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."
Thursday, June 22, 2023
A Fitting Farewell to Norm, and A Couple of Quick Hits
I had wanted to take the time to write something thoughtful and heartfelt about Norm Hitzges’s tenure at The Ticket. But I’m out of town and it’s late and I’m just going to have to do a bit of a data dump on a few items.
I’ll say only this:
Of all the things that The Ticket could do to give Norm a fitting sendoff, something that shows that they really do care about the guy as a person, it is this:
DEMAND THAT GEORGE DUNHAM LEARN HOW TO PRONOUNCE HIS NAME. The first few times he said “hitchges,” I thought it might have been a bit. But no – he just flat has never paid any attention to how it is spelled and how other people who know how to pronounce it, pronounce it.
Norm, you and Mary have the absolutely best retirement. Continue to knock the draft out of the park; travel the world; thrive.
Mike Rhyner’s latest self-immolative move (posting the photo of the Timewasters’ turnout), and its hilarious backfiring, is not terribly surprising. Many of you have remarked on what seems to be a delusional miscalculation on his part with respect to what percentage of The Ticket’s popularity during his tenure there was attributable to, well, his tenure there.
My question is, why did he think that? Did he believe that he contributed meaningfully to The Hardline during the last, let’s say five years, there? When he was assigned to join Cowboys pre-game and other shows, did he contribute anything? They even gave him a named segment (“What’s on Mike’s Mind?”) which in most cases had to be propped up by Corby and Danny. He richly earned the sobriquet “Checkout Mike.” How could management possibly have marginalized someone who had so convincingly marginalized himself? He couldn't see it?
This is what you get for not shopping at My Ticket Confession.
I haven’t listened to The Beatdown in awhile, but reports seem to indicate that he’s drifting into the margins of that show as well.
Hey, this is a sad thing. I loved The Hardline in the past and I thought Mike was an astounding radio talent – really one of a kind. But, as several of us have remarked in these pages, his last few years at The Ticket, the manner of his leaving, his chest-thumping return as a Freak, have not only diminished his reputation as a radio personality, but also the impression he has given in the past as a hard-nosed, no bullshit, shot-and-a-beer pal of the sports/guy-talk listener and his peers at The Ticket.
* * *
Whither the midday show? I don’t know. Sean Bass makes the most sense, and, unlike some here, I think he and Donovan would be just fine in that slot, even if expanded to an additional hour. He’s a semi-management guy at The Ticket, or at least was last I knew, and unless those duties would impinge on hosting duties (how could they, since he's producing now?), I would think it is his for the taking. He's had a voice on that show for a long time and it would be a pretty natural transition.
Now: Justin Montemayor’s name has been mentioned as a possible teammate for Donovan. Confessors who have read this site for awhile know that I am a very, very big Justin Montemayor fan. Work in Progress may be my current favorite show on the station (H/T to David Mino for his co-starring teamwork.) I would love to hear more of him and I would be delighted if he were elevated to host. I would think that the teasing he takes at the hands of various Gordon Keith characters would be signal enough of the esteem in which he is held at the station.
But . . . I recall that Justin was a strong candidate for the producer role on the noon-to-3 show, a spot that eventually went to Blake Jones. So now that there’s another slot, I’m wondering about what might be going through Jeff Catlin’s mind when it comes to promoting Monte to producer or host. He’s on the station a lot, and he does some of the regular hoops shows and does a lot of fill-in, so it’s hard to imagine that he is not considered a reliable and well-regarded guy.
His physical challenges are well known and don’t seem to keep him back at all. Recently, I believe he was supposed to be doing a song with Dan McDowell at Summa Bash and he had to bail for some reason (Killer took over his slot). So hope all is well with him.
Anyway, Justin, if you’re out there – this site is rooting for you to get what you want – if you want it.
The reason this is just sad pathetic trolling is this: lower tier ticket talents (Sirois and Danny) had to sit out a 6 month non compete. It would be massive mismanagement on the part of Dan Bennett and Jeff Catlin to not have tier 1 talent locked into a similar contract. And nothing in the record shows that those 2 are prone to mismanagement. So assuming that the HZ is close to the end of a contract. They’d have to sit on the sidelines for 6 months. If you can point to a show that left the overall #1 station, to go to a station that’s mired around 30th, where revenue is down double digits, where they just brought in a PD with a rock background, not hot talk. The hang zone could leave, but to think they’re going to the Freak is laughable. They were gun shy about jumping to the Fan, which was in a better spot then than the Freak is now. They’re not leaving the Ticket. C
^^^^Go away, bruh. Not even a good troll. Sad stuff.
Rhyner is merely showing everyone who he is, was, and barring some sort of epiphany, will always be. Like the above troll and its bag, sad stuff from Rhyner.
It'd be nice to see Monty get his shot. He's the real thing. Both knowledgeable and funny, the man offers up genuinely compelling radio. Sean would be the safe bet, and he'd be fine. But I think Monty would raise Donnie's already ever-growing talent to another level. Those two compliment each other nicely.
I think Norm and the way TT has handled everything this week couldn't have gone any better. Fairly certain tomorrow's going to choke a lot of us P1s up. But man was it nice to hear him on tonight's NBA draft. I really do hope he fills in during drydocks, does the NFL and NBA drafts, and is a guest host on the Cowboys postgame show from time to time. I've been listening to Norm since middle school. Norman Idi Amin Hitzges, you are a legend if there's ever been one. Really going to miss ya, old pal.
Sean Bass has both put in the time, and proved his skill sets in this time slot for a year now. He made significant corrections to the two hours that helped fix its ratings issues and now it is #1.
You may call it the safe choice, I would call it the smart choice.
On another note it came to my attention while perusing The Fan for a bit that Trajan advertises their annuity scam on that station as much as the Ticket. Do you know how much money they must be skimming from the sale of 25% bonus annuities to be able to spend as much as they do on advertising? Mindboggling. For those that call me the Financial Troll I encourage you to go right ahead and take out your 401K money and buy one of their annuities.
He’s coming from Rochester, market number 76. Before that he was the PD of Cumulus’s Bone in San Fran, and music director/jock at WLUP in Chicago, a rock station. So yeah, a talk pd in minor market, his big market PD experience is at classic rock The Bone. C
Thought this was a pretty interesting little interview with Dan Bennett from a couple of years ago. Some good nuggets about revenue and ratings and developing talent
Good info, C. I'm guessing it's unofficially official as it hasn't yet made the Radio Insight headline page.
As to Rhyner, it's been awhile since I've witnessed such a public display of a self inflicted self implosion. Absolute embarrassment. He was never who he portrayed himself to be. Just the opposite, in fact. I hate having to admit this.
I get a feeling that Mr. Rhyner might be on the verge of going back into retirement. This time, permanently. The now apparently inevitable failure of TF coupled with his rather overt disinterest in doing his job (his "interest" lasted about two days, that is, days 1 & 2 of TF) and the rapidly forming consensus by listener and media types alike that he's a petty, inert, attention seeking doucher, such a move might be his only way going forward. Other than to double down, which he's good at. But the on air apology to his fans (which, if you remember, it was Greggo's on air apology to all his fans that marked the public beginning of his downhill slide) seems to indicate doubling down isn't on the agenda. I can see him stepping down, couching it in terms of it now being truly the time to make way for others, that he's set these Freakers up for success in the best/only way he knows how, and from there make a partly public but mostly private apology tour, desperately trying to mend fences and reclaim some of the respect that he's lost since beginning TF fiasco and newfound victimhood, or more aptly put, fantasyland, self created narrative.
Wonder what Sirois was thinking today as he listened to Norm say goodbye like a pro (?). Like an adult. Wonder what Danny's thinking as he stares across the room at Rhyner, watching him give zero shits about anything, just like he did for the last 10+ years at TT?
I'm really going to miss Norm. Even though I did not listen to his show often, just knowing he was there from 10-12 was always reassuring. I realize many P1s don't care for the Ticket's sports talk but guys like Norm and Bob are necessary in bringing balance to the station. I'm glad he will still be around "part-time" (although we will see what that actually looks like). It would be great if he could be part of the weekend lineup eventually
Actually, I think most listeners are there for sports first, then guy talk. Else TF would be faring far better. It's just the other way around listeners are far more vocal. Never underestimate the silent majority.
I’m prob just stupid and a sucker about these troll posts about hangzone going to TF but I felt like what’s we thought about the initial freak rumors in general. It was all nonsense. Then it started to happen. Then Danny was nonsense too, and then he went. They got a new PD. I have no idea how much that really means, like I said, I’m dumb in this area.
Actually, only a few MTC patrons thought TF rumors were nonsense. That was mostly due to their source (the notoriously full of shit yet always has his ear close to the ground, Richie Whitt). But anyone paying attention to Rhyner and to the rather odd and whiff of almost orchestrated way Julie, Sirois, and Danny departed. The same RW claimed in his initial article that the word was THZ would follow suit this Spring. Since that time, a lot has gone down that would indicate such a move for Dan and Jake would be tantamount to career suicide -- or at least one of the dumbest moves ever made in the business. The way in which Cat, Bennett, and Cumulus treated Jake and his family regarding the birth of his 2nd child and the ensuing health crisis alone could suffice for the quashing of any such move. Then there's TF and the thus far spectacular disaster that it is. There's no end in sight for that horror show, either. The talent is still the talent, the aimlessness is still aimless, and the whole thing's built around a 70-something who comports himself like a 7 year old and has zero interest in doing his job. Upshot: Don't fall for the trolls.
Only person with a bigger chip on their shoulder than Rhyner is Whitt. Funny how his SI column used to harp on the Tickets weak ratings ( where he insisted the stream didn’t count until the Ticket went TLR and eliminated that argument) but now where the Ticket has incredible ratings success, unheard of in this market and arguably unprecedented nation wide, Richie can barely be bothered to mention it. For a guy who claims to be a journalist he’s the least objective dude ever. C
The sad thing about Whitt is that he once was a good writer with interesting takes and great inside connections. However, somewhere in the mid 00s he either totally lost his mind or had always been an opportunistic douchenozzle but was able to keep it under wraps---but when he saw a chance to capitalize on the then Greggo band/fanwagon, he ripped the mask off and went scorched earth.
I will always chuckle at the fact that he lied on air about his marathon time. The actual results live on the internet and they did not match up at all
Oh, shit, Surly, I forgot about that one! Nearly spit the Coke out of my mouth laughing when I read your comment. Ol' RW truly takes the proverbial cake.
I miss the days of opening one of his observer columns and seeing him get mercilessly roasted in the comments. I actually did enjoy his quick hit thoughts for a while but you can't outrun the douchiness he exudes.
If you think about it, RW would be a perfect fit for TF. Put him on with Julie in the morning. What, with him not so subtley hitting on Julie at every turn, the ick factor would be off the charts. Probably garner better ratings than what's going on now. Then again, dead air would too.
I really enjoyed how TT handled Norm's exit. I've been listening to Norm most weekday mornings since I was in middle school. It was sobering to think about how long that's been and how long his voice has been a part of my life. My dad was a big fan of Norm's show on KLIF and we'd talk about what Norm said when he came home from work in the evenings. I dropped Norm an email to let him know how big a part of my life he'd been and true to his character, even with all he had going on during that week, he took the time to write me a short reply. He is truly a legend in this city and in his field.
I am firmly in the Monty camp for the new host with Donnie. I do wish Mike had stuck around to be the one to join Donnie but that wasn't the way things worked out. I don't know if it would have worked or not. I enjoyed Mike S and Donnie together but I can see that long term it might not work. I'm not a fan of SeaBass, I find him dull and not that insightful with his sports points. He's done a good job as the producer though so I have to give him credit for that.
