A home for those who love almost everything about The Ticket (1310 AM, 96.7 FM, Dallas-Fort Worth), and who would like to discuss -- respectfully and fondly -- their thoughts on how (and whether) to eliminate the "almost."
I’ve left two comments musing over the last couple of entries that The Freak was sounding like a nostalgia act. Every time I tuned in they were talking about some past radio thing, sometimes Mike’s past, sometimes someone else’s past.
Thought I would check out The Downbeat this afternoon.
Swear to Jah:
I know this is probably purely happenstance, but when I tuned in, what I heard was:
Mike talking about the early days of KLIF and how he badgered his parents to buy him Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue”. (The other voice, I think it was Skin, didn’t know if The Day the Music Died was a plane or a helicopter crash.)
I tuned in later, heard the overlong beginning to The Sunset Lounge, and realized that it’s a nostalgia play, too. And the first subject was more “getting to know Freak guys,” this time, Skin.
I’m not saying it was bad. I listened to it. I will say that I’m doubtful that any radio station would have squelched Mike from discussing any of these incendiary topics.
From what I gathered at the top of the show, Skin is the last member of the on-air crew not to be a DownBeat 3rd, and that beginning tomorrow we'll, finally, get to see what TDB is actually about / the show proper will officially be on its own. I sure hope so, because we're into week 3 and so far I've no idea what to make of it other than it's OK in spots but mostly fair to middling. 11 shows in and I'm not hearing a marked difference between later stage Hardline Mike and a supposedly re-energized Freak Mike. If you believe Sirois, who acts like he's been Mike's bff for 30 years, Mike's just sitting in his chair, face frozen in a smile of ecstatic joy. All due to being finally free to say what he wants and be amidst the company of genuinely good folks. Implied here is neither were the case at his prior place of employment. Weird shit, man. Whole Freak vibe is canned laughter and all that that entails personified. It's as if the whole thing was dreamt up and then pitched on the basis of a small but loud, intense, and insistent niche group on social media that demanded living wages, fair shots, and a hero's return. Somehow (probably due to Mike's Ticket startup success) someone at iHeart fell for it.
Sure hope it gets better. Because NaD sure isn't. THL sure isn't. The Musers' quality has been slipping for years. Craig's every bit as checked out as Late Innings Hardline Mike was, and Gordon just recycles stuff. THZ is the best thing going but it's still not as good as BaD, which should've become BaDJ, THL name retired, brought in Davey right after Mike left and moved Donnie to pm drive with those two....and left Norm solo from 10-12, which, if you're gonna keep him on, at least let him do what he does best -- sports talk, all sports talk, done via monologue.
958, thanks for your comment. Agree that The Downbeat needs to stand on its own four feet.
As far as your comments on the current Ticket, I really can't agree. I think the Musers, while they haven't exactly innovated, might just as truthfully be said not to have messed with success. They're prize-winning "personalities" for a reason, and it's because they have personalities folks enjoy spending time with. That -- my judgment -- has not been declining. Junior sounds as good as he ever did when my ears are listening.
Yes, Norm and D is sometimes as shaky as Norm's voice, and I'm sure it won't be a long time before something shakes out there.
But The Hang Zone and The Hardline: Both those shows have improved since Mike's departure, Bob's move to THL, Jake's elevation to THZ, Dave Lane's addition to THL. I switched over to The Hardline today and I realized something that I hadn't really grokked to before, which was that Bob Sturm can actually be very funny. I laughed out loud a couple of times during the portion of the show I heard, and Davey's fitting in very nicely.
Let's face it, the only Freak show of interest is The Downbeat. I'm not feeling a lot of love out there for the other two shows, and the "Rhyner versus Rhyner's Baby" novelty draws attention to TDB. I think we know that Mike's "I was marginalized and suppressed" reason for going to war with The Ticket is mainly a con, unless Cat telling him to get involved in his show counts for marginalization (if he did -- I have no inside knowledge, but we know darned well that Cat didn't tell Mike to check out). But the reason the Freak exists has little to do with whether it's slinging quality programming, and the two Mikes, aided and abetted by that nice young third Mike, are first-rate broadcasters. Yes, I think highly of Mike Sirois and he may need to become what he would deny ever wanting to become, i.e., Corby -- the guy who basically ran the show for Mike R's last few years on The Hardline. As many have pointed out, it will take awhile for all the shows to find their voices and it's entirely possible that The Downbeat will end up being a good show and a ratings success. I'll keep tuning in to see what they're broadcasting.
