A home for those who love almost everything about The Ticket (1310 AM, 96.7 FM, Dallas-Fort Worth), and who would like to discuss -- respectfully and fondly -- their thoughts on how (and whether) to eliminate the "almost."
I issue the customary warning that I do not do anything to verify any of this information. I try to stick with gossip that sounds credible to me, but I recognize that this site may be used as a tool for others who have an agenda. I regret any errors.
This news came in contemporaneously with the announcement of the new Freak Program Director Dominic Zaccagnini, so that event has somewhat overtaken it the following information.
Not long before that announcement, iHeart Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman came into town. His visits to iHeart markets are reportedly rare. No information if KEGL was a major part of the agenda, but it’s difficult to imagine that it was not.
My correspondent reports that The Freak was largely a Ben+Skin initiative undertaken with the long-time PD who was fired before the station launched. (Sorry, I don’t have a name.) Whether iHeart national management was uninformed of the gestation of this costly new format, or whether it was asleep at the switch, is unclear. In any case, it was too late to stop the launch and the whole mess was dumped in the lap of Region President Paul Corvino, who was given oversight over iHeart’s Texas properties shortly before The Freak launched.
Despite the information posted on a radio board (FREAKUENTED? can’t find it) that was reported by a commenter on the last thread, my correspondent confirms what C has been saying about the double-digit declines in revenue. April, off 30% from the previous year.
Seems like no one thinks that nothing is going to change at The Freak.
Which means (my editorial insert here) that, depending on how big the changes are – and I would think they would have to be pretty big since the consensus seems to be that The Freak in its current form is “unsalvageable” (my correspondent’s word) – The Freak as envisioned, promised, and effectuated by its founders, did, um, not succeed.
In other MTC news:
I have figured out a way to delete comments and I have deleted the Mino comments from the prior thread. However, in the past I could delete them in a way that would show on the site (“This comment deleted by a blog administrator”). I apparently don’t have that ability now. If I’m feeling energetic, I might drop a short comment to show when I’ve given some remarks the boot.
suggested correction: it was the prior female Market Manager, not the PD, who was organizing the station. She was blown out in the months prior to the station's launch.
have you had a chance to look into Wordpress? A former Blogger customer is quite happy with it but suggested self-hosting if possible. The format looks very much like this one.
I believe this is the comment the "FREAKEUNTED" comment was referring to. The commenter's handle is Big A. The site has give him a title that reads "Walk of Fame Participant." Not sure if that means s/he's a legacy member of the board/commenter or what. Anyway, it runs as follows....
Friday at 4:33 PM
I posted this in a different thread, but it's appropriate here as well:
You understand that radio companies are not in the ratings business? They want to make money. I took a very quick look at their website, and every show has a top line sponsor. The website is filled with sponsored events, including a sponsored golf tournament. Not just any sponsor, but Charles Schwab. Would a brokerage company sponsor an urban station? They also have Free Beer Friday sponsored by Specs Liquor store. Lots of music stations have free beer Fridays. None of them are sponsored.
My sense in just a brief look at their website is they a merchandizing and monetizing all of their live & local hosts in ways they could NEVER have done with a music format station. Music stations are stuck with loads of :30 spots. This station is filled with actual sponsors. This is how sports talk stations make more money than music. This is how WFAN became one of the top billing stations in NYC. This is how The Sports Hub in Boston is among the highest billing stations in the country.
So yes, this station isn't getting great 6+ ratings. That is very true. Of course, The Eagle didn't get great ratings as a rock station either. But this incarnation of the station is making money. More money than it made as a music station. That's why iHeart won't be flipping the station to music.
651, your contention that "this incarnation...is making money" may be correct - but it's making way less (while also costing way more) than the rock formatted KEGL was this time even a year ago. This isn't a secret and widely known across the market.
Also, take that list of TF sponsorships you listed, and then cross reference those same brands across other iHeart/DFW stations and report back. I'm betting you'll find package/bonus deals.
No agency/brand in their right mind spends significant ad dollars exclusively on a radio station with a 1 share.
Agree with this anon. And re-read the original posters comment.,do the Freaks website was promoting a golf tournament sponsored by Charles Schwab. Sure it could be a Freak exclusive deal. Or is it just possible that poster saw an ad for the Charles Schwab Invitational at Colonial and is so sports clueless that they didn’t know what that was? My money is on stupid person. There’s a lot of them in this world. C
just as an FYI but this new PD has not been announced anywhere. It's only been made known by Freq hosts on random social media posts. No press release, no changes to anyone's LinkedIn, etc
739: Thank you for the correction. I believe you're correct.
Surly: Thanks for the clarification. I went looking for an announcement but didn't find one.
Gopher: I not only looked into Wordpress, I spent damned near half a day rassling with it. It gives the impression of an easy setup, but implementation was baffling, uncorrectable, and ultimately defeating -- and while I'm not a tech expert, I'm pretty good at navigating new software. I thought about getting a Wordpress for Dummies-type books to try to learn it from the top, but after I figured out how to delete comments here, I figured it wasn't worth it. Blogger is primitive, but it's fairly simple.
Hey, 731. Please read more carefully. I explicitly stated rhe comment was from a local radio board, and not mine. I even prefaced the copied comment by writing, "it is as follows", That you missed something so obvious makes me question the verity of your claim.
fair. I'd seen this claim before and simply saw the "I posted this in a different thread, but it's appropriate here as well" and assumed it was the same person reposting it here. apologies for skimming the comment and jumping to answer before reading the full context.
No worries. Appreciate the response. Also, that comment was (I believe) the one Plansman was trying to locate from the oreviius theead. That'a why I posted it up.
That site usually has some pretty good information about D/FW radio happenings. Just be advised they don't have much patience with trolls. If you post there, be respectful. The Mods are pretty quick on the trigger.
Still not seeing any announcement on a PD for The Freak, or anything suggesting a change in status at iHeart for Dominic Zaccagnini. Weird that iHeart would allow news like this to leaq via Freq host sosh postings.
Haven't tuned in for a long time. How is The Beatdown sounding lately? Any improvement or status quo? Suppose I could punch over . . . nah.
