This story starts in mid-December 2014.
I certainly missed this, and I don't recall any of our far-flung correspondents mentioning it, but former (and noted) Ticket Program Director Bruce Gilbert joined Cumulus as "Senior Vice President/Sports" on or around December 15, 2014.
Cumulus News -- Bruce Gilbert
That position was newly-created for him. He had previously held the same title at iHeart Radio.
So Bruce Gilbert is now officially -- once again -- a CTO (Cumulo-Ticket Overlord, for new Confessors).
So this isn't exactly fresh news.
But this might be:
A radio-industry source who has some ties to Cumulus has told me that, since then, Gilbert has been seen in the halls at The Ticket on at least one occasion and perhaps more than one. I cannot evaluate my source's credibility, but it would make some sense that, at a minimum, Gilbert would be touring Cumulus's sportsradio properties.
Does this mean his hand may be seen in some of the recent changes we have all noted?
I don't know. My source did not know. Only that his person had been observed in the general vicinity of The Little One.
Whether Gilbert was at The Ticket or not, and whether he made some, um, suggestions or not, I do think it is of some significance that Cumulus created this position for him, and that he's a Ticket glory-day program director.
So: Maybe less here than meets the eye. I don't want to overstate the significance of his possible physical presence during a Ticket visit.
But maybe not less; maybe some arse-securing is in order, as Confessors continue to urge upon us.
But in any case -- I thought The Confessor would like to know.
Don't know the exact date of this, but around a month ago the Hardline mentioned on the air that he was around. He was either in studio or in the producer/board-op room.
ReplyDeleteSo there you go. Not as BREAKING as I thought. I hadn't heard that. Thought a Confessor would have alerted us -- but it's been awhile since Gilbert was on board, more recent listeners would not have caught on to the significance.
ReplyDeleteThanks for assisting this site in putting the news in perspective -- i.e., not so newsy.
Nice piece of news, Pman. I don't think it's for nothing that he's been spotted, much less hired. If any recall, when BG was hired on at CBS/FAN, The FAN began to attempt to cultivate the old Ticket bunker mentality--via show cross-pollination, group trips and hangouts, etc. It didn't take, at least not at that time, because it wasn't organic a la the early to mid Ticket days and the talent wasn't there/The Ticket was not yet in full-on cruise control, that is, ripe for the challenging.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's mere coincidence that BG comes back aboard the Cumulus train in mid-December and less than a month later audible changes begin to take place--e.g., 86ing the Ticker teases and weekend crosstalk, and now (as Norm admitted last week) station-mandated cross-pollination. Though I must say that the nixing of weekend crosstalk isn't, prima facie, a BG kind of move. Then again, there's a good chance that either not all the moves are BG implemented, or, this is a Let's Recreate/Recapture the Halcyon Days of The Ticket But Also Get More Streamlined BG big picture/keeping up with the corporate times kind of thing.
I, along with some in the last thread, fear that there is some big change(s) in the offing. A forced early retirement (Norm) and a fresh, younger demo led show put into place? A shuffling of the show lineup deck in the form of, say, BaD to PM Drive, THL to middays?
Who knows. But it sure seems like something big is coming around the bend. Something that we P1s are probably not going to like.
OK. THL mentioned he was around. The news is, he's around and he's the Senior Vice President/Sports. That very well could be rather significant. From the changes that are taking place (some of which smack of the old days), I'd say Gilbert is working behind the scenes on putting the station back on track. Make no mistake about it, the station has been falling off the track for awhile now.
ReplyDeleteNo Mike S = Gotta punch out 'til Noon. So far its The Sean Bass Show featuring Norm. Hey Sean, you don't have to pop on to try and answer every single question! Such a beating...
ReplyDeleteCould the real significance of BG be that he takes some of the current on air talent to other markets for primeti e slots, while also shaking up the current Ticket lineup to intro new, younger talent?
ReplyDeleteInteresting thought, but that seems unlikely. While The Ticket and Cumulus are taking the ratings issues seriously, I doubt they're anywhere near busting up the shows by completely removing long-time hosts. The only host I could conceivably see agreeing to leave Dallas might be Dan McDowell, and even that seems close-to-zero remote. Most of these guys have made enough at The Ticket to retire, or would find something else to do in Dallas, before they'd start over somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteMore likely (although also pretty unlikely, in my view) is that he would recruit JV guys to transport to other properties.