They've dithered now for a couple of weeks for reasons I can't fathom. Perhaps it's that there's no real program director on site, which means (1) meh programs, and (2) no direction. This is Mike R's baby, let him whip his team into talking about what they want to talk about, instead of the not-so-interesting stuff they've been talking about so far (+ sports, + contests, + internet lists, + what's in the paper).
And by the way, did you hear Mike talking about how he could be pinged on Twitter, where people could tell them how much they suck, "which many of you have done," OWTTE. Whoo.
This morning, I heard the first mention of the Freak on the Musers. At the end of Muse in the News, Gordon was doing his "Which one would you" bit. (Which is still greatness after all these years) He ended the game early because one of the participants was Brittney Griner. Junior told him he couldn't do that, and Gordon said he can do what he wants. And then Junior said, "We can do what we want?" It sounded like a reference to the Freak's motto of being able to say or do what they want. Unfortunately, nobody acknowledged the comment.
Plainsman - I have been saying for years that Bob is low key funny. He has a very ironically acute pop culture sensibility (e.g. hip hop knowledge, 90s hard rock etc) for such a Christian bred Liberty grad. It's actually quite amusing. Agree that the combo of Bob with Davy and Corby has improved THL. THZ with the maturation and growth of Dan as the lead with Bob's departure has grown into the A2 show just behind the Musers IMO.
Newsflash: People from any religion can possess all these characteristics. Considering how most humans are religious, this shouldn't come as a surprise.
Oh the purviews that we leave, when first we practice to perceive (the world outside our bubble).
Today’s Freak unleashed (from the Downbeat): MOSQUITOES CAN SPREAD DISEASES!!! Sirois had a scandalous story about a high school football game being cancelled because of mosquitoes. THIS is the kind of material The Ticket is too weak to touch! Rhyner would have been better off heading over to the automat for a sandwich followed by a chess match in the park. I am all in favor of competition. They are providing none; however, I am grateful for the public service announcement regarding the dangers of…mosquitoes.
It's getting worse with each passing day. It is. I thought The Ticket was actually going to have some competition, at least from 3-7. Nope. RaGE was far more formidable. RaGE! I can't believe I wrote that, but it's true. Not sure what Rhyner's thinking here. Is he saying to himself, "oh shit, what did I get myself into? What did I do? Why did I do it?" Is he living in a rock star like bubble where everyone tells him what they think he wants to hear and has done so for so long that he believes it too, and thinks this is all kick ass? Dude, we're 3 weeks in and THEY STILL HAVEN'T HAD A SHOW WITH JUST MIKE AND MIKE. What's going on? This is a Texas Radio Hall of Fame member we're talking about here! There is no finding the sealegs. I thought Sirois was magic? That's what I've been told ad nauseam. Does it have to be a polished product at this point? No. But come on. WHAT IS THIS? Now you have Mike R baiting people with "bring on the negativity, man, I can take it" crap. That's a clear indicator that the shit's in his kitchen and living rent free. I don't get it, man. But hey, it's just a radio station. I know. I know. Fuckin' a, though. Really thought we were gonna have a genuine radio war on our hands, which is a win-win for us listeners, because we get to hear the best out of everybody. F me running, as they say.
Surly, as knee-jerk as that might come off, you may very well be correct. One has to think The Freak PD is getting nervous. I guess the first book will be somewhat of an indicator as to which way the wind is blowing. By that I mean if iHeart will allow it to find its footing as is or begin making substantive changes before jettisoning the whole shebang. I've listened to every Down Beat and off and on to The Speakeasy and B&S. It's as if I'm listening to a start up internet radio station or podcast cluster headed up by a group of friends who truly believe they have something interesting to say but don't. To repeat a now oft used phrase in these threads, "it's weird." Are the iHeart Overlords listening? Is the PD listening?
Surly, you're a long time Confessor and obviously an early adopter P1. What's your take on this? Same with all regular Confessors that haven't weighed in. I'm perplexed by what I'm hearing. Maybe it's just me? Very well could be. Maybe The Freak is compelling but I'm too blinded by my love for The Ticket? I don't think so, but I can't get my head around how disorganized, haphazard The Freak is.
My research may not be entirely up to date, but, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I don't think there is a program director per se on site at KEGL/Dallas. Don Davis had been KEGL PD, but quit a couple of weeks before The Freak hit the airwaves.
I find this item dated October 3: "iHeartMedia Dallas SVP/Programming Patrick Davis will oversee the programming on The Freak in addition to CHR “106.1 Kiss-FM” KHKS and Hot AC “102.9 Now” KDMX." That Senior Vice President title sounds more grand than "program director," but perhaps there is some hands-on oversight a la Jeff Catlin. I'm sure Mike R is delighted to have someone more senior than Cat was now looking over his shoulder.
