EXCLUSIVE -- BREAKING -- The Voice of the Cat

OK, here we go.  

If by any chance this is your first visit to My Ticket Confession, and if so shame on you, this post is dedicated to questions for Ticket Program Manager and Cumulus Media Dallas Operations Manager Jeff ("Cat" "Catman of the Americas") Catlin.  He has consented to sit still for a tsunami of questions from our readers.

I was pretty impressed with the Confessor on this one.  Good coverage, good commentary contextualizing the questions, no death threats.

Most of the people writing in with questions also included their thanks to Cat for participating in this Q&A on My Ticket Confession.  I add my own not only for taking the time to consider our questions, but also for approaching this site to get it going and working with me to figure out how we could make it work.

As Cat said in his final comment to the last post, he has asked me to keep editing to a minimum and I have done that.  However, our loquacious interlocutors sometimes went on at some length, and there was a great deal of repetition.  So have sliced some of the contextual material out, although I believe I have left every question intact. 

I have numbered the questions in case Cat wants a shorthand way of referring to one or another.   As noted, many of them ask the same thing so there are a whole lot fewer unique questions here than meet the eye.  I have grouped them in subject matter areas which I hope will make it easier for Cat to address similar questions in a smaller number of responses.

I have also included almost every question submitted.  I have left the repeated questions in to show the degree of Confessor interest, but please do not expect Cat to answer several identical questions separately.  Remember, he has complete discretion as to how he chooses to respond, and may pass up certain questions entirely.

Please do not submit comments to this post.  The only comments that will  be approved are Cat's answers and any followups that I might toss in.

We will go as long as Cat can stand it.  He has a job to do, so expect some breaks.  I'll try to alert when he's going to bring matters to a close.

Cat, you asked for it, so have at it – and thanks again:

THE HARDLINE

(1)  The Breeze asks:  I've watched the evolution or devolution--depending how you view it -- of Mike Rhyner. Towards the end of Greggo's tenure, he began to take a backseat to Corby (at first), then, at times, even Danny (but in the context of a Corby/Danny tandem). Upon Greggo's departure and for a short while after, he firmly retook control of the helm of the USS Hardline. Soon thereafter, he appeared to hand it over to Corby (and by extension, Danny). The show has never been the same since. It has been for the worse. Indeed, what we mostly get now is the Corby and Danny Show. And of that, it's mostly The Corby Show. He's a very strong personality. He pretty much commandeered both Late Night Ticket evenings at the Campound--with varying degrees of success. Corby truly is, as Mike says, "polarizing." On those rare occasions when Corby is out and Mike is forced to retake the helm, the show is absolutely golden – halcyon day good. But those days are few and far between. Most of the time Mike seems barely engaged. When he attempts to engage (hell, even during his own segment M's Mind) he's often talked over, the segment hijacked by either or both Corby and Danny. Is this a concern for you? If so, has it ever or will it ever be addressed?  

[The Plainsman adds:  I agree with the position expressed here, but I attribute The Hardline's marked decline in quality (forget about the ratings) to Mike's lack of interest, lack of preparation and just plain abandonment of on-air leadership much more than Corby's segment-bogarting.   On numerous occasions Mike will start a segment as though it's "his," get out a sentence or two, then fall completely silent.  If Corby didn't jump in with content there'd be no segment at all.  Having said that -- way too much Corby, and too much "bad" Corby.  Do you perceive what recent Hardline critics perceive?]

(2)  Wldcat4 asks:  They say time heals all wounds so I was wondering if there was any chance Greggo would ever be back? Maybe in a fill in position when someone has to be out, or maybe just as a quick ratings boost. I’m sure it wouldn’t work out if he was back full time. I think getting the old Hardline back together occasionally would be huge.   And ed gar in gar land asks:  Has there ever been discussions-past, present-of either giving Greggo another shot or at least as a guest/a couple of segments reunion? Or is anything Greggo a non-starter, both with the station and with Rhyner?