Same old same old. They were big the other day on Danny doing an acoustic alt country cover of Green Day’s Basket Case. Which is interesting if you love any of the following: Not sports Cross genre musical covers Failed 90s Dallas metal bands, specifically Sahara Rain
But if you’re trying to draw sports listeners away from the Ticket (see note below) how does that help you? I’ve said this before, I swear their programming philosophy is to draw listeners who listened to the Ticket but thought the ticket spent too much time on sports. And while there may be a market there, so far that market is good for low 20s in the demo (see note 2). That’s not good and not sustainable. Look at the number of stations above them in the ratings who outsource, voice track, etc. The iheart suits will catch up to them sooner or later. Note 1- going after the ticket audience makes sense. They’re a dominant station in m25-54 and consistently beat the market in local billing. I believe a couple of the pre pandy years they were the top biller overall. There’s money there on their table, but not only has the Freak not impacted them, the Freak has lost money year over year vs the Eagle while the Ticket has hit #1 six plus for 4 months in a row. Note 2- the reason 20-something in demo is bad sales wise is because a lot of biz is agency driven. They buy strictly on numbers. I’ve seen agencies go deep in a demo, but that means they but the top 8 stations in a demo rather then just the top 3-5. Think of agency business as mailbox money. Local sales is labor intensive. You need sales reps, sales assistants, production people to write or produce spots, etc. agency business is easier, but tougher to get with bad ratings C
I would think so. And from the considerably muted sosh 'tudes from the Freqers, I'd say they already know it's another shitter. Might The Sports Freq be on the horizon?
Another great book for the Ticket, and yes, in the shitter for the Freak. Got a couple client meetings this afternoon but will post thoughts later. Short version - when you’re costing a lot AND hovering near 30 in the ratings, how long does the status quo last?
Surly and Financial Troll. Now THAT'S how it's done, folks. We support our own here at MTC. Even the trolls. But let's be honest here, I don't think we're acknowledging the Gordo-like strides toward non-trollig Surly has made over the past few years.
Generally speaking, if a comment gets taken down, even non-offensive replies get taken down too, because leaving them up is confusing to people who browse the comments later on. I didn't think Surly's comment about the "woke New York Times" was takedown-worthy. (In fact, I didn't understand it, if he was referring to the layoffs at The Athletic, which owns the Times. Maybe he was referring to something else that I didn't get, but in any event, it didn't move my deletion needle.)
And . . . I do tend to give legacy Confessors the benefit of the doubt on deletions, even if they're grumpy.
I believe that is the KEGL HD2 channel and the listing just failed to note that as it does others. I'm making that assumption based on it matches the 0.1 listed for it in the ratings.
I think we might have a Norm related announcement along with a Varsity promotion late tomorrow morning. I also think the May book might've been the final one for all shows not called The Down Beat over at The Freak. As in, next Monday we could see a significantly revamped Freak. Including but not limited to a well defined format.
Just dropped via RadioInsight; TF inked a 3 year deal to carry UNT football. Begins this season. I think this is the initial salvo for what is to be rebranded as another sports/guy talker. Sports THEN guy talk, I might add -- a la TT and The FAN.
Notice how iHeart describes TF. This keeps getting more convoluted, confusing. There's no way a rebranding/reboot is not in the offing. Regardless, below is the line presently being towed.
"Starting in August, fans will be able to hear North Texas game broadcasts on 97.1 The Freak, iHeartMedia Dallas’ newest local, personality- driven, lifestyle talk-radio station.
“We are excited to announce this agreement with The Freak to bring UNT Football to fans all across the Metroplex this fall,” UNT Vice President and Director of Athletics Jared Mosley said. “We believe The Freak’s unique brand and growing fanbase is a perfect fit for UNT’s trajectory as we move into the American Athletic Conference. We are committed to growing the reach of our brand, and we look forward to a long partnership.”
“The Freak is the newest and most unique media outlet to serve the Dallas/Fort Worth market. It’s the perfect home for Mean Green football and we proudly welcome them to iHeart Dallas,” said Paul Corvino, Region President iHeartMedia Dallas."
"[G]rowing fanbase." I know you have to spin everything in a positive way, but this is risible. It's shrinking, acually, and this can be proven empirically.
Serious question…I still love the Ticket and listen a lot during the day. However, I do find myself not as interested or entertained as much as I used to. Why now is the Ticket getting the best ratings it has ever gotten? Back in the day it had zero competition. Now it has 2 rival stations competing against it. I’d assume it would have been at its peak with the old hardline with Mike and Greggo. And a younger and more engaging Musers. It’s pretty fascinating.
You would have to see total listener count to be sure, but you have to assume that (1) streamers are counted 1 for 1 & KTCK does better streaming than any station in the market; & (2) KTCK has done a better job of hanging onto its audience than other radio stations losing their audience to streaming music & podcasts.
You my friend might be suffering from a terminal case of good ole day syndrome where everything was better back in the day and nothing is as good now. This is human nature as many tend to forget sucky stuff then just remember the highlights from past years. The Musers, Hang Zone and the revamped Hardline 5.0 with Sturm, Davy and Corby is as good as it's ever been. Perhaps by definition you are in the minority as gauged by the ratings.
I have to wonder if Monty's big opportunity could be coming tomorrow. We know their history of disappointing with big announcements but everything seems to line up in theory.
- He's been taking off work a lot to fill in host this year and will be again all next week for HZ - The addition of Dave as a 3rd host has been wildly successful and it's the one year anniversary - Norm is only getting older and that show could use a boost or possible time split with Norm - All the hosts seem to respect his ability (I'd say more than pretty much any JV fill in previously)
Maybe 3rd host from 10-12, 10-3, or a combination of both?
To Anon 11:42's point on Monty: - Gordo has been spending a lot of time promoting Monty on his Thursday night Twitch stream and previously on his Saturday night Discord sessions
Bad decision coach (Sirois) unless he was told in no uncertain terms he wasn't in the running to backfill anyway. I think Cat rightfully senses that both DJ and Monty are more talented.
I know that they aren't going to announce Norm's replacement today. They will let him enjoy his moment, but what should they do? People are quick to say Monty, but hasn't Sean worked his way up and shown that he can be a full time host?
Not even a year later Norm retires. Oh man how fast is the hamster in Sirois's brain running right about now? Trust me, three shots in tonight and he'll begin his "is there someway, somehow a path back" thinking.
