiar with. In short, it can very quickly, and often does, become insider-ish. Not a good thing. What's worse (now this is subjective, of course), it's often times (most times, actually) more frenetic than funny. It also breeds poor work. I believe that's why (Mitchell Karasik exempted; that poor lad is just bad, he's not trying to do schtick) so many of the weekend Ticker guys never progress. They're too busy working in comedy routines to pay attention to the actual content and quality of their work. Same goes with the hosts. Same with whoever it is up there running things. If The Ticket goes down the WP, it will quickly devolve into something that I can guarantee will bore the living s*** out of everyone. It'll be headache inducing; it'll be like THL is now, except exponentially worse (sorry Hardline, but it's true; you've become a mediocrity swimming in a sea of pm drive time dead coral...it's the sole reason you're still #1). However, there is a problem.

    The only sub or weekend hosts that uphold the CTM/WDP torch are the Intentional Grounding fellas, Newbury, Sea Bass, Scot Harrison, Mike Doocy, Rhads, and Ticket Sports Sat/Sun. Where does this leave you? Nowhere good, that's for sure. Four of them are in tv/print media; they aren't going to become full time am radio daytime hosts. The others, while very good, have sort of bared their collective arse when they've filled in for successive days in a row. Meaning, they are anything but polished. However, seeing how it isn't as if all four daytime shows aren't going away at once, I believe there is enough talent on the WDP/CTM side of the aisle to keep the party rolling as it is. Then again, there are enough WEPers to fill in the gaps, as well. My feeling is that the CTO will go down the WEP when it comes to replacing the daytime hosts; which will begin to happen at some point in the not so distant future. Personally, I don't look forward to it. Unless once they have to do it on a daily basis, they realize that going 190 mph in ADHD like fashion will drive them every bit as nuts as it will the listener.

    What say you MTCers?

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  21. Duck and Cover has it all figured out man....

    SB

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  22. @SB
    duck is a good egg. He gave his opinion then asked for ours. Your smarmy jackassery is silly. Like that CBS employee anon, take your weak schize elsewhere. Or make a meaningful contribution.

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  23. @anon 4:57

    What is the meaning of your tagline "SB". Sean Bass?

    IMHO, I don't see a lot of movement until the Old Grey Wolf leaves. And I don't think that is happening anytime soon. As has been reported in this blog-o-sphere many times over, when you have one of the best jobs in DFW, why leave?

    People have stated that Norm is so driven about his place that he will never retire. Will die at the switch. Is it any different with Rhynes.

    I see Norm retiring and spending his latter years with his new bride before Mike leaves. When this happens look at Jr. Miller moving into Norm's spot and backfilling June's spot with one of the JV.

    Just my opinion.

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  24. SB surely isn't Sea Bass. I'm pretty sure that Sea Bass knows how to properly manage a comment section--i.e., knows that you don't "sign" your name to the end of the comment, but rather, use the "Choose an identity" - "Name/URL" button to identify oneself. Moreover I can't see him making a snarky comment. It would serve him no purpose and show him to be shallow and unprofessional. Of which he is neither.

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  25. @BBQ

    I agree. Was merely asking the question.

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  26. Late in Bahston.

    Thanks to the Nation for a lively set of heavy-duty comments.

    I hold with those who don't see big changes at The Ticket for quite awhile.

    I wonder whether The Duck is having a bit of fun satirizing my employment of acronyms (STD, CTO). Fair enough. It took me awhile to decipher his thoughts, but they are rather interesting.

    Here's my little thinking on the subject: No one will move, no show will change, until at least the 20th anniversary of this amazing, incredible radio phenomenon. Once that celebration passes -- can you imagine the shindig they will throw for the P1, probably an especially opulent TicketStock -- we may see some change. May. But not until then.

    But when you stop to think of it, what change is likely?. Who in his right mind (and who is not going to retire) is going to leave The Ticket? Unless recruited to a national platform for significantly bigger dollars? Look at your prime candidates for departure: Other than his utter lack of interest in show prep, or sports generally, or listeners generally, all of which have gone on now for, oh, as long as I've been listening, why does anyone think that Mike won't stay with his signature showgram for a long, long time? Norm the same. And maybe Junior's gotten rich at The Ticket, but I don't see his itchy feet pedaling away from gainful employment, either.

