A Couple of Things to Keep In Mind

The P1 mind is reeling with possibilities, questions, speculations, all occasioned by the gaping hole left by Mike Rhyner's retirement.  In mulling this over for the past day, I'm thinking a couple of things:

(1)  Corby and Danny aren't going anywhere.

(2)  And they're going to stay in that time slot.

Recent ratings uncertainty aside, The Ticket is a gigantic success.  (I don't want to downplay the ratings angle, but I don't see it playing a major role at least until current procedural issues are sorted out with Nielsen, and a number of ratings books have passed thereafter -- year or so at least.)  And I think that anti-Corby sentiment is disproportionately expressed on social media, including this site.  A lot of people, and I think a lot of female listeners, as odd as that may seem, love Corby.  He is frequently mentioned as a "leader" on Why Today Doesn't Suck.  And despite his approaching middle age, he comes across as the kind of immature (and I mean that in only the nicest, most complimentary sense) frat-boy type that will not turn off the younger demographic.

But I wandered off-point there:  The point at which I was aiming is that The Ticket isn't going to mess with success.  There is not going to be a rejiggering of the show times.  There is not going to be a reshuffling of hosts.  They're going to fill that slot with someone and soldier on.  Or maybe put Danny in that chair full-time and slide producers and board-ops around, much like when HeeHoo was invited to spend his afternoons elsewhere -- keep the team as is, maybe give a new producer (Justin? Mino? Sirois?) the chatty-producer role that Danny has now.  Maybe change the name of the show, but I'm very doubtful that we will even see that change.  In any event, it's going to be Corby and Danny at a minimum, and it's going to be 3-7 PM, and in all likelihood it's going to be The Hardline.

(3)  The Ticket is, as drops so frequently remind us, A Cumulus Station. 

And Cumulus is a big company. 

And big companies have policies and procedures. 

And among those policies and procedures are those governing job openings. 

Because of (1) and (2) -- that is, because (my opinion, no inside dope) they're not going to make fundamental organic changes -- Mike's departure will be regarded as leaving a "job opening."  And if that's what ends up happening, it means  the CTO (Cumulo-Ticket Overlords) in the person of The New World Catman will have to "post" the position and consider internal applicants for the job.*  That is, Ticket colleagues will have the opportunity to request the slot and compete for that position in a formal kind of way.  I don't know what the Cumulus employee handbook says, but it wouldn't surprise me if the job will be externally posted as well. 

So while Mike's departure will mean Big Changes, my guess is that it will likely only mean one Big Change:  Who will sit in Mike's chair.  If it's Danny, then sure, there will be a producer/board op ripple effect, and that's not a small thing.  But after all is said and done, unless Cat ends up hiring Kathy Griffin for the slot, the changes will not be seismic.
 ____________
*  I will want to consider this at a later date, but when things like this happen, politics that simmer below the surface tend to take on much greater importance.  Rivalries, interpersonal conflicts, and personality mismatches that don't mean much when ain't nothin' goin' on will erupt when an extremely rare and valuable advancement opportunity arises.  Although it is a pretty cohesive bunch, some JV aren't crazy about other JV; very doubtful any will report to me, but if I get wind of anything  .  .  .  .

 

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

Is The Ticket a Good Buy?

This site's good friend DA writes in a comment at the end of the last thread:

Say The Musers make 40%+ of the station revenue.  If Cumulus sold The Ticket and the 1310 signal, what would the investors by buying long term? Mike and Norm are at the end. Each of the Musers could move on quickly if Cumulus voids contracts and trying to bill equal to The Musers after if even one leaves becomes an issue. Plus, the off air staff costs and sales turnover is a constant radio issue.

That is a very interesting and valid point.  I would issue not so much a mild and respectful disagreement, as a perspective that shifts the assumptions somewhat.

DA's point applies broadly to any asset that depends on individual talent.  Think about a sports team.  It's worth more if it's talent is good and the talent is assured of sticking around for awhile.  What distinguishes the teams that are valuable year after year from those that have their ups and downs?    It's management -- the ability to keep the inventory of talent strong and fresh.  It's other things, too, but I'm focusing here on DA's point.  (NB:  The analogy is not perfect -- there are a limited number of Big Four sports teams to buy and sell, and so scarcity drives up the price irrespective of athletic or management talent.)

