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 know I'm in a minority among Confessors, but I don't think The Freak is going to vanish within the next few months. In fact, if it undergoes some changes, as some here have also suggested, I'm thinking it'll be around to see 2024.
I agree with those who find it, um, not really very good. And sometimes terrible. But it has had a couple of upticks the last couple of books. Yes, I KNOW, not as good as The Eagle at its worst, but I have to think that iHeart did not anticipate a brand new format on an established signal was going to vault ahead of its predecessor in ratings right away.
I think they probably will tinker with it, perhaps significantly. Move some people around, let some go, add some experience. Who knows, maybe even hire a Dallas-based program director to make Mike R's life the hell he seemed to think it was over at The Ticket. (I haven't been able to find any information on a new PD there since The Freak went on the air -- anyone have any info on that?) Get rid of that jaw-droppingly dumb slogan. And if they do tinker, then that post-tinker configuration will itself get some time to sink or swim.
Yeah, it may suck, and it may be boring, and it may be casting some of our former leaders in a depressingly unflattering light. But it does have some listeners, and those listeners seem to be sticking, and, depending on how one reads the numbers, it may be adding some new ones, albeit slowly.
So my prediction -- which is issued mainly to spur discussion, and not as something I really believe strongly but do believe a little -- is that a station called "The Freak" broadcasting at 97.1 FM with most of its present personnel in one slot or another, and not wholeheartedly embracing sports, and adopting even more Ticket schtick, will be around through Q1 2024.
counterpoint: iHeart is a corporation in financial constriction, publicly tightening its belt, and could quickly improve their DFW p&L matters by shifting to a music in a box format aimed at one of a few rather large music holes in the market. Yes they'll lose all that endorsement money but according to the monthly sales reports that hasn't exactly gone as planned on the station. there are quick fixes available that don't involve continuing to support a FT air staff probably bigger than you have for all your other stations combined.
All of their live spots seem to be clients that tend to live in the world of live endorsements. D&m leasing, dfw security, trusted lab, etc. all clients that had significant live spot visibility on the ticket and other stAtions round town. But, and I’ve pointed this out before, listen to any commercial break on the Freak and marvel at the lack of high dollar advertiser. In fact, count the number of advertisers that are NOT endorsement clients or house accounts. Too many ads for iheart podcasts for them to be having sales success. Point being that they have very few actual paying advertisers. Sales gets a premium for live spots. Part of that package is spots voiced by talent in other dayparts. But that’s all the Freak has. To use a sports analogy, they have no bench depth when it comes to advertisers. C
The latter thought us the correct one, Plainsman. iHeart, like so many corps, knows what's coming both in the macro and micro vis a vis the natnl and world economy (hint: not good, buddy), the markets, and technology and its impact on consumer taste and hanits. All that on addition to the point you brought up.
honestly no idea how long this drags on. iHeart is so furiously trying to convert into a digital-first company, I've long wondered how much of this format was about providing the company podcast friendly, non-music content and some sort of internal corporate content and sales experiment and less about winning ratings in the metroplex. in other words - we all see the crummy ratings and local sales and wonder how they can keep doing this, meanwhile maybe it's doing something streaming/podcasting-wise that the company sees as an asset? this whole thing was just a confusing concept from the start, the idea it was part of some sort of larger digital strategy has always stuck in the back of my head. but yeah, there are quick flips that would instantly help the bottom line locally.
To return to the Little Ticket for a moment. I don't get the April Fools Open. I don't mind golf. I long ago stopped trying to play it because I was terrible but I will watch it if it is on. I find it a good background event while doing things around the house, but it is good golf. I don't see any reason to listen to bad golf. I don't find it funny or entertaining. I didn't get Fight Night either so maybe I am outside the Ticket's target for those two events. Is the April Fool's Open really that popular with the other P1s?
Idk if being a golfer helps the enjoyment or not, but I like It a lot. It’s funny to hear the hosts commentate like it’s a serious event. It would be a little better if we got to see more of it, but it’s a fun event for an afternoon.
Again, Confessors: If you're going to refer to something you heard on the station, please please PLEASE describe it even at the risk of TMI. Don't wait for someone else to do it. We can't all listen to all segments of all shows all the time.
I catch up on segments that interest me on weekends on Spotify and it really is better than when it began. They’ll never compete with the little one but they have a place in this market.
What place is that, exactly? If you mean there's a place in the market for over laughing/fake laughing, incessant giggling, reading lists, playing theater of the mind vis-a-vis inane game/quiz shows, did I mention reading lists?, ranking pretty much anything conceivable, awkward silences, constant insecure, thin skinned, not so veiled digs at other stations, and if I haven't said it already, let me stress reading lists.