Whether he's tuned in over the past 2.5 weeks, dunno.
I think Mike R just has nothing left. He was checked out of THL for many years and he's shown that his interest level in new projects lasts for 2-3 months tops. I sort of assume that he only committed to one year of this and I see no way he lasts that long.
Or there could be an extreme selection bias in these opinions. The very fact that we are here commenting on this small but intense fan interactive blog means by definition we are likely Ticket friendly in wanting what's best for the Ticket and/or potentially biased against any competition. Or maybe not...
ask yourself: how many of your circle of friends have mentioned listening in comparison to 5-6 weeks ago. has that changed? did it happen 3 weeks ago, and then slow down/stop?
I looked at the eagles reddit page whenever they made the announcement, that sub as a whole gave off the "Well, there goes 97.1 on my presets" vibe. No one seemed interested. From what other ticket pages I looked at, many seem slightly interested, to not interested at all. I don't know how many eagle listeners were keen about the switch over, and I don't know how many people that listen to the ticket are 1) enjoying the freak and 2) even sure it exists. We know of the freak because we are rabid ticket fans lol, but the common drive time listeners, have they heard of it? I'm not saying that I don't think a new talk radio station could thrive with the emergence of podcasts and what not, it just seems like a more uphill battle than ever.
I do think that the freak could improve over time (I would hope at least), but given that many of the hosts aren't new to radio, I would think that gives them less time to get their footing.
Re: do people know the Freak exists. Just saw a Freak billboard this morning driving into downtown. One of those digital ones, so it’s only up for 10 seconds at a time. “97.1 The Freak We say what we want” or whatever their dumb slogan is. No promotion of shows, Mike R, or any other personalities. I guess when your station is completely devoid of compelling talkers and formatics, the ephemera of unchained banter is all that’s left to promote.
Thanks Surly and others who chimed in with their thoughts. Much appreciated.
Many of my (male) friends and coworkers listen to The Ticket. With few exceptions most were eager to see what The Freak, but especially Mike and Mike, had to offer. There was a lot of chatter about it in the week leading up to its launch--mostly a mixture of disbelief and questions like who'll be involved?, how will KTCK respond?, and when was it conceived and by whom?. Once The Freak went live, that chatter mostly reflected what we find here at MTC and to some extent what's on reddit and Twitter. That is, an underwhelming, disappointing, confusing sigh. By the end of last week, all Freak chatter is dead. I've heard nothing from my friends and coworkers. If anything's brought up, it's about The Ticket. That is, back to business as usual. It's as if The Freak doesn't exist.
I think Surly is right about Mike R. No, that's incorrect. I know Surly is right about Mike R. I also think the person who keeps insisting that "Cat knows talent" is right. Finally, I stand by my thoughts on the haphazard, disorganized, flat out amateurish nature of The Freak. Add to that my incredulity over iHeart allowing for such a thing to occur, in any market, much less the fifth largest in the country. It makes no sense whatsoever. I would like to know the actual genesis (time-line included) of how The Freak came to be and who--exactly--was/were the driving force(s) behind it, and who knew what and when. I do not buy the narrative given by either Mikes, B&S, or anyone else. Too many holes in the story; holes punched in by the narrators.
Has this thing just turned into a day-long Russ Martin clone with Mike R playing the role of Russ? Lots of over laughing and ring kissing. Was this just a way to see if they could keep some of the old listeners around or just a short-time filler until they can decide what format to run in next?
How To Fix The Freak And Stave Off Its Current Trajectory Of A Certain Head On Collision With Embarrassing Failure: A Bullet Pointed Proposal
--Ronald in Rowlett PDPhD
*Move Ben and Skin to morning drive. They've always been a Musers starter kit. Let them compete with them and see how things shake out. Make Sirois the third host, playing the role of Gordon. We'll find out quickly how talented he really is. Right now he's miscast as Rhyner's cohost. He's more little buddy/sidekick cum producer. But really, more producer than anything. The Mike & Mike pairing is poor.
*Either move KT and Cavanaugh into producer/de facto host roles a la Danny with THL or let them go.
*For middays, and if you truly want to say/do what you want, make it all female. Julie, Kristina, and Emily Jones. Now THAT would be making a statement.