Sean seems like a good father, husband, and all around dude. But he's not Varsity host material. I say this because putting the above kudos aside, he also has a nasty case of Gotta-Be-Right-itis. And this is unfortunately instantiated far too often in the forms of (i) the cocky sniff, (ii) the immediate, unreflective,glomming onto whatever viewpoint du jour the "sports smart set" happens to be proffering that particular week -- shitting on any differing take (specially if it is, gasp, not data driven) -- and (iii) a tendency toward Rangers homerism that at times evokes Jack Edwards, which in turn makes all Rangers discussions pointless [see (i)].
So while I think Sean's done an excellent job producing (sorry, fanboys, he's far far better than Sirois), 5 days, 4 weeks, 12 months wash-rinse-repeat of him would not be ideal. Would love to see Monty or Doucey or Sam Gannon. Oh, Wilonsky, you have to be joking. That would be terrrrrrrrrrrriblllllllle. Seriously, he writes well and has a wonderful speaking voice. But he's full it. Let's just say his life sounds like a Wes Anderson movie for a reason and I'll leave it at that.
So Norm is gonna be podcasting 5 days a week. Seems his “retirement” really was just a nonrewewal of his contract and not voluntary. He really did wanna go to 50 years continually on air. Seeing how hard of a time he has getting around, this makes me sad that he wasn’t ready to go willingly.
Surly is usually pretty well-informed about local media matters. It's hard to tell from his remarks here whether he's speculating when he says it "seems" Norm's retirement was a non-renewal, but it feels like it, as he's linking it to the full-time podcast.
I have no idea whether Norm's departure was voluntary or not. But in the past I have heard from several very good sources that Dan Bennett loves Norm would never require him to leave if he didn't want to. Now, whether some new contract wasn't to his Norm's liking, that's one thing. But I'm not getting a feeling that his departure was coerced, either directly (termination or no new contract) or constructively (new contract offered on unacceptable terms). Just doesn't seem to be in the air.
Norm could knock these out in one day and be free the rest of the week depending on podcast length and subject matter. I think Norm in an Unplugged" situation might be an interesting listen. I would love to hear him interview the likes of Dale Hanson, Brad Sham, Randy Galloway, and even Rhyner in this setting. The list of area celebrities and Dallas movers and shakers even more so. I can see him easily moving into political areas quite easily.
Interesting point, Gopher. As a matter of fact, back in Norm’s KLIF days, he actually hosted a non-sports show to discuss politics, culture, news of the day, etc. Don’t remember how long that show lasted, but seems it only lived about 6 months or less, before Norm was back to just doing his morning sports show.
Norm says he is available to The Ticket for fill-in work. Would that be the case if he was forced out? I guess we will have to wait and see if it actually happens.
His contract was up, yes, he wanted to go the full 50 on-air, but he understands the business better than anyone and knows that sometimes in life you have to trend and tend toward the market and have a realist understanding of our own standing. That's what happened. He made a tough business and personal decision. If he were single, he would've re-upped. But he's not, and he and Mary do have other considerations (i.e, active lifestyle time left on the clock for Norm) to factor in. There's nothing to see here. Norm being Norm, he will not go out into the good night quietly. Unlike Hollywood, he actually has things on his mind. Things he wants to express, pass on; that is, to both teach and, most importantly, learn from others. And, unlike Rhyner, he will put in the work (his heart) into it. Vanity projects are for the vain. Norm's not perfect by any stretch, but he sure as hell isn't vain. That can't be said for the other Ticket Texas Radio HoFer. I for one am looking forward to this pod. And if Friedo is involved, all the better. They were a fantastic team. I too look forward to Norm's draft coverage and any and all fill-in work at TT.
I’ve got a pretty good source inside the mothership. Norm went to Dan and Jeff and wanted out. Sick of the grind, the commute, etc. totally voluntary according to my source. In fact said it threw Dan and Jeff for a loop- someone wanting to leave while station was having its best ratings ever. Said that while Norms share was less than other shows, he was still number 1 in his daypart. Hard to gripe when a show is not just first in target demo, but also first overall six plus. C
Nice catch, Darren. That's pretty big on a couple of levels. It shows where TF is going. It's obviously transitioning to sports/guy talk but doesn't want to admit, at least explicitly, that the say what we want shit show isn't the shit show that it is. You don't bring in a Dom/Zakk, whose bona fides (if you want to couch them in those terms) reside solely in sports, to say what we want. And if you're Dom, your first move isn't to bring in a name of fair size in sports if saw what we want is the way forward. Notice the station logo. It's been cleaned up a bit. Rather sportsy looking. Even Barrett Sports Media is taking notice of the ever growing, confusing claims vis-a-vis actions of iHeart regarding TF. From the news item Darren posted:
"While 97.1 The Freak does have plenty of talent that first established themselves on local sports stations in the Metroplex, iHeartMedia has been adamant that it is not a sports station. However, the addition of Stein continues a trend of the station firmly plating its foot in the sports world. In addition to being the flagship station of the Mavericks, The Freak added broadcast rights to North Texas football earlier this month. Late last year, it announced that it would air VSiN programming as well."
Whatever's going on over at TF, things are becoming clearer: iHeart knows the original concept is a major bust, they don't seem YET to want to give up on the talent pool, but changes are beginning occur. These changes point almost necessarily to a 3rd all sports station in the market (I think by now the concept of "guy talk" is almost tautological--all sports talk is guy/lifestyle talk, the days of Mike and Mike are over, thank you, Ticket). My guess is that if there's not even a whiff of improvement in the next book, Dom & Co will begin shedding the talent pool. Starting with TSE and then, August book dependent, B&S. I can also see Dom finding new cohosts for Rhyner, and Rhyner saying "no thanks," retiring this time for good, perhaps a short-lived pod with Sirois to follow. Short-lived being the operative descriptor.
I dont want to go back and find it but anyone else remember how when the freak showed to be shaky, rhyner tweeted about him just being there to get it going? In other words. But he had his way out for a while now
the interesting note about Stein's addition is the question of if it is a time bought show: "And it's doubly meaningful that it's PANINI, whose soccer stickers have been part of my life since I was a kid, that has partnered with us to make this show possible."
Being that it is only an hour long show, once a week, on a Saturday, for a station that is hemorrhaging revenue I think it fair to wonder just how much this sponsorship played into it's construction.
To answer Darren’s “was it covered” I ask “does it matter?”. The Freaks ratings on a Saturday afternoon aren’t the issue. It’s their weekday ratings, specifically 6a-3p. Not that 3-7p is doing “well” (20th in your target demo doesn’t qualify as well, but is better than the 27-30 for TSE and B&S). Bringing in Marc Stein does zero to help the weekday ratings. And no offense to the anon above, this is RADIO , that they’ve tweaked their logo has zero effect on most listeners. Nobody is not listening to them because their logo is busy. They’re not listening because most of the shows aren’t that appealing and a lot of what the Freak offers (sports talk, guy talk, local news, funny news stories, etc) can be found at the ticket (1-4) the Fan (same) and every other personality radio show in town (3-4). Tell me something the Freak offers that I can’t get someplace else. Kamikazee karaoke? Ok that. How many people turn on their radio thinking “I want to hear non talented singers sing karaoke with no practice”. It’s a stupid concept that does nothing to draw listeners in. Draw them in? The Ticket has their best ratings ever, arguably the freak, a pale imitation has shown the P1 what they have and what their options are and STRENGTHENED the Ticket. And that takes a special kind of stupid. To enter as a competitor only to see your competitor dominate the ratings. C
I think there's a middle ground between C and Anon 6/30 6:18pm. Both can be right simultaneously. The addition of Stein on the weekends, the "sports ticker" returns from break, a noticeable increase in sports talk segments across all shows, the all sports national feed, the hiring of a PD whose background appears to be solely sports media related, and even the slight but sudden logo change that admittedly looks awfully sportsy, when taken as a whole, may very well point to something on the horizon tantamount to a format flip that retains (most?) of the current on-air talent. At the same time, C's points are valid. They are valid as things currently stand. In all likelihood they will still be valid if 6:18 is correct. Barring a HZ migration or some other moves (n.b., plural) of that magnitude, TF, in any iteration, will not compete with TT. This is the case even if the entire talent pool is terminated. C is correct: TF was stillborn.
Ok perhaps there’s a middle ground between me-C- and 618p Anon. But KESN has shown up the viability of a 3rd sports station in town and there’s little to no viability. The pre LMA Espn wasn’t successful on its own, that’s why the leased it to Cumulus. Cumulus has better success making it make money I’m told, mostly because it gave them a combo opportunity with TT where advertisers could buy both. But it wasn’t making a lot. Story I’ve heard is that the LMA was up, ESPN wanted a lot more money and Bennett walked away, knowing he was already maximizing what he could from number 3. So let’s say the Freak does flip to all sports. What makes you think that’s going to change the trajectory of the freak? They already have a bunch of sports centric staff. They already talk all the sports they want. Tell me how you’re going to image/position the Freak to make them a credible alternative to the Ticket or the Fan. And I’m sorry, no disrespect intended, but “you’re home for Marc Stein for an hour on weekends, 97-1 the Freak” isn’t moving the needle. C
2 other comments I’ll throw out for discussion. The ticket has been around a long time. But now in the last 3 years they’ve shedded their 2 oldest hosts, Mike and Norm, the former with absolutely zero ratings impact. They’ve just taken their average age from the 60s and backed that ass up, probably now to average age in late 40s or early 50s. Feel free to discuss what that dies to long term viability of the number one station in the market. Number 2- I went to the trouble of looking up the job posting. They’re looking for someone w 3 plus years of daily talk show experience, with a history of ratings success. None of the usual suspects have that host experience-not Monty, Mino, etc. does Catlin ignore his own posting and hire outside that window? Is there someone else -like the surprise Rich Phillips appearance this week- who might be a better candidate than Minty or Mino? Food for thought. Or discussion. C
Aren't they obligated by law (EOE) to make a public posting of the job? I'm not sure such a listing actually delimits who might be hired. If form holds, Cat and Bennett are doing what they've always done in this situation (the few times it's happened): bring in a diverse group of candidates and see who best fits---and perhaps throw a curve ball. Recall, Sirois filled sat in Rhyner's vacant chair more than anyone.... then BANG!, we get the end of BaD, Jake to the Varsity squad and the creation of THZ. And then there's Davey. Talk about out of the blue. His bona fides were less than either Monty's or Mino's, and yet he's now f/t host of the #1 pm drive show in the #4/5 market in the country. I would not sleep on RP. Nor would I on Sam Gannon. Indeed, if I had to place a wager, I'd do so on Sam. TT could use a female presence. One that actually knows sports and is damn good at her craft (sorry, Julie). While I prefer Monty over all others, Sam (i) makes the most sense and (ii) she and Donnie could become a real powerhouse. And while my heart lies with a Donnie Monty pairing, my head says Donnie and Sam makes more sense--both business wise and, frankly, socially. As the great Wild Irish Laddie was wont to say, "It's time, buddy. It's time." It is time for a female voice on TT. But a genuine contributor, a genuine peer. Sam Gannon fits that bill.
I am a fan, excited to hear her debut filling in this week with Donnie (I think I heard it's this week), but want to see how she fits in as a host, which is very different than Tickers. Also, I'm very suspect they want to hire someone for FT where this is not their top priority and focus. That applies to any TV person that might fill in or is suggested here or otherwise.