@1104 - I wouldn't necessarily say DJ and Monty are more talented. Sirois on The Ticket was fine, if a host spot was available then he definitely would have gotten it. He was already viewed as an unofficial host and got along so well with Tier 1, they would have wanted him to get the job.
I'll have more to say later, but I made it a point to be by the radio this morning.
Norm handled it extremely well. Got right to the point. Didn't say too much, didn't say too little, didn't go on too long. Everything sounded exactly right and not too maudlin.
I was especially struck by his remarks about Gordon. On my topic list for a long time had been some thoughts on the affinity between the two of them, despite what seemed for a while -- not so much in recent years, but back a ways -- some animadversion on Norm's part toward Gordon. He said what we have pointed out here many times -- what Gordon does is hard work.
As I say, more later, including thoughts on a replacement, or replacement(s).
1140 addressing 1104, nice symmetry. I wouldn't be so quick to say that all Varsity players were sold on Sirois and wanted him to get the job. In fact, I'd bet against it.
It must be said that our very own Shurggly 1310 predicted Norm's retirement within a 5 day margin a couple of years ago. Pretty damn impressive, Shurggly. Well done, sir. Please see the reddit page for the actual prognostication.
Sean Bass has done some wonderful work with Norm and Donovan since taking the producer's role. The numbers are the proof his efforts to realign the content and focus has worked. Lots of credit to him.
How about George's comments in the "post-game" of the announcement - - -
"There's Ron Chapman...There's Hal Jay......There's a couple others...."
Another name would have definitely been listed in regards to the DFW radio greats (& its not like its a He Should Not Be Named situation on the station) - - this to me reinforces the notion of Jub pretty much on the outs with Rhynes. Team Jub all the Way.
What Rhyner did was greatness. But he's not in the same league as an announcer or radio talent with Chapman, Hal Jay, Brad Sham, or Norm. He just isn't. Having said that, it wouldn't surprise anyone if George no longer finds Rhyner palatable. Not sure if anyone other than his Freak bunkmates do. Also wouldn't be surprising if not everyone on TDB still thinks he hangs the media moon.
As to Norm's replacement, I think SeaBass would be a fine choice. I know the fanboys don't like hearing this, but NaD got A LOT better once the party doll left and Sean took over. Having said this, either Monty or Mino would also make for an excellent pairing with Donnie. Funny, it seems like yesterday that Donnie was the new kid in town and the old vet, Norm, was taking him under his wing, showing him the right way to do things. Now here we are, Donnie, in all likelihood, will be doing the same for another up and comer. Even though I believe Sean would make a for a fine pairing, I don't think it's in the cards. My hunch is it's either Monty or Mino or a wild card. Eli Jordan? Perhaps Cowlishaw? Hell, Wilonsky (though I think RW on the daily would be terrrrrrrrribllllllle)? [Aside: RW, to my knowledge, has yet to go on TF. Yet he's been on TT many times since TF's airing. If I'm incorrect, someone please say so.] Maybe Emily Jones? Or maybe even Elf or, oh Lord please no, wings and p? Wouldn't mind Elf, but he's already been given chances at every station and his Sunday slot suits him well.
Anybody else notice the contrast between Mike and norms departures? Mike told no one, not even his cohosts, Norm told the staff on Wednesday they said,and the listeners on Thursday, and will be celebrated I’m sure next week. C
June 15, 613: Re: Norm's comments on Gordon, the only host he mentioned in his announcement, as I recall:
He said first: That he was reluctant to come to The Ticket when Dan Bennett asked him to, because he thought The Ticket was a bunch of "whack jobs."
When he arrived, he formed the opinion that Gordon was, indeed, a whack job.
But the more he observed Gordon and his work product, the more he realized that what Gordon did was hard work. He didn't say it, but the implication was that he came to appreciate what Gordon does at The Ticket.
That's about it. He didn't spend more than a couple of sentences on it.
If they keep it in-house, Sean Bass as host and Monty as producer would be fine. That would allow Monty to finally get a M-F job he's been wanting. I think he's got something but you still have to work your way up so I don't know if they'd give him a host position if he hasn't even been a producer, board op, or ticker guy yet. Plus that would allow them to still have Work in Progress on the weekends. SeaBass gets a lot of hate but he would be fine as a host. Come on, we're talking about a 2-hour morning slot...this isn't AM/PM drive.
Is it possible that they cut the morning show by an hour and let the replacement show go 9-Noon? It would lighten the Musers load a bit and even out the day.
Rhyner posted a pic from Summer Bash-not a big crowd for the timeasters. He got absolutely dogpiled with negative comments. Most along the line of either “you’re better than this” (with the lol responses of “No he’s not”, or “their shitty band draws more than your new radio station”. The other ones that made me laugh were the person who took a pic from a Freak remote with almost no one in the audience with the caption about people in glass houses. And the comment about “ we found the petty part of petty theft. C
Please see my comment on June 16 at 305pm. Everything and everyone Rhyner has railed against, made fun of, and openly disdained lo these many years were merely reflections of himself. He's well on his way to doing what I thought couldn'r be done: Sullying his reputation to the point of it not only being irrepairable, but also to the point where he's relegated to the dustbin of has-beens... where both he and his genuine contributions will be forgotten, forever.
Interesting piece of news on Twitter. Dallas stars video coach Kelly Forbes is leaving the team to pursue other hockey opportunities that will allow him to spend more time with his family. But unless he wants to coach my beer league hockey team, there’s few NHL coach level opportunities in DFW. Almost like he’d need to leave town to get a job at the corresponding level.
So why post this here at MTC? Kelly Forbes is married to a member of the Freak morning show. And it’s not Turner or Cavanaugh. Will he leave town for his next job? Will she go with him? Interesting plot twist. C
I hope that SeaBass does not get promoted to host. Let me presay that I intend no offense but I find him boring, often condescending and a Ranger homer to a degree that I, a Ranger homer, find it hard to take.
Personally I would much prefer Monty get the shot.