(3)  Feth O'Ril asks:  Who auditioned/tried out for the empty spot left behind by Greg Williams, and why was Corby Davidson chosen over the others who auditioned/tried out?

(4)  mark in richardson asks:  Do you think THL focuses too much on music and TMZ sort of stuff? It seems like they do. Their sports knowledge has not kept up with the listener over the years and now when they do talk sports, they sound a bit behind the curve.

(5)  Jason Becker asks:  I am writing this message to inquire about Corby's role in interviewing special guests. I think the guy does a fantastic job handling interviews (I also enjoy Norm's work). My favorite would have to be the great job he did on the Robert Plant interview. He really knows how to connect with a guest and seems to put them at ease. I hope you'll consider upping his role at handling big-time interview jobs.   Side note: keep the celeb interviews coming. Regarding athletes and coaches, how about we stop having them on? Those people make for awful, boring interviews (there's plenty of station sports talk, already, so no need to interview athletes / coaches).  

[The Plainsman adds:  And this is "good Corby," who, when he's not slumming through The Hardline, can be sensationally good.  Good on other shows, good without Mike, good as a primary host, and the best interviewer on the station.   If Mike does take his leave, will you consider keeping him as the primary host on the PM drive?]

T.C. FLEMING, JAKE KEMP, AND OTHER JV

(6)  HopefulP1 asks:   Cat, have been a listener for 10+ years and am squarely in the demographic. I have seen hosts and personalities come and go, but never has one individual gotten me or many others that I know to tune out. Ever. It seems clear from the ratings, that many have stopped listening middays. Is the drop 100% attributable to TC? Of course not. Is it potentially a much bigger impact than you or anyone else involved with the station believes, absolutely. From his constant screwups on prepared tickers, to his self-admitted problems with authority, to his unwillingness to take a joke over his own constant mistakes, he is as bad as I've ever heard on the Ticket. To be on radio, one would assume you must be able to articulate your thoughts without continually messing up. You said on this site before that he's gotten better. Well sir, he could not have gotten any worse so technically you may be right. How could you have let him come back to the Ticket after some of the things said in his AMA on the Reddit site? How come it took Pensacola two months to cut bait on their mistake but a Marconi winner could make the same mistake twice? I love the little Ticket, and wish it nothing but continued success. How can you justify keeping him on? But for the sake of the P1, for the betterment of the station, for the hopeful bounce back in ratings, please Cat, make the right call here.

(7)  Anonymous asks:  I know TC takes a beating on here, but he really isn't a very good ticker dude. Isn't there some way to keep him, promote another person to that position, and save the P1 the ebrake once a week? Just seems foolish to keep letting him do something he's not very good at. I think Eli, Chris, and Montemayor all do superior work. Eli particularly is great. Rarely stumbles, great pipes (sounds a good deal like Rich IMO) and is funny/interactive with the P1 on Twitter. Seems like a much better fit. I understand there's a "skins on the wall" issue, but why hold someone better suited back simply because someone else has been there longer?

(8)  debased asks:  How is it that TC has been able to keep the ticker spot? To put it bluntly, the guy rarely gets through a ticker without some sort of verbal flub. He's nails on a chalkboard. Seems like there's other talent waiting in the wings that could only do better. Also, having 5 people talking over each other during BaDD radio has gotten old. I'm finding myself checked out more and more on what once was my favorite show. 

(9)  N asks:  Did you ever consider giving IJB a timeslot whether weekend or fill in?  If not, why not?

(10)  Anonymous asks:   At what point do you or have you tell/told Jake that he might want to think through some of the things he says before he opens his mouth? For example today he went on about his perception of the asinine and obsolete NATURE (rock me) of weather reports. His argument was that his iPhone tells him all he needs to know. If that's not a case of latent affluenza bubbling below the surface I don't know what is. Does he honestly think the majority of people own, can afford a smart phone? It's so sad to think that a 30 yr old sees the world in such a narrow way that it's almost funny. Funny too is him just now referring to a woman in her 60s with whom he disagrees as "old assed." When you couple a childish (or maybe teenager-ish) view of the world with a smug know it all attitude and a weird faux this-is-what-an-East-Coast-person-sounds-like-to-me accent, you get one annoying on-air personality.