I heard from another industry source that Ticket/Cumulus management was indeed surprised by Norm's wish to retire. According to this source, Norm had actually signed a new deal recently, so this really was a surprise and, in any event, wasn't a case of the boss offering unacceptable re-up terms.
This source also expressed the thought that guesses about the podcast should await its actual appearance.
337: In general, with some exceptions, employers are not required to post job openings.
However, sometimes companies -- and a public company like Cumulus may fit this description -- have internal rules that call for posting open positions. And when they have those rules, they should follow them. If there is a later dispute over a particular hire, failure to follow internal regulations can be a big problem.
But even in those cases, the posting is not required by a federal or state law -- it's a case of "if you make rules yourself, you'd better follow them." And, of course, if you do post a position, you have to consider applicants in accordance with anti-discrimination laws the same as if you didn't post it.
Are the Ticket personnel union members or is Cumulus in Texas open shop? If they are union there probably will some regulations on posting job openings. I "think" all of the D/FW TV stations are union or at least were many years ago when I was applying for work there.
It's possible. On-air staff at Cumulus/Chicago are represented by SAG/AFTRA. I'm very doubtful there's a union in Dallas. Perhaps one of our radio Confessors knows the answer.
Never mentioned they'd be out, and it seemed to be a surprise to the station that they would not be there Monday because they didn't even have a fill-in show ready. They ran old hang zone segments with live tickers mixed in
Can someone more in the know explain what’s up with the hangzone if it does so happen to be contract stuff? No other show do we know or hear about contract stuff, and with hangzone it happens yearly?
I'll say this: If THZ bolts to TF, as much as I'm loathe to say it, I will never doubt Richie Shitt and his sources again. I'll say this as well: If THZ bolts, they're either making the dumbest or most genius move ever. Finally, I'll say that if they do bolt, obviously they either know for certain or have been led to believe that either despite the off the charts and sustained ratings, something's wrong in Ticketland or very unwanted changes from corporate are coming down the pike....and/or.....iHeart is committed to TF in a way none of us have imagined. That perhaps they're looking at TF as a project of sorts. What I mean here is the melding of the cyber and the terrestrial, with a view to the eventual all/only cyber form of the industry---with all the interactivity for the listen, etc. I could see J&D being totally onboard with something as forward thinking, as proactive as that. Which, by the way, if you follow the radio industry, this is exactly what iHeart has their eye on.
I'm not on Twitter. Has anyone noticed anything or a lack of things from either Dan or Jake on the sosh front?
Maybe the key is to listen to TF the rest of the week. All shows. They might provide the answer, as they are an undisciplined bunch and will not be able to keep from making cryptic comments.
idk, it just seems like Dan and Jake are the most open about this kinda stuff. Dan even broke down details of The Fan contract offer from 2013 on Tony's podcast a couple of years ago
Yes, that anon has been making those comments both here and on the reddit page beginning around 6/20-21. But the way in which they're framed come off as utter troll fodder. Bad troll fodder, at that. My guess is that they'll be back on either tomorrow or Monday and that Dan, being the wannabe Norm McDonald-Andy Kaufman that he is, is enjoying the hell out of all this and asked Jake to go along with the silence game that stokes the fire. This makes the most sense. As to why they're not on air, isn't this the time of year (prior to training camp) that shows stagger their summer time off? And what about Monday? That might've been a f up on TT's part and had zero to do with THZ. Has anyone checked out the app lately? Like the ball, it do crazy things. Crazy things that could easily be fixed but are not. TT dominates but isn't perfect.
Not sure if I’m the anon referenced here or not, but this was all very, very likely to happen in the time leading up to norm’s departure week (completely unrelated), but there was a change in direction/commitment on the iHeart front due to the prolonged abortion, er, I mean, poor ratings of TF, that made such an additional financial commitment unpalatable. Apparently. But who knows, the wind might’ve changed sharply again. I hope not.
They are now telling people to roll their 401k’s into their high commission annuities. This is the most unscrupulous bunch ever to advertise on the ticket. Taking low fee tax deferred money and putting into high commission products is legal robbery.
I realllllly hope this isnt 97.1 related. Could it possibly have something to do with a soon-to-be Ticket format change?! Now that Norms retired, is 10-Noon still going to be a show slot...or do pieces start to move around again ( i know its been decades but wasn't it a proposal back in the day of 10-3 Corby B&D??) No way Dan, & Jake, would be jazzed for a shift like that Id assume. & probably not another lineup change, either...
Anonymous 4:27 If 10-Noon becomes 9-Noon and the ratings leadership continues it would make them even more impressive. All of the shows would be on the same footing with N&D no longer splitting a day part.
Surly, you've always seemed keyed in to the local mediascape to some degree. You also crapped on the entire premise of The Freak (undertood, it was Whitt who broke it). But both here and on reddit you are helping to drive this narrative. You're a surly participant, not a troll, so I have a feeling you might be getting signals from somewhere that this might actually be happening. Any truth to the above wonderings aloud?
Well, if you are that anon, your tone/style of writing is far different than before. The one I was referring to, and the one over on reddit, was absolutely trolling and in bombastic fashion. So I doubt you're the one. How do you have all this inside info?
A troll is more like it. A certain troll who isn't actually trolling but wants it to look that way in order to throw off the scent. Hiya, So Anonymous. I mean, Sirois.
I have no inside knowledge and never have. I just listen way too much and too closely. Hang Zone being out all week this week, unplanned and unannounced, is super weird.
Between THZ and the Sam Gannonless fill in/try out...... Man, something s afoot. As in possibly a last minute emergency oh shit reshuffling of the deck, big time changes coning down. Getting a bad bad feeling.
Not quiet, just busy. I’m told by a knowledgeable source that this is a ball drop by the usually proficient juggler Catlin. A vacation request that got approved but then overlooked, leading to the scramble and best of replays, etc. and a reminder- if Danny and Sirius had to sit out a non compete, damn sure THZ will need to also. If you’re Dan or Jake, riding number 1 ratings ( and not just in your demo but number 1 OVERALL) is this really the moment you decide to abandon the top dog to go work for a station that may not last out your non compete? The simplest explanation is often the right one. Sure this could be part of a power play /blackmail job to get norms money, it could be them threatening to sit out 6 months with no pay ( assuming they were working without ANY current contract time left)(which is highly doubtful) to go elsewhere. Or it could be a simple mistake. C
listening to yesterday's audio... wondering what your thoughts are on Greg Tepper. I know this will be unpopular around here, but throw him in there with Donnie and see what they sounds like, he brings energy to the show.
Thank goodness. If Jake left, how will I be informed about every time a person from an older demographic said or did something that conflicted with Jake’s woke sensibilities? How could I survive without that? It is just so funny. The thousandth time.
106 and 121: Have to disagree. For me, Hang Zone is a much more enjoyable listen than BaD Radio ever was. Jake's wokeitude isn't nearly as Dylan-the-Argumentative-Teen as it used to be, and I don't find it intrusive now at all. I even hear him acknowledge contrary viewpoints at times. Dan is no more snotty than he ever was, and there's this:
With Jake on the other mic, Dan's tendency to BOG, BOG, BOG is much reduced. When Dan starts to wander, create excessive dead air, work on some off-topic wordplay bit, Jake is far more likely than Bob (not unfamiliar with bogging himself) was to jump in and return to topic.
Also, on a personal note: As a guy who has made and performed music and enjoys almost every genre, I've long felt I should try to learn more about rap/hip-hop/whatever it's supposed to be called these days, see if I could develop enough of a taste for it to tell the good from the bad, or at least learn what I enjoy to what I don't. Jake and some of the younger guys at The Ticket have helped me do that.
Dan has been in a bad mood (more than his normal self) for the past few weeks. He resets everything and I think it is just to fill time. Maybe just that time of year. He is also has been such a contrarian to main stream (if that exists anymore) as if he feels guilty for being who he is.
This. So much this. Badly dubbing over the names of Dan and Jake in the open, and using it anyway? They’re sitting back, watching, and laughing at the predictable responses. The other thing for me, I’ve heard the cross promotes and recorded spots. When there was an issue with Greggo, they couldn’t play his drops, etc, to the point that The Plainsman referred to him as Hehoo, short for he who can not be named. Norm was an agreeable, unforeseen departure. I could believe there were negotiations or arrangements made to continue using norm as the voice of Bobs, etc. but if Dan and Jake were truly out, their voiced spots would be gone, mentions in promos would be out, etc. but they’re still there. I remember hearing Julie on a spot, Globe life insurance if I remember correctly, during the rumor period. And it changed to DJ (?) right about when the Freak was confirmed and more than just a rumor. If this was serious, they’d be ahead of it. These are the same people (Catlin, John Michaels, Steve Pryor) that have promos on about what just happened by the end of the press conference announcing what just happened. They’re so many steps ahead. C
Completely unrelated to Norm and his departure, save for the coincidental timing, the hang zone and friends (ie, Blake and Monty), were gone. Ultimately (apparently) iHeart balked at the sizable expense of adding the HZ in the face of terminal ratings and things fell apart in the eleventh hour. I, for one, am thankful.
Cat, Bennett, et al are playing 4D chess. Never forget it. And never forget that Cat knows talent. Who has it, and equally if not more importantly, who doesn't. 9 months in for TF, anyone wanna debate this? BTW, if anyone has flipped on TDB of late, you'll notice that Danny decidedly has become the main voice. Both Mike and (as he's now referred to as) Mikey barely chime in. The latter has gone full on B&S / Russ Martin Show over laughing giggle machine. The former, hardly a word. It's a weird, uncomfortable listen. Reminds me so much of RaGE during its final descent.
Where are you getting your information? Everyone needs information. And more and more and more in today's world, information is a requirement to do, well, anything. So tells us! Tell us! Tell us! No! You, commenter with all this inside information, you, tell us!
Well, MTC folk, I'm here to tell you that the local radio scene is about to be shaken up in a most serious way. The Freak is about to add the juice it needs to be a serious contender with The Ticket. In fact, it might usurp The Ticket's reign in a matter of months, across all day parts.
Hold onto your butts. Hold on for dear life. Explosive diarreah looms just beyond the morrow.
I would love to know what people think is the serious juice the Freak could get that would move the needle against the ticket. My gosh, RHYNER went to the freak and it’s not only not affected their ratings, it actually improved them. The ticket is seeing numbers previously only dreamed of. Somehow, someway, a shitty AM signal and a rimshot FM have combined to be number 1 6+ in the whole market. It’s going to take a big name with a big ratings success track record to overcome that, and last I checked both Kidd Kraddick and Russ Martin are still dead. So let’s say it’s the rumor I’ve heard- the Greggo problem is twofold at least. He’s a 60ish former addict who’s been away from the Ticket for a decade and a half. Or to put that another way, the entire lower half of the coveted 25-54 demo has no idea who this guy is except as a punchline for ticket jokes. If y’all think Greggo is going to ride in and turn it around, I can offer you either a bridge in Brooklyn or ocean front property in Arizona. Because if you buy Greggo as the savior, you will buy ANYTHING. C
At this point, without even knowing what to fully believe, I do believe that at least someone will move to the Freak. Also could explain why Sturm publicly posted about his re-signing in May ("signing day" pic with Cat), which I found odd. As far as I know, usually they don't make that stuff public unless they mention it on air briefly. But I could see the station wanting Sturm to publicize it to provide assurance to the audience and also as a "friendly shot" to those who will be leaving the station to a competitor in the near future.
The only show that would absolutely bring their whole audience over is The Musers. If the 3 Muserteers bolted for the Freak, the Ticket sweater would quickly unravel.