I think the current speculation -- that maybe he's made some suggestions to freshen up the sound and get some of presentations moving -- is more likely.
But I'm guessing there's more to come, and I'm guessing that the change(s) will be material.
I am assuming, Brad, that you are not related to Bruce and do not have superhot sizzling inside information.
They just announced that Carlisle-Sirois I will be replayed Wednesday night at 7.
ReplyDeleteLooks like The Ticket is losing the younger demo to The Fan. I will be very curious to see the Q1 books to see if The Fan's ratings were artificially driven up by the Cowboys success. But in any case, I don't think this is the time for panic. This is however the time to have a solid plan. If I was the PD, I would consider the following:
ReplyDelete- I would have more BaD Radio/Hardline remotes from "younger" areas like Uptown, West Village, Deep Ellum, etc. What better way to tell the younger demo they exist that interacting with them directly?
- Look into aligning when they air their commercials with The Fan so that people won't immediately turn the station when they go to break.
- The Ticket has to get better at uploading their podcasts. On nights when the Stars are playing, The Ticket doesn't post any highlights from that day at all. Most of the greatness from Super Bowl week, I had to pull from The Unticket. Along the same lines, you want to hear the roundtables from TicketStock? Well, you won't get them from the Ticket official site (God bless you Unticket). No U-Stream or YouTube video from The Battle of the Paddle?
- I love The Hardline but the show has been slowly going downhill, really since Greggo left. I think Mike has long since checked out and no one on the show does any research before a segment. It might be time to think about life post-Rhyner. I could see a revamped HL of Danny, Corby and Jake with Sirois producing (along with a fact-checking intern) doing well.
Anyway, just some thoughts.
With all these cosmetic changes going on, you'd think something would be done about what's tantamount to a website stuck on 1998. That and the fact more often than not remotes sound like something fro mm the 1960s.
ReplyDelete"I am assuming, Brad, that you are not related to Bruce and do not have superhot sizzling inside information."
ReplyDeleteNot related, nor am I the former tennis pro/coach.
Agree that the website is appalling. Incomplete, busted, cluttered.
ReplyDeleteAgree that content is squandered with poor podcast and rebroadcast management.
Agree that network content should be completely abolished. It's uniformly awful (compared to The Ticket for Dallas listeners).
Agree that there could well be a demographic element to the ratings decline.
Agree that another book or two -- I would say probably one would be sufficient -- is needed before we know if the ratings dip is real. My guess: a-yup.
And here's another thought for you: I don't know why the Cowboys ditched The Ticket for other pastures, but if I were the Cowboys I would have been unhappy about the signal. Is it possible that we're seeing a chain of events that had as at least PART (not all)of its beginning the shameful neglect by Cumulus of The Little One's very little and poor signal?
A lot to think about from Plainsman and MTCers over the last two threads. Great stuff.
ReplyDelete@Tricky Kid
Agreed. Not time to panic, yet. But I also agree with Plainsman that one more book will tell the story. If the book reads like I (and Plainsman) thinks it will, the time for serious reassessment will have arrived. Full blown panic, for sure if it continues and the numbers don't steady/even out but rather get worse. I do think, however, that the CTO is most likely already in serious reassessment mode. Stuff like this doesn't happen overnight. It's been a long time coming, and IMHO due mostly in part to laziness/contentedness on both the CTO and certain hosts/programs. I like TK's idea about having remotes where the younger demo hangs. The problem with that is you have to have businesses in those areas that want you (and want to pay for you to be there). The other issue is that most of the younger sports talk listeners (and older demo too) live in the burbs and outlying areas. This is true for ESPN and The FAN.
@Plainsman et alia
The website is a bad joke. Indeed, everything and anything technologically related to the station is a joke. It's a joke that I can assure you has come home to roost. From the signal (the FM signal is in many areas as spotty as the AM) to the website to the stream to a constant changing of apps to remote sound issues to in studio sound issues, it's all a bad joke that has been played out on the listener since D1. It used to be quaint, even cute. Hasn't been for well over a decade now.