(11)  Anonymous asks:  It seems like Jake is being groomed for a bigger role. Is this true? I for one think he has talent but needs to mature, a lot, before he's ready for anything other than producing, pre/post and weekend specialty shows. He's gotta lose the Dylan the Argumentative Teen that resides inside.

(12)  Anonymous asks:  You once wrote to Pman, which he published with your permission if memory serves, that there's been almost zero interest by the JV vis-a-vis pitching their own show ideas or wanting to fill in. Right after Pman published it, several not so veiled JVers commented that that was totally untrue. So what gives?

OPERATIONS AND DECISIONMAKING

(13)  Azzhle in Azle asks:  Can you tell us how you balance (1) ratings, (2) advertising revenue, and (3) listener and social media reactions to Ticket programming (email, Reddit, blogs) in making programming decisions?  If you get more and more email about The Hardline going downhill fast but ad revenue is still strong, do you do anything to address listener concerns?

(14)  The Plainsman asks:   Do you feel that the people you hear from – whether from email or commenters to sites like this and Reddit and others through the years – overrepresent the negative viewpoints among listeners generally?  Do you tend to discount social media as giving too much bandwidth to the naysayers, who tend to speak up more than the people who are happy with the programming in question?  When you're inundated with negative emails (or other social media communications) about a particular topic, do you tend to think it's just a noisy, persistent minority, or at some point does the sheer weight of the communications you receive move the needle on your program evaluation?

(15)  annoyedP1 asks:  Do you have authority to make firings [disrespectful reference to T.C. at this point] or regulate what annoying ads and commercials 1310 airs?

(16)  birq asks:   The main players on the station have been in place for an unusually long time by local broadcast standards. Do you see any complacency, lack of engagement or mailing it in?   What do you do to try to keep shows (or individual hosts) engaged and fresh?  What do your bosses do to encourage, limit or thwart you in these efforts?  Do you think your efforts are working?

(17)  Anonymous asks:   Was anything said to Norm about his unwarranted outburst towards Sirois [relating to the Cowboys Gregory pick]?

(18)  The Plainsman asks:   What is your personal authority – maybe I should say leverage -- for forcing improvements in show presentation?  Let's say – strictly hypothetically -- that you agreed that the Hardline needed better show prep, Mike showing an interest in segments, less showbiz stuff, less Corby, whatever.  Does it do any good to call them into your office and say "I want to see X, Y, and Z changes"?  Other than suspension or the threat of nonrenewal of contracts, is there anything you can do to improve host performance?  There must be something you hold over their heads, because on-time performance has markedly improved.  But really, how difficult are these guys, and are some more insubordinate than others (names if you dare)?

PROGRAM CONTENT

(19)  Jason D asks:  Do you feel there is a lack of diversity of viewpoints with the on air folks?  It seems everyone is in lock step politically, musically, socially and it leads to everyone agreeing with each other in many segments.  It seems like diversity of opinion was greatly reduced when Greggo departed, and a bit of spice was lost. 

(20)  Anonymous asks:   Do you at all monitor the hosts' political views both on air and on social media? As a whole it seems like it's pretty even with left and right views among the hosts, however the left thinking ones are appear to be much more outspoken (See Sean Bass and Jake Kemp). Everyone is entitled to their opinion and free speech, but do you try and limit this at all if it potentially will drive away listeners?  And I'm in the anti TC Fleming camp in case you're keeping tally.