My view is that The Ticket is like those teams with lots of talent that is backed by strong and savvy management.   Think about it:  The individual talent of the hosts is undeniable.  But management -- invented, in the beginning, by Mike Rhyner and other founders -- is responsible for both permitting and encouraging the highly-personalized, draw-back-the-curtain type of talk that results in an identification between them and the listeners.  It combines this with strongly show-identifiable features (O-Deck, Homer Call, E-News, etc.), station promotions (GNO, Fight Night, etc.), and other lesser touches that make the station stand out.  The talent is the foundation, but management provides the framework and direction -- and sometimes the discipline -- in which it can succeed.

Even though the current hosts have all been around a long time, I would also suggest that a critical element of The Ticket's success is management's identification and strategic promotion of new talent.  New voices are added, some stick and fit in with the Ticket ethos, some don't.  Gradually, some get more exposure.  How does this fit with DA's point?  Consider his scenario of host departure for some reason.  Wouldn't most of us listen to Country Force over the competition if it got a slot?  Shake Joint? Cirque (when not on a frequent vacation; also, Cirque probably the least likely replacement as its hosts have other things to do)?  Not a Podcast has its partisans.  And wouldn't that keep The Ticket on top?  And valuable?

[Side note:  Unless there were a bankruptcy, I am doubtful that Cumulus would be able to unilaterally "void contracts."  But to DA's major point -- contacts certainly do expire and Cumulus could chose not to renew them.]

"I'll start the bidding at $700 -- but I only want David Mino."

Despite rumbles of it being near the end for Mike and Norm and even some younger hosts who want to do other things, I think both of those worthies, and even the younger voices, are going to be around for quite some time.  Got no concrete inside poop on this and DA may well be right that their days are numbered.  But it's just the feeling I get.  The P1 has been anticipating their exit for quite some time, but my sense is that this is just way, way too sweet for each of them, and Norm has some big fans in upper management.


Another point is that the a buyer of a business will take steps to avoid the very problems DA has identified.  It would make sure it had its main hosts under contract for a meaningful future period. It would also likely insist on noncompetes, for which it would pay the affected hosts extra as part of the deal.   And it would tie up key managers and executives in exactly the same way.

So if The Ticket were on the block, I think buyers with dollars would be lined up around it.

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

BREAKING: New Ultimo CTO Mary Berner Sez: "No Bankruptcy Planned."

New Cumulus CEO Mary Berner addressed Cumulus employees yesterday in a webcast.

Here's a report:

Cumulus CEO Mary Berner Addresses Employees

Her message:  The need to change "corporate culture."  Chapter 11 bankruptcy is not currently on the table.

Right.

Mike Rhyner's boss Mary Berner

SPECULATION ALERT: I Think The Cowboys Have Leaned on The Ticket in an Act of Irrational Discriminaton Against Harmless Neighborhood Rodents

Folks, for absolutely trivial guesses about things that don't matter that concern Our Ticket, you simply have no choice but to come to My Ticket Confession.

I have been nursing this speculation since sometime during training camp, but I didn't have any evidence for my thinkings -- until I heard a piece of evidence for it this past week.

I had the feeling that something had been missing from The Musers' coverage of the Cowboys this season.

Oh hell, no point in being coy about it -- I knew exactly what it was:

The Musers have stopped referring to Cole Beasley as "The Squirrel."

I remember the day that Gordon came up with the simile last season:  "He's like the squirrel that the kids let into the house when they've left the door open," OWTTE.  I thought at the time -- that's clever and perfect.

The Musers must have thought the same thing, because they recalled this felicitous comparison in the days that followed, and began referring to him as "The Squirrel."

In fact -- and my memory may be tricking me here -- I have a recollection that they interviewed Beasley one day and asked him if he minded the nickname, and he seemed to be OK with it.

This year, I can't recall The Musers ever referring to Beasley -- who has been prominent on the field -- as "The Squirrel."

Which set me wondering if some Cowboy functionary -- or could it have been Beasley's agent? -- made a call to the New World Catman or someone equally influential Cumulo-Ticket Overlord and respectfully requested that The Ticket bury that nickname.

I didn't think much more about it until this past week, when someone -- Craig or Gordon -- referred to Greg Hardy as "Machine-Gun Couch" (probably Gordon, who had probably forgotten Hardy's name), and George said:  "I don't think that's an approved nickname for Greg Hardy."

Italics mine.

So there's my observation, and my evidence.

I fully expect someone to comment and say, "Plainsman, you are a bad P1.  I have heard Mr. Keith refer to Mr. Beasley as 'The Squirrel' several times this season." 