*As for The DownBeat, obviously Rhyner stays, but he needs a cohost who is actually a cohost (like Greggo was). Someone who views Rhyner as an equal and who is genuinely seen as such reciprocally. This is the only chance the station has a shot at getting a fully engaged (for the long haul) Rhyner. A Rhyner who while young for his age (an asset), will no longer be in a permanent state of adolesence amidst a permanent silly season. For the anchor/flagship show of the station to work it must be taken seriously and be seriously compelling (by way of humor and substance). This is not nor will it ever happen with Sirois. Cowlishaw would be ideal. I'm sure there are other names out there, as well. As is, it not only doesn't work, it will never work. I'm not blaming Sirois here, at all. It's just a bad fit for both of them and as a consequence for the tone of the station.
*Ditch the motto and find an actual shared focal point around which the station can come together and move in one direction. Right now it's a total chaotic clusterfuck of a mess. Most breaks end with a sports with a touch of news update. Nearly every meaty segment (of which there are precious few) pertains to sports. All but one host either comes from a sports media background and/or is a sports junkie. The national feed when not live is a sports feed. There are now weekend shows that are sports-centric. There is now a Cowboys postgame show. And finally, by your own admittance your direct competition is a sports station. What does that say about you? At this point it's comical.
I hope this helps. And it's all gratis. You're welcome.
I know you read this stuff, Sirois (So Anonymous). Ditto KT, and I'll bet the rest to too.
Just to be clear. If done right, I think The Freak can give The Ticket a serious run for its money. I also don't want to give the impression that I think Sirois is not able to become the star so many think he is or should be. My contention is that he's on the wrong show and in the wrong role (at this junture, at least). He needs room to breathe, to operate. Guys like him do better without so many constrictions. That and the peer to peer factor vis-a-vis Rhyner. Same goes with KT and Cavanaugh. They are more than capable. But they need to be put in roles that set them up for success. As I said, they'd both be ideal as producer/de facto 3rd hosts (only actually pay them what they deserve, unlike Cumulus).
Thanks to you all for some excellent, thoughtful comments. Gotta come to MTC for Quality Ticket Journalism.
656, you know I love bullet points. Thanks for a lucid and thoughtful commentary.
I'll depart from your analysis in only one particular: I'm not detecting a great hunger among the P1 or Confessor for female participation on either station. You're right that it would be "making a statement," but I think the statement would be "we don't really care about middays." Julie, Krystina, and Emily are perfectly good broadcasters, but if they're not going to talk about sports very much -- this, of course, is what the Freak is promising -- the P1/Confessor is not going to prefer that to almost anything that The Ticket is going to offer. I'm not saying that The Gals will be talking cooking, needlepoint, and child-raising when they're not talking sports, I'm just saying that a fair percentage of the P1/Confessor is going to agree with Mike R -- who would be their new boss, apparently -- that there is nothing less pleasant than the sound of the female voice. Which is hyperbole, and wrong even if expressed non-hyperbolically, but the market just isn't demanding it. Perhaps I'm deceived as to the size of the female listenership, but I just don't see dudes preferring an all-female show to pretty much anything on The Ticket in large numbers.
Now, if you wanted to shake things up, one might consider doing what I proposed some time ago -- an all-AA station, or, in this case, an all-AA program. Or all Latino. The groups from which so many of our best and most popular athletes come from. (Yes, I know there are lots of notable female athletes -- but see: TV ratings, general interest level, etc.)
Anyway, 656, thanks again for putting some thought into this. And for the bullet points.
What would late 90s Rhyner say if he listened to the freak? "This thing is a collection of ill-fitting parts" and finish with "THIS THING ..." you all know.
If Danny is coming into The Freak fold, make him Rhyner's cohost and put Sirois in the Gordo position for the morning show. I agree with the idea the morning show should be B&S with Sirois. Flip the morning and midday slots. Danny with Rhynes. Problem solved.
Cowboy's Theatre 1310, The Rant coming back to the Hardline every week. The Ticket is really pulling out all of the stops to compete with the Freak. Wish a new radio station started years ago!
Enjoy it while it lasts, because after the 3rd book, that is when it becomes evident that The Freak is anything but freaky, 1310 will return to its comfortable state of stupor.
I’ve left two comments musing over the last couple of entries that The Freak was sounding like a nostalgia act. Every time I tuned in they were talking about some past radio thing, sometimes Mike’s past, sometimes someone else’s past.
ReplyDeleteThought I would check out The Downbeat this afternoon.
Swear to Jah:
I know this is probably purely happenstance, but when I tuned in, what I heard was:
Mike talking about the early days of KLIF and how he badgered his parents to buy him Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue”. (The other voice, I think it was Skin, didn’t know if The Day the Music Died was a plane or a helicopter crash.)
I tuned in later, heard the overlong beginning to The Sunset Lounge, and realized that it’s a nostalgia play, too. And the first subject was more “getting to know Freak guys,” this time, Skin.