(21)  egg or walrus koo koo ka choo asks:   Do you ever take issue or have a sit-down regarding show content? More to the point, show content that has to do with current events and hot button socio-political issues?  I ask because as much as I love The Ticket and all the shows, I find myself turning it off more and more due to the hosts tackling issues and topics that they seem to have zero knowledge about other than their own opinion based on nothing but "gut" feeling. Many times it's as if the host(s) has/have never read a thing on a subject. That's how ignorant they can come off. Sometimes it's about common historical facts, too. It's maddening.

(22)  ed gar in gar land asks:  Does it ever make you and-or Dan B[ennett]. cringe when Jake, Corby, Danny, and at times, Dan make utterly wrong assertions about political or social or current event topics with supreme confidence? I know it bothers many a P1 when they do. If it does, is it ever brought up?

(23)  BuffaloPrinter asks:  Have you ever mandated changes if a show has "too many voices"?  Example:  BaD Radio has more on-air comments from their producer and Ticker guy than the Musers or the Hardline.   Do the hosts themselves ask for less involvement?  Rich Phillips was more inclined to pop on than Sean is.

THE BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

(24)  Anonymous asks:  Over the past few years rumors have been rampant about a Cumulus/CBS merger that would in effect make The Ticket and The FAN sister stations. Is there any truth to this?

(25)  Anonymous asks:   Even Mike has said that your industry is a dying one. Indeed, in his opinion, management is its demise. Do you agree with this? If so, why? If not, why? And in conjunction with this, are you worried about terrestrial radio's future in general? I am around late teens and early 20 somethings on a daily basis. None of them listen to the radio. They pod, listen to some satellite, but no am/fm radio. In fact, the overwhelming majority have little idea of fm radio and no idea whatsoever about am. Thus it might be said you have a limited, dying audience. Would you agree with this to any degree?

(26)  iphongmoney asks:    If someone wanted to buy the Ticket as Mike so often suggests, could you place a value on the station alone?

(27)  The Plainsman asks:  What was The Ticket's sales revenue last fiscal year?

(27.1)  The Plainsman asks:  Has the local operating agreement by which Cumulus has programming responsibility for KESN (ESPN) caused any difficulty for you with your Ticket colleagues (assuming you have some programming responsibility for KESN, which may not be a correct assumption)?  At a minimum, it would appear to require Cumulus, if not you personally, to counterprogram The Ticket.

COMPETITION AND RATINGS

(28)  Brad Calhoun asks:  Just want to say I've been Ticket listener for a long time and I will continue to be a big P1.  I had a question concerning what is working with The Fan. We can be dismissive with what they do but they are doing some things right. They are branching out with social media and getting in with younger listeners and now even getting in with the big 25-52.  I understand branding yourself as the "originator" and not wanting to "copy" The Fan but you have to give credit to the work they have done to build their brand regardless with what you think of their content.   I feel like the downfall of The Ticket could be relying on longtime listeners and few young listeners like me.  I see in a few years The Fan taking overall number [one] for years to come. Do you agree? 

(29)  Wldcat4 asks:   Do the streaming listeners contribute any to the ratings?  I am out of state and moved away from where I could pick up the signal a few years back so I am a P1 streamer all day everyday actually as I have a tablet dedicated to iheart and the Ticket on at all times in my house.  And Susan Ellis (who describes herself as "a Ticket Chick for about four years") asks:  Cat, I listen to the ticket at work every day on one of two apps on my iPhone.  DFW Tuner or SportsDay.  I am curious if the Ratings Book includes apps?

(30)  The Breeze asks:    I'm not sure how the ratings work, but it seems like they are not anywhere near what they used to be. The Hardline is no longer the juggernaut it once was. As Mike used to say, and rightly so IMO, "Your, his, her, this station's way is through The Hardline." If that's so, and I think it is, and the ratings are dipping, is that problematic not only for The Hardline, but also for the station as a whole (sans The Musers)? When Cheers's ratings began to falter, so did the lead in shows and the one's that followed it. Is the same thing happening here? Because, again, aside from DnM, the ratings are down across the board. They have been for an extended period. If so, what if any measures might we see to remedy this in the future – besides clock mgmt and a "Tickerless Society"?