If this is Dan and Jake moving to the Freak it’s either the greatest coup ever or the biggest blowing up of your own career in the history of ever. Assuming THZ has some type of non compete, if, like Danny, they need to sit out 6 months from today, they’re betting current salaries, current show ratings, etc on the hopes that the Freak will be around in 6 months to sign a contract with. My understanding of the current state of non competes, they can not accept employment or money from a competitor until the non compete expires. So they sit out 6 months, give the new “Donnie and friends” 10-3 midday show 6 months to get used to a show, THEN the HZ shows back up in the market on the great value cola of sports talk stations in DFW. It might work. But the problem with crossing the street for more money, you cost more, so expectations are higher. If they don’t do well out if the gate, how much leash do they get? Like I said, it’s either brilliance or career suicide. C
I just don't see anyone from TT bailing. I would not mind seeing THZ go ( my least favorite show), but I don't think it swings a big needle. As stated above, short of the Musers going, I don't see an issue if others go.
For me, TT has 29 years of drops, inside jokes, Ticket vernacular and history. The times I listen to TF, they have 9 months of drops, they ALL sound very forced, and it is hard to flash back to the good ole days, without pumping TT up, or at least generating interest.
If THZ goes, they don't get to take any intellectual property. If it is a Ticket drop, TT owns it, correct?
Short of Cat going to TF, I don't see a change, and I also don't see him going anywhere, his bonus check has to be through the roof.
Yeah, it’s a name a guess. Or at least it was 16 years ago. Not to mention he recently got permabanned from Twitter for his white-hot, actually nuclear-hot political posts. I can’t imagine tf’s advertisers being ok with that. Not to mention the desperation it would reek of.
If true, then Dan and Jake are sorry hypocrites. How many years of jabs and snipes at those who pull such moves? Countless. Ditto, Jake. I still don't think it's true. And I don't believe they are those kind of dudes.
@ 252, I think that’s a bit harsh. I think they are just on vacation. But if they aren’t, well, money talks and bullshit walks. Jake waited a long time to host and has been and probably still is underpaid. At his age, Dan might see this as his last, best chance to really improve his financial position. I wouldn’t want them to leave at all. I don’t think they are leaving. But if they do, it’s for money and I get it. Who among us wouldn’t do the same if moneywhipped?
"Tell Mike it was only business. I always liked him." Sal Tessio.
If they leave for money they are only human. I never thought badly of the other Ticket expats for leaving and I won't think less of Dan and Jake. Its business, Cumulus isn't going to not fire them if their ratings dip because they didn't take more money to go elsewhere.
THZ is my favorite show by a mile and while it'd suck if they left, I sure as hell wouldn't blame them for securing a well-earned bag. For all the previous reasons I don't think they go anywhere, noncompete chief among them. Also, unless Corby is lying (shocker, right) Dan is still providing the WTDS entries. If he's sitting out I don't see him doing that.
Their dry dock dates have been...odd...but it seems like that's the Occam's Razor
1. No one knows what Jake's or anyone else's salary, bonuses, health insurance plan and perks are so stfu already with that tired trope about being underpaid. Seriously, f off with that crap. 2. Both have made fun of and critiqued others for making similar moves and on numerous occasions. 3. No one here has EVER blamed any of the ex pats for betting on themselves and trying to earn more. It's how SOME went about it both before and after they hit their post Ticket airwaves.
What a strange take. Jake was a board op and producer for years. They make dick and nothing. He was promoted just a few weeks before COVID hit and he’s not in drive time. He’s not at all being compensated anywhere near the rest of the on air staff.
Lemme get this straight. Dan's entire persona is based around an amalgamation of a Norm Macdonald/Andy Kaufman/G Carlin point out the inconsistency cum gotcha game. While Jake has his biting Kempspin, a segment dedicated to revealing the hypocrisy of others. We good, bruhs.
The “Everyone would take more money” is always just said as fact. I get the idea and is true a lot of the time, but there’s plenty of reasons people turn down more money. They’re comfortable, long term success, loyalty, afraid of change, other company dysfunctional, other company not loyal, etc.
Agreed and Bob and Dan made the right call there. I don’t think Jake and Dan are going anywhere. It would be just like Dan to Not say anything about being on vacation just to stir the pot. He’s and agent of chaos. That said if they leave then that likely means that one or more of those reasons to stay doesn’t apply anymore. It didn’t apply Danny anymore, for whatever reason. Maybe the mothership isn’t as wonderful a a place to work as some of us would like to think. If Dan and Jake leave for wherever, again I don’t think that’s going to happen, they are doing what the feel is best for them and their families. So if we thing they are fairly compensated or not doesn’t really matter. If they think they are worth more and someone gives it to them that’s all that matters. Certainly it isn’t worth getting embarrassingly aggressive over it.
Ok 1148, we get the point that you think it’s hypocritical. I think you could make a good argument with other people. For instance: Danny. I remember when Bob and Dan chose to stay, it was Danny who, more than anyone else, talked about how it showed they were good people, that they didn’t bolt the Ticket. But Dan and Jake haven’t pushed the “bunker mentality” the same way. This is the show that spoke about how awful noncompetes are, ad nauseam. This is the show that didn’t demonize and vilify the golfers jumping to the LIV tour. If any show on the Ticket would NOT by hypocritical in negotiating a contract that makes the most sense for them and their careers, it would seem to be THZ. This feels to me very similar to the Bob and Dan situation, where we were in the dark and didn’t know what was happening but read the odd little quirks and put the pieces together. Back then, there were those on this very blog who shouted down the ridiculous “conspiracy theories”. And, in the end, they stayed at the Little One…so much ado about nothing. If I had to guess, that’s how this story ends as well. But it does feel like something is happening behind the scenes right now. How it ends, time will tell
they were using "normal" jobs as examples to avoid the appearance of saying "my career with my X hundred thousand salary shouldn't have to wait out a non compete"
Actually I subscribe to being a Realist with an unhealthy dose of Cynicism probably. I am not surprised by “hypocrisy” because I think most people are, through no malice on their part, hypocritical. Humans are not consistent creatures. I wouldn’t question your right to call them out, as you see it, anymore than I’d expect my “right” to disagree with you to be challenged with condescending statements. We are both speculating on the same lack of evidence. We are simply drawing opposing points of view. I am speaking solely for myself and my perception of how I view the events. I make not claim to presenting any absolute pronouncement on ethical or world views because, as a Realist, I don’t believe in absolutes.
An opinion that you seem unwilling to entertain dissenting opinions about. Not in any sort of civil manner at least. You responded to anyone with an opossums opinion with condescending language and out right rudeness. Which I assume is your point and that your simply trolling. Given that is the case I shall wish you luck in your future endeavors and bid you a good day, sir.
Please carefully read comments you intend to reply to before replying. As well, make sure you understand the terms and concepts you employ prior to employing them. Not trying to be rude, but this is now risible. Nowhere have I claimed another's opinion is wrong. I have, however, said that making utterly baseless claims regarding salaries, "dues paid," and the like as facts is total bulsh. It is. As to you, KDF, I criticized both your lack of understanding my clearly expressed thoughts and your near performative virtue signallingesque none of this matters pragmatism--- on a fansite that exists soley for passionate and (ideally) reasoned discourse.
Everyone has opinions. This is a place for opinions. It's a place to discuss differences of opinions. To offer support of our opinions and maybe sway or be swayed to one side or the other. But opinions are not facts and should not be stated as such. That's what reddit and Twitter are for.
I had wanted to take the time to write something thoughtful and heartfelt about Norm Hitzges’s tenure at The Ticket. But I’m out of town and it’s late and I’m just going to have to do a bit of a data dump on a few items.
ReplyDeleteI’ll say only this:
Of all the things that The Ticket could do to give Norm a fitting sendoff, something that shows that they really do care about the guy as a person, it is this:
DEMAND THAT GEORGE DUNHAM LEARN HOW TO PRONOUNCE HIS NAME. The first few times he said “hitchges,” I thought it might have been a bit. But no – he just flat has never paid any attention to how it is spelled and how other people who know how to pronounce it, pronounce it.
Norm, you and Mary have the absolutely best retirement. Continue to knock the draft out of the park; travel the world; thrive.
Mike Rhyner’s latest self-immolative move (posting the photo of the Timewasters’ turnout), and its hilarious backfiring, is not terribly surprising. Many of you have remarked on what seems to be a delusional miscalculation on his part with respect to what percentage of The Ticket’s popularity during his tenure there was attributable to, well, his tenure there.
ReplyDeleteMy question is, why did he think that? Did he believe that he contributed meaningfully to The Hardline during the last, let’s say five years, there? When he was assigned to join Cowboys pre-game and other shows, did he contribute anything? They even gave him a named segment (“What’s on Mike’s Mind?”) which in most cases had to be propped up by Corby and Danny. He richly earned the sobriquet “Checkout Mike.” How could management possibly have marginalized someone who had so convincingly marginalized himself? He couldn't see it?
This is what you get for not shopping at My Ticket Confession.
I haven’t listened to The Beatdown in awhile, but reports seem to indicate that he’s drifting into the margins of that show as well.
Hey, this is a sad thing. I loved The Hardline in the past and I thought Mike was an astounding radio talent – really one of a kind. But, as several of us have remarked in these pages, his last few years at The Ticket, the manner of his leaving, his chest-thumping return as a Freak, have not only diminished his reputation as a radio personality, but also the impression he has given in the past as a hard-nosed, no bullshit, shot-and-a-beer pal of the sports/guy-talk listener and his peers at The Ticket.
* * *
Whither the midday show? I don’t know. Sean Bass makes the most sense, and, unlike some here, I think he and Donovan would be just fine in that slot, even if expanded to an additional hour. He’s a semi-management guy at The Ticket, or at least was last I knew, and unless those duties would impinge on hosting duties (how could they, since he's producing now?), I would think it is his for the taking. He's had a voice on that show for a long time and it would be a pretty natural transition.
Now: Justin Montemayor’s name has been mentioned as a possible teammate for Donovan. Confessors who have read this site for awhile know that I am a very, very big Justin Montemayor fan. Work in Progress may be my current favorite show on the station (H/T to David Mino for his co-starring teamwork.) I would love to hear more of him and I would be delighted if he were elevated to host. I would think that the teasing he takes at the hands of various Gordon Keith characters would be signal enough of the esteem in which he is held at the station.
But . . . I recall that Justin was a strong candidate for the producer role on the noon-to-3 show, a spot that eventually went to Blake Jones. So now that there’s another slot, I’m wondering about what might be going through Jeff Catlin’s mind when it comes to promoting Monte to producer or host. He’s on the station a lot, and he does some of the regular hoops shows and does a lot of fill-in, so it’s hard to imagine that he is not considered a reliable and well-regarded guy.
His physical challenges are well known and don’t seem to keep him back at all. Recently, I believe he was supposed to be doing a song with Dan McDowell at Summa Bash and he had to bail for some reason (Killer took over his slot). So hope all is well with him.
Anyway, Justin, if you’re out there – this site is rooting for you to get what you want – if you want it.
I’d love for Monty to get his due at the ticket as well, but unfortunately/fortunately he’s moving to TF with Dan, Jake, and Blake.
ReplyDeleteThe reason this is just sad pathetic trolling is this: lower tier ticket talents (Sirois and Danny) had to sit out a 6 month non compete. It would be massive mismanagement on the part of Dan Bennett and Jeff Catlin to not have tier 1 talent locked into a similar contract. And nothing in the record shows that those 2 are prone to mismanagement. So assuming that the HZ is close to the end of a contract. They’d have to sit on the sidelines for 6 months. If you can point to a show that left the overall #1 station, to go to a station that’s mired around 30th, where revenue is down double digits, where they just brought in a PD with a rock background, not hot talk. The hang zone could leave, but to think they’re going to the Freak is laughable. They were gun shy about jumping to the Fan, which was in a better spot then than the Freak is now. They’re not leaving the Ticket.