One thing I don't understand regarding Sirois is that people bring up the supposed comment that Cat said he'd run most of the race and stopped just sort of the finish line but people also say that Cat knew he could never be a host and would never make him one. I am curious as to which is the actual case. Nothing about the Downbeat suggest that he'd be a success paired with Donnie but then I am so confused by what the TF is doing I don't know how to judge any of them.
Word is Rhyner's little stunt didn't go over so well with his DB cohosts. One in particular reaaaaallllly didn't appreciate the attention it drew. This info comes from another C. That is, a Mr. C who used to be referenced on THL on the reg. Mr. C knows well what he speaks of.
This thing hadn't too much left in the tank. Even old (and he is) Up For Anything sounds awfully beaten down.
I’m pretty sure this was said on air by Cat or Sirois that Cat never saw him as a host. I remember it clearly perhaps around a white elephant draft or something similar.
C, if you play hockey here and especially if you have kids that do, then you know there's a rather lucrative local coaching market if a coach has top tier credentials and connections. Forbes has both. Forbes and Julie also come from serious money. They have that going for them too. So that's a possibility. Out of curiosity, what level and rink(s) do you play?
It really doesn’t matter who Cat decides to pair with Donovan. It will be number 1 in the ratings. People are programmed to tune into the Ticket, no matter what they put out. They should just save money and run a test pattern. It will still lap the competition.
Rhyner apologized yesterday for his tweet on The Downbeat. He said that a wife of a host on the Ticket sent him a DM, telling him that she would never have expected that from him and how disappointed she was in him.
We are seeing in real time the takedown of a storied career and it's sad as hell to watch.
I will be very happy to learn the details of all the ticket expat exists and what really happened. Every thing is very one sided now depending on who people support. Either Rhyner was unfairly driven from the Ticket or he was a complete AHole who took his toys and went home and now started another station out of spite. I wonder what the middle point of actual truth is and if we'll ever hear it from the people actually involved.
It seems quite clear at this point that Rhyner always thought that all or a big portion of THL’s audience was “his” audience and the whole thing was portable with him. Accordingly, he’s really struggling with the reality that it wasn’t and isn’t and the listeners just haven’t come over to TF.
"He said that a wife of a host on the Ticket sent him a DM, telling him that she would never have expected that from him and how disappointed she was in him"
How many people have thought this of him since Oct 2022? Quite a few around here.
Mike left for drydock knowing he was not going to return. No notice to co workers, etc. if Mike felt he was being sidelined, thsts a battle you fight with your cohosts, the PD, the GM, etc. if you care, you don’t walk away via the “Irish goodbye”. But it’s becoming clear, Mike got a chip on his shoulder after he left TT. B&S gave him the opportunity to get revenge and he took it. But clearly, the audience is the tickets, not Mikes. I’m sure it burns mikes ass to know his baby has the highest ratings they’ve ever had and he’s got absolutely nothing to do with it. C
Seems obvious that in the death spiral that is TF, there are going to be several Hail Mary attempts - my read is that Rhyner is lying about the call from a TT wife, and simply doing whatever he can in an attempt to poke the bear enough to get it to react and pay attention to him. What he wasn't prepped for is the listener reaction of "shut up you bitter old fuck".
Dude approaching his mid 70s both acts like an immature, ego engulfed, 22 year old and is learning the sort of hard to swallow, comeuppance, and embarrassing lessons an immature, ego engulfefd 22 year old eventually faces. Again, he's a septuagenerian. Let that sink in. But it's who he's always been. He's just gotten to the age of life where he no longer knows when to fon the mask. And when he does, he takes it off prematurely, leaving himself exposed for ever longer durations, and as a result baring for all his true nature.
Love those industry sources!
ReplyDeleteI issue the customary warning that I do not do anything to verify any of this information. I try to stick with gossip that sounds credible to me, but I recognize that this site may be used as a tool for others who have an agenda. I regret any errors.
This news came in contemporaneously with the announcement of the new Freak Program Director Dominic Zaccagnini, so that event has somewhat overtaken it the following information.
Not long before that announcement, iHeart Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman came into town. His visits to iHeart markets are reportedly rare. No information if KEGL was a major part of the agenda, but it’s difficult to imagine that it was not.
My correspondent reports that The Freak was largely a Ben+Skin initiative undertaken with the long-time PD who was fired before the station launched. (Sorry, I don’t have a name.) Whether iHeart national management was uninformed of the gestation of this costly new format, or whether it was asleep at the switch, is unclear. In any case, it was too late to stop the launch and the whole mess was dumped in the lap of Region President Paul Corvino, who was given oversight over iHeart’s Texas properties shortly before The Freak launched.
Despite the information posted on a radio board (FREAKUENTED? can’t find it) that was reported by a commenter on the last thread, my correspondent confirms what C has been saying about the double-digit declines in revenue. April, off 30% from the previous year.
Seems like no one thinks that nothing is going to change at The Freak.
Which means (my editorial insert here) that, depending on how big the changes are – and I would think they would have to be pretty big since the consensus seems to be that The Freak in its current form is “unsalvageable” (my correspondent’s word) – The Freak as envisioned, promised, and effectuated by its founders, did, um, not succeed.
In other MTC news:
I have figured out a way to delete comments and I have deleted the Mino comments from the prior thread. However, in the past I could delete them in a way that would show on the site (“This comment deleted by a blog administrator”). I apparently don’t have that ability now. If I’m feeling energetic, I might drop a short comment to show when I’ve given some remarks the boot.
suggested correction: it was the prior female Market Manager, not the PD, who was organizing the station. She was blown out in the months prior to the station's launch.
Deletehave you had a chance to look into Wordpress? A former Blogger customer is quite happy with it but suggested self-hosting if possible. The format looks very much like this one.
ReplyDeleteGood news on he deletion front.
ReplyDeleteI believe this is the comment the "FREAKEUNTED" comment was referring to. The commenter's handle is Big A. The site has give him a title that reads "Walk of Fame Participant." Not sure if that means s/he's a legacy member of the board/commenter or what. Anyway, it runs as follows....
Friday at 4:33 PM
I posted this in a different thread, but it's appropriate here as well:
You understand that radio companies are not in the ratings business? They want to make money. I took a very quick look at their website, and every show has a top line sponsor. The website is filled with sponsored events, including a sponsored golf tournament. Not just any sponsor, but Charles Schwab. Would a brokerage company sponsor an urban station? They also have Free Beer Friday sponsored by Specs Liquor store. Lots of music stations have free beer Fridays. None of them are sponsored.