In which case you may regard this as a burnt post.

A Couple of Preliminary Low-Info Thoughts on the Cumulus Shakeup (H/T Confessor DA)

Whenever something stirs in the radio industry, we always look forward to Confessor DA's thoughts.  He posted a couple of interesting tidbits to the last post, suggesting among other things that the new CEO has a history of taking media properties (a print property, in her case) into bankruptcy.  This and other news has suggested to some Confessors that major changes in the sound of the station are in the offing.

Anything's possible, but we need to remember that The Ticket is a very profitable Cumulus property.  I'm betting on no major shakeups in any on-air lineups, talent, or JV assignments at least until contract renewal time rolls around.  DA suggests that belt-tightening starts with sales, but I would think that competition would militate against raising rates, and it's hard to believe that slashing commissions or sales staff wouldn't be self-defeating.  DA, what's your thinking here about how a media turnaround artist deals with the marketing function?

However, I do think that when contract-renewal time comes up, all bets are off.  Bob and Dan took a per-year annual pay cut, and there may be some hosts who are sufficiently well-off that a significant salary reduction would result in some stars being a little loose in the socket and ripe for plucking or moving on to pursue a different way of making a living (or just living).

For all of these reasons, I think the Western Hemispherical Catman faces some real challenges in keeping the station tops in the local sports-talk ratings to protect his team from significant changes.

I hope they don't mess with my Georgio.

Chapter 11 bankruptcy means that the company keeps operating, but the bankrupt must submit a plan for restructuring debt and paying creditors (which requires court approval and negotiation with lenders and creditors to avoid a Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy) -- and yes, reducing costs.  I think DA is onto something when he suggests that dumping AM stations might be in Cumulus's future.  He's also probably right that it would be a challenge given today's listener preferences, but there's always someone out there who thinks they can make a go of a media property.  Somewhere out there there are Mike Rhyners who would be happy to pick up a bargain low-wattage 1310-type property to live the dream.  (Black Ticket, anyone?)  (I should add I don't know if Cumulus has a lot of those sitting around.)  May not bring in a lot of cash, but it would eliminate the cash drain and yield some return of capital.

Interesting times ahead for our weekday heroes and the line forming behind them.

BREAKING: Dickeys BBQ'd (H/T Confessor Shaggy)

 
Dickey Brothers Out at Radio Giant Cumulus Amid Board Shakeup

The article notes the massive decline in earnings, and states:  "The news of the Dickeys' departure was first reported by music blog Hits Daily Double.  The blog suggests a huge reorganization of the company is on the way."  

I'm sure Confessor DA will have more on this breaking story, but I gotta get back to the plow.

But not before posting this: 

"Goodbye, Lew."

And apologies for the cheap headline.
 

BREAKING: Bruce Gilbert Makes a Return to the Ticket -- Brief and of Uncertain Significance

This story starts in mid-December 2014.

I certainly missed this, and I don't recall any of our far-flung correspondents mentioning it, but former (and noted) Ticket Program Director Bruce Gilbert joined Cumulus as "Senior Vice President/Sports" on or around December 15, 2014.

Cumulus News -- Bruce Gilbert

That position was newly-created for him.  He had previously held the same title at iHeart Radio.

So Bruce Gilbert is now officially -- once again -- a CTO (Cumulo-Ticket Overlord, for new Confessors).

So this isn't exactly fresh news.

But this might be:

A radio-industry source who has some ties to Cumulus has told me that, since then, Gilbert has been seen in the halls at The Ticket on at least one occasion and perhaps more than one.  I cannot evaluate my source's credibility, but it would make some sense that, at a minimum, Gilbert would be touring Cumulus's sportsradio properties.

Does this mean his hand may be seen in some of the recent changes we have all noted?

I don't know.  My source did not know.  Only that his person had been observed in the general vicinity of The Little One.

Whether Gilbert was at The Ticket or not, and whether he made some, um, suggestions or not, I do think it is of some significance that Cumulus created this position for him, and that he's a Ticket glory-day program director.

So:  Maybe less here than meets the eye.  I don't want to overstate the significance of his possible physical presence during a Ticket visit.

But maybe not less; maybe some arse-securing is in order, as Confessors continue to urge upon us.

But in any case -- I thought The Confessor would like to know.

Dez and Corby

I'll make this quick.

Dez and Corby are each in showbiz.  Their workplace is public.