    As far as The Fan -- hell, what else does CBS have to throw out there? It wouldn't shock me if RaGE hung on, but, as Confessors have noted, we're hearing some more interesting programming out of the joint, even if it's unlikely ever to be a regular gig. (E.g., Bacsic/Lewin.) CBS has not given up on sports talk in this market, and I daresay that some of the commentary on this site -- especially Confessors who are tuning out The Hardline -- may be giving the CBS programmers some aid and comfort.

    Jeez, none of that made any sense. Late.

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  27. No satirization, Plainsman, just keeping within the spirit of the thing in its original concept. I like tradition. As is evident in my likes and dislikes pertaining to The Ticket's present and future states.

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  28. I think you've hit the nail on the head with the 20th anniversary benchmark. And with that, I would not be surprised if Mike says "adieu." And why wouldn't he? Mike's all about proving points. Well, 20 years as the, and by far and away, #1 am and pm drive shows in the #5 market of the US doesn't say "SUCK IT," I don't know what does. You have to know damn well that Mike wants to go out on a high note. And let's face it, this thing has nowhere to go but down from this point on. It's the nature of things. Norm is a different animal. He lives to do this. Mike doesn't. Mike lives to be Mike; and to be recognized as Mike (the latter being very important to him).

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  29. I feel that those thinking that the weekend path is somehow different than the standard way of doing things at the ticket are reading things incorrectly. The guys doing weekend shows are all very talented in their own right. Do you have any idea how many people would kill to have a couple weekend hours of time for a show on the ticket? There are tons of media types that have tried to use their influence and failed. Local TV and radio names that you know. Virtually every sports reporter at every local station and paper has, at one time or another, made advances toward attempting to gain some airtime. They don't get a chance however because they don't have "it". In fact, I'd venture to say that this "troublesome direction" and weekend path represents not a troublesome vision of what the tickets demise might be, but instead, the proving ground where minor leaguers get their at-bats in the major league cage and a possible bright future for when that awful time might arise that one of the cornerstones of the station leaves, moves or quits. I think that CDS and MASS both have their own take on the classic ticket flavor and are in position to carry the torch should it ever be passed to them. IJB is like the kid that the big ball club drafted straight out of high school and plans to send to single-a albuquerque to let him grow a bit, while the other two are ready for a late season call up at any time. No, these weekend shows aren't THL, BAD, NORM or THE MUSERS but they sure as hell beat the pants off of anything at the other two stations as far as backups go and they are being organically grown for when the time might come. They are unique to the ticket. Brothers that can pull something like this off? That's just gold. Insane Matt and Texas Scott? A unique combo that gets better with every show that passes. Sure, change is scary but like death and taxes its the only constant. And I choose to think that for the first time in a long time the weekends make the future look brighter at the ticket and a far cry from any negative cloud that some choose to thing is hanging over it.

    Oh, and the orphanage rules your buns.

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  30. You are right BBQ, I can navigate a comment section. Glad you have faith in me and don't lump me in with the online troll community.

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  31. T4, my thought exactly.... reads like that one comment we know to be Cat's. If so, awesome!

    Regardless of who the commenter is, s/he makes some good points. However, I disagree with some of the assertions.

    First off, Mike R.'s comments paint a different picture than the one 1:58Anon puts forth. Mike's thoughts, at least for me, go a long way. Secondly, I understand the baseball analogies, and I see where they fit, in theory. However, like many if not most theories, practice/reality often conflicts with the idea/ideal and the desired outcome(s).

    I agree with the gist of duck's analysis of the weekend shows. CdS as it is currently presented would drive the average weekday listener crazy. You would have listeners punching out within 20 minutes. After a couple of weeks, they'd be punching out for good. I'm not saying CdS can't make for a good everyday show. But not the way it is now. Like duck said, going "190 mph in ADHD like fashion" on a daily basis will turn the Sirloin Bros. themselves into basket cases. No offense, but Insane Matt (Inappropriate/Boundary Issues Matt is more apt) is in no way suited to be a main host in the number 5 (I believe) market in the US. Maybe in a Kidd Kraddock Flake Boy role (Gribs' old gig); but no way as an everyday host. He would have to dial it waaaay back. Quite frankly, I don't think he's capable of it. He craves the attention, no matter how unflattering it is, far too much to install an internal governor. Now, I don't count either the Tee Box or The Train Station into the mix. Those shows are what they are; always have been, always will be. Though I do think Rick could make for a compelling regular host. Have to agree, again, with duck on the weekend Ticker guys and their comedy routines often times getting in the way with their actual job.