Back to laziness. Yes, the tired bitch and moan is about THL. We all know the spiel by now. But hey, it's true. All of it. What's worse is that, as Mike has always said, "[The Ticket's] way is through The Hardline." He's right. So when the pm drive is as stale, unprepared (and seems to pride itself on its lack of preparation), uninformed about 90% of what they discuss--be it politics, pop culture--and is at times utterly callous towards the listener (Corby and Danny especially seem to go out of their way to alienate those who don't have their hip tastes), what you get is a what we are, finally, beginning to see from the listening public (and not just us overly caring MTCers). . . . .apathy, disinterest, manifesting itself into no longer being the #1 show in its time slot for the M25-55 demo in its category. When your anchor begins to slip from the bottom of the seabed, your ship begins to wobble. . . . .from stem to stern. Yes, The Ticket's way is through The USS Hardline. It might be hazed, it's definitely grayed, but it hasn't been underway in a long long long long time. BTW, Greggo not being around has nothing to do with it in as far as his contribution goes. The last 2 and change years of his stint were awful. Gawdawful at that. If you want to find the genesis, look no further than middle age crisis bands and all that that can, and in this case does, entail.
@The Tricky Kid:
ReplyDeleteHere are some things to consider regarding your considerations.
1a- Holding remotes in locations with younger demos really doesn't help when those you are younger really do not listen at all. Today for an advertiser, I'm not sure there is a real purpose for remote broadcasts.
1b- Every quarter Barry Horn recycles his 24-45 male key demo line, but I don't think he has ever taken a look back to when 103.3 switched to ESPN or when The Fan flipped, so that he could compare overall listenership falling? The decline is there so he is either ignoring it or really isn't that good at his job.
2-Aligning commercials? Won't work because simply because the hosts never go to break on time, hence the “Meow Mix theme”. It is just like when the first flight is delayed at DFW and backs the whole system up the rest of the day. When the Musers are late, it is difficult to get back on track. Plus, they are a lot smarter than we give them credit for in monitoring the AQH (Average Quarter Hour) and how it is measured.
3-As I have said before, podcasting is not profitable for terrestrial radio as it becomes the primary reason for listeners to stop listening line. TSL (Time Spent Listening) is vital to station, nearly just at vital as the Cume and AQH.When you DVR a TV show, you fast forward through commercials, radio knows that the listener will do the same with podcasts.
Slight Aside: I did not know about the Sturm/Seguin comments on the Sedin Twins until it hit Awful Announcing or Deadspin, so I listened to the segment via unticket and the next day's show as BaDD Radio talked about the fallout. At about the 1:10:00 mark, Dan said something interesting in regards to total listeners at one time and, to me, it was astonishing low.
Dan: Five people can have businesses go crazy. You've seen it around here.
Bob: I know. I know, but one it gets to SportsCenter...
Dan: If you have five emails directed to Dan Bennett, something will happen. But 25,000 people are listening at any given time.
I think that was an actual number which he put on air as he has heard it over and over before from management.
I'm an 18-year P1 who has begun flipping to the Fan during commercials. While it's no secret the 105.3 boys have borrowed some concepts from the Ticket, many of them poor imitations, I do think they've got the Ticket beat in one area right now: They're a little hungrier than some of the Ticket hosts. They're more eager to make a connection with the fans one-on-one. This is a grassroots campaign we're seeing, folks. Let's face it - some of the Ticket guys that have been in the same seats for 15-plus years are probably making at least triple what they made at first. They're local celebrities now, and some seem to be quite pleased with that. Despite the continuation of great events like Ticketstock, it's possible some of the guys are simply losing touch with the gentle P1, and maybe that's just the price of success over time. The early genius of the Ticket was its "Cheers" factor - just a bunch of average Joes sitting around an imaginary bar shooting the breeze. The Fan is trying to replicate that with a younger lineup, and maybe it's working just a little. But the magic is still there. Ragonk is proof of that.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff, men and women.
ReplyDeleteI think the new Rules for the Confessional + moderation are paying off.
Apropos of the remarks above on reaching out to the listeners:
I assume many of you noticed on The Muser Showgram this morning -- and I know this was kind of jackoff time because of the lousy weather -- THEY ACTUALLY TOOK SOME LISTENER CALLS.
The Hardline takes pride in refusing to do this -- and they sound really awful when they sneer at the practice -- and it wouldn't surprise me if the somewhat greater tolerance for this on their competitors does have some effect on the allegiance of the younger listener.
