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'm having some serious problems with Blogger. If I can't get them resolved I may have to blow this baby up or find another home. Let me know if you have any problems posting comments. Thanks.
Looks like Smiling Dan is the winner. Will you have pet names for other personalities? Like: Pothead Corby Longwinded Bob JFK Jr. Davy The Groomer(no name needed) The Great Monty Little Mino Angry George/Crying George etc
I've enjoyed this blog over the years. Really disappointed as I may or may not have taken your joke about SD as a slight to someone that's made the Ticket an enjoyable listen for years. Not cool.
Reposting since I seem to have barely gotten in under the wire:
I’m betting Cumulus ultimately spins this as “we got some sort of agreement that they won’t join a rival station for x>6 months,” but I’m also betting that tomorrow’s announcement shows that they never intended to do so anyway. I never understood why most everyone here thought that was their end-game.
Looks like Cumulus/Ses is going to get that gesture and not be on the case that ends most non-competes, and the guys get their $35k/month. Have to think a head is going to roll somewhere for letting any of this happen.
Question for the lawyers in the room. Does anyone have any thoughts on the following from the judge? “I know I talked to you all about this when we were in my jury room, that I had concerns that the contract was overbroad with respect to, especially Mr. Kemp. And we talked that the - Texas law requires me to reform the contract.”
As a non legal expert I found that interesting and wondered what the legal minds thought?
This smells like when you buy a car and the salesman tells you that "you got a great deal! What a negotiator you are!"
My speculative $0.02: once The Cloud's lawyers pooped the bed straight out of the gate, the judge smelled weakness and leaned on them to settle. And then to allow The Cloud's lawyers to save face, made that statement.
If indeed the Judge's former clerk works for The Cloud's firm, I would love to be a fly on the wall at the next lunch between clerk and Judge.
In Texas, employment non-competes are governed by the Texas Covenants Not to Compete Act. Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 15.50 et. seq. The Texas Covenants Not to Compete Act states that if a non-compete covenant is found to be unreasonably overbroad, “the court shall reform the covenant to the extent necessary to cause” the covenant to be reasonable. Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 15.51(c) (emphasis added).
Thanks Legal-ish. She didn’t go into detail on which parts specifically she had concerns about, so there’s no way of really knowing. But does that mean that she possibly could have ruled that restricting Jake from doing podcasts was too much?
The Cumulus legal dram team's strategy of pushing the whole time spent listening = competition had to have been one of the dumbest ideas ever put forth in a court of law. Introducing that as proof of competition immediately called into question Davey's podcast, Gordon's Twitch (and Discord!) streams, IJB, etc etc, all of which were just fine with Cumulus. I mean really amazing strategy.
I also found it VERY smart that D&J's lawyers brought up the fact that The Ticket called and all-hands-on-deck staff meeting when The Freak was going on air, while doing absolutely nothing when Rhyner's podcast first debuted. They clearly did not see Podcasts as a competitive threat.
Rhyner’s podcast debuted before TF was even thought of. He was still “retired” when that was announced & had been for about a year & a half. That may be the reason why they didn’t go after it. Just pointing out.
Incorrect. Rhyner's podcast debuted in August 2020. And yes it was well before The Freak was announced. But that has nothing to do with anything. He left The Ticket and started podcasting later that year and it caused not one blip on The Ticket management's radar. He started The Freak almost 3 years after retirement and it rang all kinds of alarms to Cat.
He married and had a child with that one I believe. He is currently engaged to a different person who is 16 years younger than him that he started dating when she was 20.
Yeah, the subreddit has been bringing this up constantly. Like every other post on there has at least one comment about that. It’s exhausting to find the 1% of good posts on there.
The anonymous as default problem tripped me up again, so I’m going to say it again: Reddit is obsessed with this fact. Like, bringing it up every other post. I’m getting tired of it.
@Grayson P1: I have been having trouble posting comments. And, ironically, even when I "sign in," it insists on going to "Anonymous" as my default identity. Can't even get the cursor to engage in the "comments" line. This morning, I'm at least able to leave this comment, although it still thinks I'm Anonymous.
Blogger has been deteriorating for quite a while, losing functionality. I did look into moving to WordPress, but it looked like it was going to take a lot more non-intuitive poking around than I had time for at the time. May try it again sometime.
Hmm, it also defaults to “Anonymous” for me. Been tripped up several times because of that. Other than that, that’s the only recognizable problem for me. Then again, I’m on a iPad. Good to know!
Blogger looks different and will not let me log in. It's asking for a name and in the past it was always there when posting. The print in the posts is way smaller than before, about half the size of the comment section. This is on a PC so that may make a difference. Somethings up one way or another.
On the phong Blogger has a weird habit of not keeping up with more than a couple of sentences. It has definitely hampered the ability to comment at times. As an aside Google Podcasts are going away/get integrated into YouTube music. I hit the limit here. All typing is hidden now.
Ratings come out Monday, we will have a grasp then of how the new shows are doing. I don’t think the last book was as bad as it could have been, maybe TDZ podcast isn’t that much competition.
“Everybody” says it’s a dying medium, but Bennett said their net revenue was 22 million. Radio has always been a cash generator, and did you see Bobs post where he and Dan thought the Ticket might survive 5 more years? That was in the mid 2000’s, so I’d say the dying industry needs taken with a large grain of salt.
And TT target demo is not 18-35. It’s 25-54, really 35-54 if you wanted to narrow it.
And considering Norm and Rhyner both worked till 70’s, I’m not sure how much I buy the “cusp of retirement” theory. Could they retire? Sure. Could they also last another 15 years? Also possible.
And one thought, losing Norm, Mike and Dan and replacing them with Mcclarin, Sean Bass, Mino and Monty dramatically drops the average age up there. If these shows catch on they potentially have their core line up for the next 20 years. C
Nice move DZ. I’m sure we will get lots of legal analysis on how Cumulus has the upper hand legally against Blake. I’m waiting for one Cumulus supporter to admit that they would have been better off not taking any legal action unless D&J tried to start broadcasting for a competitor before 6 months. The more you read the testimony the more stupid Dan B and Cat appear. Dan McD had their counsel spinning. It was awesome.
"If these shows catch on they potentially have their core line up for the next 20 years"
The station will not be around in its current format in 20 years. We're discussing a dying medium and KTCK hasn't shown the initiative to tap into opportunities in front of them. As much as you, and I think you have to admit this, said that Dan and Jake will lose, you haven't been right about much regarding this case. I think that shows your views even if they are about ratings probably need some additional evaluation as to what is successful now formatically may not/will not be the way things will be successful in 2,5,7,10 years.
Your personal feelings toward D&J or their noncompete clouded any impartiality you had towards this case. How many times did you ask "friends I know that are lawyers much smarter than me" be proved completely wrong? If this went to trial in December, the Judge is being nice by saying it's a toss up but the Plaintiff's couldn't even get an injunction extended. This was just a bad move by Cumulus to litigate. They destroyed the "goodwill" built up with their listeners. If they would have said--ok, you're podcasting behind a paywall, good luck--there are quite a few people that would have given 10-3 a try. Instead, they pissed a lot of people off that might not ever come back.
Blogger sucks. Always has. Now MTC sucks. You allowed to become Second r/Ticket. Please, Plainsman, find a new platform and make it private. Otherwise this thing will die quicker than The Ticket's long held dominance (that's just around the corner).
I am very interested in seeing where TDZ goes from here.
I actually think this place is better than Reddit. One big reason why the subreddit has the reputation it has is the mods. They’ve admitted that they’re very hands-off with moderating. That’s why everything has gone to hell over time there. This place has better moderation than that trash fire. Pman can’t ban anyone on here (not his fault), & that’s one upside to moving hosts. I’m going to hold out with this site, TT, & TF, as long as I can. Not trying to knock down your opinion, just saying this place is far, far better than that cesspool.
Naw. The interesting and funny thing will be setting over-unders on how long the sosh warriors will turn on and move on from TDZ. 4 months from today. Any takers? Oh yeah. Anyone out there in need of a pair of size 11.5 CCMs? Great skates, but our center's feet are just too big for 'em. A hard charger, that one.
I just want to take a moment to offer a quick apology to you, the most prescient of Plainsmen, for my bickering over the “SD” usage. Settling Dan had reason to smile, and your clever shorthand was pretty funny after all.
Relieved this part is over, but very concerned the reverberations of this will have long-term negative effects on the station. Most of which are self-inflicted - but does not include their failure to re-up the show - as I've never thought that was an option and Dan's TRO testimony solidifies that for me more than ever.
Still convinced Dan and Jake end up doing PMD on a competitor sometime in 2024.
Why would they go to PMD when you can see the trajectory they are on in establishing a more than viable pod and online presence? Not sure terrestrial radio spots are the end all be all in this new world order of online content.
I think some of the vitriol towards D&J has something to do with some people not liking the idea of accepting that radio is no longer the desirable medium. With data that is readily available, we know that D&J are earning anywhere between 30k to 50k per month right now. There's taxes to take out and Blake to pay but that's still not a bad little gig for two months of existence. Assuming that they continue to slowly gain subscribers, in what universe would they want to go backwards on pay, creative freedom and growth potential? Because that's what any radio gig would be.
I do think that this is about way more than The Ticket or a podcast or Dan or Jake or Dan Bennett or Cat. This is about a lot of people who loved a radio station dearly for decades realizing that not only is the band breaking up, but the entire format/medium is going the way of phone booths, travel agents and fax machines. It's very exciting for some of us but I also understand the feeling of not liking to feel left behind when it comes to technology.
Why would they NOT go do PMD and double dip? (which is what they claim to have wanted from Cumulus in the 1st place)
No doubt any future station would allow them to retain their existing podcast and they'd get paid (very well) to do PMD - which will likely offer them an audience 10x+ any podcast ever could.
Is anyone else just kinda apathetic to all of this? I know this is a net negative for the station, and the new shows aren't great at this point, but am I alone in just not caring that much? The hangzone was my least favorite show on the ticket, and I never really cared for Dan. Yeah, I would pick them to stay rather than leave, but this just isn't some terrible time for me and listening I guess.
I can live a long and happy life without ever hearing Dan again. I enjoyed Jake on football and as I've said in the past he was a good dude when I've dealt with him one on one.
The midday line up does nothing for me. MM is generic, though he's better talking straight sports than guy talk. SeaBass bores the heck out of me. I'm not sure what they would need to do to get me to stick around after the Musers but these changes aren't it.
I have begun listening to the Downbeat after the Musers go off air. It's a much better show than the afternoon version was. I hate to admit that the OGW was dragging them down but that' seems to be the case. Its not as good as the Musers but is it as good as the current TT midday offering....maybe? I enjoy it it more certainly. I don't think the ticket is going to nose dive into oblivion but to quote a great man. "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."
I'm sorta in the combo platter boat of CJ and KDF. But I do have some definite and probably not so popular opinions about the last handful of months. Most I've already expressed, but hell, nearly all of us have repeated ourselves ad nauseam since the beginning of all this. I like bullet points, so here I go.
1. Like CJK5H, I too no longer really care and am glad that it's over, regardless of the outcome. I also agree that I'd rather THZ still be a part of my daily routine. It's not, and I won't be paying to listen to it. Jake and Dan have their moments, especially Jake talking sports. But the moments are sporadic. From the few DZ episodes I've listened to, those moments are now even more sporadic. The rest of the content isn't my thing. I do wonder what their sub numbers will look like a year from now. I also wonder if TF pm drive is their eventual home. From what has come out/said on the record, Dan not being moved with Bob to THL was one of the driving forces behind his and Jake's departure. 2. Like KDF, I've found myself migrating over to TDB, which is saying something because I've never been a fan of Sirois. Sirois has on the whole dropped the up for anything persona and has begun to show some maturity. With this has also come a certain vulnerability and honesty that was previously missing, and which made him rather shallow, even unappealing. He and Danny have something there. KT I'm sorry to say needs to produce. He's Sean Bass-esque in that regard. More on that below. KDF's assertion about Rhyner and TDB is correct. Unsurprisingly so, especially if you're into self-flagellation and tune into the new Speakeasy (I mean, it's f****** shocking just how bad it is, and it's the pm drive show!). I have to think Rhynes is retiring after dry dock '23. He's more checked out than ever.
3. The new Ticket midday lineup is hit and miss, mostly the latter. Someone used to constantly post, "Cat knows talent." Are we sure about that? Or was Cat/TT extremely fortunate for an incredibly long period of time? I agree with the notion that McClearin was not his call. But Sean was. As was pairing MM with Donnie. I like Sean, and I do enjoy his Rangers talk. But like KT, his gift is running the show and picking his appropriate spots to pipe in. So it seems, ditto, Mino. But I am, however, willing to give Mino more time. Sean has been at this forever, and we know what he is. WiP with Sean producing/de facto 3rd host from 10-12 should've been the move. As to Donnie and Matt, I'm not sure what you do. Specially if Matt was a directive from on high. I think you find a 3rd host that meshes well with Donnie and hope for the best. If Matt was Cat's call, then admit you made a mistake and fix what's shaping up to be a mess. The Invasion is an uncomfortable listen. I'm already out on it, and I only listen to The Spot or whatever it's called occasionally. Sometimes I make it through an entire segment. I have a feeling Monday's book is going to show I'm not alone by a long shot.