    Bottom line is that if you (1:58Anon) believe that the weekend shows are not markedly different in vibe and depth than the weekday shows, I think you either don't listen close enough or are too close to it to listen to them with open ears/mind. And finally, as to the competition: You are right, for now. But that can change quickly. As it's been said in these com boxes many times, if The FAN can ever get Bacsik and Lewin a show, look out. Even Bacsik alone would be better than either CdS or MaSS (Scot H is very good and only getting better, but he has a partner that he's constantly having to rein in). And just for the sake of argument: if you put either MaSS or CdS up against Ben and Skin, they'd lose the ratings war. I'd wager a year's worth of pay checks on it. Moreover, the day IJB is a weekday show, The Ticket will have already been in 2nd or 3rd place in the ratings for a considerable period of time. TC is about as compelling as dry wall and Jake is way too Corbyesque cocky. It shows more and more with each passing day. One Corby in 3 generations is enough.

    The Orphanage can be good when Davy and Danny decide to make it good. Which means when they actually discuss issues like adults and not teenagers.

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  32. atlanta rhythm sectionJanuary 18, 2013 at 5:35 PM

    Woo hoo! Anyone hear Danny's shot at Greggo??? "We had someone here who began to believe his lies were true." DANG! Always noticed that after Rhynes it's Danny who makes the most and harshest Greggo comments. Wonder what went down between those two?

    Let the good times roll!

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  33. That's it. Scart sculling. I'm done. Go to bake. Let's tahk gahf. Ferrall is a freakin' horror show. Anyone know how long The Ticket's contract with the show lasts? This can't go on. It's gotta be driving off listeners by the droves. Believe me I've tried to like him. I've given him the old college try. That is the most annoying voice ever. That bizarre phrasing monotone buzz saw thing he gets locked into like he's reading off a list is inhuman. I can't take it.

    Attention CTOs or any Ticket employee who reads this and has the ear of Cat or whomever can effect change.............GET RID OF FERRALL, NOW! WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO DESERVE THIS IDIOT AND HIS BRAIN FRYING VOICE AND SCHTICK??????????????

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  34. Yesterday was the absolute worst Hardline's show I've ever heard. Mike, Danny, and Jake were completely overmatched trying to discuss Lance Armstrong and Manti Te'o. Mike and Danny hadn't even seen the Lance interview, and the Manti discussion involved simply reading from various news reports. Really bad.

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  35. Ausgang is either a lawyer, or a Jim Carrey fan.

    And a very fine Confessor.

    But one of those two things.

    Which is it, aus?

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  36. I got back late last night. I've been glancing at the comments, not even able to read them all. I'll correct this today and throw in my $.02.

    But I must say: You guys are the absolute best community of blog followers of any kind. My deep appreciation.

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  37. Craig Rosengarden gets his lumps, but I really enjoyed his tale of entrepreneurial stuggles this morning.

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  38. I'll take yesterday's THL over the regular one any and every day. There were far less superlatives, no sominex stories about coyotes in the ditch out back or frat boy tip-touching reunions with stapleton, edgerton, cockleton, and better opinions that were researched and formed more than 30 seconds before showtime.

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  39. I don't think 158 is the Pan-American Catman.

    I think it's David Lane.

    Danny would have been more colorful. Cat would have capitalized "orphanage."

    Either way, and even if none of those guys, the comment has the ring of inside-ish authority, and was most welcome. Thanks, 158.

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  40. I believe the Teebox-Orph handoff today reported that Intentional Grounding would come to an end after the next show, at least until the next time the concept of "intentional grounding" as a title for a show makes sense.

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  41. BREAKING NEWS

    http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2013/01/twilite-lounge-sets-on-deep-ellum-as-danny-balis-slobberbone-guitarist-look-to-open-a-bar-on-elm-street.html/

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  42. While this doesn't mean he's leaving THL--not just yet anyway--it sure does sound familiar:

    "(iv) Danny leaves The Ticket. Yes, I said it. I don't like it. But I think it's going to happen. I think he's ready to move on to other things. Perhaps move to Boston or even Nashville (music). He's a musician, and that's what truly drives him and that's how he wants to make his mark in the world. And he knows he's not getting any younger (45, I believe). Time to make the move, now or never. "

    It's not a move to another locale, but it is making music an even more focal point of his life...and it's quite an endeavor; one that can leave one's mark in the world. Also, one that requires, especially in the early years, all of one's time and attention, day and night (especially when your title is "president"). Hmmmmm.