I’m not saying it was bad. I listened to it. I will say that I’m doubtful that any radio station would have squelched Mike from discussing any of these incendiary topics.
How does he not know it was a plane crash?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I gathered at the top of the show, Skin is the last member of the on-air crew not to be a DownBeat 3rd, and that beginning tomorrow we'll, finally, get to see what TDB is actually about / the show proper will officially be on its own. I sure hope so, because we're into week 3 and so far I've no idea what to make of it other than it's OK in spots but mostly fair to middling. 11 shows in and I'm not hearing a marked difference between later stage Hardline Mike and a supposedly re-energized Freak Mike. If you believe Sirois, who acts like he's been Mike's bff for 30 years, Mike's just sitting in his chair, face frozen in a smile of ecstatic joy. All due to being finally free to say what he wants and be amidst the company of genuinely good folks. Implied here is neither were the case at his prior place of employment. Weird shit, man. Whole Freak vibe is canned laughter and all that that entails personified. It's as if the whole thing was dreamt up and then pitched on the basis of a small but loud, intense, and insistent niche group on social media that demanded living wages, fair shots, and a hero's return. Somehow (probably due to Mike's Ticket startup success) someone at iHeart fell for it.
ReplyDeleteSure hope it gets better. Because NaD sure isn't. THL sure isn't. The Musers' quality has been slipping for years. Craig's every bit as checked out as Late Innings Hardline Mike was, and Gordon just recycles stuff. THZ is the best thing going but it's still not as good as BaD, which should've become BaDJ, THL name retired, brought in Davey right after Mike left and moved Donnie to pm drive with those two....and left Norm solo from 10-12, which, if you're gonna keep him on, at least let him do what he does best -- sports talk, all sports talk, done via monologue.
958, thanks for your comment. Agree that The Downbeat needs to stand on its own four feet.
ReplyDeleteAs far as your comments on the current Ticket, I really can't agree. I think the Musers, while they haven't exactly innovated, might just as truthfully be said not to have messed with success. They're prize-winning "personalities" for a reason, and it's because they have personalities folks enjoy spending time with. That -- my judgment -- has not been declining. Junior sounds as good as he ever did when my ears are listening.
Yes, Norm and D is sometimes as shaky as Norm's voice, and I'm sure it won't be a long time before something shakes out there.
But The Hang Zone and The Hardline: Both those shows have improved since Mike's departure, Bob's move to THL, Jake's elevation to THZ, Dave Lane's addition to THL. I switched over to The Hardline today and I realized something that I hadn't really grokked to before, which was that Bob Sturm can actually be very funny. I laughed out loud a couple of times during the portion of the show I heard, and Davey's fitting in very nicely.
Let's face it, the only Freak show of interest is The Downbeat. I'm not feeling a lot of love out there for the other two shows, and the "Rhyner versus Rhyner's Baby" novelty draws attention to TDB. I think we know that Mike's "I was marginalized and suppressed" reason for going to war with The Ticket is mainly a con, unless Cat telling him to get involved in his show counts for marginalization (if he did -- I have no inside knowledge, but we know darned well that Cat didn't tell Mike to check out). But the reason the Freak exists has little to do with whether it's slinging quality programming, and the two Mikes, aided and abetted by that nice young third Mike, are first-rate broadcasters. Yes, I think highly of Mike Sirois and he may need to become what he would deny ever wanting to become, i.e., Corby -- the guy who basically ran the show for Mike R's last few years on The Hardline. As many have pointed out, it will take awhile for all the shows to find their voices and it's entirely possible that The Downbeat will end up being a good show and a ratings success. I'll keep tuning in to see what they're broadcasting.
They've dithered now for a couple of weeks for reasons I can't fathom. Perhaps it's that there's no real program director on site, which means (1) meh programs, and (2) no direction. This is Mike R's baby, let him whip his team into talking about what they want to talk about, instead of the not-so-interesting stuff they've been talking about so far (+ sports, + contests, + internet lists, + what's in the paper).
And by the way, did you hear Mike talking about how he could be pinged on Twitter, where people could tell them how much they suck, "which many of you have done," OWTTE. Whoo.
This morning, I heard the first mention of the Freak on the Musers. At the end of Muse in the News, Gordon was doing his "Which one would you" bit. (Which is still greatness after all these years) He ended the game early because one of the participants was Brittney Griner. Junior told him he couldn't do that, and Gordon said he can do what he wants. And then Junior said, "We can do what we want?" It sounded like a reference to the Freak's motto of being able to say or do what they want. Unfortunately, nobody acknowledged the comment.