For the record, I don't care a lot for listener calls, any more than I care a lot for athlete interviews. Neither are very enlightening.
But sometimes, you gotta kiss a little listener ass over and above the occasional "thank you for listening" and "oh, we really appreciate our listeners."
Ticketstock and Guy's Nights Out are good events, but they're one-offs, not accessible to all, and do not invite listener participation (unless you count Corby's wireless-microphone wanderings in search of large breasts and tiny IQs).
Used to love when THL would sign off with the two minute drill. Maybe they sneer at it, but I'd hang on until the end just to hear that. Also, if Ryhner leaves, that's it for THL. Corby is too arrogant and full of himself. He does make me laugh at times (country music audio), but his "I guarantee" proclamations....
ReplyDeleteLet me echo Pman in saying "great stuff, men and women." Seriously. This is vintage MTC stuff, people. It's why we love this place and its proprietor. Fantastic thoughts all around!
ReplyDeleteLots to address.
An 18 yr old P1 who also knows what Cheers is and uses it as an adjective of sorts! An old soul, that one! Not only that, you 'get' at least one aspect of why The Ticket isn't the juggernaut it once was. There isn't much of a connection between host and P1 any longer. You're correct in thinking the hosts are not as hungry as they used to be. That hunger went the way of the Dodo many moons ago. I don't care how good you are or how into it you are, when it becomes THAT easy for THAT long, you're going to lose your edge. At this point, I don't think it's possible for many of them to get the hunger back. Once the toothpaste is out of the tube, it can't be put back in. I don't include BaD or Norm in this regard. It's the am-pm drive bookends that drive the bus. If both are pulling their weight, you've got problems. The Musers pull their weight, The Hardline doesn't. No need to get into why they don't. Others have spelled out quite nicely the Xs and Os of that particular.
DA makes the claim that those who are younger don't listen at all. Excepting our old souled 18 year old MTCer, on the whole I think you're correct. That's the rub. If you ever go out to remotes or GNOs or Ticketstock or Summerbash you will notice they all have one thing in common: the overwhelming majority of the crowd consists of various stages of middle aged guys. Yes there are some chicks and some are young. Most though are girlfriends and spouses who are roughly in the same age group as their male partner. Yes there are some 20 something guys too. But the meat and potatoes of the crowd are the aforementioned paunchy and balding types. The moral of the story is that there isn't really a younger demo out there that is/to consume/ing sports talk radio. At least the terrestrial side of it. The demo is only getting older. It's a demo that resides in the Friscos, Planos, Colleyvilles, Rowletts, of the Metroplex. If 103.3 and The FAN are gaining ground for real, it's a bad thing for The Ticket on a deeper level than if it were mostly a 'we have to get the kids back in the fold' problem. It means they are losing P1s. P1s that are in reality an aging, finite breed. The best analogy I can think of is to think along the lines of 'peak oil.' We're at 'peak listener,' at least in as far as the listener landscape the current ratings rules are played under. There's a scramble for what's left of the listeners. The Ticket is Esso, The FAN and 103.3 are Exxon and Mobil.
Anon 9:04pm: I read that as an "18 YEAR P1" instead of an "18 yr OLD P1", perhaps i misunderstood.
ReplyDeleteI'm a day 90 someodd P1, but new to MTC, so If i mention ground that's already been covered here, i apologize.
Musers are still my mighty men.
Due to work obligations, I can't listen to Norm. But when i do, I always note how Mike Sirois makes everything better.
As much as i respect Bob's sports insights, i do not listen to BaDD anymore due to the McDowell element.
I may be a glutton for punishment, (or perhaps i don't know what else to do with my afternoon drive time), but i spend considerable time during THL wondering why i'm listening. Danny and Corby are only a few years younger than me, but to my ear they sound like bitchy, entitled teenagers picking on the old man. funny at times, but tiresome.
Maybe it's a radio bit, but I think it would be novel if they accepted that Mike may have a different opinion about music and entertainment in general then them.
I just get worn out on their disbelief that Mike doesn't like a certain band or song or hasn't seen a particular TV show / Movie. It was cute in 2008, but that was a long time ago.
As you can see, I'm hanging on by a thread. It is only through some warped sense of loyalty, pride and community that I continue listening past 10am.
This MTC website and content is well done, and i can't believe it took me this long to discover it.