Each melted down very conspicuously in their respective workplaces.

Each meltdown took the form of angry utterances to colleagues and supervisors.

Each meltdown probably had some justification to it, assuming that we're all guessing right about what Dez was trying to convey in one or more of his several episodes.  I also share what seems to be the initial reaction of the Confessor, which is to have some sympathy with Corby in this situation.  He's live on the air and his stuff gets yanked without notice, and he's not sure why at first, and every other station is going to be playing the clip and talking about what Manly said, and Corby was allowed to describe Manly's words in any event so what's the big deal?  Live broadcasting is a high-wire act, and his got jiggled when he wasn't looking.

And each meltdown was shocking and excessive.

We know what's going to happen to Dez.  Nothing.  The excuse-making and "passion" crap is just more evidence of the lack of intelligent leadership in the organization.  Consider what would have been the Cowboys' reaction to that kind of performance under Landry, Johnson, Parcells, and pre-Jones ownership.  (Yeah yeah, times have changed, modern athelete blah blah blah, bull.  Substitute Cowher, Belichick.)

I'm pretty sure nothing's going to happen to Corby.  When Dan McDowell started to read an internal confidential Ticket memorandum on the air a few years back, BaD got yanked from the air for a segment or two, but that was it, at least as far as on-air repercussions were concerned.

In any normal workplace, irrespective of justification for his unhappiness, Corby would be invited to relax at home for a day or so, maybe longer, maybe forever.  The Ticket, of course, is not a normal workplace.  I don't know the extent to which the inmates run the asylum there.  Sometimes it seems like they do.  Other times it seems like they get ordered to do stuff, and they do it.  

A commenter to the last thread states:  "Leave it to the people on this blog to blow up this thing between Corby and Cat.  It's not a big deal and Corby and Cat are old friends and that's the the type of relationship they have.  It's not the kind of relationship you people have with your bosses." */  There is probably something to that.  I'm sure they go back a long ways.  But I don't think anyone who heard that segment thought that this was good-natured palsy-walsy pretend agitation.  Or appropriate public treatment of not only Jeff, who I previously thought had some kind of authority over program content, but colleagues.

I'm a pretty stout Corby fan and have defended him most of the time.  On this one, I'm with those who think this should call forth some sanction from the CTO.

__________________________

*/  "You people."  Like that? Care to guess who left that comment?  (I don't know, but it sounds familiar.)

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

Let Us Revisit the Always Innarestin Subject of Signals

As long-time readers of this site know, I've been banging the drum for signal swap, or signal change, for a long time.  One of the earliest annoying obsessions of My Ticket Confession.

I haven't excited much enthusiasm for this crusade.  And in the course of, um, criticism of my position, we've learned some interesting things from people who seem to know things about radio economics.  (Anon E's Lesson on Radio Economics)

I remained skeptical that giving The Ticket a better signal was unfeasible.  I was willing to sacrifice i93.

But in the course of mulling this over and thinking about things like the 2011 Citadel deal, we see that there may be a better candidate out there, first identified on this site in June 2011 (More Questions about Signal Swap):  That would be the 96.7 FM simulcast of 820 WBAP.  It's not an ideal signal for the metro as a whole, concentrated on northerly areas (like 104.1), but hugely more powerful:  90,000 watts compared with 104.1's 6200.

WBAP is a huge biller in this market; more, I believe, than The Ticket.  The question is:  Who needs that signal more?  Or rather, which simulcast assignment maximizes Cumulus's profit?  820 AM, a 50,000-watt clear-channel scorcher that can be heard all over the Southwest after hours and clearly throughout the metro and beyond when the sun shines, or Class B KTCK 1310 AM with half that power during the day (and sounds worse even after factoring in the lower power) and almost nothing (5 KW) at night?

I am doubtful that WBAP gets any revenue advantage from simulcasting on 96.7.  Here is its coverage area:

And here is 820 AM's:

Compare the overall map coverage (the 96.7 map covers a smaller area), and you will see that 820 entirely swallows up 96.7 -- even the red strong-signal boundary.  Are advertisers paying more for the duplicate signal for a talk station not requiring FM fidelity that doesn't reach a single additional listener?  

No?

Then Cumulus loses nothing -- nothing -- by reassigning 96.7.