ReplyDeleteNope. Julie will be on TDB today. What is this thing? Whatever it is, it's bad.
ReplyDeletePlainsman - I have been saying for years that Bob is low key funny. He has a very ironically acute pop culture sensibility (e.g. hip hop knowledge, 90s hard rock etc) for such a Christian bred Liberty grad. It's actually quite amusing. Agree that the combo of Bob with Davy and Corby has improved THL. THZ with the maturation and growth of Dan as the lead with Bob's departure has grown into the A2 show just behind the Musers IMO.
ReplyDeleteNewsflash: People from any religion can possess all these characteristics. Considering how most humans are religious, this shouldn't come as a surprise.
ReplyDeleteOh the purviews that we leave, when first we practice to perceive (the world outside our bubble).
Today’s Freak unleashed (from the Downbeat): MOSQUITOES CAN SPREAD DISEASES!!! Sirois had a scandalous story about a high school football game being cancelled because of mosquitoes. THIS is the kind of material The Ticket is too weak to touch! Rhyner would have been better off heading over to the automat for a sandwich followed by a chess match in the park. I am all in favor of competition. They are providing none; however, I am grateful for the public service announcement regarding the dangers of…mosquitoes.
ReplyDeleteIt's getting worse with each passing day. It is. I thought The Ticket was actually going to have some competition, at least from 3-7. Nope. RaGE was far more formidable. RaGE! I can't believe I wrote that, but it's true. Not sure what Rhyner's thinking here. Is he saying to himself, "oh shit, what did I get myself into? What did I do? Why did I do it?" Is he living in a rock star like bubble where everyone tells him what they think he wants to hear and has done so for so long that he believes it too, and thinks this is all kick ass? Dude, we're 3 weeks in and THEY STILL HAVEN'T HAD A SHOW WITH JUST MIKE AND MIKE. What's going on? This is a Texas Radio Hall of Fame member we're talking about here! There is no finding the sealegs. I thought Sirois was magic? That's what I've been told ad nauseam. Does it have to be a polished product at this point? No. But come on. WHAT IS THIS? Now you have Mike R baiting people with "bring on the negativity, man, I can take it" crap. That's a clear indicator that the shit's in his kitchen and living rent free. I don't get it, man. But hey, it's just a radio station. I know. I know. Fuckin' a, though. Really thought we were gonna have a genuine radio war on our hands, which is a win-win for us listeners, because we get to hear the best out of everybody. F me running, as they say.
ReplyDeleteThe Downbeat may not clear Christmas
ReplyDeleteSurly, as knee-jerk as that might come off, you may very well be correct. One has to think The Freak PD is getting nervous. I guess the first book will be somewhat of an indicator as to which way the wind is blowing. By that I mean if iHeart will allow it to find its footing as is or begin making substantive changes before jettisoning the whole shebang. I've listened to every Down Beat and off and on to The Speakeasy and B&S. It's as if I'm listening to a start up internet radio station or podcast cluster headed up by a group of friends who truly believe they have something interesting to say but don't. To repeat a now oft used phrase in these threads, "it's weird." Are the iHeart Overlords listening? Is the PD listening?
ReplyDeleteSurly, you're a long time Confessor and obviously an early adopter P1. What's your take on this? Same with all regular Confessors that haven't weighed in. I'm perplexed by what I'm hearing. Maybe it's just me? Very well could be. Maybe The Freak is compelling but I'm too blinded by my love for The Ticket? I don't think so, but I can't get my head around how disorganized, haphazard The Freak is.
My research may not be entirely up to date, but, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I don't think there is a program director per se on site at KEGL/Dallas. Don Davis had been KEGL PD, but quit a couple of weeks before The Freak hit the airwaves.
ReplyDeleteI find this item dated October 3: "iHeartMedia Dallas SVP/Programming Patrick Davis will oversee the programming on The Freak in addition to CHR “106.1 Kiss-FM” KHKS and Hot AC “102.9 Now” KDMX." That Senior Vice President title sounds more grand than "program director," but perhaps there is some hands-on oversight a la Jeff Catlin. I'm sure Mike R is delighted to have someone more senior than Cat was now looking over his shoulder.
Whether he's tuned in over the past 2.5 weeks, dunno.
Did anyone tune in to the TC show last weekend? I did not.
ReplyDeleteNot me. And from the looks of The Ticket and Freak reddits, not many others did either. Or if they did, there wasn't much to report.
ReplyDeleteI think Mike R just has nothing left. He was checked out of THL for many years and he's shown that his interest level in new projects lasts for 2-3 months tops. I sort of assume that he only committed to one year of this and I see no way he lasts that long.