(31)  Anonymous asks:  What do you account for the now sustained drop or evening out in the ratings? It seems that it wasn't merely a Cowboys thing. Nor does it seem to be Rangers or Mavs related.

(32)  Anonymous asks:  Does it piss you off the way Gavin Spittle and many of The FAN personnel have totally appropriated patented Ticket lingo and bits....so much so that listeners new to the area think they came up with them and that The Ticket is ripping them off? This happens, often, by the way.

(33)  P1 Dan asks:  It seems that the other stations, especially the FAN, regularly take shots at The Little Ticket and with the current ratings as they are and their ever-changing numbers, here's my question:  How closely, and be specific, do you monitor what the "other guys" are doing? Are you in contact with former Ticket ex-pats like B&S, KT who jumped ship?  I guess my overall general question if you can't answer any of those with clarity is, are you guys aware of what other stations do and how does it affect your day-to-day and year-to-year programming?  Stay Hard!

(34)  birq asks:  How do you view the current apparent ratings shift from all shows on The Ticket as the undisputed winner in every timeslot to The Fan and ESPN nipping at your heels, and in some cases, sneaking by?   Is this something cyclical on the large scale or indicative of The Ticket losing steam?   Is Cumulus brass freaking out or do they even notice or care? 

PROGRAMMING

(35)  Anonymous asks:  Has there been any listener feedback, or push back, since reducing the number of Tickers? Would you ever consider going down to one ticker per hour or eliminating them altogether? I know I personally would rather have the hosts have more time per segment.   In my opinion, they are mostly an outdated tradition at this point. There are so many other ways to get sports scores and news and rarely do you get anything breaking from them. I feel that valuable airtime could be better spent elsewhere.

(36)  Anonymous asks:   Are you aware of the complaints about the length of time between segments? I understand that ultimately the station is a business and ads are a necessary evil, but there are plenty of times where I'll get in my car to run errands and never actually hear the hosts. I can say there are plenty of times where I've tuned out completely due to the length of commercial breaks.

(37)  mark in richardson asks:  Is there anything in the works about getting regular local weeknight programming up and running? Intentional Grounding is nice and all, but it's only during Cowboys season and for one hour per week. I mean regular, daily shows. I think the station sorely needs it. Farrell is OK for a laugh (at) or two, but only for about 10 minutes, maybe once a week or so. I know you have Cumulus/CBS obligations, but can't local programming go on until 10 or 11, then switch to the national feed?

(38)  Anonymous asks:  Given the success of The Kickaround, Four Pointer, and Stars Sunday, have you given any thought to another niche Saturday or Sunday show? I'm a big MMA fan and wouldn't mind hearing an hour show about that once a week.

(39)  Anonymous asks:  Would you be open to more specialized shows?  I'm not a wrestling fan but what I heard of Jer/Ty's Wrestlemania show was pretty solid. I know I would much rather listen to something like that than national generic sports talk. Same goes with the Local Ticket.   ESPN2 broadcast a video game tournament on TV recently. For example, could you envision the station allowing an hour show based on video games? I feel like more unique content is something that the station desperately needs. Not Ferrall talking about how good he is at betting the odds or how awesome his life is. 

(40)  kmclain3 asks:  Would be interested to hear your thoughts on the dynamics of being a pro teams flagship station from both a product/ratings perspective and profitability. As it pertains to the Tickets relationship with the Stars and the division realignments in 2013 causing more lost air time for the Hardline – how much does something like that go into the decision to renew? This is also something your main competitor recently had to make a decision on with the Rangers cutting into their late night live programming. They obviously felt it was worth it, but they won't be losing a tremendous amount of 7a-7p programming and I would have to assume the Rangers typically outdraw the Stars.

(41)  Anonymous asks:   Cat, what were you thinking with Laydeez B Trippin'? I hope you at least got a li'l somethin' somethin' out of it.