I concede that comparing the KTCK 1310 map to the 96.7 map may not impress one with a gigantic increase in Tickety coverage in the extended metro:

However, coverage maps aside, the evidence of our ears tells us that 1310 isn't nearly as good in those ranges as the map suggests, and 96.7 is quite clear in the indicated boundaries, and it does someewhat extend The Ticket's range in the desirable North Texas/North Suburban market.   And, of course, this is the daytime coverage.  Here's the nighttime coverage for 1310:  

Pretty clear, I think, that simulcasting 96.7 with 1310 -- unlike an 820 simulcast -- at least has the potential to increase station listenership, and would beyond question improve the listening experience. With the potential to (although, again I concede, not the certainty of) also boosting ratings and revenue.  Might even make nighttime sales look a lot rosier.  (Another concession -- post-sundown sales likely aren't robust under any circumstances.)

Anyway, my very patient Confessors, I know that streaming and smartphone listening is on the rise and may be the wave of the future.  But I believe that most radio guys would tell you that good old-fashioned broadcast terrestrial ratings continue to drive sales.

So I haven't given up on signal swap nor entirely abandoned my faith in the common sense of the CTO.  Don't be stunned if someday soon Craig "Junior" "the Joonz" Miller interrupts his courageous report on "The Five Best and Five Worst Brands of Derailleur Sprockets" with some real news, just texted in from the Pan-American Catman -- a long-pants signal for The Ticket.

What's next?  Billboards?

You saw it here first.

*     *     *

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

Less Worried Now

Some Dickey somewhere is calling Cumulus's telecommunications lawyer, if it has one, with a few questions.

Thanks to Confessor Gopher for calling our attention to the FCC's rejection of what it is basically calling  sham sale to Whitley Media, a broker.  I'm excerpting without permission from an update to the previous news item from RadioInsight.

Stating that the license transfer is not a true sale in that all economic risk would remain with Cumulus as Whitley would get the same brokerage fee regardless of the price he sells the station for, Cumulus would remain the defacto owner of the station.

The APA, by providing for Whitley to be reimbursed out of the sale proceeds for any losses and expenses he incurs in operating the Station, makes it clear that all of the economic risk of operating the Station would remain with Cumulus. Likewise, because Whitley is required to remit to Cumulus all of the proceeds from the sale of the Station, less his expenses and his brokerage fee, Cumulus would retain all of the risk of loss and potential for profit from the sale of the Station to a third party. Whitley will receive his brokerage fee and no more, whether the Station is sold for $1 million or $10 million. Given these “economic realities,” we conclude that the agreement between Cumulus and Whitley cannot be reasonably characterized as a proposed $100 sale of the Station to Whitley and that Cumulus would remain the owner of the Station.

Cumulus spun-off KTDK to Whitley in order to LMA 103.3 KESN from ESPN. That LMA was set to begin as soon as the KTDK spinoff to Whitley closed. Now both are on-hold indefinitely.

This also answers the question I had earlier, which is whether the "sale" of 104.1 was necessary to allow Cumulus to enter into the management agreement for 103.3 KESN, that answer being "yes."

So sounds like we'll have 104.1 for awhile longer, and ESPN will have to find some other way to figure out what to do with those time slots.

Why Cumulus Needs to Damn Sign Up Bob and Dan Within the Next Few Hours

(Will Norm get credit in tomorrow's grammar books for being the first public figure to use "damn" to modify verbs?)

 

*     *     *

 

The prairie is ablaze, and Your Plainsman's on fire.

 

 

*     *     *

 

Dear Lew,

 

May I call you Lew?  No?

 

So Lew, I know you need to save money, but, based on no evidence, I'm going to assume for purposes of this open letter that you do care about The Ticket and you want to see it thrive for as long as possible.  I know that you know it is a jewel in a very tarnished crown and that you are very fortunate to have acquired it in the Susquehanna deal.  It not only dominates DFW radio in the prize demo, it is one of the most famous radio stations in the United States.  In fact, based on podcast downloads and online listening, it is it one of the most famous and popular radio stations in the world.  You've done your best to starve it of resources -- those allowing it to be heard in its home city, for example -- but it continues to thrash all comers.

 

I'm not going to beat you down about the short run, except to say:

 

(1)   They are amazing talents -- yes, both of them -- and you should keep them in your stable.  An obvious point, but perhaps lost in the money talk.