ReplyDeleteStart the countdown
Or there could be an extreme selection bias in these opinions. The very fact that we are here commenting on this small but intense fan interactive blog means by definition we are likely Ticket friendly in wanting what's best for the Ticket and/or potentially biased against any competition. Or maybe not...
ReplyDeleteI didn't really tune in for the last few years of the Mike-Corby-Danny hardline. Didn't find Mike compelling and there was way too much Danny.
ReplyDeleteThis is just a continuation of those thoughts
and if The Hang Zone moves I will still be listening to them every day
ReplyDeleteask yourself: how many of your circle of friends have mentioned listening in comparison to 5-6 weeks ago. has that changed? did it happen 3 weeks ago, and then slow down/stop?
ReplyDeleteI looked at the eagles reddit page whenever they made the announcement, that sub as a whole gave off the "Well, there goes 97.1 on my presets" vibe. No one seemed interested. From what other ticket pages I looked at, many seem slightly interested, to not interested at all. I don't know how many eagle listeners were keen about the switch over, and I don't know how many people that listen to the ticket are 1) enjoying the freak and 2) even sure it exists. We know of the freak because we are rabid ticket fans lol, but the common drive time listeners, have they heard of it? I'm not saying that I don't think a new talk radio station could thrive with the emergence of podcasts and what not, it just seems like a more uphill battle than ever.
ReplyDeleteI do think that the freak could improve over time (I would hope at least), but given that many of the hosts aren't new to radio, I would think that gives them less time to get their footing.
Re: do people know the Freak exists. Just saw a Freak billboard this morning driving into downtown. One of those digital ones, so it’s only up for 10 seconds at a time. “97.1 The Freak We say what we want” or whatever their dumb slogan is. No promotion of shows, Mike R, or any other personalities. I guess when your station is completely devoid of compelling talkers and formatics, the ephemera of unchained banter is all that’s left to promote.
ReplyDeleteI saw a Rhyner/Sirois/Grubes billboard in Grapevine
ReplyDeleteAnon 10/18, 10:34 pm here.
ReplyDeleteThanks Surly and others who chimed in with their thoughts. Much appreciated.
Many of my (male) friends and coworkers listen to The Ticket. With few exceptions most were eager to see what The Freak, but especially Mike and Mike, had to offer. There was a lot of chatter about it in the week leading up to its launch--mostly a mixture of disbelief and questions like who'll be involved?, how will KTCK respond?, and when was it conceived and by whom?. Once The Freak went live, that chatter mostly reflected what we find here at MTC and to some extent what's on reddit and Twitter. That is, an underwhelming, disappointing, confusing sigh. By the end of last week, all Freak chatter is dead. I've heard nothing from my friends and coworkers. If anything's brought up, it's about The Ticket. That is, back to business as usual. It's as if The Freak doesn't exist.
I think Surly is right about Mike R. No, that's incorrect. I know Surly is right about Mike R. I also think the person who keeps insisting that "Cat knows talent" is right. Finally, I stand by my thoughts on the haphazard, disorganized, flat out amateurish nature of The Freak. Add to that my incredulity over iHeart allowing for such a thing to occur, in any market, much less the fifth largest in the country. It makes no sense whatsoever. I would like to know the actual genesis (time-line included) of how The Freak came to be and who--exactly--was/were the driving force(s) behind it, and who knew what and when. I do not buy the narrative given by either Mikes, B&S, or anyone else. Too many holes in the story; holes punched in by the narrators.
Has this thing just turned into a day-long Russ Martin clone with Mike R playing the role of Russ? Lots of over laughing and ring kissing. Was this just a way to see if they could keep some of the old listeners around or just a short-time filler until they can decide what format to run in next?
ReplyDeleteBeginning to think the latter, Gopher.
ReplyDeleteHow To Fix The Freak And Stave Off Its Current Trajectory Of A Certain Head On Collision With Embarrassing Failure: A Bullet Pointed Proposal
ReplyDelete--Ronald in Rowlett PDPhD
*Move Ben and Skin to morning drive. They've always been a Musers starter kit. Let them compete with them and see how things shake out. Make Sirois the third host, playing the role of Gordon. We'll find out quickly how talented he really is. Right now he's miscast as Rhyner's cohost. He's more little buddy/sidekick cum producer. But really, more producer than anything. The Mike & Mike pairing is poor.
*Either move KT and Cavanaugh into producer/de facto host roles a la Danny with THL or let them go.
*For middays, and if you truly want to say/do what you want, make it all female. Julie, Kristina, and Emily Jones. Now THAT would be making a statement.