    My updated prediction: Danny soon announces his departure from The Ticket, Jake steps in as producer, and TC mans the board.

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  43. @Sean Bass
    I'll always have your back, pal. Keep up the fine work!

    @duck
    Damn dude, we might have to call you the MTC Psychic. We'll see how this plays out. But for now you sure seem to be on top of it.

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  44. Jim Carrey fan. Thanks for the kind words, Plainsman.

    Interesting development for Mr. Dark Cloud Danny Pizza Man Balis. I'd hate to see him leave THL. Though I can't imagine him leaving until his bar/music venue is fully operational and doing enough business that it requires his full attention. Then again, I've never worked at, much less run such an establishment. Best of luck to Danny, and I know I'll stop in for a few and to catch a show. I wonder what sort of acts he and his partners plan on bringing in? I hope it runs the gamut. We'll see soon enough.

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  45. Yes, it is hard to imagine Danny toiling at his producer gig or helming a 10 am show on Saturdays if he's operational at the new place. And I'm guessing he will be -- his involvement in the place is a draw. I'm sure he'll continue to be a friend of the station and will pop up from time to time. Look for some Ticket remotes and/or evening events there, maybe?

    Heck he already (mysteriously) missed his Orphanage gig today.

    Interesting, is it not, that he did not respond to Wilonsky reaching out for information. Buds, no? I can see the texts:

    "DOOD, CALL ME ON THIS"
    "Robert, cant now"
    "ONE FOR YOUR HOMES"
    "Not til commish meeting, bro"

    I might even expect Danny to lay low on THL until the Commission takes it up -- if he's even on duty at THL, we may hear Mike/Corby/Danny studiously avoiding the whole thing. My bet is that Twilite on Elm's lawyer has given his/her clients a stern talking to about not discussing this publicly until they have their permit in hand.

    Good luck to them, and see you there.

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  46. atlanta rhythm sectionJanuary 19, 2013 at 4:08 PM

    Good for Big Dumb Danny. That's a tough business to succeed in. I wish he and his partners all the best. It will really suck if he does leave The Hardline, but let's face it, unless you're Fernando all producers and board ops eventually move on. Even though Danny is much more than a producer, he's obviously got other goals in life to achieve. Like I said, I wish him nothing but the best of luck. He'll need it for sure. But if anyone can pull it off, I'll betcha Danny can. I also betcha the pm drive boys keep this on the down low until it becomes official-official, legal-legal. Then we'll get that announcement that none of us wanna hear.

    STAY HARD DANNY!

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  47. You are all crazy. The Hardline is a 3PM-7PM job. The details of his role in the establishment aren't out yet. If he's going to run a bar is he going to quit The King Bucks too?

    There's merit to your comments above, but you're making a tone that says he's gone.

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  48. 427, have you ever invested and/or been a partner in a start up business? If so, a restaurant/bar business? I'm thinking not. I have. It is a full time job that requires your full attention damn near 24/7. A 3-7 shift, which with prep and whatnot actually eats up much more time, is in the heart of the "getting s done" time of day for a bar. So yes, this is no guarantee that he's leaving the show, but it also makes it highly probable.

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  49. Danny and Slobber got investors, in part, because Danny was going to be the President.

    Saloons operate at night.

    THL runs until 7 -- the after-work crowd who will check out the new place will have already started to arrive.

    Danny's gonzo.

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  50. Opening a business, including a bar, has got to be a full time job.

    If Danny goes, I may be out as a Hardline P-1, as I, for one, enjoyed the Cobra-free presentation.

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  51. I am a co-owner / investor in a business with two other guys. We have a manager who runs the business better than I could.

    He handles all the daily stuff while we (co-owners) handle financial and strategic issues.

    Why couldn't Danny do the same. A manager deals with ordering / personnel / daily stuff and Danny deals with some type of scheduling, oversight etc.

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  52. I'm with 10:46. I am out on the Hardline if Danny goes. He is the only thing that makes the show worth listening to.