 

(2)   Bob and Dan's departure would have effects at the station well beyond having to fill in the noon-to-three slot.  Letting Bob and Dan go would expose the essential fragility of The Ticket's success.  Bob and Dan going says -- hey, if they can go, anyone can go.  I'm not talking about the other hosts, who are very unlikely to go anywhere, I'm talking about the long-suffering group that we here at My Ticket Confession call the Junior Varsity.  The JV contains quite a number of extremely talented people who are frequently discussed in these pages as Ticket-worthy successors to the current hosts.   Dime a dozen?  Not the good ones, and the Ticket's are not only good, they are a critical element of the success of the shows bearing the names of others.  The good ones are there because it is The Ticket and that's where the good talent wants to be around here.  If they perceive that The Ticket has been dealt a blow, and that they can make even a little more money elsewhere -- why not CBS? -- because to them, a little more money is probably a large percentage of what you're paying them -- they'll start to trickle out, too, and while you can replace them, you'll replace them only to lose the next batch as The Ticket declines (see below).   Whoever would have thought Kevin Turner would blaze that trail?

 

(3)   Morale will suffer among on-air talent.  Hosts will not feel the same about The Ticket.  They will say that they do, but they will not.  You think the CTO -- that's "Cumulo-Ticket Overlords" in these parts -- are disrespected on the air now?  I can see Mike Rhyner starting to call the place "The Littler Ticket."   The Ticket against the World?  Don't look now, but the World just turned a quarter of your army against you.  Failure to make a creative deal with Bob and Dan will say to them, "Cumulus just put Brett Blankenship in charge of corporate strategic planning."  They will understand what until recently has only been guessed at, which is that nothing will ever get better at The Ticket -- things will only get worse because Cumulus will not do what it must do on any front to keep the thing solid and growing.

 

So, as I say, I assume you can see all the obvious things about the short run.

 

No, I'm going to beat you down about the medium run. 

 

Lew, you look like a pretty smart guy to me.

 

 

 

Don't think about two years from now.

 

Think about four, five years from now.

 

(1) Musers:  According to this site's readers, based on some fairly well-sourced information, Junior Miller is already loose in the socket.  I don't know how long you have him tied up, but surely not much past 2017-18.   (I'll call you Shirley if I want; it's my blog.)   He's gone, and George will have no one to Muse with, assuming he even wants to.  (That's George Dunham, another of your most valuable employees.)   That show is mortally wounded even if George and Gordon -- yes, Gordon Keith, the one who got into it with Nasty Nestor, but that's not important now -- would presume to carry on without the Fred Astaire of Dallas radio.   Fred Ast -- never mind.

 

(2) Norm:  Surely not past five years.

 

(3) The Hardline:  Nope, Mike will almost certainly be done by age 67 and maybe sooner, maybe by New Years 2015.  He'll have created and given public face to The Ticket and done The Hardline for over two decades, with plenty of dough, side projects, and the thanks of a grateful DFW, or that portion of it reached by the incredibly crappy signal you've continued to stick them with.  (That's another open letter.)

 

If you make a deal today, you'll still have Bob and Dan, perhaps already killing it in PM drive, you'll have indicated possession of the foresight that will encourage talent to stay or to come to The Ticket as the legacy shows serially reach the end of their runs, and with BaD Radio as the foundation to sustain the miracle that is The Ticket.

 

Lew, I know you can do this.  I've read the CBA (local inside joke; ask Bob) and you do not have to let this talent nip off to the Goliath rival who, so far, has spent its days picking your rocks out of its forehead.  Creative business leaders would find a way to make this happen.  You not  only need to give Bob and Dan a deal, you need to give them a real, real long deal.  Seven years, at least.   

 

Cumulus didn't get where it is by divesting stuff.

 

So, in the medium run:

 

 

If you don't make a deal with Bob and Dan in the next few hours, you won't have dick.

 

You'll only have Dickey.

 

Yr mst hmb'l & ob't sv't,

 

The Plainsman

 

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ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

Sincere (No, Really) Congratulations to Jeff Catlin

We give the CTO a hard time here from time to time, but we also note the fact that, uh, the CTO has more or less given us The Ticket in unbridled and unaltered form since Cumulus took over.  (It was unbridled and unaltered before that, but that was some other collection of Overlords.)   While there have been some missteps, I think most Confessors would have to concede that programming has been a bright spot, with new talent showcased, weekend programming enhanced, and successful teams left the hell alone.

So it's a pleasure to call to your attention (if you missed it in passing when announced on The Ticket) that Ticket Program Director Jeff Catlin was named by Radio Ink magazine one of the Top 20 Program Directors in the Top 10 Markets.