My sense in just a brief look at their website is they a merchandizing and monetizing all of their live & local hosts in ways they could NEVER have done with a music format station. Music stations are stuck with loads of :30 spots. This station is filled with actual sponsors. This is how sports talk stations make more money than music. This is how WFAN became one of the top billing stations in NYC. This is how The Sports Hub in Boston is among the highest billing stations in the country.
So yes, this station isn't getting great 6+ ratings. That is very true. Of course, The Eagle didn't get great ratings as a rock station either. But this incarnation of the station is making money. More money than it made as a music station. That's why iHeart won't be flipping the station to music.
651, your contention that "this incarnation...is making money" may be correct - but it's making way less (while also costing way more) than the rock formatted KEGL was this time even a year ago. This isn't a secret and widely known across the market.
DeleteAlso, take that list of TF sponsorships you listed, and then cross reference those same brands across other iHeart/DFW stations and report back. I'm betting you'll find package/bonus deals.
No agency/brand in their right mind spends significant ad dollars exclusively on a radio station with a 1 share.
Agree with this anon. And re-read the original posters comment.,do the Freaks website was promoting a golf tournament sponsored by Charles Schwab. Sure it could be a Freak exclusive deal. Or is it just possible that poster saw an ad for the Charles Schwab Invitational at Colonial and is so sports clueless that they didn’t know what that was?
DeleteMy money is on stupid person. There’s a lot of them in this world.
C
Here's the URL to it. It appears to be a decent source for local radio doings.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.radiodiscussions.com/threads/what-is-97-1-the-fails-demo-how-long-before-the-plug-is-pulled-pool-come-join-the-fun.764319/
just as an FYI but this new PD has not been announced anywhere. It's only been made known by Freq hosts on random social media posts. No press release, no changes to anyone's LinkedIn, etc
ReplyDelete739: Thank you for the correction. I believe you're correct.
ReplyDeleteSurly: Thanks for the clarification. I went looking for an announcement but didn't find one.
Gopher: I not only looked into Wordpress, I spent damned near half a day rassling with it. It gives the impression of an easy setup, but implementation was baffling, uncorrectable, and ultimately defeating -- and while I'm not a tech expert, I'm pretty good at navigating new software. I thought about getting a Wordpress for Dummies-type books to try to learn it from the top, but after I figured out how to delete comments here, I figured it wasn't worth it. Blogger is primitive, but it's fairly simple.
I do find it pretty odd that there's been no PR
ReplyDeleteHey, 731. Please read more carefully. I explicitly stated rhe comment was from a local radio board, and not mine. I even prefaced the copied comment by writing, "it is as follows", That you missed something so obvious makes me question the verity of your claim.
ReplyDeletefair. I'd seen this claim before and simply saw the "I posted this in a different thread, but it's appropriate here as well" and assumed it was the same person reposting it here. apologies for skimming the comment and jumping to answer before reading the full context.
DeleteThat aside: whoever it is, is wrong.
No worries. Appreciate the response. Also, that comment was (I believe) the one Plansman was trying to locate from the oreviius theead. That'a why I posted it up.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 6:52
ReplyDeleteThat site usually has some pretty good information about D/FW radio happenings.
Just be advised they don't have much patience with trolls. If you post there, be respectful. The Mods are pretty quick on the trigger.
I've been visiting that site for years, Gopher. I'm also a registered member. But I never post anything. More of a place to gather up the scuttlebutt.
ReplyDeleteStill not seeing any announcement on a PD for The Freak, or anything suggesting a change in status at iHeart for Dominic Zaccagnini. Weird that iHeart would allow news like this to leaq via Freq host sosh postings.
ReplyDeleteHaven't tuned in for a long time. How is The Beatdown sounding lately? Any improvement or status quo? Suppose I could punch over . . . nah.
Same old same old. They were big the other day on Danny doing an acoustic alt country cover of Green Day’s Basket Case. Which is interesting if you love any of the following:
ReplyDeleteNot sports
Cross genre musical covers
Failed 90s Dallas metal bands, specifically Sahara Rain
But if you’re trying to draw sports listeners away from the Ticket (see note below) how does that help you? I’ve said this before, I swear their programming philosophy is to draw listeners who listened to the Ticket but thought the ticket spent too much time on sports. And while there may be a market there, so far that market is good for low 20s in the demo (see note 2). That’s not good and not sustainable. Look at the number of stations above them in the ratings who outsource, voice track, etc. The iheart suits will catch up to them sooner or later.
Note 1- going after the ticket audience makes sense. They’re a dominant station in m25-54 and consistently beat the market in local billing. I believe a couple of the pre pandy years they were the top biller overall. There’s money there on their table, but not only has the Freak not impacted them, the Freak has lost money year over year vs the Eagle while the Ticket has hit #1 six plus for 4 months in a row.
Note 2- the reason 20-something in demo is bad sales wise is because a lot of biz is agency driven. They buy strictly on numbers. I’ve seen agencies go deep in a demo, but that means they but the top 8 stations in a demo rather then just the top 3-5. Think of agency business as mailbox money. Local sales is labor intensive. You need sales reps, sales assistants, production people to write or produce spots, etc. agency business is easier, but tougher to get with bad ratings
C
May book should be out this week, yes?
ReplyDeleteI would think so. And from the considerably muted sosh 'tudes from the Freqers, I'd say they already know it's another shitter. Might The Sports Freq be on the horizon?
ReplyDeletetoday. TT another record month.
ReplyDeleteAnother great book for the Ticket, and yes, in the shitter for the Freak. Got a couple client meetings this afternoon but will post thoughts later. Short version - when you’re costing a lot AND hovering near 30 in the ratings, how long does the status quo last?
ReplyDeleteWell, Bob was part of the 20% of writers for The Athletic who were laid off today.
ReplyDeleteThat's a bit surprising. Seems like they'd want to keep a known commodity on the roster.
ReplyDeleteThe woke NYTimes strikes again
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ReplyDeleteReal quick: TT #1 6.6; TF #30 1.0 (down from last book).