So if that's what you mean and if you believe there's an audience for it, then perhaps there's a place for them in this market. Six + months and a highly publicized/marketed launch with supposed major needle moving talent in, their paltry numbers thus far indicate otherwise. We'll see.
"... he fended off the likes of Danny Balis, sending the Knox City knocker's career careening into a drive time producer gig for the LIV tour radio network [over laughing] ..."
B&S, no shit, played Wheel of Fortune for 3 segments today. Flipped over like I do just to see if ANYTHING during ANY show is even half decent. And there they are playing WoF. Immediate punch out. Went back in 2 more times, spaced out to drop in when a fresh seggie would be on, and they were still at it. I swear the whole Freak thing is one big troll. The fake laughter, RMS/Tree House giggle giggle giggle crap was off the charts.
Rumors have started. Another book for the Ticket like their last couple. And a BAD book for the Freak. Like back in the mid 20’s bad. I’m sure Peter Welpton will post all the juicy details later. C
"The Little Ticket" just dropped its third consecutive "best month ever". an amazing run. Fan and Freak lost any and all growth and both posted lower ratings than they did back in Oct '22.
^ Right there with you. I would occasionally switch over there, curious as to what the 'say what we want' Topic would be.
That curiosity is long gone. Zero interest. But, good luck with all their bottoms, or i guess Glen's or whatever they're throwing out over there these days.
Told y'all a thread ago that the birdies are chirping and the bees are a buzzing. There's a reason B&S have turned their entire station presence into one long form infomercial for their brewery/restaurant/bar. It's why Rhyner stopped his shit talking and the test ditto with the not so veiled references. It's why the bees are also buzzing beneath the wind of their wings that some back channel reacquaintance fence mending has begun, across TF board. Party's about to be over, folks.
Wow wow wow wow. Those numbers. Wow. Wow The Ticket's continued and furthered dominance. Wow The Freak's disintegration. Thinking 4/18 11:16p knows what they're talking about. Man that is awful across the board.
Does the Freak have a PD yet? I’m guessing not or else they wouldn’t be trotting out an AM drive show that’s 30th place in market. It defies explanation that iHR corporate haven’t stepped in yet to try to put out this dumpster fire.
Yup. Was out for an afternoon drive drive today. Hardline was talking to Joel klatt. The Freak was doing “Rhyner ranks it” and the metroplex was “enlightened” by the fact that Mike likes red beans more than navy beans or Lima beans. The morning show is an abortion, but none of those people have talent or experience. The idea that the Downbeat is ranking crap like that, and thinks people want to hear it just boggles my mind. First rule of marketing- know your audience. It’s like they believe their audience is “people who love us and don’t care what we talk about”. C
Can Sirois be able to squeeze in his new hit station idea - The All-Day Grasping At Straws Fun Day Radio Freak Party - - - For the "Morning Show" they just go back to playing Classic Rock for 4hrs, in hopes people will actually stick around and listen.
11-3 TimeSlot = yeah, more Classic Rock. still gotta punt it away, no way to compete with THZ.
3-7 = Welcome back Greggo, but this time with Richie Whitt. And quadruple the mics around Grubes, so that his fake over laughing is now at Extreme Over-Use Levels. & Cash, Krystina, Julie, and Vida will all be there too for at least 3 segments of Mike Ranks where he'll rank Fingers, Toes, and Fingers.
Said it ad nauseam here in forever. TF will be a cold cold shower for some heroes and their fanboys. That has panned out. Bullseye. If you still think Sirois is genius I'm not sure what to say to you other than you might need therapy. If you still think Julie's departure from TT was devestating I'm not sure what to say to you other than you might wanna stop equating attractiveness with substantive content creation. If you still think Rhyner is the Rhyner from '04 -'06 I'm not sure what to say to you other than you might need to consult a current calendar and perhaps seriously question your judgment, not just in this case but in all areas of your life.
Danny? Still trying to figure out just what he was/is thinking.
Cat knows talent. Who has it and who does not. From TT's historic ratings run to TF's Edsel-like flop, everything bears this out.
I know I'm in a minority among Confessors, but I don't think The Freak is going to vanish within the next few months. In fact, if it undergoes some changes, as some here have also suggested, I'm thinking it'll be around to see 2024.
ReplyDeleteI agree with those who find it, um, not really very good. And sometimes terrible. But it has had a couple of upticks the last couple of books. Yes, I KNOW, not as good as The Eagle at its worst, but I have to think that iHeart did not anticipate a brand new format on an established signal was going to vault ahead of its predecessor in ratings right away.