Here is the quote from the article:


Catlin says he loves being a PD because every day is different. “It’s fun!” he says. “It’s collaborative. It allows me to get my competitive juices flowing. I like seeing the success and growth of our staff. I enjoy seeing where the industry is headed in terms of digital, future content delivery, brand extension, etc., and trying to keep pace or ahead of that curve. One of my favorite things to do each week is lead our image production meeting and create the station brand and image of the Ticket through writing promos and liners in the station’s voice.  “It still comes down to delivering your message as a PD to the individuals in the studio who have to make it happen on air each day, based on a common goal and vision. You have to communicate your station’s brand to the audience and to clients, and you have to be able to outline a plan and strategy and goals to every other department in the building. A great PD also has to have a complete understanding of PPM and how it works.”

OK, I don't know what PPM is, and I'd give a fair amount of money to hear Jeff "delivering [his] message as a PD to [Mike Rhyner] in the studio who has to make it happen on air each day, based on a common goal and vision," but there's a little capsule of what the Pan-American Catman is about.

Ah, but did you also know that he is not only the Ticket's Program Director, he is also the Operations Manager for Cumulus Dallas, which means that he is the Overlord for the Program Directors for the other five DFW Cumlus properties?

So if you wonder what Jeff Catlin does all day to be the Program Director of a station that more or less seems to run itself successfully, programming-wise, year after year after year, now you know -- he has plenty to do riding herd on all those other people who you don't know what they do, either.

Seriously, the man seems to have a fairly stout fan base among The Ticket hosts, which, among a group not known for respectful treatment of authority, is saying something.  And, as noted, when there's programming to be done, the man keeps the P1 in mind.

And now, he's doing ads.

Congratulations to you, Jeff C, and may you have many more years of telling Corby to step up the E-News and Quick Hits prep.

*     *     *

Email:  ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

Mainly Just Freshening Up the Thread

I got pretty much nothing today, but probably need to get a new thread started.  Man, 107 comments to the last one.  I need to step up my game here.  By the way, huge readership during RaGE's implosion, and it looks like quite a few are sticking around.  Thanks to all for shopping at My Ticket Confession.

Got a laugh out of George's and Gordon's live Raising Cain's commercial this morning, which was not only unscripted but completely unconceptualized.  It sputtered along for awhile until Jer or whoever was working the joint today mercifully started running another ad while George and Gordon were still speaking haltingly to one another, and finally stopped in mid-nothing.

How about some thanks to the CTO for a big investment in draft day?  Not everyone enjoys it, but for me it's kind of like Race Week.  I have no interest in NASCAR but I really enjoy Rich's broadcast.  I know zero about the draft or college players, but the enthusiasm Norm, Bob, David, and David (and George from Valley Ranch) manage to sustain for hours and days on end is pretty remarkable, and a fun listen.

That's it.  Thread is now  .  .  .  open.

I Wander Ticketstock

Notes from my Friday afternoon visit.  I wandered the floor for an hour or so, visited a few vendors, listened to some of The Hardline.  Thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Reviews have been excellent, and The Ticket should be congratulated.  In fact, let me start with this:

Kudos.  First, how about a hand for the CTO?  Sure, the thing is sponsored, and a lot of it is pretty sponsor-promotional, but it's a lot of work, a big time commitment for the whole station, very entertaining for the P1.   A real nice kiss for listeners, and when we smack the CTO around for one or another sin, let's remember cool stuff like this.  I'll have a further thought on this in conclusion.

Parking.  I could have sworn I heard hosts saying parking was free.  Five bucks to get into the garage.

General.  The floor was less crowded with stuff this year.  Seemed to me like there were fewer sponsors, but that may have been because the did not have the basketball court this year so the joint just had a more wide-open feel.

Shoop.  I put some geld into Michael Gruber's pocket by purchasing a SHOOPY t-shirt portraying him laboring lovingly over what appears to be a Les Paul Custom.  I asked the vendor whether Michael got a royalty for the use of his image and was pleased to hear that he does.

Ticket Guys Generally.  Passed by Gordon, Norm, and Craig out on the floor.  Norm and Gordon had destinations they were hurrying (in Norm's case, slowly) toward, but Craig was taking a stroll and chatting with attendees.  I considered introducing myself, but decided against it.  Everything for the bit, right?  Well, being The Plainsman is my bit, lame thought it may be.