ReplyDeleteI see dead people, and they're walking.
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ReplyDeleteC'mon, Pmsn. Clean this crap up.
ReplyDeleteI do like to clean crap up. But I only get to this joint at most once a day. Patience, please. I do know crap when I see it.
ReplyDeleteWell done Surly,
ReplyDeleteYou started a chain of deletion responses without getting flagged yourself. Masterful.
Hey, my comment got deleted but I was supporting Surly's trolling.
ReplyDeleteSurly and Financial Troll. Now THAT'S how it's done, folks. We support our own here at MTC. Even the trolls. But let's be honest here, I don't think we're acknowledging the Gordo-like strides toward non-trollig Surly has made over the past few years.
ReplyDeleteGenerally speaking, if a comment gets taken down, even non-offensive replies get taken down too, because leaving them up is confusing to people who browse the comments later on. I didn't think Surly's comment about the "woke New York Times" was takedown-worthy. (In fact, I didn't understand it, if he was referring to the layoffs at The Athletic, which owns the Times. Maybe he was referring to something else that I didn't get, but in any event, it didn't move my deletion needle.)
ReplyDeleteAnd . . . I do tend to give legacy Confessors the benefit of the doubt on deletions, even if they're grumpy.
Why does KEGL-FM have two line items in the Radio Online listing of Nielsen ratings?
ReplyDeletehttps://ratings.radio-online.com/content/arb024
I believe that is the KEGL HD2 channel and the listing just failed to note that as it does others. I'm making that assumption based on it matches the 0.1 listed for it in the ratings.
DeleteSomething is a foot at the little one. Details will be revealed soon.
ReplyDeleteWait. What is the little one? The most listened to station in the market? Or the little brother wanna be that is bringing up the rear?
DeleteThe little Ticket will always be the little one no matter how big of a juggernaut they are.
Delete“Details will be revealed soon”
ReplyDeleteMore specifically, tomorrow at 10:38am
it's up: https://shorturl.at/eSTVY
ReplyDeleteHow about some general Dallas radio news? 98.7 KLUV has branded as "The Spot." The playlist seems to be the same. So far.
ReplyDeletehttps://radioinsight.com/headlines/253074/kluv-dallas-becomes-the-spot-as-ip-goes-to-emf/
I think we might have a Norm related announcement along with a Varsity promotion late tomorrow morning. I also think the May book might've been the final one for all shows not called The Down Beat over at The Freak. As in, next Monday we could see a significantly revamped Freak. Including but not limited to a well defined format.
ReplyDeleteJust dropped via RadioInsight; TF inked a 3 year deal to carry UNT football. Begins this season. I think this is the initial salvo for what is to be rebranded as another sports/guy talker. Sports THEN guy talk, I might add -- a la TT and The FAN.
ReplyDeletehttps://radioinsight.com/headlines/253096/unt-football-joins-the-freak/
Notice how iHeart describes TF. This keeps getting more convoluted, confusing. There's no way a rebranding/reboot is not in the offing. Regardless, below is the line presently being towed.
ReplyDelete"Starting in August, fans will be able to hear North Texas game broadcasts on 97.1 The Freak, iHeartMedia Dallas’ newest local, personality- driven, lifestyle talk-radio station.
“We are excited to announce this agreement with The Freak to bring UNT Football to fans all across the Metroplex this fall,” UNT Vice President and Director of Athletics Jared Mosley said. “We believe The Freak’s unique brand and growing fanbase is a perfect fit for UNT’s trajectory as we move into the American Athletic Conference. We are committed to growing the reach of our brand, and we look forward to a long partnership.”
“The Freak is the newest and most unique media outlet to serve the Dallas/Fort Worth market. It’s the perfect home for Mean Green football and we proudly welcome them to iHeart Dallas,” said Paul Corvino, Region President iHeartMedia Dallas."
"[G]rowing fanbase." I know you have to spin everything in a positive way, but this is risible. It's shrinking, acually, and this can be proven empirically.
ReplyDeleteSerious question…I still love the Ticket and listen a lot during the day. However, I do find myself not as interested or entertained as much as I used to. Why now is the Ticket getting the best ratings it has ever gotten? Back in the day it had zero competition. Now it has 2 rival stations competing against it. I’d assume it would have been at its peak with the old hardline with Mike and Greggo. And a younger and more engaging Musers. It’s pretty fascinating.
ReplyDeleteYou would have to see total listener count to be sure, but you have to assume that (1) streamers are counted 1 for 1 & KTCK does better streaming than any station in the market; & (2) KTCK has done a better job of hanging onto its audience than other radio stations losing their audience to streaming music & podcasts.
DeleteYes, they’re winning the war of attrition basically.
DeleteDear Anon 8:16 PM
ReplyDeleteYou my friend might be suffering from a terminal case of good ole day syndrome where everything was better back in the day and nothing is as good now. This is human nature as many tend to forget sucky stuff then just remember the highlights from past years. The Musers, Hang Zone and the revamped Hardline 5.0 with Sturm, Davy and Corby is as good as it's ever been. Perhaps by definition you are in the minority as gauged by the ratings.
I have to wonder if Monty's big opportunity could be coming tomorrow. We know their history of disappointing with big announcements but everything seems to line up in theory.
ReplyDelete- He's been taking off work a lot to fill in host this year and will be again all next week for HZ
- The addition of Dave as a 3rd host has been wildly successful and it's the one year anniversary
- Norm is only getting older and that show could use a boost or possible time split with Norm
- All the hosts seem to respect his ability (I'd say more than pretty much any JV fill in previously)
Maybe 3rd host from 10-12, 10-3, or a combination of both?
To Anon 11:42's point on Monty:
ReplyDelete- Gordo has been spending a lot of time promoting Monty on his Thursday night Twitch stream and previously on his Saturday night Discord sessions
Stay hard, Norm. Looks like, at leadt for now, an emeritus role is the way forward.
ReplyDeleteMajor Station Announcement proved to be TRULY MAJOR: Norm retires. Last day will be next Friday.
ReplyDeleteLove you Norm!
I remember last year Sirois said that when he was leaving, Cat told him "You're almost at the end of a marathon..."