DeleteC
^^^^Go away, bruh. Not even a good troll. Sad stuff.
ReplyDeleteRhyner is merely showing everyone who he is, was, and barring some sort of epiphany, will always be. Like the above troll and its bag, sad stuff from Rhyner.
It'd be nice to see Monty get his shot. He's the real thing. Both knowledgeable and funny, the man offers up genuinely compelling radio. Sean would be the safe bet, and he'd be fine. But I think Monty would raise Donnie's already ever-growing talent to another level. Those two compliment each other nicely.
I think Norm and the way TT has handled everything this week couldn't have gone any better. Fairly certain tomorrow's going to choke a lot of us P1s up. But man was it nice to hear him on tonight's NBA draft. I really do hope he fills in during drydocks, does the NFL and NBA drafts, and is a guest host on the Cowboys postgame show from time to time. I've been listening to Norm since middle school. Norman Idi Amin Hitzges, you are a legend if there's ever been one. Really going to miss ya, old pal.
I hope you’re right, bruh.
DeleteSean Bass has both put in the time, and proved his skill sets in this time slot for a year now. He made significant corrections to the two hours that helped fix its ratings issues and now it is #1.
ReplyDeleteYou may call it the safe choice, I would call it the smart choice.
On another note it came to my attention while perusing The Fan for a bit that Trajan advertises their annuity scam on that station as much as the Ticket. Do you know how much money they must be skimming from the sale of 25% bonus annuities to be able to spend as much as they do on advertising? Mindboggling. For those that call me the Financial Troll I encourage you to go right ahead and take out your 401K money and buy one of their annuities.
ReplyDeleteYou are TFT and you are magnificent. Yo, C, when did TF get a rock PD? I thought they brought in an East Coast sports cliche?
ReplyDeleteHe’s coming from Rochester, market number 76. Before that he was the PD of Cumulus’s Bone in San Fran, and music director/jock at WLUP in Chicago, a rock station. So yeah, a talk pd in minor market, his big market PD experience is at classic rock The Bone.
DeleteC
Monty has applied for every open job position in the last ~7 years and has struck out every time
ReplyDeleteWell lets hope this time Monty wins the prize.
ReplyDeleteThought this was a pretty interesting little interview with Dan Bennett from a couple of years ago. Some good nuggets about revenue and ratings and developing talent
ReplyDeletehttps://barrettsportsmedia.com/2021/05/12/meet-the-market-manager-dan-bennett/
Good info, C. I'm guessing it's unofficially official as it hasn't yet made the Radio Insight headline page.
ReplyDeleteAs to Rhyner, it's been awhile since I've witnessed such a public display of a self inflicted self implosion. Absolute embarrassment. He was never who he portrayed himself to be. Just the opposite, in fact. I hate having to admit this.
Google inside radio and zakk zaccagnini. It’s out there.
ReplyDeleteC
I get a feeling that Mr. Rhyner might be on the verge of going back into retirement. This time, permanently. The now apparently inevitable failure of TF coupled with his rather overt disinterest in doing his job (his "interest" lasted about two days, that is, days 1 & 2 of TF) and the rapidly forming consensus by listener and media types alike that he's a petty, inert, attention seeking doucher, such a move might be his only way going forward. Other than to double down, which he's good at. But the on air apology to his fans (which, if you remember, it was Greggo's on air apology to all his fans that marked the public beginning of his downhill slide) seems to indicate doubling down isn't on the agenda. I can see him stepping down, couching it in terms of it now being truly the time to make way for others, that he's set these Freakers up for success in the best/only way he knows how, and from there make a partly public but mostly private apology tour, desperately trying to mend fences and reclaim some of the respect that he's lost since beginning TF fiasco and newfound victimhood, or more aptly put, fantasyland, self created narrative.
ReplyDeleteWonder what Sirois was thinking today as he listened to Norm say goodbye like a pro (?). Like an adult. Wonder what Danny's thinking as he stares across the room at Rhyner, watching him give zero shits about anything, just like he did for the last 10+ years at TT?
A lot of people like Monty. I like him in small doses. He’s not my favorite & not the first person I would want to fill the role.
ReplyDeleteI'm really going to miss Norm. Even though I did not listen to his show often, just knowing he was there from 10-12 was always reassuring. I realize many P1s don't care for the Ticket's sports talk but guys like Norm and Bob are necessary in bringing balance to the station. I'm glad he will still be around "part-time" (although we will see what that actually looks like). It would be great if he could be part of the weekend lineup eventually
ReplyDeleteActually, I think most listeners are there for sports first, then guy talk. Else TF would be faring far better. It's just the other way around listeners are far more vocal. Never underestimate the silent majority.
ReplyDeleteI’m prob just stupid and a sucker about these troll posts about hangzone going to TF but I felt like what’s we thought about the initial freak rumors in general. It was all nonsense. Then it started to happen. Then Danny was nonsense too, and then he went. They got a new PD. I have no idea how much that really means, like I said, I’m dumb in this area.
ReplyDeleteActually, only a few MTC patrons thought TF rumors were nonsense. That was mostly due to their source (the notoriously full of shit yet always has his ear close to the ground, Richie Whitt). But anyone paying attention to Rhyner and to the rather odd and whiff of almost orchestrated way Julie, Sirois, and Danny departed. The same RW claimed in his initial article that the word was THZ would follow suit this Spring. Since that time, a lot has gone down that would indicate such a move for Dan and Jake would be tantamount to career suicide -- or at least one of the dumbest moves ever made in the business. The way in which Cat, Bennett, and Cumulus treated Jake and his family regarding the birth of his 2nd child and the ensuing health crisis alone could suffice for the quashing of any such move. Then there's TF and the thus far spectacular disaster that it is. There's no end in sight for that horror show, either. The talent is still the talent, the aimlessness is still aimless, and the whole thing's built around a 70-something who comports himself like a 7 year old and has zero interest in doing his job. Upshot: Don't fall for the trolls.
ReplyDeleteI meant to say that the reason the few who were adamant that TF rumors were bunk was due to RW. Sorry for the confusion.
ReplyDeleteOnly person with a bigger chip on their shoulder than Rhyner is Whitt. Funny how his SI column used to harp on the Tickets weak ratings ( where he insisted the stream didn’t count until the Ticket went TLR and eliminated that argument) but now where the Ticket has incredible ratings success, unheard of in this market and arguably unprecedented nation wide, Richie can barely be bothered to mention it. For a guy who claims to be a journalist he’s the least objective dude ever.
ReplyDeleteC
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ReplyDeleteWord is they are gonna be rotating guest hosts in with Donovan. Sam Gannon will be on for a couple days
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing about Whitt is that he once was a good writer with interesting takes and great inside connections. However, somewhere in the mid 00s he either totally lost his mind or had always been an opportunistic douchenozzle but was able to keep it under wraps---but when he saw a chance to capitalize on the then Greggo band/fanwagon, he ripped the mask off and went scorched earth.
ReplyDeleteI will always chuckle at the fact that he lied on air about his marathon time. The actual results live on the internet and they did not match up at all
ReplyDeleteOh, shit, Surly, I forgot about that one! Nearly spit the Coke out of my mouth laughing when I read your comment. Ol' RW truly takes the proverbial cake.
ReplyDeleteI miss the days of opening one of his observer columns and seeing him get mercilessly roasted in the comments. I actually did enjoy his quick hit thoughts for a while but you can't outrun the douchiness he exudes.
ReplyDeleteIf you think about it, RW would be a perfect fit for TF. Put him on with Julie in the morning. What, with him not so subtley hitting on Julie at every turn, the ick factor would be off the charts. Probably garner better ratings than what's going on now. Then again, dead air would too.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how TT handled Norm's exit. I've been listening to Norm most weekday mornings since I was in middle school. It was sobering to think about how long that's been and how long his voice has been a part of my life. My dad was a big fan of Norm's show on KLIF and we'd talk about what Norm said when he came home from work in the evenings. I dropped Norm an email to let him know how big a part of my life he'd been and true to his character, even with all he had going on during that week, he took the time to write me a short reply. He is truly a legend in this city and in his field.
ReplyDeleteI am firmly in the Monty camp for the new host with Donnie. I do wish Mike had stuck around to be the one to join Donnie but that wasn't the way things worked out. I don't know if it would have worked or not. I enjoyed Mike S and Donnie together but I can see that long term it might not work. I'm not a fan of SeaBass, I find him dull and not that insightful with his sports points. He's done a good job as the producer though so I have to give him credit for that.
Sean seems like a good father, husband, and all around dude. But he's not Varsity host material. I say this because putting the above kudos aside, he also has a nasty case of Gotta-Be-Right-itis. And this is unfortunately instantiated far too often in the forms of (i) the cocky sniff, (ii) the immediate, unreflective,glomming onto whatever viewpoint du jour the "sports smart set" happens to be proffering that particular week -- shitting on any differing take (specially if it is, gasp, not data driven) -- and (iii) a tendency toward Rangers homerism that at times evokes Jack Edwards, which in turn makes all Rangers discussions pointless [see (i)].
ReplyDeleteSo while I think Sean's done an excellent job producing (sorry, fanboys, he's far far better than Sirois), 5 days, 4 weeks, 12 months wash-rinse-repeat of him would not be ideal. Would love to see Monty or Doucey or Sam Gannon. Oh, Wilonsky, you have to be joking. That would be terrrrrrrrrrrriblllllllle. Seriously, he writes well and has a wonderful speaking voice. But he's full it. Let's just say his life sounds like a Wes Anderson movie for a reason and I'll leave it at that.
So Norm is gonna be podcasting 5 days a week. Seems his “retirement” really was just a nonrewewal of his contract and not voluntary. He really did wanna go to 50 years continually on air. Seeing how hard of a time he has getting around, this makes me sad that he wasn’t ready to go willingly.
ReplyDeletethis is 110% incorrect.
DeleteSurly is usually pretty well-informed about local media matters. It's hard to tell from his remarks here whether he's speculating when he says it "seems" Norm's retirement was a non-renewal, but it feels like it, as he's linking it to the full-time podcast.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea whether Norm's departure was voluntary or not. But in the past I have heard from several very good sources that Dan Bennett loves Norm would never require him to leave if he didn't want to. Now, whether some new contract wasn't to his Norm's liking, that's one thing. But I'm not getting a feeling that his departure was coerced, either directly (termination or no new contract) or constructively (new contract offered on unacceptable terms). Just doesn't seem to be in the air.
Seems like an obvious difference here that norm can pretty easily podcast while traveling, no?
ReplyDeleteThere was a Redditt post suggesting that an old friend may be going to help Norm with his podcast.
ReplyDeletehttps://starlocalmedia.com/allenamerican/get-to-know-mark-friedo-friedman-the-man-behind-friedonation-podcast-productions/article_aa391cda-c827-11ed-881e-b734d5c8a79e.html
Norm could knock these out in one day and be free the rest of the week depending on podcast length and subject matter. I think Norm in an Unplugged" situation might be an interesting listen. I would love to hear him interview the likes of Dale Hanson, Brad Sham, Randy Galloway, and even Rhyner in this setting. The list of area celebrities and Dallas movers and shakers even more so. I can see him easily moving into political areas quite easily.