Welcome, Martin, and thank you for the kind words.
ReplyDeleteI guess what finally turned me off permanently to THL is when it hit me that all they do is sit around and gossip in jealous fashion like a bunch of red wine drinking, chocolate eating,cackling hens. Been doing it for so long now that they've forgotten how to talk sports. When they do it's total b.s.
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to think the Musers or THL don't care about recent ratings as much as we'd like to think. They figure the station is what it is, and they have either a retirement fund, divorced from a money drain, or both (sans corky) and they'll pull the rip cord before they make drastic changes.
ReplyDeleteAlso, did anyone hear Sirois A or B make reference to the ratings decline in their TicketStock rap with JakeZ?
BTW, I love hearing the ticker guy's iphone email notifications this morning when he's not choke-coughing through the tickers.
Chasing the younger demo seems to be the way of the world.
ReplyDeleteFunny how two of the youngest members of the Ticket are some of the more polarizing ones. (Heehoo and BroJake)
I'll be the first to admit that Corby's lack of prep is galling. Does the 18-24 year old care?
Norm is slightly younger than Stonehenge. He still shows up every day with fire in the belly and something to say. Is Mike being more engaged going to get the younger demo any more fired up than with Uncle Norm?
How about not having an ENTIRE DAY devoted to awards show? Don't watch, don't care, SG as it gets. I could not care less about who won what award or why. Trying to recall a movie that won an award in the last decade that was a must see for me. Can't. Maybe if I look at a list. That is how little I care about Corby's obsession with Hollywood. Does the younger demo care enough about the Grammy's to listen to a full day of it. No, let's go for a couple more segments the next day too. Then we can work on Saul. Oh and while we are at it, let's make sure to get historical references totally messed up. Yeah, compelling radio that is. If some punched out to listen to the Fan I was over on KXT or KHYI.
The Musers and Norm seem to be the best about staying on time. Dan and Corby the worst; Sir Bogalot and the Prince of Bogistan. No, seriously this half baked story of a rabbit in the backyard can wait until after the spots. No, we don't really care about hearing your hot sports opinions about Kanye, it is not that important that you have to make us listen to a doubled up set of commercials. I look forward to the day Danny cuts him off mid sentence and sends him into a selfish rage. Noticed how he got mad when he found out nobody else sat around for the entire Grammy. NOBODY but you wanted to Corby. Go down the list and move along. This is not difficult. This isn't all about you.
Yeah combine all that self-centered domination of the time with a unfathomable inability to look at facts or to prep even a smidgen for a story and this is why he is the most polarizing member of the ticket, even with heehoo.
@DA
ReplyDeleteLive remote broadcasts are INCREDIBLY appealing to advertisers...they all want them and want them often with the sports/talk format. It's one of the biggest selling points.
I'm squarely in the demographic, and as a 10 year P1 never would have thought my listening would have dropped off as much as it has in the past year. It started with someone who we can't talk about on MTC anymore (cough Captain EBrake cough), and slowly compounded from there. I used to have the feeling that if I wasn't tuned in all day, I would miss radio gold. Now? Not so much. No chance I give any other station a chance, but I don't think there's any question this thing is trending in the wrong direction and there just isn't a ton of hope for the future outside of Sirois, Jake Z, and Mino.
ReplyDeleteI think that the technology that surrounds the Ticket on air and off might be a contributing factor if indeed the younger demographic is tuning out. Today we expect to have modern websites, which make becoming and staying a fan easy. Online engagement is a big part of the modern media experience, and the Ticket website is awful. As in someone needs to be fired awful. If I miss a great bit, I have to go to a third party website (Unticket)to catch up on what I missed. And if I need to go to a forum to say WTF just happened, I have to go to MTC or the jungle of reddit. Why isn't all that on the Ticket website?
ReplyDeleteThe SMU and Stars games have little interest to the listen public and lead me to tune away, and the Yahoo Network Sports on the weekend sends me to music or satellite radio...
And am I the only one that flinches every time someone on the Ticket uses 'gay' as a pejorative term, especially on a corporate-owned big city media property? Not really a phrase that I'd expect the cool kids to throw around.
RE: Martin
ReplyDeleteWell said regarding Danny and Corby. They’re like a couple of 16 year olds poking their grandfather with a stick. Corby and Danny’s increased role on the show with Mike apparently punching the clock right after the What’s on Mike’s Mind segment has turned THL from can’t miss to a quick punch out to XM.