ReplyDeleteBad decision coach (Sirois) unless he was told in no uncertain terms he wasn't in the running to backfill anyway. I think Cat rightfully senses that both DJ and Monty are more talented.
ReplyDeleteI know that they aren't going to announce Norm's replacement today. They will let him enjoy his moment, but what should they do? People are quick to say Monty, but hasn't Sean worked his way up and shown that he can be a full time host?
ReplyDeleteMy guess is he wasn't told any such thing by Cat. My guess is that his move was merely Sirois being Sirois.
ReplyDeleteNot even a year later Norm retires. Oh man how fast is the hamster in Sirois's brain running right about now? Trust me, three shots in tonight and he'll begin his "is there someway, somehow a path back" thinking.
ReplyDelete@1104 - I wouldn't necessarily say DJ and Monty are more talented. Sirois on The Ticket was fine, if a host spot was available then he definitely would have gotten it. He was already viewed as an unofficial host and got along so well with Tier 1, they would have wanted him to get the job.
ReplyDeleteI'll have more to say later, but I made it a point to be by the radio this morning.
ReplyDeleteNorm handled it extremely well. Got right to the point. Didn't say too much, didn't say too little, didn't go on too long. Everything sounded exactly right and not too maudlin.
I was especially struck by his remarks about Gordon. On my topic list for a long time had been some thoughts on the affinity between the two of them, despite what seemed for a while -- not so much in recent years, but back a ways -- some animadversion on Norm's part toward Gordon. He said what we have pointed out here many times -- what Gordon does is hard work.
As I say, more later, including thoughts on a replacement, or replacement(s).
Congratulations to Norm.
I missed the announcement. Can you be more specific about his Gordon comments?
Delete1140 addressing 1104, nice symmetry. I wouldn't be so quick to say that all Varsity players were sold on Sirois and wanted him to get the job. In fact, I'd bet against it.
ReplyDeleteFriendly nerdlinger note to Conrad: Chk pronunciation of "respite."
ReplyDeleteIt must be said that our very own Shurggly 1310 predicted Norm's retirement within a 5 day margin a couple of years ago. Pretty damn impressive, Shurggly. Well done, sir. Please see the reddit page for the actual prognostication.
ReplyDeleteSean Bass has done some wonderful work with Norm and Donovan since taking the producer's role. The numbers are the proof his efforts to realign the content and focus has worked. Lots of credit to him.
ReplyDeleteHow about George's comments in the "post-game" of the announcement - - -
ReplyDelete"There's Ron Chapman...There's Hal Jay......There's a couple others...."
Another name would have definitely been listed in regards to the DFW radio greats (& its not like its a He Should Not Be Named situation on the station) - - this to me reinforces the notion of Jub pretty much on the outs with Rhynes. Team Jub all the Way.
What Rhyner did was greatness. But he's not in the same league as an announcer or radio talent with Chapman, Hal Jay, Brad Sham, or Norm. He just isn't. Having said that, it wouldn't surprise anyone if George no longer finds Rhyner palatable. Not sure if anyone other than his Freak bunkmates do. Also wouldn't be surprising if not everyone on TDB still thinks he hangs the media moon.
ReplyDeleteAs to Norm's replacement, I think SeaBass would be a fine choice. I know the fanboys don't like hearing this, but NaD got A LOT better once the party doll left and Sean took over. Having said this, either Monty or Mino would also make for an excellent pairing with Donnie. Funny, it seems like yesterday that Donnie was the new kid in town and the old vet, Norm, was taking him under his wing, showing him the right way to do things. Now here we are, Donnie, in all likelihood, will be doing the same for another up and comer. Even though I believe Sean would make a for a fine pairing, I don't think it's in the cards. My hunch is it's either Monty or Mino or a wild card. Eli Jordan? Perhaps Cowlishaw? Hell, Wilonsky (though I think RW on the daily would be terrrrrrrrribllllllle)? [Aside: RW, to my knowledge, has yet to go on TF. Yet he's been on TT many times since TF's airing. If I'm incorrect, someone please say so.] Maybe Emily Jones? Or maybe even Elf or, oh Lord please no, wings and p? Wouldn't mind Elf, but he's already been given chances at every station and his Sunday slot suits him well.
The kick-around shared audio of Norm's announcement in a reddit post
ReplyDeletethink Catlin has earned the right to be trusted with these decisions.
ReplyDeleteAnybody else notice the contrast between Mike and norms departures? Mike told no one, not even his cohosts, Norm told the staff on Wednesday they said,and the listeners on Thursday, and will be celebrated I’m sure next week.
ReplyDeleteC
Diffrence: Norm is an adult. Rhyner, America's Oldest Preteen.
ReplyDeleteJune 15, 613: Re: Norm's comments on Gordon, the only host he mentioned in his announcement, as I recall:
ReplyDeleteHe said first: That he was reluctant to come to The Ticket when Dan Bennett asked him to, because he thought The Ticket was a bunch of "whack jobs."
When he arrived, he formed the opinion that Gordon was, indeed, a whack job.
But the more he observed Gordon and his work product, the more he realized that what Gordon did was hard work. He didn't say it, but the implication was that he came to appreciate what Gordon does at The Ticket.
That's about it. He didn't spend more than a couple of sentences on it.
If they keep it in-house, Sean Bass as host and Monty as producer would be fine. That would allow Monty to finally get a M-F job he's been wanting. I think he's got something but you still have to work your way up so I don't know if they'd give him a host position if he hasn't even been a producer, board op, or ticker guy yet. Plus that would allow them to still have Work in Progress on the weekends. SeaBass gets a lot of hate but he would be fine as a host. Come on, we're talking about a 2-hour morning slot...this isn't AM/PM drive.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible that they cut the morning show by an hour and let the replacement show go 9-Noon? It would lighten the Musers load a bit and even out the day.
ReplyDeleteI think both 805 and Gophers' ideas make a lot of sense.
ReplyDeletenorman is on channel 4 as i type this although i do not see the surly one on set
ReplyDeleteMike on Twitter, woof
ReplyDeletedeleted but that was fun
ReplyDeleteWhat did Mike say on Twitter? I missed it!
ReplyDeleteRhyner posted a pic from Summer Bash-not a big crowd for the timeasters. He got absolutely dogpiled with negative comments. Most along the line of either “you’re better than this” (with the lol responses of “No he’s not”, or “their shitty band draws more than your new radio station”.