I think they probably will tinker with it, perhaps significantly. Move some people around, let some go, add some experience. Who knows, maybe even hire a Dallas-based program director to make Mike R's life the hell he seemed to think it was over at The Ticket. (I haven't been able to find any information on a new PD there since The Freak went on the air -- anyone have any info on that?) Get rid of that jaw-droppingly dumb slogan. And if they do tinker, then that post-tinker configuration will itself get some time to sink or swim.
Yeah, it may suck, and it may be boring, and it may be casting some of our former leaders in a depressingly unflattering light. But it does have some listeners, and those listeners seem to be sticking, and, depending on how one reads the numbers, it may be adding some new ones, albeit slowly.
So my prediction -- which is issued mainly to spur discussion, and not as something I really believe strongly but do believe a little -- is that a station called "The Freak" broadcasting at 97.1 FM with most of its present personnel in one slot or another, and not wholeheartedly embracing sports, and adopting even more Ticket schtick, will be around through Q1 2024.
Go Rangers.
counterpoint: iHeart is a corporation in financial constriction, publicly tightening its belt, and could quickly improve their DFW p&L matters by shifting to a music in a box format aimed at one of a few rather large music holes in the market. Yes they'll lose all that endorsement money but according to the monthly sales reports that hasn't exactly gone as planned on the station. there are quick fixes available that don't involve continuing to support a FT air staff probably bigger than you have for all your other stations combined.
ReplyDeleteCan you explain the “endorsement money”?
DeleteAll of their live spots seem to be clients that tend to live in the world of live endorsements. D&m leasing, dfw security, trusted lab, etc. all clients that had significant live spot visibility on the ticket and other stAtions round town. But, and I’ve pointed this out before, listen to any commercial break on the Freak and marvel at the lack of high dollar advertiser. In fact, count the number of advertisers that are NOT endorsement clients or house accounts. Too many ads for iheart podcasts for them to be having sales success. Point being that they have very few actual paying advertisers. Sales gets a premium for live spots. Part of that package is spots voiced by talent in other dayparts. But that’s all the Freak has. To use a sports analogy, they have no bench depth when it comes to advertisers.
DeleteC
Thanks for explaining
DeleteThe latter thought us the correct one, Plainsman. iHeart, like so many corps, knows what's coming both in the macro and micro vis a vis the natnl and world economy (hint: not good, buddy), the markets, and technology and its impact on consumer taste and hanits. All that on addition to the point you brought up.
ReplyDeletehonestly no idea how long this drags on. iHeart is so furiously trying to convert into a digital-first company, I've long wondered how much of this format was about providing the company podcast friendly, non-music content and some sort of internal corporate content and sales experiment and less about winning ratings in the metroplex. in other words - we all see the crummy ratings and local sales and wonder how they can keep doing this, meanwhile maybe it's doing something streaming/podcasting-wise that the company sees as an asset? this whole thing was just a confusing concept from the start, the idea it was part of some sort of larger digital strategy has always stuck in the back of my head. but yeah, there are quick flips that would instantly help the bottom line locally.
ReplyDeleteTo return to the Little Ticket for a moment. I don't get the April Fools Open. I don't mind golf. I long ago stopped trying to play it because I was terrible but I will watch it if it is on. I find it a good background event while doing things around the house, but it is good golf. I don't see any reason to listen to bad golf. I don't find it funny or entertaining. I didn't get Fight Night either so maybe I am outside the Ticket's target for those two events. Is the April Fool's Open really that popular with the other P1s?
ReplyDeleteIdk if being a golfer helps the enjoyment or not, but I like It a lot. It’s funny to hear the hosts commentate like it’s a serious event. It would be a little better if we got to see more of it, but it’s a fun event for an afternoon.
DeleteAnyone catch the dig at Danny during one of the Open Tickets? Pretty funny.
ReplyDeleteAgain, Confessors: If you're going to refer to something you heard on the station, please please PLEASE describe it even at the risk of TMI. Don't wait for someone else to do it. We can't all listen to all segments of all shows all the time.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
You can find it once/theticket
ReplyDeletewell thanks autocorrect
ReplyDeleter/theticket
Seriously, how long before TF has Rocco Pendola & the Sports Princess on at this point?
ReplyDeleteI catch up on segments that interest me on weekends on Spotify and it really is better than when it began. They’ll never compete with the little one but they have a place in this market.
ReplyDelete^^^^^^^ Thanks for your input, KT.
ReplyDeleteWhat place is that, exactly? If you mean there's a place in the market for over laughing/fake laughing, incessant giggling, reading lists, playing theater of the mind vis-a-vis inane game/quiz shows, did I mention reading lists?, ranking pretty much anything conceivable, awkward silences, constant insecure, thin skinned, not so veiled digs at other stations, and if I haven't said it already, let me stress reading lists.