4. As far as what's taken place since Jake and Dan left goes, I think everyone involved came out looking bad. While prima facie JnD appear to have won, I think they, their legal team, Cumulus/Susquehanna, Cat, and Bennett are all losers in this fiasco. It is now evident that JnD never had any intention of negotiating in good faith and have shown themselves to be duplicitous (feigning ignorance/playing, ahem, dumb, etc.). Duplicity never confines itself to a particular; it's most always a modus operandi. At least part of their legal team conducted themselves awfully. Cat and Bennett have shown themselves to be ill-prepared, petty, and somewhat incompetent. Cumulus/Susquehanna? They should be the OED definitions of "incompetence," "arrogance," and "stupidity." I'm not sure if TT ever fully recovers from this. Indeed, my gut tells me we have entered into the end game for TT as we've known it. Someone a few threads back claimed DnM will soon be gone. I won't swat that down out of hand. There's something in the air, for certain. If that happens, all bets are off. Again, there are no winners here in my opinion.
5. Jimmy McFeeley's suggestion to move MTC over to Discord is an excellent one. I'm a MTC D1P1 and hold this place near and dear to my heart. But, while perhaps not yet a full on cesspool, it's nearing the precipice. I'm hoping in the days to come, as the JnD/Cumulus mess fades into that good night, the how shall we say, more agenda driven and even surreal/creepo commenters will move on. Perhaps then we'll get our MTC back. If not, Discord would be a great option.
Seems like The Dumb Zone is in the top 40 earners among all Patreon creators. Pretty remarkable for 2 months, including a 2 weeks stretch where they weren’t allowed to post new episodes.
I wonder the same thing as 00110011. What will the numbers for TDZ look like this time next year. Also interested in what the show will sound like and what audience will it cater to? If it's going national, then the content is going to have to drastically change in several areas or that audience will quickly go elsewhere. No one outside of the DFW and a few other TX/OK cities gives a rat's ass about Dallas or Texas sports teams. Same with local CQH type stories. So far their sub numbers are looking awesome. Are those a function of a David vs. Goliath piece in the WaPo, a nice kiss from a highly popular and influential content creator, and a zealous local fanbase who are in ride or die mode? If so, how long does it last? I'm a sub, so I hope it goes on for as long as they want. But I might not be so into it if they ditch a lot of local content in order to broaden and keep a national audience. I've also been around long enough to watch many zealous fans turn on people and things they like in an instant. I've also seen---and done so myself---get bored with or have less time for something I was once really into. We'll find out answers to all these questions in the next several months.
I’d be surprised for them to go down much. Like how they talk on the ticket a lot, it’s easy to keep subscriptions even if you aren’t using it. With radio, if you’re not listening, ppl know. With a podcast, if you’re not listening, but still subscribed who cares really? I guess Ad $ on top of sub money but still. And I’d imagine people that think “man I havent listened in a while” are more prone to stay subbed just because they wanna support. Now $8 or whatever it is, is maybe high? Compared to something like Disney plus lol.
All that to say, I’d imagine subs stay at least around what they are now but who knows.
Following Norm’s podcast…and am willing to hang on until the bitter end. BUT: the quality of the podcast has precipitously dropped over the last two weeks. First, the actual sound quality. Lots of distortion. Second, this sounds like a one take deal. In talking about NFL issues, Norm inadvertently called it the NBA. Not a gigantic issue, but here is the thing. Norm has always been at his best when he does his prepared segments-free from Ticket shenanigans (and certainly from Leon for those who go back that far). Why are these so short? Why allow a flawed product to get posted? I think Norm still has a lot to offer under this format-not getting any (or good) guidance on this thing.
The addition of Blake has improved the sound and feel of TDZ presentation. If you look at the Patreon numbers Dan & Jake are now over 400k per year after the Patreon cut. The can clearly pay themselves a living monthly wage while they work on expanding this endeavor. Not a bad start but a lot of work to do in building out the entire product. Blake was a great add.
I agree a lot with 00110011's #4. I don't see how anyone comes out smelling like roses here. I also really wish that DnJ had stayed, but they seemed to negotiate in bad faith and TT brass looks bad, too.
As for the midday makeover, I don't think it is that bad. It is definitely a big step down from Norm and D and The Hang Zone for sure, but I think they need a bit more time to work out the kinks. DnJ had worked together on a show for years before they were paired up to host together, so they already had a good rapport. To me, it seems Donnie and MM are building chemistry. I do agree that MM needs to calm down and I think he has a bit since he started. Since Mino got bumped to producer of the HL, I have enjoyed his takes and I think he is doing fine. SeaBass, love the guy, but like most say, he is pretty generic. I will give him credit in that it seems he has pulled back from stepping over everyone else in the conversation. If they crank up a little more Monty, I think that show will be fine.
It will be interesting to see what the ratings hold. I will admit, I turn on TT at 7am, rewound to the O Deck and skip commercials, but leave it on all day while working. Sometimes it becomes background noise, but I have it on. I wonder how many folks are like me in that regard. Certainly AM and PM drive get the biggest numbers, but I bet a decent portion of the midday are folks like me who just leave it on.
As for THZ podcast, I am sick of being monthly subscriptioned to death. I have never paid for a podcast and can't see myself starting now. For as much as I like those guys, I agree with the point that to get bigger, they will need to broaden topics and in doing so alienate their local following. Tough spot to be in. I never thought the end game was to end up at another station, but I guess only time will tell on that. If the podcast numbers were to start to fall off, they may not have a choice.
I am a long time P1 who had the luxury of keeping the radio (or livestream) on all day in my office. I retired last year, now with lots of free time, but because of the recent churn my TSL has dropped significantly. The Musers are still appointment radio, but at 10 o'clock I move on to other things. If I listen to THL (or the Speakeasy) at all, it's while I'm in the car or pretending to work out at the gym. But I'm outside the target demo so take that for what it's worth.
I am similar to pigskin, I start streaming in the morning and just keep it going throughout the day at work. I'll mute/unmute when I can. 1-3 is decent enough just because they are closer to my age and I like Monty. I also like Mino but he seems to get some hate. MM has had kinda a rough start but one think I do like about him is his fandom. He actually seems like a fan of the DFW teams and I like that rather than Junior actually being a Spurs fan, Bob being a Packers fan at heart, and Dan just not really caring.
"I agree a lot with 00110011's #4. I don't see how anyone comes out smelling like roses here. I also really wish that DnJ had stayed, but they seemed to negotiate in bad faith and TT brass looks bad, too."
I think this is revisionist history mingled with wishful thinking to believe D&J came out looking bad. They had the support of sports talkers all over the country, WAPO article, their counsel made Cumulus counsel look stupid, successful subscription rate already, Cumulus revealed to have a history of low balling in their negotiation tactics. Why is it bad faith to finally decide to do something different? If anything it is clear from Lying Dan Bennett that they have been mistreating Dan McDowell for years. F cumulus as seen by the disapproval of at least 30 percent of their audience. All Cumulus apologists ask yourself this: What would have happened if Ticket management and Cumulus Atlanta had just said we thank them and wish them well in future endeavors. I will answer for you since most are in denial: There wouldn't be a national backlash against Cumulus and the exposure of all their dishonest dirty laundry. Well done Cumulus.
Dude, Dan is on record daying they never intended on reupping. That means they negotiated in bad faith and were lying. Why do you have such a cognitive disconnect about this? Are you Dan's side piece or something? A relative or immediate family member? It's fuccin weird, sufe.
That came from Bennetts testimony. When the Fan made their offer in 2013 for 100k more each, Bennett told Bob they couldn’t keep both at that salary but get the offer and they’d Match Bob and let Dan go. Cold blooded, but I’ve thought about this. If I’m running a sports station, I’m valuing Bob a lot higher than Dan. Bobs a sports machine. Dan is a sports comedian. C
Ya, I have heard people mention that Dan was jealous or not happy that Bob got the promotion while Dan did not. I know I have said that I am not a Dan fan, so yes I am bias, but what??? Bob is way more valuable. Dan wore a clown costume to the super bowl.
Funny how the goal posts move. Now we are supposed to believe that The Ticket was worried about positioning themselves as a hard core sports station? Really? The station that started the trend in "guys talk" with their most popular person being someone who has the sports acumen of a walnut. Face the facts - Dan Bennett was a conniving liar.
What are you talking about? Why are you here? Are you, what, 15? It seems so. Cumulus, The Ticket, Cat & Bennett are all evil and stupid; Dan, Jake, The Legal Dream Team are perfect. We get it, bruh. Try r/thedumbzone, I think you'll find your home there. Then again, the entire page mostly focuses on The Ticket. Go figure. And, then again, that's what 15 year olds are wont to do.
Get Rekt, is what you just said satire? Because if it isn’t, then go back to Reddit where you can spew toxic crap because the mods don’t do crap anymore. We get it, Cumulus practices slavery, Cat & Dan abuses animals, & Dan & Jake are Jesus. You & the like should be ashamed of your behavior during this whole time. I guarantee you & the ilk wouldn’t say the crap you constantly say to anyone on The Ticket. This is a friendly place, not a dumpster fire. You were never welcome here in the 1st place. Good day.
Yo, Gray Gray you cray cray. Reread. We're saying the same thing. I think you mean Van Hagar guy. Dude obviously wears neon chef's pants, a wife beater, and puts bras on his head.
We’re not saying the same thing. You are acting exactly like an average Reddit user. I’m calling out people like you. This place actually has moderation & does not worship Dan & Jake. We welcome all viewpoints here. However, if you act like this, then I’m not taking you seriously. I like Dan, Jake & all the Ticket hosts. But I don’t worship them like they’re a holy entity. The fact you just denied everything I said makes you look guilty, because the truth hurts. Either go back to r/theticket or let people like me tear you apart. Your choice.
Bruh, take your meds. Me: "It seems so. Cumulus, The Ticket, Cat & Bennett are all evil and stupid; Dan, Jake, The Legal Dream Team are perfect." You: "We get it, Cumulus practices slavery, Cat & Dan abuses animals, & Dan & Jake are Jesus. You & the like should be ashamed of your behavior during this whole time."
Cool, threats. Definitely not a deletable offense by Pman. You haven’t either read Reddit for 5 minutes or you’re really in denial because everything I say is true. I don’t defend nor hate Cumulus; they are a radio company 1st & legal company 2nd. I guarantee you wouldn’t be saying those things if they worked for D&J. If that was any other sub, the majority of the users would be banned or the sub would be deleted outright. It’s clear you’re set in your ways, & I’ll leave you alone. We’re done here. Any more attempts at saying otherwise will just be yelling into the void. Good day sir.
Threats? What are you talking about? Please do unpack these threats for the class. Gonna ask you once more, reread it all. Oh, I get it. OK. Hi, 0U812. Gotcha down. Anywho. Would enjoy reading your "threats" explanation. You're brilliant, baby.
I’m getting tired of your crap. The meds line is a threat, I have reread it, & you missed my point entirely. Are Cat & Dan flawed? Absolutely. But do they deserve some of the crap you & the buddies at Reddit have given them? No. You wouldn’t say those things if you met them, & you wouldn’t say what you just said to me in real life if you met me.
Confessors, show our Reddit stray back to the garbage fire, will you? We’re done here.
I am, unabashedly, a fan of Dan and of Jake. I won't subscribe and pay for a podcast for the same reasons I didn't pay for XM Radio when Stern went there. And of the free pod episodes I have heard, I agree with what both Dan and Jake have admitted publicly - "it isn't good". I'm sure it'll improve, but podcasting is a very different (lessor) form than radio - and I'm sure there's a reason (to the best of my knowledge) the number of "successful" (ymmv) radio shows converted to podcast can be counted on one, maybe two, hands.
But, THZ had become my fav of the four Ticket T1 shows because it was well constructed, produced, thought-out and executed - it was a 'radio person's, radio show'.
From Dan's POV, I do understand that if, in fact, he is angry or insulted or just had enough - I think the evidence and reasoning is out there to empathize with him. From the multiple contract negotiations that didn't go the way he wanted, to having his partner tell him he secretly was being offered up as expendable (a tale I was previously unaware of a very much affected my thinking on this matter), to his partner getting the move to PMD and being left behind - that all adds up to the makings of an origin story of an angry employee looking to extrude his pound of flesh. All of that is fair game in the radio business, you don't get into it (especially at Dan's age and time in it) without understanding this is "the game". So, when he found a way to finally win one, he talked Jake into it and they went for it because what they had built for themselves was certainly a "win-win, no lose" situation.
But as I have stated above, I'm 100% convinced this is not over. A podcast, no matter the income, is still - just a podcast w/ limited reach and audience. I believe they intend to warmly welcome the offer to double-dip, and point their gun squarely at Corby and yes, Bob. My guess is the settlement extended their time off of terrestrial DFW radio past January - so the question becomes if IHR is willing to financially support that thing as long as needed. Audacy would just as soon like to make an offer too. Or maybe a station not previously considered.