Interesting point, Gopher. As a matter of fact, back in Norm’s KLIF days, he actually hosted a non-sports show to discuss politics, culture, news of the day, etc. Don’t remember how long that show lasted, but seems it only lived about 6 months or less, before Norm was back to just doing his morning sports show.
ReplyDeleteNorm says he is available to The Ticket for fill-in work. Would that be the case if he was forced out? I guess we will have to wait and see if it actually happens.
ReplyDeleteNorm was not forced out. Period. Full stop.
ReplyDeleteHis contract was up, yes, he wanted to go the full 50 on-air, but he understands the business better than anyone and knows that sometimes in life you have to trend and tend toward the market and have a realist understanding of our own standing. That's what happened. He made a tough business and personal decision. If he were single, he would've re-upped. But he's not, and he and Mary do have other considerations (i.e, active lifestyle time left on the clock for Norm) to factor in. There's nothing to see here. Norm being Norm, he will not go out into the good night quietly. Unlike Hollywood, he actually has things on his mind. Things he wants to express, pass on; that is, to both teach and, most importantly, learn from others. And, unlike Rhyner, he will put in the work (his heart) into it. Vanity projects are for the vain. Norm's not perfect by any stretch, but he sure as hell isn't vain. That can't be said for the other Ticket Texas Radio HoFer. I for one am looking forward to this pod. And if Friedo is involved, all the better. They were a fantastic team. I too look forward to Norm's draft coverage and any and all fill-in work at TT.
I repeat dont let anyone tell you that you can't get 10 percent guaranteed on an annuity with a 25% kicker bonus.
ReplyDeleteMr Plainsman - check email
ReplyDeleteI’ve got a pretty good source inside the mothership. Norm went to Dan and Jeff and wanted out. Sick of the grind, the commute, etc. totally voluntary according to my source. In fact said it threw Dan and Jeff for a loop- someone wanting to leave while station was having its best ratings ever. Said that while Norms share was less than other shows, he was still number 1 in his daypart. Hard to gripe when a show is not just first in target demo, but also first overall six plus.
ReplyDeleteC
was this covered?
ReplyDeletehttps://barrettsportsmedia.com/2023/06/30/the-freak-adds-marc-stein/
Nice catch, Darren. That's pretty big on a couple of levels. It shows where TF is going. It's obviously transitioning to sports/guy talk but doesn't want to admit, at least explicitly, that the say what we want shit show isn't the shit show that it is. You don't bring in a Dom/Zakk, whose bona fides (if you want to couch them in those terms) reside solely in sports, to say what we want. And if you're Dom, your first move isn't to bring in a name of fair size in sports if saw what we want is the way forward. Notice the station logo. It's been cleaned up a bit. Rather sportsy looking. Even Barrett Sports Media is taking notice of the ever growing, confusing claims vis-a-vis actions of iHeart regarding TF. From the news item Darren posted:
ReplyDelete"While 97.1 The Freak does have plenty of talent that first established themselves on local sports stations in the Metroplex, iHeartMedia has been adamant that it is not a sports station. However, the addition of Stein continues a trend of the station firmly plating its foot in the sports world. In addition to being the flagship station of the Mavericks, The Freak added broadcast rights to North Texas football earlier this month. Late last year, it announced that it would air VSiN programming as well."
Whatever's going on over at TF, things are becoming clearer: iHeart knows the original concept is a major bust, they don't seem YET to want to give up on the talent pool, but changes are beginning occur. These changes point almost necessarily to a 3rd all sports station in the market (I think by now the concept of "guy talk" is almost tautological--all sports talk is guy/lifestyle talk, the days of Mike and Mike are over, thank you, Ticket). My guess is that if there's not even a whiff of improvement in the next book, Dom & Co will begin shedding the talent pool. Starting with TSE and then, August book dependent, B&S. I can also see Dom finding new cohosts for Rhyner, and Rhyner saying "no thanks," retiring this time for good, perhaps a short-lived pod with Sirois to follow. Short-lived being the operative descriptor.
I dont want to go back and find it but anyone else remember how when the freak showed to be shaky, rhyner tweeted about him just being there to get it going? In other words. But he had his way out for a while now
ReplyDeleteI do. It's been several MTC contributors' contention that that was going to be his exit narrative.
ReplyDeletethe interesting note about Stein's addition is the question of if it is a time bought show: "And it's doubly meaningful that it's PANINI, whose soccer stickers have been part of my life since I was a kid, that has partnered with us to make this show possible."
ReplyDeleteBeing that it is only an hour long show, once a week, on a Saturday, for a station that is hemorrhaging revenue I think it fair to wonder just how much this sponsorship played into it's construction.
To answer Darren’s “was it covered” I ask “does it matter?”. The Freaks ratings on a Saturday afternoon aren’t the issue. It’s their weekday ratings, specifically 6a-3p. Not that 3-7p is doing “well” (20th in your target demo doesn’t qualify as well, but is better than the 27-30 for TSE and B&S). Bringing in Marc Stein does zero to help the weekday ratings. And no offense to the anon above, this is RADIO , that they’ve tweaked their logo has zero effect on most listeners. Nobody is not listening to them because their logo is busy. They’re not listening because most of the shows aren’t that appealing and a lot of what the Freak offers (sports talk, guy talk, local news, funny news stories, etc) can be found at the ticket (1-4) the Fan (same) and every other personality radio show in town (3-4). Tell me something the Freak offers that I can’t get someplace else. Kamikazee karaoke? Ok that. How many people turn on their radio thinking “I want to hear non talented singers sing karaoke with no practice”. It’s a stupid concept that does nothing to draw listeners in. Draw them in? The Ticket has their best ratings ever, arguably the freak, a pale imitation has shown the P1 what they have and what their options are and STRENGTHENED the Ticket. And that takes a special kind of stupid. To enter as a competitor only to see your competitor dominate the ratings.
ReplyDeleteC
I think there's a middle ground between C and Anon 6/30 6:18pm. Both can be right simultaneously. The addition of Stein on the weekends, the "sports ticker" returns from break, a noticeable increase in sports talk segments across all shows, the all sports national feed, the hiring of a PD whose background appears to be solely sports media related, and even the slight but sudden logo change that admittedly looks awfully sportsy, when taken as a whole, may very well point to something on the horizon tantamount to a format flip that retains (most?) of the current on-air talent. At the same time, C's points are valid. They are valid as things currently stand. In all likelihood they will still be valid if 6:18 is correct. Barring a HZ migration or some other moves (n.b., plural) of that magnitude, TF, in any iteration, will not compete with TT. This is the case even if the entire talent pool is terminated. C is correct: TF was stillborn.
ReplyDeleteOk perhaps there’s a middle ground between me-C- and 618p Anon. But KESN has shown up the viability of a 3rd sports station in town and there’s little to no viability. The pre LMA Espn wasn’t successful on its own, that’s why the leased it to Cumulus. Cumulus has better success making it make money I’m told, mostly because it gave them a combo opportunity with TT where advertisers could buy both. But it wasn’t making a lot. Story I’ve heard is that the LMA was up, ESPN wanted a lot more money and Bennett walked away, knowing he was already maximizing what he could from number 3.
ReplyDeleteSo let’s say the Freak does flip to all sports. What makes you think that’s going to change the trajectory of the freak? They already have a bunch of sports centric staff. They already talk all the sports they want. Tell me how you’re going to image/position the Freak to make them a credible alternative to the Ticket or the Fan. And I’m sorry, no disrespect intended, but “you’re home for Marc Stein for an hour on weekends, 97-1 the Freak” isn’t moving the needle.
C
2 other comments I’ll throw out for discussion. The ticket has been around a long time. But now in the last 3 years they’ve shedded their 2 oldest hosts, Mike and Norm, the former with absolutely zero ratings impact. They’ve just taken their average age from the 60s and backed that ass up, probably now to average age in late 40s or early 50s. Feel free to discuss what that dies to long term viability of the number one station in the market.
ReplyDeleteNumber 2- I went to the trouble of looking up the job posting. They’re looking for someone w 3 plus years of daily talk show experience, with a history of ratings success. None of the usual suspects have that host experience-not Monty, Mino, etc. does Catlin ignore his own posting and hire outside that window? Is there someone else -like the surprise Rich Phillips appearance this week- who might be a better candidate than Minty or Mino?
Food for thought. Or discussion.
C
Aren't they obligated by law (EOE) to make a public posting of the job? I'm not sure such a listing actually delimits who might be hired. If form holds, Cat and Bennett are doing what they've always done in this situation (the few times it's happened): bring in a diverse group of candidates and see who best fits---and perhaps throw a curve ball. Recall, Sirois filled sat in Rhyner's vacant chair more than anyone.... then BANG!, we get the end of BaD, Jake to the Varsity squad and the creation of THZ. And then there's Davey. Talk about out of the blue. His bona fides were less than either Monty's or Mino's, and yet he's now f/t host of the #1 pm drive show in the #4/5 market in the country. I would not sleep on RP. Nor would I on Sam Gannon. Indeed, if I had to place a wager, I'd do so on Sam. TT could use a female presence. One that actually knows sports and is damn good at her craft (sorry, Julie). While I prefer Monty over all others, Sam (i) makes the most sense and (ii) she and Donnie could become a real powerhouse. And while my heart lies with a Donnie Monty pairing, my head says Donnie and Sam makes more sense--both business wise and, frankly, socially. As the great Wild Irish Laddie was wont to say, "It's time, buddy. It's time." It is time for a female voice on TT. But a genuine contributor, a genuine peer. Sam Gannon fits that bill.
ReplyDeleteI am a fan, excited to hear her debut filling in this week with Donnie (I think I heard it's this week), but want to see how she fits in as a host, which is very different than Tickers. Also, I'm very suspect they want to hire someone for FT where this is not their top priority and focus. That applies to any TV person that might fill in or is suggested here or otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI heard from another industry source that Ticket/Cumulus management was indeed surprised by Norm's wish to retire. According to this source, Norm had actually signed a new deal recently, so this really was a surprise and, in any event, wasn't a case of the boss offering unacceptable re-up terms.
ReplyDeleteThis source also expressed the thought that guesses about the podcast should await its actual appearance.
337: In general, with some exceptions, employers are not required to post job openings.
ReplyDeleteHowever, sometimes companies -- and a public company like Cumulus may fit this description -- have internal rules that call for posting open positions. And when they have those rules, they should follow them. If there is a later dispute over a particular hire, failure to follow internal regulations can be a big problem.
But even in those cases, the posting is not required by a federal or state law -- it's a case of "if you make rules yourself, you'd better follow them." And, of course, if you do post a position, you have to consider applicants in accordance with anti-discrimination laws the same as if you didn't post it.
Are the Ticket personnel union members or is Cumulus in Texas open shop? If they are union there probably will some regulations on posting job openings.
ReplyDeleteI "think" all of the D/FW TV stations are union or at least were many years ago when I was applying for work there.
It's possible. On-air staff at Cumulus/Chicago are represented by SAG/AFTRA. I'm very doubtful there's a union in Dallas. Perhaps one of our radio Confessors knows the answer.
ReplyDeleteNo union.
ReplyDeleteSo, definitely something going on with Dan and Jake...
ReplyDeleteDid they never mention anything about being out this week? I honestly don't remember them saying they'd be out be I'm not always paying attention.
ReplyDeleteIf it's contract negotiations I have to imagine both sides greatly want to work it out and it will be taken care of.