(42)  BuffaloPrinter asks:  Can you give an example of a recent segment that you thought "didn't work"?  Or perhaps an example of a weekly segment you forced into early retirement?

(43)  BuffaloPrinter asks:   Line 4 Guy.  Sometimes he has gold, sometimes he's a superfluous voice calling for drops.  Is his presence grandfathered in, or have you tried to change the WTDS format and remove him?

(44)  Boo! asks:    I would pay many pieces of money to have some sort of unfiltered stream a la the webcam during Superbowl week. P1 premium!

(45)  Jim Cusey asks:  Has the station’s decision to acquire Stars flagship rights worked out well, or has it not?  From a listener’s perspective I would claim that it has not, but I get that there are surely business considerations of which a listener would be unaware that might change that answer when it’s considered from the station’s perspective.  Here’s my motivation for the question:   The hours between 6PM and 8PM are prime listening time for me (and, I suspect, many others).  My work schedule is such that I often don’t get to listen much during the day, especially to Norm and BaD, so between 6 and 8 I enjoy listening to the Hardline live and to the Top Ten to catch up on the highlights of the day.  Being the Stars’ flagship means that about 40-50 times per year the last half-hour or hour of the Hardline and all of the Top Ten are interrupted by the Stars pre-game show and game.  I place very little value as a radio listener on live-action NHL hockey, especially when the audio is generated for TV and merely simulcast on the radio, especially when the team is as poor as the Stars have been since the Ticket has been their flagship, and especially when there is locally-produced sports talk on the air at the same time on a competing station.  I would guess there are many more people like me – who listen regularly to the last hour of the Hardline and the first hour of the Top Ten but who punch out when that’s pre-empted by the Stars – than there are people who are the opposite of me – who don’t tune into the HL and T10 but do tune in to listen to the Stars.  If I’m right, carrying the Stars has got to be a net ratings loss for the station.  So, it must be the case that either:  (a) I’m wrong, and carrying the Stars really is a net ratings gain for the station, or (b) I’m right, but it doesn’t matter, because carrying the Stars brings in other revenue streams that more than offset the ratings loss, or (c) I’m right, but at the time the station acquired the Stars flagship rights you thought it would work out differently – i.e. that Stars broadcasts would turn out to be a net ratings gain.  I’m curious which it is, because I would sure like to see the station walk away from Stars flagship rights whenever the contract expires.

(46)  Lindsay asks:  What ever happened to Ticket Sports Saturday & Sunday?   This was a stop down for me since Day 1 it came on air.  It was informative and kept me up to date with scores and commentary from the hosts.  I remember the day when the Sunday version had the big clock:  11:00 am-6:00 pm.   It was a show where the JV could polish their on air skills (except TC who needs to move into an off air role).  I feel sure that JV members would welcome the chance to be on air and polish their formatics and leading in and out of breaks.  It certainly is better than anything on whatever the network flavor of the day is.  Perhaps a programming idea would be to move Race Week to the 10:00 am slot on Saturday, move Cirque and Kickaround up 1 hour and then have 3 hours set aside for Ticket Sports Saturday.  After the Hockey Show, have the Sunday version there for special Sundays-Nelson, Colonial and the other golf majors.

TECHNICAL

(47)  Brad Calhoun asks:  Can the Ticket make full rebroadcasts of shows available?  And Cody Patterson asks:  Some radio broadcasts release their entire radio show on a 24 hour delay, commercial free, as a podcast. Will The Ticket look at doing that as well instead of partial segments for those can't listen to an entire show? If not, could The Ticket look at including the whole segment, instead of part of a segment in the current podcast format?   And Colorado P1 asks:  Why doesn't the station put up full-show podcasts, like some of your competitors do? If Lincoln Financial Media (104.3 The Fan in Denver) can post commercial-free podcasts of each hour of each of their shows, it seems like Cumulus should be able to do the same thing. Even posting them with the ads would be better than the few snippets we get now.