Pay to listen: there is too much good stuff that is ad supported/free and nothing individually SO good that I'm willing to pay for it. I pay about the about the same or less a month for several other media platforms with 100x the content (Athletic, ESPN+, etc). I'm a big believer that the "paywall bubble" is about to burst in a big way. As for D/J, I have a professional understanding of what went into that radio thing every day (and admired it) - and what they've been putting out on pod ain't anywhere close to that - why would I pay for far less quality than what I was getting for free? Maybe that changes/improves? But again, I contend they're saving that for PMD on terrestrial radio.
Pod vs radio - This admittedly maybe short sighted, as I'm professionally involved in both, setting aside the disciplines and art form differences of each, I find that the ability for anyone to have a podcast (and the fact everyone seems to), reduces the value vs a format that you have to earn/work your way up and into recognition. Neither Dan or Jake have 5K TDZ Paterons without their radio show, first (I laugh when I see people crapping on the PD, when he's the guy that invented Dan and Jake - and was told he was an idiot at the time for doing it).
Podcasting has its place, but like being a YouTube creator or TikTok star - it's just not the same thing, IMO. The ratio of Joe Rogan/Mr Beast success stories to avg pod/YT thing w/ <1k downloads/views has to be 1:50,000.
TBF, younger generations (or maybe the general 21st century consumer) have a lower threshold of expectations when it comes to production value and presentation skills. So, like many things, the stuff I care about may no longer hold the level of value it once did.
As someone who worked in radio and who now works on the podcast side of things (and is of an age where radio was my gateway drug), I think your findings are interesting. And seem to indicate the huge difference in mindset that only a decade of age difference can make when it comes to preferences.
My biggest dealbreaker is ads. I don’t mind a quick 30 second ad read for Athletic Greens or whatever. But I would never be able to sit through radio ad breaks again. Hell, I don’t want to sit through another Heritage Auctions segment or Ranch Report at all again. Ever.
I don’t think anyone believes that D&J or any random podcaster is going to be the next Rogan or Theo Von or whatever. But with court documents that show that radio hosts salaries are on a rapid decline, it’s easy to see why someone with a following could enjoy the autonomy of a podcast work schedule. Not to mention the freedom to talk about whatever they want, whenever they want.
As far as audio quality, I’m the first to admit that I am not much of an audiophile when it comes to production value. But as someone whose ears are filled with about 90% podcasts now, as long as it’s listenable (live episodes tend to have issues with this), I’m good. The high production value of a very clean “well soap up those honkers” drop isn’t really a big selling point to me.
I do think that so much of this comes down to a generational difference in how one prefers to get their audio and digest it. I’m in my late 30s. Folks younger than me think it’s wild the idea of sitting by a radio with an antenna to hear your favorite stories. Folks older than me cannot fathom paying $10 a month for something they can hear on their car radio for free.
When it comes to DZ, I think once ads, free episodes and YT come into play, both will have a way to consume the show on their preferred terms. I already pay about $30 a month to all fave podcasts for ad free unlimited content (more than I could ever listen to in a month) so my $7 a month to the boys is a no brainer.
FWIW and it's admittedly not worth much considering the source (barstool hero who's been right on 2 occasions, 1 being Rhyner starting a new station prior to Whitt's revelation), but I've been told part of the settlement is that the NC will retroactively begin from the day they resigned. This means they'll be free and clear for a 01/24 return, competing directly against THL as TF's pm drive. Again, FWIW and don't hold onto your butts. Just thought I'd pass it along. I will say the headscratcher move of TSE w/Rhyner to pm drive gives cause to pause. It's as if it was constructed NOT to gain a following, as a placeholder. Reunite Julie with her guys, let Rhyner announce his real retirement, saying how this was the plan all along, he was merely shepherding the thing and didn't intend on being a focal point past the launch, and move Cavanaugh somewhere else in the daily lineup or move on from him.
Completely agree on the theory and that’s felt like the obvious reason for the shift of talent since it happened (the same day as D/J departure became official)
I would caution people against speculating that 2 things that happen close in proximity must be related.
I was once involved in a high-profile “thing” that got quite a bit of media attention. A person I worked with left the company & the press widely reported she was fired as fallout from the “thing.” Truth was her partner had cancer & had to leave to deal with that, which had zero to do with the “thing.” Didn’t stop people from speculating, though.
Fair enough, In-house. But some times we see in retrospect what we thought we were seeing, we indeed saw. There indicators beyond timing that appear to point toward DnJ's return to radio (while continuing TDZ).
Honestly, I would LOVE a Julie-Dan-Jake reunion, be it on TF or a one-off Mom Game. She was my favorite person on BaD/HZ during that time, so I’m biased, but someone make this happen!
Come Tuesday we should have a much clearer picture of where TT is heading, as the September PPMs will be released. If Cat's and Bennett's testimony is any indication, my guess is things are on a decidedly downward trajectory. Next week will mark the one year mark of TF's launch. Should also be interesting to hear if any hints are made regarding the near future of that station. Specifically, PM Drive. Very difficult to wrap your head around where TT was not even a year ago and where it seems to be heading.
the (purposely) missing context of their testimony is that the recent decrease in ratings can mostly be tied to the fact they were so outlandishly tall, natural regression to the mean and very little to do with the show changes.
would not surprise me at all tomorrow to see September find things level out.
During the time that Mark Friedman was working (primarily) with Norm (1999-2009, other sources say 2000-2008) was when I was seldom able to tune into Norm's show, although I was able to do it often enough that I knew who he was. What I didn't know at the time is how they spelled his nickname, although I always pictured it "Friedo" in my head. Which is how I'm seeing it in news stories.
Unlike certain other producers and board ops, I always got the feeling that he was well-liked up and down the Ticket broadcast day, and among his peers. He ended his Ticket tenure as assistant program director.
My Ticket Confession extends its condolences to his family and loved ones.
I had the misfortune of catching a bit of that show. Good lord, it was bad. Even the nostalgia I have for the OGW can't counteract how awful a listen that is.
Yup. It's going to play out exactly like many of us thought. Freak PM Drive and have the pod. They were promised it over a year ago. Whitt was spot fuccin on. OK, didn't happen in the Spring, but so what. What's a Shaggurly to do????? Love 'em all you want, but they're gonna end up looking like both brilliant schemers and, ya know, schemers. Hope ya 8 all of it.
Sounds good. If schemers win then they’re winning schemers. That’s the point of scheming, last I heard. Good for Dan and Jake, couldn’t be happier for them and wish them the best.
Lol- if the phone call I just got from a Cumulus source is correct, neither Dan Bennett or Jeff Catlin are in danger of losing their jobs over the Dan and Jake legal imbroglio. Will see what Pete Welpton posts, but I’m told this is an extremely good book for the Ticket and Cumulus in general. C
Why? Still think they had Jake dead to rights in his non compete. And we see what Cumulus gave up in the settlement- TDZ allowed to keep podcasting, although I notice there’s now a definite paywall. The one free then three is no longer.
But what we are not seeing is what incentive Dan and Jake gave up to reach the agreement. They’d won on the TRO, but there are statements Jake made in court that I would argue hurt him specifically in the non compete area. I bet TDZ, Kingston et al were willing to settle to avoid very costly litigation and the chance of Jake specifically being found in violation of his non compete. If he’s found liable in December or January, and 6 months off from then is a momentum killer for the pod.
Seeing lots of buzz that they’re on the air in January. I would think allowing them to podcast but not broadcast would be Cumulus’s ask in negotiations. We will see in January who is guessing right here. C
But I don’t think Dan or Jake ever once denied the non-compete would keep them off of radio for six months. So if you’re saying Cumulus won something Dan and Jake were always going to comply with, is it really a victory?
I think “dead to rights” is a little much. The judge said she had concerns his contract was too broad and she could be compelled to remedy it at trial.
Yes. So dead to rights he’s making more now that he ever has with a podcast that’s continuing to publish and steadily adding subscribers. I don’t know what that Legal Dream team is thinking. They have hoodwinked them into thinking this was a good idea.
PPMs out. Ticket #4 over all in market with 4.7 (up from 4.4). The FAN # 15 with a 2.9 (up from 2.7), and KEGL # 27 with a 1.5 (up from 1.4).
I'm sure Peter Welpton with have the daypart breakdowns up on reddit sometime tomorrow. Can't wait to see them.
Must admit that I'm a bit surprised at TT's rebound. I fully expected the number to go the other way by a .1-.3 margin. Perhaps radio is like sports in that in the end most people root for the jersey, and not the player. And perhaps some of us (self included) put far too much weight on the opinions and claims by the extremely vocal minority.
Thank you, Peter, as always, for the fine work that you do. Here are the dayparts. Again, I'm taken aback at what I'm seeing. At the present, any notion of the beginning of the end of TT as we know it appears to be very much incorrect.
Surprised af by those numbers. 10-12, 10-3 and THL really stand out. Where are all the shitters? C'mon, boys! Slap down a hit n run drive by of the latest sub numbers! Shiiiiiiiiit. Not as fun when you realize all yer venom and vitriol means jack. Betcha a gagillion bit cons *coins* if the book went the other way this bitch would be at the 250 comment mark. All of em just shit shit shitting away. Enjoy your sadge DZ. 54 year old grown man talking about boppin' his bishop? Naw. I'll pass. Even if it's only $6.90 (haw haw haw how fuccin edgy).
Fairly significant jump in numbers from the last book, tegardless of position. This can be seen to indicate a strong, positive trend. Specially considering a total revamp of the entire midday. No, Chat, the math isn't difficult. What can be is putting things in prooer perspective. If I'm Cat and DB, I'm rather pleased. If I'm the new crop of talent, I'm over the moon with hope that thus thing might very well have legs. As I saud, these numbers took be aback a bit, as I was sure they'd be trending the other direction. While I'm not yet sold on the new lineup, let's give Cat, DB, and the new crew a bit if credit.
You are correct I don't understand nor can I contextualize without help from those who understand the books the seasonal variations etc. To the novice like me the drop from June to Sept for the noon to 3 time slot looks substantial. Having said that I will defer to the smart people such as yourself that understand the context.
I'm honestly pretty surprised. I'm someone who has continued listening just about the same as I always have out of habit, but I still was thinking there would be a noticeable drop. I guess the hardcore DZ fans on this page and the reddit page truly are the vocal minority.
It would appear that anyone that looks at these midday numbers and thinks they're in any way negative is either (a) ignorant of how ratings work and their meaning or (b) wanting an outcome. Either is fine, I'm ignorant on a lot of things (Nielsen ratings is not one of them) and if you want the station to fail, well, this month you did not get your weird wish. No matter if you are (a) or (b), If you think being #2, with new programming, is "bad", allow me to tell you a story:
In their 1st year Dan and Jake debuted (Mar '20) with a 4.5 #6 (which was almost a full 2 point share drop and down from BaD's last book - 6.2 #2), hit their worst month of that year in Sept 20 (4.4 #7), jumped up in Oct (7.3 #2), back down in Nov (5.2 #6) and ended that debut year in Feb '21 tops (8.7 #1).
That followed w/ a 3 share point drop (5.8 #4) in Mar'21 and went on a seven month run at #3 until they jumped to #1 in Oct (7.9) and Nov (8.6). 2022 started rough as they fell in Jan (5.1 #6), had their worst numbers in July'22 (4.2 #8) and struggled the rest of 2022 somewhere in 4th and 7th.
But in 2023, like the rest of the station, enjoyed their run at #1 until they decided to go do a podcast.
Complicating comparisons is the change in show times, it's not wholly apples to apples (likely done purposely) and trying to compare D&J's last book (June'23 11.6 #1) to this month (Sept'23 8.3) includes the reality that it is post summer wilt AND the natural settling from what were probably inflated numbers.
But tbf, a drop in share and impact to the ratings was almost always easily predictable and this Sept results surprised me. It also reminds we can get caught up with the all the noise a minority of people can make and the reality is the majority of P1's I personally know and talk to, still very much listen to the station.
With more time as 2023 plays out, we'll have a better idea to see how their departure and the new shows are working, but it's pretty predictable they'll fluctuate, just as THZ did.
But if we want to really reflect on the short history of THZ, to recap, it is one that spent 29 of its 40 months at #3 or lower, and of those other 11 months, 6 of those are from the station's historic 2023. It was, like BaD before it, a solid but not unique ratings performer.
Yeah, Reddit is full of crap as usual. I’m pretty much what CJK5H described. I’ve mentioned this before, but the main reason why it’s a toxic dump is because the mods don’t really moderate that much, if at all. Rule #1 on there is “Don’t be a jerk”, & I feel that rule has been violated many times during the past couple months. Something’s gotta change over there.
Excuse my ignorance but do the ratings reflect any change is the total number of listeners? My listening habits changed but I have not gone to another sports station or podcast. I am just spending time away from the radio more these days.
simple answer: "yes" - but in reality it is a far more complex statistical calculation based on the participants in the panel being metered. If someone in the panel that was delivering any particular station a large number of quarter hours, stops doing that (for whatever reason), that will show up in the resulting numbers. But how much also depends on the demographics of that person and the weighting of their specific demographics as it reflects to the larger market. (it's a really shitty system, imo, but one that all stations are participating in - so it's the "everyone is playing on the same crappy field" argument).
The ratings posted do not reflect total number of listeners. They only show what percent of people currently listening to the radio are tuned into your station during those time periods.