Never mentioned they'd be out, and it seemed to be a surprise to the station that they would not be there Monday because they didn't even have a fill-in show ready. They ran old hang zone segments with live tickers mixed in
ReplyDeleteI haven't been this anxious since June 2013
ReplyDeleteCan someone more in the know explain what’s up with the hangzone if it does so happen to be contract stuff? No other show do we know or hear about contract stuff, and with hangzone it happens yearly?
ReplyDeleteDan and Jake have both, at various and separate times, had contentious contract situations in the past
ReplyDeleteAnd they did like 5 segments in a month earlier this year about noncompete agreements and how unjust they were
ReplyDeleteI guess what I dont get is why it’s a thing for Dan and jake and not other hosts
ReplyDeleteI'll say this: If THZ bolts to TF, as much as I'm loathe to say it, I will never doubt Richie Shitt and his sources again. I'll say this as well: If THZ bolts, they're either making the dumbest or most genius move ever. Finally, I'll say that if they do bolt, obviously they either know for certain or have been led to believe that either despite the off the charts and sustained ratings, something's wrong in Ticketland or very unwanted changes from corporate are coming down the pike....and/or.....iHeart is committed to TF in a way none of us have imagined. That perhaps they're looking at TF as a project of sorts. What I mean here is the melding of the cyber and the terrestrial, with a view to the eventual all/only cyber form of the industry---with all the interactivity for the listen, etc. I could see J&D being totally onboard with something as forward thinking, as proactive as that. Which, by the way, if you follow the radio industry, this is exactly what iHeart has their eye on.
ReplyDeleteI'm not on Twitter. Has anyone noticed anything or a lack of things from either Dan or Jake on the sosh front?
C, have you heard any scuttlebutt on this front?
Interesting times, so it seems.
Maybe the key is to listen to TF the rest of the week. All shows. They might provide the answer, as they are an undisciplined bunch and will not be able to keep from making cryptic comments.
ReplyDeleteidk, it just seems like Dan and Jake are the most open about this kinda stuff. Dan even broke down details of The Fan contract offer from 2013 on Tony's podcast a couple of years ago
ReplyDeleteAlso could just be posturing. Maybe they were already in talks and now with Norm retiring, there is more money to go around.
ReplyDeleteAlso very interesting if it's a Jake, Dan, Blake, Monty package deal as was referred to here by anonymous poster(s) since June 21
I would certainly move my ears to the freq for their show
Also I suppose they could be going to The Fan
ReplyDeleteYes, that anon has been making those comments both here and on the reddit page beginning around 6/20-21. But the way in which they're framed come off as utter troll fodder. Bad troll fodder, at that. My guess is that they'll be back on either tomorrow or Monday and that Dan, being the wannabe Norm McDonald-Andy Kaufman that he is, is enjoying the hell out of all this and asked Jake to go along with the silence game that stokes the fire. This makes the most sense. As to why they're not on air, isn't this the time of year (prior to training camp) that shows stagger their summer time off? And what about Monday? That might've been a f up on TT's part and had zero to do with THZ. Has anyone checked out the app lately? Like the ball, it do crazy things. Crazy things that could easily be fixed but are not. TT dominates but isn't perfect.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if I’m the anon referenced here or not, but this was all very, very likely to happen in the time leading up to norm’s departure week (completely unrelated), but there was a change in direction/commitment on the iHeart front due to the prolonged abortion, er, I mean, poor ratings of TF, that made such an additional financial commitment unpalatable. Apparently. But who knows, the wind might’ve changed sharply again. I hope not.
DeleteThey are now telling people to roll their 401k’s into their high commission annuities. This is the most unscrupulous bunch ever to advertise on the ticket. Taking low fee tax deferred money and putting into high commission products is legal robbery.
ReplyDeleteI realllllly hope this isnt 97.1 related. Could it possibly have something to do with a soon-to-be Ticket format change?! Now that Norms retired, is 10-Noon still going to be a show slot...or do pieces start to move around again ( i know its been decades but wasn't it a proposal back in the day of 10-3 Corby B&D??)
ReplyDeleteNo way Dan, & Jake, would be jazzed for a shift like that Id assume. & probably not another lineup change, either...
Why would that happen during an historic ratings run?
ReplyDeleteAlways $+
DeleteTalking about radically altering the schedule.
DeleteDan lasted tweeted on June 28. Jake has posted some family related pictures. His last sportsy tweet was June 30.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 4:27
ReplyDeleteIf 10-Noon becomes 9-Noon and the ratings leadership continues it would make them even more impressive. All of the shows would be on the same footing with N&D no longer splitting a day part.
Could totally be a Kaufmanesque gag. Specially with today's open. But I'm also with Surly: kinda beginning to get a little concerned.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone noticed unusual or cryptic sosh posts by any Freqers?
ReplyDeleteWould be wild if the HZ goes to the freq and puts Julie out of a job
ReplyDeleteSurly, you've always seemed keyed in to the local mediascape to some degree. You also crapped on the entire premise of The Freak (undertood, it was Whitt who broke it). But both here and on reddit you are helping to drive this narrative. You're a surly participant, not a troll, so I have a feeling you might be getting signals from somewhere that this might actually be happening. Any truth to the above wonderings aloud?
ReplyDeleteWell, if you are that anon, your tone/style of writing is far different than before. The one I was referring to, and the one over on reddit, was absolutely trolling and in bombastic fashion. So I doubt you're the one. How do you have all this inside info?
ReplyDeleteThey gone
ReplyDeleteAnon 9:26 PM
ReplyDeleteIs that a cryptic hint?
A troll is more like it. A certain troll who isn't actually trolling but wants it to look that way in order to throw off the scent. Hiya, So Anonymous. I mean, Sirois.
ReplyDeleteWell are they or aren't they gone?
ReplyDeleteHightly doubt it dude.
ReplyDeleteI have no inside knowledge and never have. I just listen way too much and too closely. Hang Zone being out all week this week, unplanned and unannounced, is super weird.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone scoured all of Reddit overnight for any clues, cryptic or otherwise?
ReplyDelete8:36
ReplyDeleteI looked and saw nothing.
I listened to about the first hour of 12-3 Wednesday. I never heard Dan or Jake's name mentioned, but I did hear them say "dry dock" once.
ReplyDeleteBeen busy but will see if I can dig anything up.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to Sam Gannon filling in with Donnie this week?
ReplyDeleteShe’s on vacation. Check her Instagram.
DeleteBetween THZ and the Sam Gannonless fill in/try out...... Man, something s afoot. As in possibly a last minute emergency oh shit reshuffling of the deck, big time changes coning down. Getting a bad bad feeling.
ReplyDeleteIf THZ is gone, what about the nc? Telling me they're going to sit out 6 or more months?
ReplyDeleteThe commenter “c” who seems to have some inside knowledge has seemed to be oddly quiet lately
ReplyDeleteAnother HZless day. OK, I'm officially scared.
ReplyDeleteIn for THZ. Chill, people.
ReplyDeleteExpert trolling open for THZ. They’re loving this.
ReplyDeleteNot quiet, just busy. I’m told by a knowledgeable source that this is a ball drop by the usually proficient juggler Catlin. A vacation request that got approved but then overlooked, leading to the scramble and best of replays, etc.
ReplyDeleteand a reminder- if Danny and Sirius had to sit out a non compete, damn sure THZ will need to also. If you’re Dan or Jake, riding number 1 ratings ( and not just in your demo but number 1 OVERALL) is this really the moment you decide to abandon the top dog to go work for a station that may not last out your non compete? The simplest explanation is often the right one. Sure this could be part of a power play /blackmail job to get norms money, it could be them threatening to sit out 6 months with no pay ( assuming they were working without ANY current contract time left)(which is highly doubtful) to go elsewhere. Or it could be a simple mistake.
C
Go, let them go … their not that important because the listeners adapt.
ReplyDeleteThey're not going anywhere. Stop this crap already.
ReplyDeleteThey gone… on vacation
ReplyDeleteFWIW, I heard "in for Dan and Jake" today.
ReplyDeleteI heard that and 'in for The Hang Zone.'
ReplyDeletelistening to yesterday's audio... wondering what your thoughts are on Greg Tepper. I know this will be unpopular around here, but throw him in there with Donnie and see what they sounds like, he brings energy to the show.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness. If Jake left, how will I be informed about every time a person from an older demographic said or did something that conflicted with Jake’s woke sensibilities? How could I survive without that? It is just so funny. The thousandth time.
ReplyDelete@Anon 1:06
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more. Pairing him with Dan brought out the worst in both of them.
Some of you need to stay on Reddit….
ReplyDelete106 and 121: Have to disagree. For me, Hang Zone is a much more enjoyable listen than BaD Radio ever was. Jake's wokeitude isn't nearly as Dylan-the-Argumentative-Teen as it used to be, and I don't find it intrusive now at all. I even hear him acknowledge contrary viewpoints at times. Dan is no more snotty than he ever was, and there's this:
ReplyDeleteWith Jake on the other mic, Dan's tendency to BOG, BOG, BOG is much reduced. When Dan starts to wander, create excessive dead air, work on some off-topic wordplay bit, Jake is far more likely than Bob (not unfamiliar with bogging himself) was to jump in and return to topic.
Also, on a personal note: As a guy who has made and performed music and enjoys almost every genre, I've long felt I should try to learn more about rap/hip-hop/whatever it's supposed to be called these days, see if I could develop enough of a taste for it to tell the good from the bad, or at least learn what I enjoy to what I don't. Jake and some of the younger guys at The Ticket have helped me do that.
ReplyDeleteDan has been in a bad mood (more than his normal self) for the past few weeks. He resets everything and I think it is just to fill time. Maybe just that time of year. He is also has been such a contrarian to main stream (if that exists anymore) as if he feels guilty for being who he is.
ReplyDeleteall these comments i can hear dan snickering all the way over here
ReplyDeleteThis. So much this. Badly dubbing over the names of Dan and Jake in the open, and using it anyway? They’re sitting back, watching, and laughing at the predictable responses. The other thing for me, I’ve heard the cross promotes and recorded spots. When there was an issue with Greggo, they couldn’t play his drops, etc, to the point that The Plainsman referred to him as Hehoo, short for he who can not be named. Norm was an agreeable, unforeseen departure. I could believe there were negotiations or arrangements made to continue using norm as the voice of Bobs, etc. but if Dan and Jake were truly out, their voiced spots would be gone, mentions in promos would be out, etc. but they’re still there. I remember hearing Julie on a spot, Globe life insurance if I remember correctly, during the rumor period. And it changed to DJ (?) right about when the Freak was confirmed and more than just a rumor. If this was serious, they’d be ahead of it. These are the same people (Catlin, John Michaels, Steve Pryor) that have promos on about what just happened by the end of the press conference announcing what just happened. They’re so many steps ahead.
ReplyDeleteC
Completely unrelated to Norm and his departure, save for the coincidental timing, the hang zone and friends (ie, Blake and Monty), were gone. Ultimately (apparently) iHeart balked at the sizable expense of adding the HZ in the face of terminal ratings and things fell apart in the eleventh hour. I, for one, am thankful.
DeleteCat, Bennett, et al are playing 4D chess. Never forget it. And never forget that Cat knows talent. Who has it, and equally if not more importantly, who doesn't. 9 months in for TF, anyone wanna debate this? BTW, if anyone has flipped on TDB of late, you'll notice that Danny decidedly has become the main voice. Both Mike and (as he's now referred to as) Mikey barely chime in. The latter has gone full on B&S / Russ Martin Show over laughing giggle machine. The former, hardly a word. It's a weird, uncomfortable listen. Reminds me so much of RaGE during its final descent.