*As for The DownBeat, obviously Rhyner stays, but he needs a cohost who is actually a cohost (like Greggo was). Someone who views Rhyner as an equal and who is genuinely seen as such reciprocally. This is the only chance the station has a shot at getting a fully engaged (for the long haul) Rhyner. A Rhyner who while young for his age (an asset), will no longer be in a permanent state of adolesence amidst a permanent silly season. For the anchor/flagship show of the station to work it must be taken seriously and be seriously compelling (by way of humor and substance). This is not nor will it ever happen with Sirois. Cowlishaw would be ideal. I'm sure there are other names out there, as well. As is, it not only doesn't work, it will never work. I'm not blaming Sirois here, at all. It's just a bad fit for both of them and as a consequence for the tone of the station.
*Ditch the motto and find an actual shared focal point around which the station can come together and move in one direction. Right now it's a total chaotic clusterfuck of a mess. Most breaks end with a sports with a touch of news update. Nearly every meaty segment (of which there are precious few) pertains to sports. All but one host either comes from a sports media background and/or is a sports junkie. The national feed when not live is a sports feed. There are now weekend shows that are sports-centric. There is now a Cowboys postgame show. And finally, by your own admittance your direct competition is a sports station. What does that say about you? At this point it's comical.
I hope this helps. And it's all gratis. You're welcome.
I know you read this stuff, Sirois (So Anonymous). Ditto KT, and I'll bet the rest to too.
Fix this shit, Freak.
Just to be clear. If done right, I think The Freak can give The Ticket a serious run for its money. I also don't want to give the impression that I think Sirois is not able to become the star so many think he is or should be. My contention is that he's on the wrong show and in the wrong role (at this junture, at least). He needs room to breathe, to operate. Guys like him do better without so many constrictions. That and the peer to peer factor vis-a-vis Rhyner. Same goes with KT and Cavanaugh. They are more than capable. But they need to be put in roles that set them up for success. As I said, they'd both be ideal as producer/de facto 3rd hosts (only actually pay them what they deserve, unlike Cumulus).
ReplyDeleteI already bailed on The Freak. Would rather switch to 105.3 during Ticket commercial breaks now, it's gotten that bad.
ReplyDeleteThanks to you all for some excellent, thoughtful comments. Gotta come to MTC for Quality Ticket Journalism.
ReplyDelete656, you know I love bullet points. Thanks for a lucid and thoughtful commentary.
I'll depart from your analysis in only one particular: I'm not detecting a great hunger among the P1 or Confessor for female participation on either station. You're right that it would be "making a statement," but I think the statement would be "we don't really care about middays." Julie, Krystina, and Emily are perfectly good broadcasters, but if they're not going to talk about sports very much -- this, of course, is what the Freak is promising -- the P1/Confessor is not going to prefer that to almost anything that The Ticket is going to offer. I'm not saying that The Gals will be talking cooking, needlepoint, and child-raising when they're not talking sports, I'm just saying that a fair percentage of the P1/Confessor is going to agree with Mike R -- who would be their new boss, apparently -- that there is nothing less pleasant than the sound of the female voice. Which is hyperbole, and wrong even if expressed non-hyperbolically, but the market just isn't demanding it. Perhaps I'm deceived as to the size of the female listenership, but I just don't see dudes preferring an all-female show to pretty much anything on The Ticket in large numbers.
Now, if you wanted to shake things up, one might consider doing what I proposed some time ago -- an all-AA station, or, in this case, an all-AA program. Or all Latino. The groups from which so many of our best and most popular athletes come from. (Yes, I know there are lots of notable female athletes -- but see: TV ratings, general interest level, etc.)
Anyway, 656, thanks again for putting some thought into this. And for the bullet points.
What would late 90s Rhyner say if he listened to the freak? "This thing is a collection of ill-fitting parts" and finish with "THIS THING ..." you all know.
ReplyDeleteMy vote is still Nov 5 2022
What would late 90s Rhyner say about early 20s Rhyner?
ReplyDeleteIf Danny is coming into The Freak fold, make him Rhyner's cohost and put Sirois in the Gordo position for the morning show. I agree with the idea the morning show should be B&S with Sirois. Flip the morning and midday slots. Danny with Rhynes. Problem solved.
ReplyDeleteCowboy's Theatre 1310, The Rant coming back to the Hardline every week. The Ticket is really pulling out all of the stops to compete with the Freak. Wish a new radio station started years ago!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy it while it lasts, because after the 3rd book, that is when it becomes evident that The Freak is anything but freaky, 1310 will return to its comfortable state of stupor.
ReplyDeleteNew thread/red up.
ReplyDelete