Perhaps Dan was correct that both entities can do well. Thanks for all the context around the numbers. Like I said above I didn't understand the seasonal context so at first glance it looked like a drop from early summer to a novice like myself. Glad Mino and Sean are doing well. They are both great guys and getting better in my estimation. Having said that I am also enjoying the Dumb Zone with the addition of Blake. They are hitting their stride. Good times for all.
Yes you could be correct RK. In fact I think that is more likely than not. Dan might want some of that side hustle money (pods etc) coupled with some of that drive time cheddar he wasn't going to get at the Ticket. Something tells me this is about maximizing the total coinage kind of like Bob has done through his hard work and side gigs. Unfortunately for Dan I dont think he was going to get that at The Ticket. That or perhaps he did feel some animosity towards some in management about decisions made in past to split Bad radio up. None of this stops me from enjoying both The Ticket and TDZ as I see fit, correct?
Yeah. The short version is that one of the Astros beat reporters basically said that the Rangers celebration was the reason why they didn’t win the AL West. Her & Evan Grant said that it was false, then both of them got heat in the DMs from Astros fans. Emily condemned them then nuked her Twitter after.
Here’s the Rangers sub talking about it: https://www.reddit.com/r/TexasRangers/comments/16xna1y/hey_hey_congrats_to_the_astros_on_that_al_west/. Here’s the tweet in question: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fhey-hey-congrats-to-the-astros-on-that-al-west-title-if-v0-q8jt97suvtrb1.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D1170%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D65fd068030984f88ba82f76d6a92e41391671d32
May be viewed by some as a little late but, back to DnJ's strange legal saga, what happened to the Jones-Day sharpshooter that stepped into the fray briefly? Unless I missed it, there was no comment here other than his arrival and what it might portend.
@dnleon and @stapleman01: My recollection is that we found out that he was brought in to assist with the mediation. Perhaps also the NLRB items, but I think mainly the mediation.
It’s shocking to me that the Fan’s morning show got a 7.3. Good for them. I have no idea who’s even on there nowadays. Overall, the Fan pulls in respectable numbers yet no one on here talks about them much. I remember the day when everyone thought they would fail and flip to country music.
Regarding the Astros: I do think it is a vocal minority of fans who act like they do. It’s like the guys who say that Dan & Jake will kill The Ticket. I know a lot of people on here may crap on them. I don’t care if they cheated or not. To me that got old about 2 years ago. The beat writer did “apologize”, but that was saying that he made a slight error & did not apologize to EJ or Evan. Not a good apology whatsoever. Astros subreddit had to tell them to knock it off. This crap is unacceptable. None of the fans have apologized whatsoever. I do think there are good Astros fans, this is just a vocal minority, & stuff like this isn’t going to help their reputation.
Some positive news? Tuesday's book was absolutely positive. More than positive, it was excellent and it showed that 10-3 will be more than fine, and that The Musers and THL are as solid as ever. This isn't pointed at you, Grayson, but for all who think TT is somehow on life support because it lost THZ, you are delusional. I wish DnJ the best, 100%. But their departure will mean nothing by Jan 1. It will be as if they were never on the station. TT will continue to dominate. It's called the way it is. This will be the case even if TDZ migrates to TF. I will go one step further and say that if TDZ does not end up as TF pm drive show, their settlement with Cumulus and their victory in the sense that they are able to resume podcasting will be seen as phyrric by this time next year, if not much sooner. Meaning, no longer will sub # updates be posted up in MTC comment sections.
The Ticket's numbers across all day parts will be pretty much as they were this last book. The FAN will edge closer to The Ticket across all day parts, even tying or besting The Ticket certain midday hours. (Which, it historically has done).
For many, including current subscribers to The Dumb Zone, Dan and Jake will have long been in the rearview mirror. The Dumb Zone will have debuted the 2nd week of January '24 as The Freak's pm drive show, their first 2 ratings books will reflect both The Hardline's strength and the importance of brand loyalty. That is, at least in the nascent stage, The Dumb Zone's real competition, like The Freak as a whole, will be The FAN, and not The Ticket.
George Dunham will exit stage left and head down Hill Country way. Upon return from Dry Dock '23, which will mark 30 years on-air at The Ticket, Jub will tearfully announce that this will be his final week, that it's time to begin a new chapter in his life, and how much he loves his job, his coworkers, and us P1s. Donnie will take his place, Monty will be paired with Matt McClearin, and the new M&M show will be from 10-noon, The Sweet Spot, 12-3.
Just going to come out and say it. The Sweet Spot is quickly falling into a nice groove. I admit that I've never been a fan of Sean Bass. Seems like a decent fellow, but also has an acute case of Gotta Be Right-itis, constantly talks over others and as a result doesn't listen to others, and at times flat out wears an agist bias on his sleeve. For the first few weeks of TSS, Sean put all of that on display and it was quite a turn off. I don't know what took place. Maybe some of the am/pm drive vets and/or Cat/Bennett had a sit down with him, maybe he listened back to his tape, perhaps it was a combo platter. Whatever the case, something happened and he is finding his, ahem, sweet spot. Mino too. I'm very much enjoying what I'm hearing. Indeed, the overall sports-centric nature of the entire midday buffet is more than decent radio. I contend it'll only get better in the coming weeks and months.
Both midday shows are better with with the wide array of sportsy topics valuable currently. It will give them some time to gel and maybe by the time we get back into the dog days next summer they will have found a their legs . I still feel Sean has his issues but you are right that he’s gotten better. I don’t know that I can take Sean or Matt five days a week but I felt Friday and Today were noticeably improved shows.
But putting that aside, the question is still valid—why do ESPN and FS1 largely just stick to 2-to-3 sports and ignore everything else? If the network pays hundreds of millions to air NHL, college basketball, MLB, tennis, golf, etc., why not spend some time talking about those sports as well?
The answer is pretty simple. The data shows viewers change the channel or stop watching at a higher rate when they talk about those sports.
In 2019 I found I the only thing I was watching anymore on ESPN was college football. After the national championship game I cancelled my cable subscription. I subscribe via YouTube TV Aug-Jan, because ESPN is a wasteland in the spring and summer.
They might be up to 5,465 subs, but the activity on their reddit page since the settlement has lulled to the point where it's now on a par with The Freak's. The Freak has more than 5,465 listeners and has iHeart as a parent company. Will be interesting to see the sub numbers come Jan 01, '24. I'm in no way predicting a sharp downturn or even failure, but I am saying there might be a correlation between social media activity and invested, sustained interest. Unlike The Freak, The Dumb Zone is not free. I say this because a podcast/content creation/and the platforms they are associated with is, unlike The Ticket or The Fan, almost entirely social media driven.
I'm a DZ sub and the comment section is basically MTC. Same 8-10 people commenting over and over and replying to replies. I'm also a sub for several other, somewhat larger than TDZ Patreon creators. Those comment sections are far more active.
Wonder if Jake not being able to contain himself politically will ever hurt their sub numbers? He's deleted the tweet now because of immediate backlash but him supporting Palestine this week is a bad look...even for him.
You're saying criticizing the Mavs' official account for tweeting out unequivocal support for Israel equals supporting Palestine? You do know that Israel has been illegally occupying Palestinian land and committing all kinds of war crimes and atrocities, right? It's okay to criticize Israel, I promise.
I think it's ok to support anyone in the midst of a massive terrorist attack. Multiple teams tweeted support. A reporter in Philidelphia was fired for doing the exact same thing as Jake in response to the Devils tweeting support for Israel.
He said maybe they should sit it out. Maybe he should know when to do the same.
I'll also add that you can criticize Israel another time, but the day one side is cutting heads off of babies isn't the time to be snarky and play the both sides argument.
I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you understand the situation in the Middle East has numerous sides that can point to being oppressed and has conflict dating back thousands of years. And I’ll also choose to believe you chose brevity in your comment trying to whitewash the situation. But when we’re talking about the horrific atrocities just committed in this terrorist attack, it’s ok to condemn it and express sympathy and support for the victims. Not doing so is an awful look - for Jake and for you. You can support Ukraine in fighting back against Russia without saying everything Ukraine has done is perfect. You can support Poland when it’s blitzed by the Nazis without affirming every decision that nation has made. Same principle applies here.
Does anyone else realize that MM did not replace the hangzone? Lol. The MM replaced Norm. And since Donovan and MM have more braodcasting experience, they gave them an extra hour and let the Sweet Spot start off with 2 hours instead. I don't how many reddit idiots are thinking MM replaced Dan.
It is safe to say that Hitzges had an impact on everyone at The Ticket, and it is a legacy that McClearin hopes to further perpetuate. Every time he walks into the studios, it is not lost on him the magnitude of the assignment he has been entrusted with, and he remains focused and driven on realizing his full potential.
This kinda got lost, but Nasty Nestor said on his Facebook a few days ago that he was in Dallas for Rangers-O’s. How the hell he can show his face around here & NOT get beat up is beyond me. If you want to see it, it’s on the subreddit.
I'm having some serious problems with Blogger. If I can't get them resolved I may have to blow this baby up or find another home. Let me know if you have any problems posting comments. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Smiling Dan is the winner.
DeleteWill you have pet names for other personalities? Like:
Pothead Corby
Longwinded Bob
JFK Jr. Davy
The Groomer(no name needed)
The Great Monty
Little Mino
Angry George/Crying George
etc
I've enjoyed this blog over the years. Really disappointed as I may or may not have taken your joke about SD as a slight to someone that's made the Ticket an enjoyable listen for years. Not cool.
Reposting since I seem to have barely gotten in under the wire:
ReplyDeleteI’m betting Cumulus ultimately spins this as “we got some sort of agreement that they won’t join a rival station for x>6 months,” but I’m also betting that tomorrow’s announcement shows that they never intended to do so anyway. I never understood why most everyone here thought that was their end-game.
Looks like Cumulus/Ses is going to get that gesture and not be on the case that ends most non-competes, and the guys get their $35k/month. Have to think a head is going to roll somewhere for letting any of this happen.
I just really wanna know what the steel toed boot person THOUGHT was gonna happen. Just let us know, turbo.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone, but Gordo, think sports panties is funny? He's worse than Nigel or whatever the orphan character was.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't my favorite character, he has about 5 that grate my gears. Need more Bochy
DeleteI like sports panties alright
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can understand how it can be annoying to some people, but Sports Panties as alright by me. I’m a Mushmouth guy though.
DeleteYa, I prefer Mushmouth too but always love Gordo's characters like that. Just completely ridiculous.
DeleteBlogger is running just fine
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete(Accidentally posted as anonymous, so here we go again) Yeah, Blogger is fine on my end. Pman, what’s wrong on your end?
ReplyDeleteQuestion for the lawyers in the room. Does anyone have any thoughts on the following from the judge? “I know I talked to you all about this when we were in my jury room, that I had concerns that the contract was overbroad with respect to, especially Mr. Kemp. And we talked that the - Texas law requires me to reform the contract.”
ReplyDeleteAs a non legal expert I found that interesting and wondered what the legal minds thought?
I’ll hang up and listen.
This smells like when you buy a car and the salesman tells you that "you got a great deal! What a negotiator you are!"
DeleteMy speculative $0.02: once The Cloud's lawyers pooped the bed straight out of the gate, the judge smelled weakness and leaned on them to settle. And then to allow The Cloud's lawyers to save face, made that statement.
If indeed the Judge's former clerk works for The Cloud's firm, I would love to be a fly on the wall at the next lunch between clerk and Judge.
In Texas, employment non-competes are governed by the Texas Covenants Not to Compete Act. Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 15.50 et. seq. The Texas Covenants Not to Compete Act states that if a non-compete covenant is found to be unreasonably overbroad, “the court shall reform the covenant to the extent necessary to cause” the covenant to be reasonable. Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 15.51(c) (emphasis added).
ReplyDeleteThanks Legal-ish. She didn’t go into detail on which parts specifically she had concerns about, so there’s no way of really knowing. But does that mean that she possibly could have ruled that restricting Jake from doing podcasts was too much?
DeleteIt would seem so, yes. She could have specified that he could not join a DFW terrestrial radio station for 6 months, pretty much mirroring Dan's
DeleteThe Cumulus legal dram team's strategy of pushing the whole time spent listening = competition had to have been one of the dumbest ideas ever put forth in a court of law. Introducing that as proof of competition immediately called into question Davey's podcast, Gordon's Twitch (and Discord!) streams, IJB, etc etc, all of which were just fine with Cumulus. I mean really amazing strategy.
ReplyDeleteI also found it VERY smart that D&J's lawyers brought up the fact that The Ticket called and all-hands-on-deck staff meeting when The Freak was going on air, while doing absolutely nothing when Rhyner's podcast first debuted. They clearly did not see Podcasts as a competitive threat.
Rhyner’s podcast debuted before TF was even thought of. He was still “retired” when that was announced & had been for about a year & a half. That may be the reason why they didn’t go after it. Just pointing out.
DeleteIncorrect. Rhyner's podcast debuted in August 2020. And yes it was well before The Freak was announced. But that has nothing to do with anything. He left The Ticket and started podcasting later that year and it caused not one blip on The Ticket management's radar. He started The Freak almost 3 years after retirement and it rang all kinds of alarms to Cat.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteJust now seeing that Matt McClearin was engaged to a 19 year old when he was 30. Does anyone know if they ended up marrying and are still together?