I was reading through these Hardline comments while listening to my USaveit recording of yesterday's show.
ReplyDeleteIt was during Corby's sledding talk segment, where he insisted that '99.9%' of people in the Metroplex did not have to work yesterday because of the weather. He then got genuinely upset and threw a tantrum when the others disagreed with his ridiculous and out-of-touch claim.
It seemed to sum up why the Hardline is getting hard to listen to. The man cannot handle it when someone has a different opinion than he does, and therefore often comes off as a spoiled, entitled child.
Also, IMHO Danny and Corby seem to bring out the worst aspects of each other. I like Danny when he's paired with Dave Lane on the Orphanage, but he and Corby often seem to be trying to out-cool each other or high-fiving their superior political views/tastes.
Love the new MTC feel. I'm fairly new and this is the first time I've seen it in its greatness.
For those of you who were around back in 2007-8, when Greggo left, didn't we all wonder who would replace him? I figured someone would slide into Greggo's role and Corby would remain yuk-monkey. For a while they did the "+1" thing. Then in short order, it became Mike and Corby. After reading all the Corby-bashing, I wonder if that would be a cool fix? Bring in someone who pushes Corby back to the yuk-monkey role. Or can we not un-ring that bell?
ReplyDeleteI think 2015 will see a "HeeHoo" t-shirt made.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, if I were one of the Siriosses I would scoop up heehoo.org and do ragonk.com Part Two. What a shout out to the Plainsman that would be...just saying.
My only wish is for all of the hosts to read this site, as I know some do. Regarding the decline in the ratings, I'd say this site is pretty on par for the course in telling it like it is and how its been for the last 6 years or so. They're losing long time listeners and can't get new ones with what THL is bringing. It is true that, no matter how great the Musers are, THL does indeed steer the ship and it's slowly headed toward an iceberg.
ReplyDeleteMore wife-swaps would entertain the long-time P1, but it probably doesn't do much to attract the hipster doofus in the golden demographic.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if either George, Norm or Mike is close to packing it in, and that will be the catalyst for inevitable changes.
Hipster doofuses don't listen to sports/guy talk radio. Neither do hip hipsters. The only demo is the 35-60 yr old who mostly lives in the burbs, plays golf, likes wings, blondes he can't have, etc... There is no youth movement in the offing because there is no youth that is now or will be interested. The goal is to stop the bleeding, i.e., losing P1s, and to get back the ones already lost. Hence, believe it or not, we MTCers can have and might be having an impact. Trust me, our comments are being read; as is are the ones on the fan Facebook and reddit sites.
ReplyDeleteLadies and Gents, the genie's out of the bottle and it ain't going back in. Corby is never going back to yuk monkey status. THL is never going to get another host. Three is already a crowd. T4 and all others are nailing it as regards THL's (i) supreme importance for the health of the whole station, and (ii) its total indifference to that fact and (regardless of the lip service given) the listener.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there needs to be a personnel change on THL. What needs to happen is that each member's role needs better defined and said member needs to stick to that role. Danny as the third host/producer doesn't work. He gets overexposed far too easily and comes off as a bitter semi-local-yokel musician with a puerile, barstool understanding of socio-political issues. He needs to produce, stay in the background, and lob tasty bombs every now and again. And if he has an actual HSO about the Rangers or a local sports team, go ahead and express it--then go back to producing. Most of all, have it mandated that he does not give his socio-political views and keeps mum on local/national news issues in general. If he does this, Corby will in effect be reined in, and will eventually grow tired of sounding foolish/being unprepared. Why? Because he won't have Danny's input, which fosters an echo chamber, and creates mind numbing segment after mind numbing segment. It will also allow for Mike to say what he feels without being pummeled into submissive silence. The upshot is that Corby will, in short order, come to see that there are other views than his, and those views are often times thoughtful, even if he disagrees (usually do to his views being unreflective to say the least).
If the above can be swung, I think it'll go a long way in rehabbing THL. It might even give Mike his fire back--not just for a month, but for good.
Then again, they all might be too far gone for rehab.