ReplyDeleteWhere are you getting your information? Everyone needs information. And more and more and more in today's world, information is a requirement to do, well, anything. So tells us! Tell us! Tell us! No! You, commenter with all this inside information, you, tell us!
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think you're full of it.
You can get a good look at a t-bone by sticking your head up a bull’s ass, but I’d rather take the butcher’s word for it.
ReplyDelete@7/7 8:14p. That's not how business works. So just stop the bulsh already.
ReplyDeleteAnd what do we think of Dan and Jake are still out this week?
ReplyDelete*if. IF!!
ReplyDeleteWelp. It's Saad and Miny on Monday in for THZ so...I don't like it.
ReplyDeleteThey are on vacation. Sheesh, people.
ReplyDeleteWell, MTC folk, I'm here to tell you that the local radio scene is about to be shaken up in a most serious way. The Freak is about to add the juice it needs to be a serious contender with The Ticket. In fact, it might usurp The Ticket's reign in a matter of months, across all day parts.
ReplyDeleteHold onto your butts. Hold on for dear life. Explosive diarreah looms just beyond the morrow.
This is not a test. You have been warned.
weird, Dan and Jake are going to do 7a-7p?
DeleteI would love to know what people think is the serious juice the Freak could get that would move the needle against the ticket. My gosh, RHYNER went to the freak and it’s not only not affected their ratings, it actually improved them. The ticket is seeing numbers previously only dreamed of. Somehow, someway, a shitty AM signal and a rimshot FM have combined to be number 1 6+ in the whole market. It’s going to take a big name with a big ratings success track record to overcome that, and last I checked both Kidd Kraddick and Russ Martin are still dead.
ReplyDeleteSo let’s say it’s the rumor I’ve heard- the Greggo problem is twofold at least. He’s a 60ish former addict who’s been away from the Ticket for a decade and a half. Or to put that another way, the entire lower half of the coveted 25-54 demo has no idea who this guy is except as a punchline for ticket jokes. If y’all think Greggo is going to ride in and turn it around, I can offer you either a bridge in Brooklyn or ocean front property in Arizona. Because if you buy Greggo as the savior, you will buy ANYTHING.
C
The Juice is loose, babies. Ya'll buckle up.
ReplyDeleteAt this point, without even knowing what to fully believe, I do believe that at least someone will move to the Freak. Also could explain why Sturm publicly posted about his re-signing in May ("signing day" pic with Cat), which I found odd. As far as I know, usually they don't make that stuff public unless they mention it on air briefly. But I could see the station wanting Sturm to publicize it to provide assurance to the audience and also as a "friendly shot" to those who will be leaving the station to a competitor in the near future.
ReplyDeleteThe only show that would absolutely bring their whole audience over is The Musers. If the 3 Muserteers bolted for the Freak, the Ticket sweater would quickly unravel.
ReplyDeleteIf this is Dan and Jake moving to the Freak it’s either the greatest coup ever or the biggest blowing up of your own career in the history of ever. Assuming THZ has some type of non compete, if, like Danny, they need to sit out 6 months from today, they’re betting current salaries, current show ratings, etc on the hopes that the Freak will be around in 6 months to sign a contract with. My understanding of the current state of non competes, they can not accept employment or money from a competitor until the non compete expires. So they sit out 6 months, give the new “Donnie and friends” 10-3 midday show 6 months to get used to a show, THEN the HZ shows back up in the market on the great value cola of sports talk stations in DFW. It might work. But the problem with crossing the street for more money, you cost more, so expectations are higher. If they don’t do well out if the gate, how much leash do they get?
ReplyDeleteLike I said, it’s either brilliance or career suicide.
C
Thay are on summer drydock.
ReplyDeleteWhen has a single show ever been off for 3 weeks in a 4 week span during the summer
ReplyDeleteI just don't see anyone from TT bailing. I would not mind seeing THZ go ( my least favorite show), but I don't think it swings a big needle. As stated above, short of the Musers going, I don't see an issue if others go.
ReplyDeleteFor me, TT has 29 years of drops, inside jokes, Ticket vernacular and history. The times I listen to TF, they have 9 months of drops, they ALL sound very forced, and it is hard to flash back to the good ole days, without pumping TT up, or at least generating interest.
If THZ goes, they don't get to take any intellectual property. If it is a Ticket drop, TT owns it, correct?
Short of Cat going to TF, I don't see a change, and I also don't see him going anywhere, his bonus check has to be through the roof.
Good lord. The rumors are greggo to tf?!?
ReplyDeleteYeah, it’s a name a guess. Or at least it was 16 years ago. Not to mention he recently got permabanned from Twitter for his white-hot, actually nuclear-hot political posts. I can’t imagine tf’s advertisers being ok with that. Not to mention the desperation it would reek of.
Yeah, there is absolutely NO reason to hold onto my butt if it is Greggo. If anything, that would seal their fate.
ReplyDeleteIf true, then Dan and Jake are sorry hypocrites. How many years of jabs and snipes at those who pull such moves? Countless. Ditto, Jake. I still don't think it's true. And I don't believe they are those kind of dudes.
ReplyDelete@ 252, I think that’s a bit harsh. I think they are just on vacation. But if they aren’t, well, money talks and bullshit walks. Jake waited a long time to host and has been and probably still is underpaid. At his age, Dan might see this as his last, best chance to really improve his financial position. I wouldn’t want them to leave at all. I don’t think they are leaving. But if they do, it’s for money and I get it. Who among us wouldn’t do the same if moneywhipped?
ReplyDelete"Tell Mike it was only business. I always liked him." Sal Tessio.
ReplyDeleteIf they leave for money they are only human. I never thought badly of the other Ticket expats for leaving and I won't think less of Dan and Jake. Its business, Cumulus isn't going to not fire them if their ratings dip because they didn't take more money to go elsewhere.
THZ is my favorite show by a mile and while it'd suck if they left, I sure as hell wouldn't blame them for securing a well-earned bag. For all the previous reasons I don't think they go anywhere, noncompete chief among them. Also, unless Corby is lying (shocker, right) Dan is still providing the WTDS entries. If he's sitting out I don't see him doing that.
ReplyDeleteTheir dry dock dates have been...odd...but it seems like that's the Occam's Razor
1. No one knows what Jake's or anyone else's salary, bonuses, health insurance plan and perks are so stfu already with that tired trope about being underpaid. Seriously, f off with that crap. 2. Both have made fun of and critiqued others for making similar moves and on numerous occasions. 3. No one here has EVER blamed any of the ex pats for betting on themselves and trying to earn more. It's how SOME went about it both before and after they hit their post Ticket airwaves.
ReplyDeleteWhat a strange take. Jake was a board op and producer for years. They make dick and nothing. He was promoted just a few weeks before COVID hit and he’s not in drive time. He’s not at all being compensated anywhere near the rest of the on air staff.
DeleteIt's not a take, it's fact. Fact as in you have no idea what he makes. Nor do I. Stop embarrassing yourself.
DeleteLemme get this straight. Dan's entire persona is based around an amalgamation of a Norm Macdonald/Andy Kaufman/G Carlin point out the inconsistency cum gotcha game. While Jake has his biting Kempspin, a segment dedicated to revealing the hypocrisy of others. We good, bruhs.
ReplyDeleteThe “Everyone would take more money” is always just said as fact. I get the idea and is true a lot of the time, but there’s plenty of reasons people turn down more money. They’re comfortable, long term success, loyalty, afraid of change, other company dysfunctional, other company not loyal, etc.
ReplyDeleteLike when Bob and Dan turned down a more than $100,000/yr higher offer from The Fan to stay in 2013
ReplyDelete@7:55 and Surly
ReplyDeleteAgreed and Bob and Dan made the right call there. I don’t think Jake and Dan are going anywhere. It would be just like Dan to
Not say anything about being on vacation just to stir the pot. He’s and agent of chaos. That said if they leave then that likely means that one or more of those reasons to stay doesn’t apply anymore. It didn’t apply Danny anymore, for whatever reason. Maybe the mothership isn’t as wonderful a a place to work as some of us would like to think. If Dan and Jake leave for wherever, again I don’t think that’s going to happen, they are doing what the feel is best for them and their families. So if we thing they are fairly compensated or not doesn’t really matter. If they think they are worth more and someone gives it to them that’s all that matters. Certainly it isn’t worth getting embarrassingly aggressive over it.
Ok 1148, we get the point that you think it’s hypocritical. I think you could make a good argument with other people. For instance: Danny. I remember when Bob and Dan chose to stay, it was Danny who, more than anyone else, talked about how it showed they were good people, that they didn’t bolt the Ticket. But Dan and Jake haven’t pushed the “bunker mentality” the same way. This is the show that spoke about how awful noncompetes are, ad nauseam. This is the show that didn’t demonize and vilify the golfers jumping to the LIV tour. If any show on the Ticket would NOT by hypocritical in negotiating a contract that makes the most sense for them and their careers, it would seem to be THZ.
ReplyDeleteThis feels to me very similar to the Bob and Dan situation, where we were in the dark and didn’t know what was happening but read the odd little quirks and put the pieces together. Back then, there were those on this very blog who shouted down the ridiculous “conspiracy theories”. And, in the end, they stayed at the Little One…so much ado about nothing. If I had to guess, that’s how this story ends as well. But it does feel like something is happening behind the scenes right now. How it ends, time will tell
Maybe I just didn’t hear enough of the segments but when Dan talked about noncompetes wasn’t most of it about it being wrong for fast food workers?
ReplyDeletethey were using "normal" jobs as examples to avoid the appearance of saying "my career with my X hundred thousand salary shouldn't have to wait out a non compete"
ReplyDeleteActually I subscribe to being a Realist with an unhealthy dose of Cynicism probably. I am not surprised by “hypocrisy” because I think most people are, through no malice on their part, hypocritical. Humans are not consistent creatures. I wouldn’t question your right to call them out, as you see it, anymore than I’d expect my “right” to disagree with you to be challenged with condescending statements. We are both speculating on the same lack of evidence. We are simply drawing opposing points of view. I am speaking solely for myself and my perception of how I view the events. I make not claim to presenting any absolute pronouncement on ethical or world views because, as a Realist, I don’t believe in absolutes.
ReplyDeleteAgain I don’t think they are leaving.
I'm not speculating. I expressed an opinion based on the hypothetical that they are leaving. It's not that difficult to discern. Sheesh.
DeleteAn opinion that you seem unwilling to entertain dissenting opinions about. Not in any sort of civil manner at least. You responded to anyone with an opossums opinion with condescending language and out right rudeness. Which I assume is your point and that your simply trolling. Given that is the case I shall wish you luck in your future endeavors and bid you a good day, sir.
ReplyDeletePlease carefully read comments you intend to reply to before replying. As well, make sure you understand the terms and concepts you employ prior to employing them. Not trying to be rude, but this is now risible. Nowhere have I claimed another's opinion is wrong. I have, however, said that making utterly baseless claims regarding salaries, "dues paid," and the like as facts is total bulsh. It is. As to you, KDF, I criticized both your lack of understanding my clearly expressed thoughts and your near performative virtue signallingesque none of this matters pragmatism--- on a fansite that exists soley for passionate and (ideally) reasoned discourse.
DeleteEveryone has opinions. This is a place for opinions. It's a place to discuss differences of opinions. To offer support of our opinions and maybe sway or be swayed to one side or the other. But opinions are not facts and should not be stated as such. That's what reddit and Twitter are for.
Opposing view not opposum stupid autocorrect
ReplyDeleteNew red and uncharacteristically irresponsible Ticket journalism up.
ReplyDeleteSorry, excuse my ignorance, but I don’t understand your post. Please explain if you would.
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