ReplyDeleteHe married and had a child with that one I believe. He is currently engaged to a different person who is 16 years younger than him that he started dating when she was 20.
DeleteAlso he went to prom with the first one lol
DeleteYeah, the subreddit has been bringing this up constantly. Like every other post on there has at least one comment about that. It’s exhausting to find the 1% of good posts on there.
DeleteThe anonymous as default problem tripped me up again, so I’m going to say it again: Reddit is obsessed with this fact. Like, bringing it up every other post. I’m getting tired of it.
DeleteFive Thousand.
ReplyDelete@Grayson P1: I have been having trouble posting comments. And, ironically, even when I "sign in," it insists on going to "Anonymous" as my default identity. Can't even get the cursor to engage in the "comments" line. This morning, I'm at least able to leave this comment, although it still thinks I'm Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteBlogger has been deteriorating for quite a while, losing functionality. I did look into moving to WordPress, but it looked like it was going to take a lot more non-intuitive poking around than I had time for at the time. May try it again sometime.
Hmm, it also defaults to “Anonymous” for me. Been tripped up several times because of that. Other than that, that’s the only recognizable problem for me. Then again, I’m on a iPad. Good to know!
DeleteBlogger looks different and will not let me log in. It's asking for a name and in the past it was always there when posting. The print in the posts is way smaller than before, about half the size of the comment section. This is on a PC so that may make a difference. Somethings up one way or another.
ReplyDeleteOn the phong Blogger has a weird habit of not keeping up with more than a couple of sentences. It has definitely hampered the ability to comment at times. As an aside Google Podcasts are going away/get integrated into YouTube music. I hit the limit here. All typing is hidden now.
ReplyDeleteRatings come out Monday, we will have a grasp then of how the new shows are doing. I don’t think the last book was as bad as it could have been, maybe TDZ podcast isn’t that much competition.
ReplyDelete“Everybody” says it’s a dying medium, but Bennett said their net revenue was 22 million. Radio has always been a cash generator, and did you see Bobs post where he and Dan thought the Ticket might survive 5 more years? That was in the mid 2000’s, so I’d say the dying industry needs taken with a large grain of salt.
And TT target demo is not 18-35. It’s 25-54, really 35-54 if you wanted to narrow it.
And considering Norm and Rhyner both worked till 70’s, I’m not sure how much I buy the “cusp of retirement” theory. Could they retire? Sure. Could they also last another 15 years? Also possible.
And one thought, losing Norm, Mike and Dan and replacing them with Mcclarin, Sean Bass, Mino and Monty dramatically drops the average age up there. If these shows catch on they potentially have their core line up for the next 20 years.
C
Blogger looks exactly as it always has for me on mobile and on PC
ReplyDeleteBlake is on the the DZ episode. He will be joining them on a part-time basis for now.
ReplyDeleteNice move DZ. I’m sure we will get lots of legal analysis on how Cumulus has the upper hand legally against Blake. I’m waiting for one Cumulus supporter to admit that they would have been better off not taking any legal action unless D&J tried to start broadcasting for a competitor before 6 months. The more you read the testimony the more stupid Dan B and Cat appear. Dan McD had their counsel spinning. It was awesome.
Delete"If these shows catch on they potentially have their core line up for the next 20 years"
ReplyDeleteThe station will not be around in its current format in 20 years. We're discussing a dying medium and KTCK hasn't shown the initiative to tap into opportunities in front of them. As much as you, and I think you have to admit this, said that Dan and Jake will lose, you haven't been right about much regarding this case. I think that shows your views even if they are about ratings probably need some additional evaluation as to what is successful now formatically may not/will not be the way things will be successful in 2,5,7,10 years.
Your personal feelings toward D&J or their noncompete clouded any impartiality you had towards this case. How many times did you ask "friends I know that are lawyers much smarter than me" be proved completely wrong? If this went to trial in December, the Judge is being nice by saying it's a toss up but the Plaintiff's couldn't even get an injunction extended.
This was just a bad move by Cumulus to litigate. They destroyed the "goodwill" built up with their listeners. If they would have said--ok, you're podcasting behind a paywall, good luck--there are quite a few people that would have given 10-3 a try.
Instead, they pissed a lot of people off that might not ever come back.
Good luck, with with, your bottom.
Dave reported on a federal trial during CQH... would have been funny if he'd reported on D&J v. The Cloud...
ReplyDeleteWhere's Greggo?
ReplyDeleteBlogger sucks. Always has. Now MTC sucks. You allowed to become Second r/Ticket. Please, Plainsman, find a new platform and make it private. Otherwise this thing will die quicker than The Ticket's long held dominance (that's just around the corner).
ReplyDeleteI am very interested in seeing where TDZ goes from here.
I actually think this place is better than Reddit. One big reason why the subreddit has the reputation it has is the mods. They’ve admitted that they’re very hands-off with moderating. That’s why everything has gone to hell over time there. This place has better moderation than that trash fire. Pman can’t ban anyone on here (not his fault), & that’s one upside to moving hosts. I’m going to hold out with this site, TT, & TF, as long as I can. Not trying to knock down your opinion, just saying this place is far, far better than that cesspool.
DeleteIt's 100% better than reddit. This blog has its moments that are a little too similar to reddit, but for the most part, it's much better.
DeletePrime opportunity to switch things to, say, Discord, with the ability to set up some auto-mod features.
DeleteNaw. The interesting and funny thing will be setting over-unders on how long the sosh warriors will turn on and move on from TDZ. 4 months from today. Any takers? Oh yeah. Anyone out there in need of a pair of size 11.5 CCMs? Great skates, but our center's feet are just too big for 'em. A hard charger, that one.
ReplyDeleteI just want to take a moment to offer a quick apology to you, the most prescient of Plainsmen, for my bickering over the “SD” usage. Settling Dan had reason to smile, and your clever shorthand was pretty funny after all.
ReplyDeleteRelieved this part is over, but very concerned the reverberations of this will have long-term negative effects on the station. Most of which are self-inflicted - but does not include their failure to re-up the show - as I've never thought that was an option and Dan's TRO testimony solidifies that for me more than ever.
ReplyDeleteStill convinced Dan and Jake end up doing PMD on a competitor sometime in 2024.
Why would they go to PMD when you can see the trajectory they are on in establishing a more than viable pod and online presence? Not sure terrestrial radio spots are the end all be all in this new world order of online content.
DeleteI think some of the vitriol towards D&J has something to do with some people not liking the idea of accepting that radio is no longer the desirable medium. With data that is readily available, we know that D&J are earning anywhere between 30k to 50k per month right now. There's taxes to take out and Blake to pay but that's still not a bad little gig for two months of existence. Assuming that they continue to slowly gain subscribers, in what universe would they want to go backwards on pay, creative freedom and growth potential? Because that's what any radio gig would be.
DeleteI do think that this is about way more than The Ticket or a podcast or Dan or Jake or Dan Bennett or Cat. This is about a lot of people who loved a radio station dearly for decades realizing that not only is the band breaking up, but the entire format/medium is going the way of phone booths, travel agents and fax machines. It's very exciting for some of us but I also understand the feeling of not liking to feel left behind when it comes to technology.
Why would they NOT go do PMD and double dip? (which is what they claim to have wanted from Cumulus in the 1st place)
DeleteNo doubt any future station would allow them to retain their existing podcast and they'd get paid (very well) to do PMD - which will likely offer them an audience 10x+ any podcast ever could.
Is anyone else just kinda apathetic to all of this? I know this is a net negative for the station, and the new shows aren't great at this point, but am I alone in just not caring that much? The hangzone was my least favorite show on the ticket, and I never really cared for Dan. Yeah, I would pick them to stay rather than leave, but this just isn't some terrible time for me and listening I guess.
ReplyDeleteI can live a long and happy life without ever hearing Dan again. I enjoyed Jake on football and as I've said in the past he was a good dude when I've dealt with him one on one.
DeleteThe midday line up does nothing for me. MM is generic, though he's better talking straight sports than guy talk. SeaBass bores the heck out of me. I'm not sure what they would need to do to get me to stick around after the Musers but these changes aren't it.
I have begun listening to the Downbeat after the Musers go off air. It's a much better show than the afternoon version was. I hate to admit that the OGW was dragging them down but that' seems to be the case. Its not as good as the Musers but is it as good as the current TT midday offering....maybe? I enjoy it it more certainly. I don't think the ticket is going to nose dive into oblivion but to quote a great man. "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."
I'm sorta in the combo platter boat of CJ and KDF. But I do have some definite and probably not so popular opinions about the last handful of months. Most I've already expressed, but hell, nearly all of us have repeated ourselves ad nauseam since the beginning of all this. I like bullet points, so here I go.
ReplyDelete1. Like CJK5H, I too no longer really care and am glad that it's over, regardless of the outcome. I also agree that I'd rather THZ still be a part of my daily routine. It's not, and I won't be paying to listen to it. Jake and Dan have their moments, especially Jake talking sports. But the moments are sporadic. From the few DZ episodes I've listened to, those moments are now even more sporadic. The rest of the content isn't my thing. I do wonder what their sub numbers will look like a year from now. I also wonder if TF pm drive is their eventual home. From what has come out/said on the record, Dan not being moved with Bob to THL was one of the driving forces behind his and Jake's departure.
2. Like KDF, I've found myself migrating over to TDB, which is saying something because I've never been a fan of Sirois. Sirois has on the whole dropped the up for anything persona and has begun to show some maturity. With this has also come a certain vulnerability and honesty that was previously missing, and which made him rather shallow, even unappealing. He and Danny have something there. KT I'm sorry to say needs to produce. He's Sean Bass-esque in that regard. More on that below. KDF's assertion about Rhyner and TDB is correct. Unsurprisingly so, especially if you're into self-flagellation and tune into the new Speakeasy (I mean, it's f****** shocking just how bad it is, and it's the pm drive show!). I have to think Rhynes is retiring after dry dock '23. He's more checked out than ever.
3. The new Ticket midday lineup is hit and miss, mostly the latter. Someone used to constantly post, "Cat knows talent." Are we sure about that? Or was Cat/TT extremely fortunate for an incredibly long period of time? I agree with the notion that McClearin was not his call. But Sean was. As was pairing MM with Donnie. I like Sean, and I do enjoy his Rangers talk. But like KT, his gift is running the show and picking his appropriate spots to pipe in. So it seems, ditto, Mino. But I am, however, willing to give Mino more time. Sean has been at this forever, and we know what he is. WiP with Sean producing/de facto 3rd host from 10-12 should've been the move. As to Donnie and Matt, I'm not sure what you do. Specially if Matt was a directive from on high. I think you find a 3rd host that meshes well with Donnie and hope for the best. If Matt was Cat's call, then admit you made a mistake and fix what's shaping up to be a mess. The Invasion is an uncomfortable listen. I'm already out on it, and I only listen to The Spot or whatever it's called occasionally. Sometimes I make it through an entire segment. I have a feeling Monday's book is going to show I'm not alone by a long shot.
4. As far as what's taken place since Jake and Dan left goes, I think everyone involved came out looking bad. While prima facie JnD appear to have won, I think they, their legal team, Cumulus/Susquehanna, Cat, and Bennett are all losers in this fiasco. It is now evident that JnD never had any intention of negotiating in good faith and have shown themselves to be duplicitous (feigning ignorance/playing, ahem, dumb, etc.). Duplicity never confines itself to a particular; it's most always a modus operandi. At least part of their legal team conducted themselves awfully. Cat and Bennett have shown themselves to be ill-prepared, petty, and somewhat incompetent. Cumulus/Susquehanna? They should be the OED definitions of "incompetence," "arrogance," and "stupidity." I'm not sure if TT ever fully recovers from this. Indeed, my gut tells me we have entered into the end game for TT as we've known it. Someone a few threads back claimed DnM will soon be gone. I won't swat that down out of hand. There's something in the air, for certain. If that happens, all bets are off. Again, there are no winners here in my opinion.
ReplyDelete5. Jimmy McFeeley's suggestion to move MTC over to Discord is an excellent one. I'm a MTC D1P1 and hold this place near and dear to my heart. But, while perhaps not yet a full on cesspool, it's nearing the precipice. I'm hoping in the days to come, as the JnD/Cumulus mess fades into that good night, the how shall we say, more agenda driven and even surreal/creepo commenters will move on. Perhaps then we'll get our MTC back. If not, Discord would be a great option.
Seems like The Dumb Zone is in the top 40 earners among all Patreon creators. Pretty remarkable for 2 months, including a 2 weeks stretch where they weren’t allowed to post new episodes.
ReplyDeleteI wonder the same thing as 00110011. What will the numbers for TDZ look like this time next year. Also interested in what the show will sound like and what audience will it cater to? If it's going national, then the content is going to have to drastically change in several areas or that audience will quickly go elsewhere. No one outside of the DFW and a few other TX/OK cities gives a rat's ass about Dallas or Texas sports teams. Same with local CQH type stories. So far their sub numbers are looking awesome. Are those a function of a David vs. Goliath piece in the WaPo, a nice kiss from a highly popular and influential content creator, and a zealous local fanbase who are in ride or die mode? If so, how long does it last? I'm a sub, so I hope it goes on for as long as they want. But I might not be so into it if they ditch a lot of local content in order to broaden and keep a national audience. I've also been around long enough to watch many zealous fans turn on people and things they like in an instant. I've also seen---and done so myself---get bored with or have less time for something I was once really into. We'll find out answers to all these questions in the next several months.