Since the emphasis seems to be on chasing the younger demographic, I have a thought. I have a younger co-worker, he's in the mid-20's, that I've been trying convert to a Ticket listener for over a year. Most of the time when he brings up something he likes on The Fan or ESPN, I point out "yea that's something the Ticket has been doing for years." I've tried to stress how much both the "other" stations mimick The Ticket, especially since his favorite show is Ben and Skin.
ReplyDeleteThe main problem though....he knows "ESPN" and "The Fan." They're name brands. He's never heard of the Ticket, it's clearly not a name brand in his mind. He's more comfortable with name brands and I wonder how much of that is simply the mindset of the younger generation.
And it's not just the age of the hosts because Galloway was his favorite before Grampa Urine was put out to pasture.
Also one last thing, I think the Fan, and to a lesser extent ESPN, have done such a good copying the Ticket that there isn't a huge difference for the listener anymore. And if that's the case, and the younger generation is more comfortable with the name brand, them perhaps there's not much the Ticket can do to right the ship.
Funny how the ratings have tanked around the time that 2 less than talented guys who shall remain nameless were added to middays. Looking more and more like Pensacola knew what they were doing.
ReplyDeleteI must say that I gagree with most everyone above, especially Richard and Stevesteven... about THL. Someone earlier said that Mike's checkout might coincide with the rise of the tribute bands. Maybe, but I sure miss what he is capable of bringing; brilliant, funny, and insightful. Corby is insufferable, but e gave me a drinking game- when he says "massive." I'm an Orphanage P1, but Danny is overexposed. He's great in small doses.
ReplyDeleteI hate to say all that but I gotta keep it real.
On the positive side, let me pre-say that the UNT Georgio tribute should be good stuff. It's great that the big man is going out on his own terms from this gig.
Hearing Corby talk about the weather and the people that have to get out and drive to work or lose their job shows just how out of touch he is with the common man. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteClive,
ReplyDeleteHere's another drinking game for you: Corby's use of the word "brilliant".
Deezy and Clive - and the word "literally".
ReplyDeleteThe big deal made about George's retirement from UNT play calling doesn't help anything. It only underscores what is actually happening. Things run their course. Anymore, I think that I listen because I have been tuning in for my entire adult life. Perhaps the station doesn't break new ground because they can't. They are tapped out. So back to my original point-we have a Muser who is retiring from something. Another Muser just had his dog die. THL continues attempting to recapture their youth (it's not happening). I don't think Rhynes has lost his game-he knows when a station has run out of gas. So why fight it? This thing is "old." Something about this reminds me of the end of The Truman Show where all these viewers have been riveted by the unraveling of the main character's life. When the show goes off the air, the viewers simply change the station.
ReplyDeleteAdd "surreal"
ReplyDeleteI really hope that Jerrah gives Dez a $100 million contract. It will bring me much joy when it blows up in his face.
ReplyDeleteDrinking game candidate: "awesome."
ReplyDeleteDrinking Game: "___ is a top 5 ___".
ReplyDeleteI've been relistening to Ticketstock audio and during a roundtable, the other non-HL hosts call Corby out on this. I think Sirois used the nickname "Superlative Corby".
Corby drinking game crutch word:
ReplyDelete"Decade"
Is Bruce Gilbert the biggest hired gun in sport radio?
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Jub. "Do you believe in the mean green?!?!" remains one of my favorite drops of all time. Reminds me of how great The Ticket used to be.
There will NEVER be another Homer Call winner like last year's winner Copperas Cove.
ReplyDelete"I don't believe it....I don't believe it...."
When did Mushmouth start doing tickers from 12-3?
ReplyDeleteAdd "No question." And "Top 5."
ReplyDeleteCelery, you seem to be in a bittersweet mood. Though, I can't say I blame you where The Ticket is concerned.
I do get the feeling we'll see Jub move on before anyone...including Mike and Norm.
As you said, everything changes and everything eventually ends. The landscape is as such that we'll never have The Ticket back the way it once was. I do find it a bit sad to watch Mike desperately fight old age. I find it perhaps even sadder watching Corby, and specially Danny, pretend they're not knee deep in middle age. I think one of the many reasons The Musers are the far superior of the two anchor shows is that they've accepted the fact that they're getting older, roll with it, and have done so gracefully. There's a marked difference between aging with a youthful outlook, and having a hard case of the Peter Pans or pathologically trying to turn back the clock.