(48)  Cody Patterson asks:   Is someone going to fix the SportsDay DFW app so that it will actually show the ticket show rather than "Scott Ferrall On the Bench" all day? This has to be really confusing to new comers to the station.

(49)  Boo!  asks:   As a remote P1 are there any plans to make sure that the stream is more reliable? Any future app plans?

(50)  Colorado P1 asks:  Is the station aware of the constant problems with the stream, and does it have any plans to make improvements? By far the worst problem is that ads just randomly cut in to the middle of show content; it is incredibly frustrating to the listener whenever that happens.

THE FUTURE.



(51)  Charles Golden asks:  I was kind of struck by Mike and Norm's campout conversation when Mike mentioned how this type of media is dying and how he'd wouldn't recommend a youngster to pursue this line of work. How does the Ticket plan to stay ahead of the technology curve to avoid what so many radio lifers seem to think is the inevitable?

(53)  Bayern Munich asks:  You have at least two hosts who are getting close to the edge of retirement: Mike R. and Norm. Norm is 70 and is audibly losing steps. Mike is more disengaged than not. At least that's how he comes off to every listener I know, to a person. (He also disclosed that he tried to get a tryout for a position on the Mets broadcast, which means his feet aren't as firmly planted as we might think.) There is also the morning show that, has three hosts who all seem to have very strong pulls in other directions. Gordon is going through a lot right now, obviously; regardless, he seems ripe for a more "seriously minded" career change--his "torn" attitude between being a funny man and a straight writer appears to be coming to a head. For the last few years, and especially now since his youngest is about to fly the coop, I've gotten the feeling George is man ready for a life change. And Joonz, well, he's admitted that this isn't what he wants to do forever. I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to move on while he's still able to do all the physical/athletic stuff he so much loves.   All that for this: Are there contingency plans for replacements where the "Varsity" is concerned (Especially the "Musketeers")? Moreover, if so, are there any "JV" players that have the inside track?

ONE-OFFS AND MISCELLANEOUS

(54)  Anonymous asks:   Do sites like MTC have any influence at the station? From the word "go" Grubes to the Siroises to Sea Bass to Jake to yourself to Jer to Justin M to ex-KT to nearly every JV player to several hosts have chimed in. As well the site has been mentioned directly or obliquely on several occasions throughout the years. I also heard Dan and George mention the Reddit fan site. So it seems like many if not most employees of all levels stop by.  Your doing this AMA I think attests to the "power" of MTC. What makes such a blog important to you guys?

(55)  The Plainsman asks:  How many emails do you get from listeners each day?

(56)  The Plainsman asks:  If you swim by the site from time to time you will notice that people claiming to be Ticket or industry insiders will offer rumors and opinions about what's up The Ticket or Cumulus.   Are they ever credible?

(57)  blergoyen asks:  How many times has a Cumulus Media executive "higher-up" contacted you in regard to on-air comments?  Which hosts were involved and what were the specific comments in questions? 

(58)  Anonymous asks:   What is or was the general feeling toward Richie Whitt? He was once a friend of THL, even did a plus one gig. Then he wrote "The Hard Lie" which basically said yeah, Greggo's a flawed guy, but his coworkers and employer are in many ways equally at fault if not to blame. Then a year later he's cohosting a show with him on a competing station. The whole thing seemed fishy.

(59)   Anonymous asks:  What do you think your greatest accomplishment at the station is? How about your biggest failure? Is there a decision that you regret?

(60)   gopher asks:   I would like to hear Cat give us the lowdown on his radio career.  I remember him as Ron Engleman's producer at KGBS 1190 AM in the 90's.  A little history, his first job, stations he has worked at, and how he became management at KTCK.

WRAP-UP

(60)  The Plainsman asks:  Is there anything else you want to get off your chest that the foregoing questions haven't given you an opportunity to communicate?

(61)  The Plainsman asks:   Is there anything going on – or coming up -- that you can give us a scoop about?  Teases accepted.

========================

Thanks, Confessors.

Thanks, Cat. 

 ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310