ReplyDeleteI’d be surprised for them to go down much. Like how they talk on the ticket a lot, it’s easy to keep subscriptions even if you aren’t using it. With radio, if you’re not listening, ppl know. With a podcast, if you’re not listening, but still subscribed who cares really? I guess Ad $ on top of sub money but still. And I’d imagine people that think “man I havent listened in a while” are more prone to stay subbed just because they wanna support. Now $8 or whatever it is, is maybe high? Compared to something like Disney plus lol.
ReplyDeleteAll that to say, I’d imagine subs stay at least around what they are now but who knows.
Following Norm’s podcast…and am willing to hang on until the bitter end. BUT: the quality of the podcast has precipitously dropped over the last two weeks. First, the actual sound quality. Lots of distortion. Second, this sounds like a one take deal. In talking about NFL issues, Norm inadvertently called it the NBA. Not a gigantic issue, but here is the thing. Norm has always been at his best when he does his prepared segments-free from Ticket shenanigans (and certainly from Leon for those who go back that far). Why are these so short? Why allow a flawed product to get posted? I think Norm still has a lot to offer under this format-not getting any (or good) guidance on this thing.
ReplyDeleteThe addition of Blake has improved the sound and feel of TDZ presentation. If you look at the Patreon numbers Dan & Jake are now over 400k per year after the Patreon cut. The can clearly pay themselves a living monthly wage while they work on expanding this endeavor. Not a bad start but a lot of work to do in building out the entire product. Blake was a great add.
ReplyDeleteLiving monthly wages. You've no concept of what that means. Utterly risible.
DeleteI agree a lot with 00110011's #4. I don't see how anyone comes out smelling like roses here. I also really wish that DnJ had stayed, but they seemed to negotiate in bad faith and TT brass looks bad, too.
ReplyDeleteAs for the midday makeover, I don't think it is that bad. It is definitely a big step down from Norm and D and The Hang Zone for sure, but I think they need a bit more time to work out the kinks. DnJ had worked together on a show for years before they were paired up to host together, so they already had a good rapport. To me, it seems Donnie and MM are building chemistry. I do agree that MM needs to calm down and I think he has a bit since he started. Since Mino got bumped to producer of the HL, I have enjoyed his takes and I think he is doing fine. SeaBass, love the guy, but like most say, he is pretty generic. I will give him credit in that it seems he has pulled back from stepping over everyone else in the conversation. If they crank up a little more Monty, I think that show will be fine.
It will be interesting to see what the ratings hold. I will admit, I turn on TT at 7am, rewound to the O Deck and skip commercials, but leave it on all day while working. Sometimes it becomes background noise, but I have it on. I wonder how many folks are like me in that regard. Certainly AM and PM drive get the biggest numbers, but I bet a decent portion of the midday are folks like me who just leave it on.
As for THZ podcast, I am sick of being monthly subscriptioned to death. I have never paid for a podcast and can't see myself starting now. For as much as I like those guys, I agree with the point that to get bigger, they will need to broaden topics and in doing so alienate their local following. Tough spot to be in. I never thought the end game was to end up at another station, but I guess only time will tell on that. If the podcast numbers were to start to fall off, they may not have a choice.
I am a long time P1 who had the luxury of keeping the radio (or livestream) on all day in my office. I retired last year, now with lots of free time, but because of the recent churn my TSL has dropped significantly. The Musers are still appointment radio, but at 10 o'clock I move on to other things. If I listen to THL (or the Speakeasy) at all, it's while I'm in the car or pretending to work out at the gym. But I'm outside the target demo so take that for what it's worth.
ReplyDeleteI am similar to pigskin, I start streaming in the morning and just keep it going throughout the day at work. I'll mute/unmute when I can. 1-3 is decent enough just because they are closer to my age and I like Monty. I also like Mino but he seems to get some hate. MM has had kinda a rough start but one think I do like about him is his fandom. He actually seems like a fan of the DFW teams and I like that rather than Junior actually being a Spurs fan, Bob being a Packers fan at heart, and Dan just not really caring.
ReplyDelete"I agree a lot with 00110011's #4. I don't see how anyone comes out smelling like roses here. I also really wish that DnJ had stayed, but they seemed to negotiate in bad faith and TT brass looks bad, too."
ReplyDeleteI think this is revisionist history mingled with wishful thinking to believe D&J came out looking bad. They had the support of sports talkers all over the country, WAPO article, their counsel made Cumulus counsel look stupid, successful subscription rate already, Cumulus revealed to have a history of low balling in their negotiation tactics. Why is it bad faith to finally decide to do something different? If anything it is clear from Lying Dan Bennett that they have been mistreating Dan McDowell for years. F cumulus as seen by the disapproval of at least 30 percent of their audience. All Cumulus apologists ask yourself this: What would have happened if Ticket management and Cumulus Atlanta had just said we thank them and wish them well in future endeavors. I will answer for you since most are in denial: There wouldn't be a national backlash against Cumulus and the exposure of all their dishonest dirty laundry. Well done Cumulus.
Dude, Dan is on record daying they never intended on reupping. That means they negotiated in bad faith and were lying. Why do you have such a cognitive disconnect about this? Are you Dan's side piece or something? A relative or immediate family member? It's fuccin weird, sufe.
DeleteI would love to hear how Dan McDowell has been mistreated
ReplyDeleteThat came from Bennetts testimony. When the Fan made their offer in 2013 for 100k more each, Bennett told Bob they couldn’t keep both at that salary but get the offer and they’d Match Bob and let Dan go. Cold blooded, but I’ve thought about this. If I’m running a sports station, I’m valuing Bob a lot higher than Dan. Bobs a sports machine. Dan is a sports comedian.
ReplyDeleteC
Ya, I have heard people mention that Dan was jealous or not happy that Bob got the promotion while Dan did not. I know I have said that I am not a Dan fan, so yes I am bias, but what??? Bob is way more valuable. Dan wore a clown costume to the super bowl.
ReplyDeleteFunny how the goal posts move. Now we are supposed to believe that The Ticket was worried about positioning themselves as a hard core sports station? Really? The station that started the trend in "guys talk" with their most popular person being someone who has the sports acumen of a walnut. Face the facts - Dan Bennett was a conniving liar.
DeleteWhat are you talking about? Why are you here? Are you, what, 15? It seems so. Cumulus, The Ticket, Cat & Bennett are all evil and stupid; Dan, Jake, The Legal Dream Team are perfect. We get it, bruh. Try r/thedumbzone, I think you'll find your home there. Then again, the entire page mostly focuses on The Ticket. Go figure. And, then again, that's what 15 year olds are wont to do.
DeleteGet Rekt, is what you just said satire? Because if it isn’t, then go back to Reddit where you can spew toxic crap because the mods don’t do crap anymore. We get it, Cumulus practices slavery, Cat & Dan abuses animals, & Dan & Jake are Jesus. You & the like should be ashamed of your behavior during this whole time. I guarantee you & the ilk wouldn’t say the crap you constantly say to anyone on The Ticket. This is a friendly place, not a dumpster fire. You were never welcome here in the 1st place. Good day.
DeleteYo, Gray Gray you cray cray. Reread. We're saying the same thing. I think you mean Van Hagar guy. Dude obviously wears neon chef's pants, a wife beater, and puts bras on his head.
DeleteWe’re not saying the same thing. You are acting exactly like an average Reddit user. I’m calling out people like you. This place actually has moderation & does not worship Dan & Jake. We welcome all viewpoints here. However, if you act like this, then I’m not taking you seriously. I like Dan, Jake & all the Ticket hosts. But I don’t worship them like they’re a holy entity. The fact you just denied everything I said makes you look guilty, because the truth hurts. Either go back to r/theticket or let people like me tear you apart. Your choice.
DeleteBruh, take your meds. Me: "It seems so. Cumulus, The Ticket, Cat & Bennett are all evil and stupid; Dan, Jake, The Legal Dream Team are perfect." You: "We get it, Cumulus practices slavery, Cat & Dan abuses animals, & Dan & Jake are Jesus. You & the like should be ashamed of your behavior during this whole time."
DeleteFind those meds, pronto.
Cool, threats. Definitely not a deletable offense by Pman. You haven’t either read Reddit for 5 minutes or you’re really in denial because everything I say is true. I don’t defend nor hate Cumulus; they are a radio company 1st & legal company 2nd. I guarantee you wouldn’t be saying those things if they worked for D&J. If that was any other sub, the majority of the users would be banned or the sub would be deleted outright. It’s clear you’re set in your ways, & I’ll leave you alone. We’re done here. Any more attempts at saying otherwise will just be yelling into the void. Good day sir.
DeleteThreats? What are you talking about? Please do unpack these threats for the class. Gonna ask you once more, reread it all. Oh, I get it. OK. Hi, 0U812. Gotcha down. Anywho. Would enjoy reading your "threats" explanation. You're brilliant, baby.
DeleteI’m getting tired of your crap. The meds line is a threat, I have reread it, & you missed my point entirely. Are Cat & Dan flawed? Absolutely. But do they deserve some of the crap you & the buddies at Reddit have given them? No. You wouldn’t say those things if you met them, & you wouldn’t say what you just said to me in real life if you met me.
DeleteConfessors, show our Reddit stray back to the garbage fire, will you? We’re done here.
Today I learned Matt McClearin is more valuable to The Ticket than Gordon Keith
ReplyDeleteMind explaining this leading statement, madam/sir?
DeleteExplain the steel toed boot first turbo
DeleteI am, unabashedly, a fan of Dan and of Jake. I won't subscribe and pay for a podcast for the same reasons I didn't pay for XM Radio when Stern went there. And of the free pod episodes I have heard, I agree with what both Dan and Jake have admitted publicly - "it isn't good". I'm sure it'll improve, but podcasting is a very different (lessor) form than radio - and I'm sure there's a reason (to the best of my knowledge) the number of "successful" (ymmv) radio shows converted to podcast can be counted on one, maybe two, hands.
ReplyDeleteBut, THZ had become my fav of the four Ticket T1 shows because it was well constructed, produced, thought-out and executed - it was a 'radio person's, radio show'.
From Dan's POV, I do understand that if, in fact, he is angry or insulted or just had enough - I think the evidence and reasoning is out there to empathize with him. From the multiple contract negotiations that didn't go the way he wanted, to having his partner tell him he secretly was being offered up as expendable (a tale I was previously unaware of a very much affected my thinking on this matter), to his partner getting the move to PMD and being left behind - that all adds up to the makings of an origin story of an angry employee looking to extrude his pound of flesh. All of that is fair game in the radio business, you don't get into it (especially at Dan's age and time in it) without understanding this is "the game". So, when he found a way to finally win one, he talked Jake into it and they went for it because what they had built for themselves was certainly a "win-win, no lose" situation.
But as I have stated above, I'm 100% convinced this is not over. A podcast, no matter the income, is still - just a podcast w/ limited reach and audience. I believe they intend to warmly welcome the offer to double-dip, and point their gun squarely at Corby and yes, Bob. My guess is the settlement extended their time off of terrestrial DFW radio past January - so the question becomes if IHR is willing to financially support that thing as long as needed. Audacy would just as soon like to make an offer too. Or maybe a station not previously considered.
Just curious, why won't you pay for radio/podcasts? Also, why do you consider podcasting a lessor medium?
DeleteFair questions and happy to try and answer:
DeletePay to listen: there is too much good stuff that is ad supported/free and nothing individually SO good that I'm willing to pay for it. I pay about the about the same or less a month for several other media platforms with 100x the content (Athletic, ESPN+, etc). I'm a big believer that the "paywall bubble" is about to burst in a big way. As for D/J, I have a professional understanding of what went into that radio thing every day (and admired it) - and what they've been putting out on pod ain't anywhere close to that - why would I pay for far less quality than what I was getting for free? Maybe that changes/improves? But again, I contend they're saving that for PMD on terrestrial radio.
Pod vs radio - This admittedly maybe short sighted, as I'm professionally involved in both, setting aside the disciplines and art form differences of each, I find that the ability for anyone to have a podcast (and the fact everyone seems to), reduces the value vs a format that you have to earn/work your way up and into recognition. Neither Dan or Jake have 5K TDZ Paterons without their radio show, first (I laugh when I see people crapping on the PD, when he's the guy that invented Dan and Jake - and was told he was an idiot at the time for doing it).
Podcasting has its place, but like being a YouTube creator or TikTok star - it's just not the same thing, IMO. The ratio of Joe Rogan/Mr Beast success stories to avg pod/YT thing w/ <1k downloads/views has to be 1:50,000.
TBF, younger generations (or maybe the general 21st century consumer) have a lower threshold of expectations when it comes to production value and presentation skills. So, like many things, the stuff I care about may no longer hold the level of value it once did.