Add one to the Corby Drinking Game: "Let me tell you something..."
ReplyDeleteA Tom Gribble produced show is beating The Hardline in the ratings? For some reason, that makes me very happy.
ReplyDeleteThe Hardline is talking about the Ron Washington that got his pants managed off in 2 World Series correct?
ReplyDeleteCoke head. Sexual harrassment. Bails on the team. Good riddance.
In fairness, Wash got out managed only in the 2011 World Series. The 2010 series had the Rangers running into a superior team, in every facet of the game.
ReplyDeleteWhat does peeve me a bit is THL's feeling bad for the guy. Wash has been secretive, has hid behind lawyers and legalese, and has all around acted in a way counter to his oft professed modus vivendi of being a straight shooting, WYSIWYG kind of guy. He's also a man who, in his 50s, when caught using coke, claimed it was his first time.
I've no idea the story behind his sudden resignation. For a supposedly single instantiation of, never before to have happened in a long marriage, infidelity to cause the ruination of a career and a healthy means of income....well, it seems suspect to say the least. Especially when one recalls the team of lawyers surrounding Wash at his last public appearance.
My feeling is that the reason(s) behind his leaving are ugly and legally tangled. I also think that there's the Wash who Wash thinks he is/portrays himself as, and the actual Wash...who that is, I've no idea. But until/if the truth and facts emerge, feeling sorry for him seems a bit much. Hoping that nothing criminal happened and that no lives were ruined...that to me seems the proper approach. Conversely, condemnation without facts is abhorrent.
+1 for the Corby Drinking Game: "To be honest with you..."
ReplyDeleteI think it is very cool that The Hardline took it upon itself -- themselves? -- to broadcast from Denton today to honor George Dunham on his final Mean Green broadcast. I thought George's segment on the show this afternoon was one of the most heartfelt segments I've heard on THL in quite some time. Kudos to Mike and Corby.
ReplyDeletemartin, I laughed when reading your comment! You nailed it on "Corby". So often you catch yourself asking 'why am I listening to this?' Plains will probably delete me, but that is why I've nick-named Corby the 'empty listen'! I think it's time for a change too. I love Rhynes and will miss him, but think it's time to go. I would move BaD to drive, or bring in Shake Joint, but keep Danny as producer.
ReplyDeleteI really miss Gribble. He contributed. Gabby Urinator. 1920's reporter guy. All brilliant. He didn't take himself too seriously and was always willing to do a good bit for the show. Now he's gone and we're stuck with someone that contributes nothing.
ReplyDeleteHappy that a Gribble produced show is winning. Justice.
I would LOVE to have CdS move to 12-3 and Bad Radio to 3-7.
ReplyDeleteIt's been mentioned before about why CdS probably won't get a daytime slot. I'm sure Cash's CBS schedule wouldn't allow time that it would take to commit to that. I'd be for it though.
ReplyDeleteI used to like CdS, but their fill-in gig during the Christmas dry dock changed that. Can't listen anymore.
ReplyDeleteDeclining ratings or increasing ratings have alot to do with Arbitron or Nielsen and the way they measure things. It can easily get screwed up. From what I know and have heard is that is exactly what happened. Basically, Nielsen screwed up and screwed the Ticket last november/december and alot of other stations too.
ReplyDeleteNow the Ticket is doing everything it can to fix what happened.
Not only has BG been seen around the mothership so have the Nielsen people.
Speaking of BG he didn't even start at Cumulus and alot of the changes we all have noticed were actually prior to him arriving. The CTO brought him in to oversee everything sports at Cumulus not just the Ticket. He isn't the boss of the little ticket. Do you think Rhyner would stand for that?
So my take, in answer to the Plainsman is that BG coming on to the scene is insignificant and so are the dip in ratings. Watch Barry Horn's column and I bet you the little Ticket bounces right back.....
446, you may be right on all counts, and I also hope the ratings bounce back.
ReplyDeleteBut I'll say this: The CTO absolutely, positively, did not believe that the ratings dip was a Nielsen screwup. Maybe it was, but the CTO took it seriously. The changes reflect this. All I can tell you is: I'm not making this up.
If Nielsen did screw up somehow, I would think it would get some news coverage. Maybe it did. If you have a link or something, I'd be interested in seeing it and I've give it some pixels. Thanks.