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  53. To the anon who hates Scott Ferrall, right there with ya, brudda! I seem to recall the last time they tried carrying his show back in the late 90s, and I want to say Georgio was blasting him(or was it JT the Prick, I mean Brick? or maybe it was both).

    Ferrall represents everything that is wrong with sports talk radio; trying to play cheerleader to his callers with stupid "Rah-rah! Have loads of energy!" crap; speaking of his callers, I'm sure those are fake too. Every single try to sound hyped up to the point that it sounds contrived.

    Speaking of crap, has anyone seen the little one's website lately? Looks like it was just thrown together at the last minute, and the picture cuts look like someone just started using Photoshop for the first time and haven't figured out how to use the cutting tools.

    Sorry for all the negativity. :(

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  54. Maybe Danny could, by why on earth would he? The point of doing what he's doing is to make money. Revenue and capital appreciation. He's getting precious little of the former at The Ticket, and none of the latter. He's doing what a lot of approaching-middle-age men and women do -- they are leveraging their gifts into something that will secure their future. I don't see Danny lending his name -- which is a very excellent name to musicians and P1s, but beyond that, query -- to this without expectation that he will be in operational charge. I have zero idea of his financial wherewithal, but I'm doubtful that he had the personal financial resources to become a substantial, much less a controlling, owner in this business.
    Wild, wild guess on something that is 100% none of my business: A considerable portion of Danny's ownership interest is in the form of his agreement to front and run this operation -- (1) front, for his music contacts and good reputation among the media set and his fans; (2) run, for his brains and toughness and work ethic, if perhaps not for his hospitality-industry experience. Folks, that's called sweat equity, and sweat equity means sweat, and sweat means working hard at the entity where that equity resides.

    So it's hard to believe that Danny is going to be a figurehead. And if he's not that, then he's out.

    Interesting, isn't it, that none of us knows a damned thing about this other than what we read in Robert's piece, but we've all got it figured out.

    And coming to different conclusions.

    It's stuff like this that's fun for us, but makes Ticket employees roll their eyes.

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  55. @Triple Fake
    You're right on both points. No apology necessary. Ferrall is what went wrong with talk-radio as a whole: bombastic bulsh.

    The Ticket's website has always been appalling. It's cluttered, ugly, not user friendly, is often dated and rarely updated in a timely fashion where photos, etc., are concerned and has many important things left off (e.g., hosts' email addresses). The thing looks like it was done by you or me in our spare time while using a Web Site Design for Dummies sort of book. The station ought to be embarrassed and ashamed of their site.

    I think you nailed it Plainsman when you said this (Danny) type of speculation is fun for us but most likely drives the hosts/employees batty. I for one don't see how Danny stays on once the project gets up and rolling in a concrete, boots on the ground-asses in the seats-elbows on the bar way. My feelings are the same as everyone else's, good for Danny, I wish him the best, but I hate to see him go. Who knows, maybe he already has worked it out so he can do both jobs? But I think Plainsman's scenario is the more likely one. He'll have a Grubes type of relationship. He'll always be a part of The Ticket family and a Hardliner. We'll see him at remotes or events from time to time. He'll probably still be a part of the Time Wasters.

    Whatever goes down, things seem to be getting interesting at Victory.

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  56. I haven't heard Danny's new project mentioned yet today. If they have said something I missed it, and would appreciate ya pal if someone wouldn't mind filling me in (that's what she said). What I did hear was Danny talking about going to Spring Training in March. That tells me he's not going anywhere anytime soon. And I'd be surprised if he leaves his Hardline duties period. If he was going to leave I don't think he'd have mentioned going to Spring Training. At least not without either him or Corbles or Mike making some sort of half under the breath insinuation that things might be changing. That's sort of the way those guys do things.

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  57. Does anyone notice that sometimes Danny seems disgusted at some of Corby's comments? For the second time today, Corby mentioned how a business "gets it's nut". This last time Danny could be heard under his breath doing something like a "tsk". Not sure how to explain it, like a verbal sigh I guess. Corby's gotta have a job because of Rhynes, because he's so disrespectful to whatever he's talking about that he's gotta come off as a rick with a p to everyone he's in contact with. And...I haven't heard anything about Danny's new venture either. Maybe he can make it work and they get a third partner who they trust who can run the business side of things.

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