As someone who worked in radio and who now works on the podcast side of things (and is of an age where radio was my gateway drug), I think your findings are interesting. And seem to indicate the huge difference in mindset that only a decade of age difference can make when it comes to preferences.
DeleteMy biggest dealbreaker is ads. I don’t mind a quick 30 second ad read for Athletic Greens or whatever. But I would never be able to sit through radio ad breaks again. Hell, I don’t want to sit through another Heritage Auctions segment or Ranch Report at all again. Ever.
I don’t think anyone believes that D&J or any random podcaster is going to be the next Rogan or Theo Von or whatever. But with court documents that show that radio hosts salaries are on a rapid decline, it’s easy to see why someone with a following could enjoy the autonomy of a podcast work schedule. Not to mention the freedom to talk about whatever they want, whenever they want.
As far as audio quality, I’m the first to admit that I am not much of an audiophile when it comes to production value. But as someone whose ears are filled with about 90% podcasts now, as long as it’s listenable (live episodes tend to have issues with this), I’m good. The high production value of a very clean “well soap up those honkers” drop isn’t really a big selling point to me.
I do think that so much of this comes down to a generational difference in how one prefers to get their audio and digest it. I’m in my late 30s. Folks younger than me think it’s wild the idea of sitting by a radio with an antenna to hear your favorite stories. Folks older than me cannot fathom paying $10 a month for something they can hear on their car radio for free.
When it comes to DZ, I think once ads, free episodes and YT come into play, both will have a way to consume the show on their preferred terms. I already pay about $30 a month to all fave podcasts for ad free unlimited content (more than I could ever listen to in a month) so my $7 a month to the boys is a no brainer.
FWIW and it's admittedly not worth much considering the source (barstool hero who's been right on 2 occasions, 1 being Rhyner starting a new station prior to Whitt's revelation), but I've been told part of the settlement is that the NC will retroactively begin from the day they resigned. This means they'll be free and clear for a 01/24 return, competing directly against THL as TF's pm drive. Again, FWIW and don't hold onto your butts. Just thought I'd pass it along. I will say the headscratcher move of TSE w/Rhyner to pm drive gives cause to pause. It's as if it was constructed NOT to gain a following, as a placeholder. Reunite Julie with her guys, let Rhyner announce his real retirement, saying how this was the plan all along, he was merely shepherding the thing and didn't intend on being a focal point past the launch, and move Cavanaugh somewhere else in the daily lineup or move on from him.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree on the theory and that’s felt like the obvious reason for the shift of talent since it happened (the same day as D/J departure became official)
DeleteI would caution people against speculating that 2 things that happen close in proximity must be related.
DeleteI was once involved in a high-profile “thing” that got quite a bit of media attention. A person I worked with left the company & the press widely reported she was fired as fallout from the “thing.” Truth was her partner had cancer & had to leave to deal with that, which had zero to do with the “thing.” Didn’t stop people from speculating, though.
Fair enough, In-house. But some times we see in retrospect what we thought we were seeing, we indeed saw. There indicators beyond timing that appear to point toward DnJ's return to radio (while continuing TDZ).
DeleteHonestly, I would LOVE a Julie-Dan-Jake reunion, be it on TF or a one-off Mom Game. She was my favorite person on BaD/HZ during that time, so I’m biased, but someone make this happen!
ReplyDeleteCome Tuesday we should have a much clearer picture of where TT is heading, as the September PPMs will be released. If Cat's and Bennett's testimony is any indication, my guess is things are on a decidedly downward trajectory. Next week will mark the one year mark of TF's launch. Should also be interesting to hear if any hints are made regarding the near future of that station. Specifically, PM Drive. Very difficult to wrap your head around where TT was not even a year ago and where it seems to be heading.
ReplyDeletethe (purposely) missing context of their testimony is that the recent decrease in ratings can mostly be tied to the fact they were so outlandishly tall, natural regression to the mean and very little to do with the show changes.
Deletewould not surprise me at all tomorrow to see September find things level out.
Gordon announced this morning that Mark Friedman has passed away.
ReplyDeleteDamn...That's sad. He always seemed like a good person.
DeleteVery sad, indeed.
DeleteWell F*** ME!!!
ReplyDeleteMoment of silence for my podcast
I heard that sad news this morning, too.
ReplyDeleteDuring the time that Mark Friedman was working (primarily) with Norm (1999-2009, other sources say 2000-2008) was when I was seldom able to tune into Norm's show, although I was able to do it often enough that I knew who he was. What I didn't know at the time is how they spelled his nickname, although I always pictured it "Friedo" in my head. Which is how I'm seeing it in news stories.
Unlike certain other producers and board ops, I always got the feeling that he was well-liked up and down the Ticket broadcast day, and among his peers. He ended his Ticket tenure as assistant program director.
My Ticket Confession extends its condolences to his family and loved ones.
Friedo, RIP.
Friedo was also Norm's producer at KLIF
ReplyDeleteYes; that's probably where the earlier date came from. I think Norm joined KTCK in 2000.
DeleteFriedo....Good dude.
ReplyDeleteTC filling in for Cavanaugh in The Freak-a-leek this week
ReplyDeleteI had the misfortune of catching a bit of that show. Good lord, it was bad. Even the nostalgia I have for the OGW can't counteract how awful a listen that is.
DeleteYup. It's going to play out exactly like many of us thought. Freak PM Drive and have the pod. They were promised it over a year ago. Whitt was spot fuccin on. OK, didn't happen in the Spring, but so what. What's a Shaggurly to do????? Love 'em all you want, but they're gonna end up looking like both brilliant schemers and, ya know, schemers. Hope ya 8 all of it.
ReplyDeleteSounds good. If schemers win then they’re winning schemers. That’s the point of scheming, last I heard. Good for Dan and Jake, couldn’t be happier for them and wish them the best.
DeleteWhat is a shaggurly?
Sometimes wins turn out to be net losses in the long run.
ReplyDeleteDo any of our labor lawyer Confessors know -- or can they look up to see -- whether Dan and Jake's NLRB complaints have been withdrawn?
ReplyDeletePPMs will be released today at 4pm.
ReplyDeleteLol- if the phone call I just got from a Cumulus source is correct, neither Dan Bennett or Jeff Catlin are in danger of losing their jobs over the Dan and Jake legal imbroglio. Will see what Pete Welpton posts, but I’m told this is an extremely good book for the Ticket and Cumulus in general.
ReplyDeleteC
If anyone wants a really good laugh today, go back and read C-Minus’ comments on here from July and August
ReplyDeleteWhy? Still think they had Jake dead to rights in his non compete. And we see what Cumulus gave up in the settlement- TDZ allowed to keep podcasting, although I notice there’s now a definite paywall. The one free then three is no longer.
ReplyDeleteBut what we are not seeing is what incentive Dan and Jake gave up to reach the agreement. They’d won on the TRO, but there are statements Jake made in court that I would argue hurt him specifically in the non compete area. I bet TDZ, Kingston et al were willing to settle to avoid very costly litigation and the chance of Jake specifically being found in violation of his non compete. If he’s found liable in December or January, and 6 months off from then is a momentum killer for the pod.
Seeing lots of buzz that they’re on the air in January. I would think allowing them to podcast but not broadcast would be Cumulus’s ask in negotiations. We will see in January who is guessing right here.
C
But I don’t think Dan or Jake ever once denied the non-compete would keep them off of radio for six months. So if you’re saying Cumulus won something Dan and Jake were always going to comply with, is it really a victory?
DeleteI think “dead to rights” is a little much. The judge said she had concerns his contract was too broad and she could be compelled to remedy it at trial.
DeleteYes. So dead to rights he’s making more now that he ever has with a podcast that’s continuing to publish and steadily adding subscribers. I don’t know what that Legal Dream team is thinking. They have hoodwinked them into thinking this was a good idea.
ReplyDeleteA bit early to be hitting the sauce.
DeleteIt’s like you’ve never heard of a 3 martini lunch
DeleteSure I have. But getting shit faced enough to write that bit of insanity means ya got quite a headstart on that 3ML.
ReplyDeletePPMs out. Ticket #4 over all in market with 4.7 (up from 4.4). The FAN # 15 with a 2.9 (up from 2.7), and KEGL # 27 with a 1.5 (up from 1.4).
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Peter Welpton with have the daypart breakdowns up on reddit sometime tomorrow. Can't wait to see them.
Must admit that I'm a bit surprised at TT's rebound. I fully expected the number to go the other way by a .1-.3 margin. Perhaps radio is like sports in that in the end most people root for the jersey, and not the player. And perhaps some of us (self included) put far too much weight on the opinions and claims by the extremely vocal minority.
Thank you, Peter, as always, for the fine work that you do. Here are the dayparts. Again, I'm taken aback at what I'm seeing. At the present, any notion of the beginning of the end of TT as we know it appears to be very much incorrect.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fseptember-23-ratings-update-v0-1g0mtm8292sb1.png%3Fwidth%3D1310%26format%3Dpng%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D475fc2dbef540f45f6217a8548d6bfe068ca125a
Here is the link to peter's reddit post (with comments). Some people realize your can't count your chickens until they've hatched.
DeleteSurprised af by those numbers. 10-12, 10-3 and THL really stand out. Where are all the shitters? C'mon, boys! Slap down a hit n run drive by of the latest sub numbers! Shiiiiiiiiit. Not as fun when you realize all yer venom and vitriol means jack. Betcha a gagillion bit cons *coins* if the book went the other way this bitch would be at the 250 comment mark. All of em just shit shit shitting away. Enjoy your sadge DZ. 54 year old grown man talking about boppin' his bishop? Naw. I'll pass. Even if it's only $6.90 (haw haw haw how fuccin edgy).
ReplyDeleteNoon to 3 dropped 40 percent from July. Is math that hard?
DeleteI mistakenly said July. D & J were effectively last on air in June. Down 40 percent 1 to 3 since that point. Tied for 2nd not bad though.
DeleteFairly significant jump in numbers from the last book, tegardless of position. This can be seen to indicate a strong, positive trend. Specially considering a total revamp of the entire midday. No, Chat, the math isn't difficult. What can be is putting things in prooer perspective. If I'm Cat and DB, I'm rather pleased. If I'm the new crop of talent, I'm over the moon with hope that thus thing might very well have legs. As I saud, these numbers took be aback a bit, as I was sure they'd be trending the other direction. While I'm not yet sold on the new lineup, let's give Cat, DB, and the new crew a bit if credit.
DeleteYou are correct I don't understand nor can I contextualize without help from those who understand the books the seasonal variations etc. To the novice like me the drop from June to Sept for the noon to 3 time slot looks substantial. Having said that I will defer to the smart people such as yourself that understand the context.
DeleteSorry for all the typos. I'm terrible at typing via my phone.
ReplyDeleteI'm honestly pretty surprised. I'm someone who has continued listening just about the same as I always have out of habit, but I still was thinking there would be a noticeable drop. I guess the hardcore DZ fans on this page and the reddit page truly are the vocal minority.
ReplyDeleteIt would appear that anyone that looks at these midday numbers and thinks they're in any way negative is either (a) ignorant of how ratings work and their meaning or (b) wanting an outcome. Either is fine, I'm ignorant on a lot of things (Nielsen ratings is not one of them) and if you want the station to fail, well, this month you did not get your weird wish. No matter if you are (a) or (b), If you think being #2, with new programming, is "bad", allow me to tell you a story:
ReplyDeleteIn their 1st year Dan and Jake debuted (Mar '20) with a 4.5 #6 (which was almost a full 2 point share drop and down from BaD's last book - 6.2 #2), hit their worst month of that year in Sept 20 (4.4 #7), jumped up in Oct (7.3 #2), back down in Nov (5.2 #6) and ended that debut year in Feb '21 tops (8.7 #1).
That followed w/ a 3 share point drop (5.8 #4) in Mar'21 and went on a seven month run at #3 until they jumped to #1 in Oct (7.9) and Nov (8.6). 2022 started rough as they fell in Jan (5.1 #6), had their worst numbers in July'22 (4.2 #8) and struggled the rest of 2022 somewhere in 4th and 7th.
But in 2023, like the rest of the station, enjoyed their run at #1 until they decided to go do a podcast.
Complicating comparisons is the change in show times, it's not wholly apples to apples (likely done purposely) and trying to compare D&J's last book (June'23 11.6 #1) to this month (Sept'23 8.3) includes the reality that it is post summer wilt AND the natural settling from what were probably inflated numbers.
But tbf, a drop in share and impact to the ratings was almost always easily predictable and this Sept results surprised me. It also reminds we can get caught up with the all the noise a minority of people can make and the reality is the majority of P1's I personally know and talk to, still very much listen to the station.
With more time as 2023 plays out, we'll have a better idea to see how their departure and the new shows are working, but it's pretty predictable they'll fluctuate, just as THZ did.
But if we want to really reflect on the short history of THZ, to recap, it is one that spent 29 of its 40 months at #3 or lower, and of those other 11 months, 6 of those are from the station's historic 2023. It was, like BaD before it, a solid but not unique ratings performer.
Yeah, Reddit is full of crap as usual. I’m pretty much what CJK5H described. I’ve mentioned this before, but the main reason why it’s a toxic dump is because the mods don’t really moderate that much, if at all. Rule #1 on there is “Don’t be a jerk”, & I feel that rule has been violated many times during the past couple months. Something’s gotta change over there.