ReplyDeleteSo if that's what you mean and if you believe there's an audience for it, then perhaps there's a place for them in this market. Six + months and a highly publicized/marketed launch with supposed major needle moving talent in, their paltry numbers thus far indicate otherwise. We'll see.
The dig at Danny in the April Fool's Open was:
ReplyDelete"... he fended off the likes of Danny Balis, sending the Knox City knocker's career careening into a drive time producer gig for the LIV tour radio network [over laughing] ..."
Apparently Surly can't link to reddit. It is here: The Danny Balis - LIV comparison was impecable
B&S, no shit, played Wheel of Fortune for 3 segments today. Flipped over like I do just to see if ANYTHING during ANY show is even half decent. And there they are playing WoF. Immediate punch out. Went back in 2 more times, spaced out to drop in when a fresh seggie would be on, and they were still at it. I swear the whole Freak thing is one big troll. The fake laughter, RMS/Tree House giggle giggle giggle crap was off the charts.
ReplyDeleteRumors have started. Another book for the Ticket like their last couple. And a BAD book for the Freak. Like back in the mid 20’s bad. I’m sure Peter Welpton will post all the juicy details later.
ReplyDeleteC
"The Little Ticket" just dropped its third consecutive "best month ever". an amazing run.
DeleteFan and Freak lost any and all growth and both posted lower ratings than they did back in Oct '22.
Why does Corbles talk about hockey? Absolutely NO clue
ReplyDeleteI honestly forgot The Freak was a thing these last few weeks…
ReplyDelete^ Right there with you. I would occasionally switch over there, curious as to what the 'say what we want' Topic would be.
ReplyDeleteThat curiosity is long gone. Zero interest. But, good luck with all their bottoms, or i guess Glen's or whatever they're throwing out over there these days.
Told y'all a thread ago that the birdies are chirping and the bees are a buzzing. There's a reason B&S have turned their entire station presence into one long form infomercial for their brewery/restaurant/bar. It's why Rhyner stopped his shit talking and the test ditto with the not so veiled references. It's why the bees are also buzzing beneath the wind of their wings that some back channel reacquaintance fence mending has begun, across TF board. Party's about to be over, folks.
ReplyDeleterest not test.
ReplyDeleteThose numbers are insane, for the ticket and the freq
ReplyDeleteWow wow wow wow. Those numbers. Wow. Wow The Ticket's continued and furthered dominance. Wow The Freak's disintegration. Thinking 4/18 11:16p knows what they're talking about. Man that is awful across the board.
ReplyDeleteDoes the Freak have a PD yet? I’m guessing not or else they wouldn’t be trotting out an AM drive show that’s 30th place in market. It defies explanation that iHR corporate haven’t stepped in yet to try to put out this dumpster fire.
ReplyDeleteYup. Was out for an afternoon drive drive today. Hardline was talking to Joel klatt. The Freak was doing “Rhyner ranks it” and the metroplex was “enlightened” by the fact that Mike likes red beans more than navy beans or Lima beans. The morning show is an abortion, but none of those people have talent or experience. The idea that the Downbeat is ranking crap like that, and thinks people want to hear it just boggles my mind. First rule of marketing- know your audience. It’s like they believe their audience is “people who love us and don’t care what we talk about”.
ReplyDeleteC
Can Sirois be able to squeeze in his new hit station idea - The All-Day Grasping At Straws Fun Day Radio Freak Party - - -
ReplyDeleteFor the "Morning Show" they just go back to playing Classic Rock for 4hrs, in hopes people will actually stick around and listen.
11-3 TimeSlot = yeah, more Classic Rock. still gotta punt it away, no way to compete with THZ.
3-7 = Welcome back Greggo, but this time with Richie Whitt. And quadruple the mics around Grubes, so that his fake over laughing is now at Extreme Over-Use Levels. & Cash, Krystina, Julie, and Vida will all be there too for at least 3 segments of Mike Ranks where he'll rank Fingers, Toes, and Fingers.
it'll be Must-See Radio!!
Said it ad nauseam here in forever. TF will be a cold cold shower for some heroes and their fanboys. That has panned out. Bullseye. If you still think Sirois is genius I'm not sure what to say to you other than you might need therapy. If you still think Julie's departure from TT was devestating I'm not sure what to say to you other than you might wanna stop equating attractiveness with substantive content creation. If you still think Rhyner is the Rhyner from '04 -'06 I'm not sure what to say to you other than you might need to consult a current calendar and perhaps seriously question your judgment, not just in this case but in all areas of your life.
ReplyDeleteDanny? Still trying to figure out just what he was/is thinking.
Cat knows talent. Who has it and who does not. From TT's historic ratings run to TF's Edsel-like flop, everything bears this out.
QED
Now up for your outraged responses: Classy new red, and a response to Anon 1119 just above.
ReplyDelete