ReplyDeleteThe other ones that made me laugh were the person who took a pic from a Freak remote with almost no one in the audience with the caption about people in glass houses. And the comment about “ we found the petty part of petty theft.
C
Proud to say I tweeted “Rhynes putting the “Petty” in Petty Theft”. One of my better tweets
DeletePlease see my comment on June 16 at 305pm. Everything and everyone Rhyner has railed against, made fun of, and openly disdained lo these many years were merely reflections of himself. He's well on his way to doing what I thought couldn'r be done: Sullying his reputation to the point of it not only being irrepairable, but also to the point where he's relegated to the dustbin of has-beens... where both he and his genuine contributions will be forgotten, forever.
ReplyDeleteInteresting piece of news on Twitter. Dallas stars video coach Kelly Forbes is leaving the team to pursue other hockey opportunities that will allow him to spend more time with his family. But unless he wants to coach my beer league hockey team, there’s few NHL coach level opportunities in DFW. Almost like he’d need to leave town to get a job at the corresponding level.
ReplyDeleteSo why post this here at MTC? Kelly Forbes is married to a member of the Freak morning show. And it’s not Turner or Cavanaugh. Will he leave town for his next job? Will she go with him? Interesting plot twist.
C
Julie already announced that last week on her podcast. Nobody picked up on it apparently
ReplyDeleteI hope that SeaBass does not get promoted to host. Let me presay that I intend no offense but I find him boring, often condescending and a Ranger homer to a degree that I, a Ranger homer, find it hard to take.
ReplyDeletePersonally I would much prefer Monty get the shot.
One thing I don't understand regarding Sirois is that people bring up the supposed comment that Cat said he'd run most of the race and stopped just sort of the finish line but people also say that Cat knew he could never be a host and would never make him one. I am curious as to which is the actual case. Nothing about the Downbeat suggest that he'd be a success paired with Donnie but then I am so confused by what the TF is doing I don't know how to judge any of them.
Monty is going to TF with Dan and Jake
DeleteWord is Rhyner's little stunt didn't go over so well with his DB cohosts. One in particular reaaaaallllly didn't appreciate the attention it drew. This info comes from another C. That is, a Mr. C who used to be referenced on THL on the reg. Mr. C knows well what he speaks of.
ReplyDeleteThis thing hadn't too much left in the tank. Even old (and he is) Up For Anything sounds awfully beaten down.
kdf, the first thing cat actually said. the second is speculation, hearsay.
ReplyDeleteI’m pretty sure this was said on air by Cat or Sirois that Cat never saw him as a host. I remember it clearly perhaps around a white elephant draft or something similar.
DeleteC, if you play hockey here and especially if you have kids that do, then you know there's a rather lucrative local coaching market if a coach has top tier credentials and connections. Forbes has both. Forbes and Julie also come from serious money. They have that going for them too. So that's a possibility. Out of curiosity, what level and rink(s) do you play?
ReplyDeleteIt really doesn’t matter who Cat decides to pair with Donovan. It will be number 1 in the ratings. People are programmed to tune into the Ticket, no matter what they put out. They should just save money and run a test pattern. It will still lap the competition.
ReplyDelete^^^^^Yeah, man. Please do take note of Financial Troll's fine work. That's how you do it. This is just, well, sad.
ReplyDeleteReal nice one, 846. Apt af.
Rhyner apologized yesterday for his tweet on The Downbeat. He said that a wife of a host on the Ticket sent him a DM, telling him that she would never have expected that from him and how disappointed she was in him.
ReplyDeleteWe are seeing in real time the takedown of a storied career and it's sad as hell to watch.
Any idea what time that was? Id like to contrite mike
DeleteIt was the 3:30 segment. Mike Rhyner’s Koi Pond.
DeleteI will be very happy to learn the details of all the ticket expat exists and what really happened. Every thing is very one sided now depending on who people support. Either Rhyner was unfairly driven from the Ticket or he was a complete AHole who took his toys and went home and now started another station out of spite. I wonder what the middle point of actual truth is and if we'll ever hear it from the people actually involved.
ReplyDeleteIt seems quite clear at this point that Rhyner always thought that all or a big portion of THL’s audience was “his” audience and the whole thing was portable with him. Accordingly, he’s really struggling with the reality that it wasn’t and isn’t and the listeners just haven’t come over to TF.
ReplyDelete"He said that a wife of a host on the Ticket sent him a DM, telling him that she would never have expected that from him and how disappointed she was in him"
ReplyDeleteHow many people have thought this of him since Oct 2022? Quite a few around here.
I don't think anyone outside of Mike's direct sphere of influence (so maybe like 5 people) believes he was driven away unfairly from The Ticket
ReplyDeleteMike left for drydock knowing he was not going to return. No notice to co workers, etc. if Mike felt he was being sidelined, thsts a battle you fight with your cohosts, the PD, the GM, etc. if you care, you don’t walk away via the “Irish goodbye”.
ReplyDeleteBut it’s becoming clear, Mike got a chip on his shoulder after he left TT. B&S gave him the opportunity to get revenge and he took it. But clearly, the audience is the tickets, not Mikes. I’m sure it burns mikes ass to know his baby has the highest ratings they’ve ever had and he’s got absolutely nothing to do with it.
C
Seems obvious that in the death spiral that is TF, there are going to be several Hail Mary attempts - my read is that Rhyner is lying about the call from a TT wife, and simply doing whatever he can in an attempt to poke the bear enough to get it to react and pay attention to him. What he wasn't prepped for is the listener reaction of "shut up you bitter old fuck".
ReplyDeleteDude approaching his mid 70s both acts like an immature, ego engulfed, 22 year old and is learning the sort of hard to swallow, comeuppance, and embarrassing lessons an immature, ego engulfefd 22 year old eventually faces. Again, he's a septuagenerian. Let that sink in. But it's who he's always been. He's just gotten to the age of life where he no longer knows when to fon the mask. And when he does, he takes it off prematurely, leaving himself exposed for ever longer durations, and as a result baring for all his true nature.
ReplyDeleteNew ginj and a couple of hastily-composed comments.
ReplyDelete