ReplyDeleteExcuse my ignorance but do the ratings reflect any change is the total number of listeners? My listening habits changed but I have not gone to another sports station or podcast. I am just spending time away from the radio more these days.
ReplyDeletesimple answer: "yes" - but in reality it is a far more complex statistical calculation based on the participants in the panel being metered. If someone in the panel that was delivering any particular station a large number of quarter hours, stops doing that (for whatever reason), that will show up in the resulting numbers. But how much also depends on the demographics of that person and the weighting of their specific demographics as it reflects to the larger market. (it's a really shitty system, imo, but one that all stations are participating in - so it's the "everyone is playing on the same crappy field" argument).
DeleteSurprising midday results for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe ratings posted do not reflect total number of listeners. They only show what percent of people currently listening to the radio are tuned into your station during those time periods.
KTDK's answer is better, and more concise, than mine for that actual question.
DeletePerhaps Dan was correct that both entities can do well. Thanks for all the context around the numbers. Like I said above I didn't understand the seasonal context so at first glance it looked like a drop from early summer to a novice like myself. Glad Mino and Sean are doing well. They are both great guys and getting better in my estimation. Having said that I am also enjoying the Dumb Zone with the addition of Blake. They are hitting their stride. Good times for all.
ReplyDeleteLet us revisit this conversation sometime in 2024 when they land at a competitor in PM Drive.
DeleteYes you could be correct RK. In fact I think that is more likely than not. Dan might want some of that side hustle money (pods etc) coupled with some of that drive time cheddar he wasn't going to get at the Ticket. Something tells me this is about maximizing the total coinage kind of like Bob has done through his hard work and side gigs. Unfortunately for Dan I dont think he was going to get that at The Ticket. That or perhaps he did feel some animosity towards some in management about decisions made in past to split Bad radio up. None of this stops me from enjoying both The Ticket and TDZ as I see fit, correct?
DeleteOff topic for a second, but absolutely f*** the guys who drove Emily Jones off of Twitter. Asshats.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the story there with Emily? Was it a bunch of scumbag astro fans?
DeleteYeah. The short version is that one of the Astros beat reporters basically said that the Rangers celebration was the reason why they didn’t win the AL West. Her & Evan Grant said that it was false, then both of them got heat in the DMs from Astros fans. Emily condemned them then nuked her Twitter after.
DeleteHere’s the Rangers sub talking about it: https://www.reddit.com/r/TexasRangers/comments/16xna1y/hey_hey_congrats_to_the_astros_on_that_al_west/. Here’s the tweet in question: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fhey-hey-congrats-to-the-astros-on-that-al-west-title-if-v0-q8jt97suvtrb1.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D1170%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D65fd068030984f88ba82f76d6a92e41391671d32
May be viewed by some as a little late but, back to DnJ's strange legal saga, what happened to the Jones-Day sharpshooter that stepped into the fray briefly? Unless I missed it, there was no comment here other than his arrival and what it might portend.
ReplyDeleteI believe he was going to handle the NLRB complaint. Seems null now.
DeleteAstros: Shit show organization, shit show fanbase, shit hole city.
ReplyDelete@dnleon and @stapleman01: My recollection is that we found out that he was brought in to assist with the mediation. Perhaps also the NLRB items, but I think mainly the mediation.
ReplyDeleteIt’s shocking to me that the Fan’s morning show got a 7.3. Good for them. I have no idea who’s even on there nowadays. Overall, the Fan pulls in respectable numbers yet no one on here talks about them much. I remember the day when everyone thought they would fail and flip to country music.
ReplyDeleteI listen to it from time to time. Not a lot of bits, but not east coast blowhard type stuff either. I think it is a decent enough show. It is sportsy.
DeleteI have nothing but respect for those guys. Anyone who can be Jerry’s translator & not go insane is heroic in my book.
DeleteRegarding the Astros: I do think it is a vocal minority of fans who act like they do. It’s like the guys who say that Dan & Jake will kill The Ticket. I know a lot of people on here may crap on them. I don’t care if they cheated or not. To me that got old about 2 years ago. The beat writer did “apologize”, but that was saying that he made a slight error & did not apologize to EJ or Evan. Not a good apology whatsoever. Astros subreddit had to tell them to knock it off. This crap is unacceptable. None of the fans have apologized whatsoever. I do think there are good Astros fans, this is just a vocal minority, & stuff like this isn’t going to help their reputation.
ReplyDeleteGrayson you do reference Reddit frequently. Just an observation based on your hate for it earlier.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, yes. I’ll try to reduce it in the future.
DeleteSome positive news: Corby said on Twitter the other day that they’re planning the 30th anniversary & Ticketstock.
ReplyDeleteSome positive news? Tuesday's book was absolutely positive. More than positive, it was excellent and it showed that 10-3 will be more than fine, and that The Musers and THL are as solid as ever. This isn't pointed at you, Grayson, but for all who think TT is somehow on life support because it lost THZ, you are delusional. I wish DnJ the best, 100%. But their departure will mean nothing by Jan 1. It will be as if they were never on the station. TT will continue to dominate. It's called the way it is. This will be the case even if TDZ migrates to TF. I will go one step further and say that if TDZ does not end up as TF pm drive show, their settlement with Cumulus and their victory in the sense that they are able to resume podcasting will be seen as phyrric by this time next year, if not much sooner. Meaning, no longer will sub # updates be posted up in MTC comment sections.
ReplyDelete5428
DeleteThat took longer than I thought. It's a cult.
Deletehave they given ol blake a full time living wage yet? his retirement? his family healthcare? in other words have tdz become the man yet?
Delete34-30. There's a number for you, Shaggy Shaggyhorns, Surly, Surlyhorns, Shaggy1310, Shaggybevo, Orangeblood. Hook and miss. Talk about a dumb zone!
ReplyDeleteSix months from now:
ReplyDeleteThe Ticket's numbers across all day parts will be pretty much as they were this last book. The FAN will edge closer to The Ticket across all day parts, even tying or besting The Ticket certain midday hours. (Which, it historically has done).
For many, including current subscribers to The Dumb Zone, Dan and Jake will have long been in the rearview mirror. The Dumb Zone will have debuted the 2nd week of January '24 as The Freak's pm drive show, their first 2 ratings books will reflect both The Hardline's strength and the importance of brand loyalty. That is, at least in the nascent stage, The Dumb Zone's real competition, like The Freak as a whole, will be The FAN, and not The Ticket.
George Dunham will exit stage left and head down Hill Country way. Upon return from Dry Dock '23, which will mark 30 years on-air at The Ticket, Jub will tearfully announce that this will be his final week, that it's time to begin a new chapter in his life, and how much he loves his job, his coworkers, and us P1s. Donnie will take his place, Monty will be paired with Matt McClearin, and the new M&M show will be from 10-noon, The Sweet Spot, 12-3.
Not crazy.
DeleteSuper not crazy to the point where I question if the author is none other than Gypo Nolan.
DeleteJust going to come out and say it. The Sweet Spot is quickly falling into a nice groove. I admit that I've never been a fan of Sean Bass. Seems like a decent fellow, but also has an acute case of Gotta Be Right-itis, constantly talks over others and as a result doesn't listen to others, and at times flat out wears an agist bias on his sleeve. For the first few weeks of TSS, Sean put all of that on display and it was quite a turn off. I don't know what took place. Maybe some of the am/pm drive vets and/or Cat/Bennett had a sit down with him, maybe he listened back to his tape, perhaps it was a combo platter. Whatever the case, something happened and he is finding his, ahem, sweet spot. Mino too. I'm very much enjoying what I'm hearing. Indeed, the overall sports-centric nature of the entire midday buffet is more than decent radio. I contend it'll only get better in the coming weeks and months.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteSorry got caught by the anonymous default.
DeleteBoth midday shows are better with with the wide array of sportsy topics valuable currently. It will give them some time to gel and maybe by the time we get back into the dog days next summer they will have found a their legs . I still feel Sean has his issues but you are right that he’s gotten better. I don’t know that I can take Sean or Matt five days a week but I felt Friday and Today were noticeably improved shows.
But putting that aside, the question is still valid—why do ESPN and FS1 largely just stick to 2-to-3 sports and ignore everything else? If the network pays hundreds of millions to air NHL, college basketball, MLB, tennis, golf, etc., why not spend some time talking about those sports as well?
ReplyDeleteThe answer is pretty simple. The data shows viewers change the channel or stop watching at a higher rate when they talk about those sports.
https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/baseball-first-take-debate-shows-nfl-nba-data.html
I found other things to listen to today.
I drove bus.
DeleteIn 2019 I found I the only thing I was watching anymore on ESPN was college football. After the national championship game I cancelled my cable subscription. I subscribe via YouTube TV Aug-Jan, because ESPN is a wasteland in the spring and summer.
DeleteNow I drive Uber. I vibe on the streets.
DeleteThey might be up to 5,465 subs, but the activity on their reddit page since the settlement has lulled to the point where it's now on a par with The Freak's. The Freak has more than 5,465 listeners and has iHeart as a parent company. Will be interesting to see the sub numbers come Jan 01, '24. I'm in no way predicting a sharp downturn or even failure, but I am saying there might be a correlation between social media activity and invested, sustained interest. Unlike The Freak, The Dumb Zone is not free. I say this because a podcast/content creation/and the platforms they are associated with is, unlike The Ticket or The Fan, almost entirely social media driven.
ReplyDeletePatreon comment section is where it’s at bruv
ReplyDeleteI'm a DZ sub and the comment section is basically MTC. Same 8-10 people commenting over and over and replying to replies. I'm also a sub for several other, somewhat larger than TDZ Patreon creators. Those comment sections are far more active.
ReplyDeleteWonder if Jake not being able to contain himself politically will ever hurt their sub numbers? He's deleted the tweet now because of immediate backlash but him supporting Palestine this week is a bad look...even for him.
ReplyDeleteYou're saying criticizing the Mavs' official account for tweeting out unequivocal support for Israel equals supporting Palestine? You do know that Israel has been illegally occupying Palestinian land and committing all kinds of war crimes and atrocities, right? It's okay to criticize Israel, I promise.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteRepeated because of Anonymous
DeleteI think it's ok to support anyone in the midst of a massive terrorist attack. Multiple teams tweeted support. A reporter in Philidelphia was fired for doing the exact same thing as Jake in response to the Devils tweeting support for Israel.
He said maybe they should sit it out. Maybe he should know when to do the same.
I'll also add that you can criticize Israel another time, but the day one side is cutting heads off of babies isn't the time to be snarky and play the both sides argument.
DeleteSir/madam, that is offensive
DeleteJake is in good company https://www.mediaite.com/news/black-lives-matter-chapters-celebrate-terrorist-attack-in-israel-revel-in-slaughter-at-music-festival/
DeleteYes Jake was reveling in the attacks uh huh
Deletewould not put it past him, deleted the tweet
DeleteWhy didn't the Mavs tweet out support for Palestinians when Israel murdered their children?
ReplyDeleteI’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you understand the situation in the Middle East has numerous sides that can point to being oppressed and has conflict dating back thousands of years. And I’ll also choose to believe you chose brevity in your comment trying to whitewash the situation. But when we’re talking about the horrific atrocities just committed in this terrorist attack, it’s ok to condemn it and express sympathy and support for the victims. Not doing so is an awful look - for Jake and for you. You can support Ukraine in fighting back against Russia without saying everything Ukraine has done is perfect. You can support Poland when it’s blitzed by the Nazis without affirming every decision that nation has made. Same principle applies here.
DeletePlainsman, shut this place down and make it a private discord whose members are vetted and whose cnent is moderated. I'll gladlyoffer my time to mod.
ReplyDeleteNobody puts Plainsman in a corner
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone else realize that MM did not replace the hangzone? Lol. The MM replaced Norm. And since Donovan and MM have more braodcasting experience, they gave them an extra hour and let the Sweet Spot start off with 2 hours instead. I don't how many reddit idiots are thinking MM replaced Dan.
ReplyDeleteDidn't mean to say "The MM" Lol
DeleteFluff piece posted to reddit: https://barrettsportsmedia.com/2023/10/03/matt-mcclearin-is-not-just-filling-a-void-at-the-ticket/
Delete20 bucks to ya if you can read the whole thing without regurgitating
Why does this bother you so much? Weird.
Deletewhat exactly is "fluff" about it? and you owe me $20
DeleteI only made it this far
DeleteIt is safe to say that Hitzges had an impact on everyone at The Ticket, and it is a legacy that McClearin hopes to further perpetuate. Every time he walks into the studios, it is not lost on him the magnitude of the assignment he has been entrusted with, and he remains focused and driven on realizing his full potential.
What would you have liked the author to have written? Tell us. No. You. You, with the hard on for McClearin. No. You. You. Tell us. Tell us.
DeleteThis kinda got lost, but Nasty Nestor said on his Facebook a few days ago that he was in Dallas for Rangers-O’s. How the hell he can show his face around here & NOT get beat up is beyond me. If you want to see it, it’s on the subreddit.
ReplyDeleteNew post and red up.
ReplyDelete