A Confessor on the last thread wrote:  "It was an incredible night, I left the rest of the guys alone [Confessor had chatted with Grubes, Donovan, and Sean Bass]  but to anyone that says they are too big for the P1’s, they are just wrong. All of them walked around, shook hands, took pictures and spent time with their fans, it was a pleasure to watch. I really walked away thinking “we can do what they can do, but they can’t do what we can do.” And looking at my twitter tweet P1 time line, there were a lot of folks who had just as much fun. "  Second that with enthusiasm and could not have put it better.

Un.     While I did not beat down any Ticket guys, I did see some guys wearing UnTicket t-shirts at a booth advertising a way of recording streamed radio, and I asked if they were with that incomparable site.  Turns out they all were, and I was honored to meet DP and two of his invaluable henchmen (sorry, gents, I have forgotten your UT monikers) in assembling Ticket audio.  Great guys.  ap, alas, is stuck in The Great White North.

It's a pleasure to call your attention to their new venture, THINKIT MEDIA.  The are marketing their proprietary system under the uSave.it brand for recording streamed radio. (DP reports that they have some P1s using their system to record their favorite station.)   They also offer other services to businesses such as blog development ("ThinkIt Social) and increasing their profile in the online world.  I may give him a call.  You can read more about it here:  ThinkIt Media  I'm linking it to it on my "Ticket-Friendly Sites" if you ever need to find them.

I neglected to ask DP if he minded if I used his real name (obviously, I was star-struck by the three of them), so I'll keep that valuable information to myself.  However, he and his colleagues were kind enough to let me take their picture at their booth (DP is on the right):

And to top it off, I was deeply honored that they scrounged one of those snazzy UnTicket t-shirts for me.

Ticket Chicks.  Seems to me there were fewer Ticket Chicks abroad, and I did not see a photo area where us mere mortal P1 schlubs could get their picture taken with these lovelies, although I have no doubt that any of them wandering about would have accommodated a request for a quick snap.

T.   As last year, the testosterone clinics were there in force and doing a brisk business.   Apparently I appear to be down a couple of quarts, as I was approached a couple of times by young ladies who worriedly pressed brochures into my infirm grip.

Michael.  The Ticket acknowledged MJ's half-century with a statue.  

However, I couldn't help noticing that he was going to have trouble with this particular dunk, as the anchor for his Airness appeared to have had him stepping in a nasty wad of gum:

I Discover the Theme of Ticketstock.   Last year, I was puzzled by the Mardi Gras theme since it had not been advertised.  This year, it was a collegiate theme, which I realized when I purchased one of the long-sleeved shirts and observed that it had a large "U" in the background.

But with my keen reportorial instincts (which failed me when I didn't get the UnTicket guys' screennames), I ferreted out the true theme.  It was:

"Slanty Boards with a Hole in the Top End Into Which Attendees Were Invited to Attempt to Drain Square Bean Bags Slightly Larger Than the Hole."

(1) The Dallas Stars had the most elaborate set up -- this picture only portrays only two of the four slanty boards:

(2)  Top Golf:

(3)  FIOS:

(4)  Ticket #1:

(5)  Ticket #2/Budweiser, charmingly presented by two fetching Ticket Chicks:

(6)   Hooters had a more inviting variation on the slanty board/hole trope:

And I thought I had snaps of a couple more, but they do not seem to have survived.

Closing Thoughts.  All the Ticket events, but especially Ticketstock, remind us of what an extraordinary phenomenon The Ticket is.  Of course we're unhealthily, sometimes absurdly, obsessed with who's hosting, who's got next, the JV, the shows themselves, what goes on behind the scenes.  As I looked around the place with men and women having a great time, the Ticket guys enjoying themselves, the same phrase kept playing:  This is a club.  A private club that anyone can join just by tuning in.  And think how astonishing it is that it has been maintained for 20 years, and what kind of effort must be going into trying to figure out how to keep it going another 20.  I don't envy them that task.

I hope we're helping.

A big thanks to The Ticket, the CTO, the sponsors, and, of course, Grubes.  Michael, don't spend all my royalty contribution in one place.

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Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

Email:  ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

Someone Out There Knows the Deal with Mitchell Karasik

For all of you who are tempted to slag me for writing a big fat post about a would-be Tickerman, spare me.  Spare us all.  It's Tickety.  It makes me wonder how things happen at The Little One.  I'm going to write about it.  You gripe about the selection of subject matter, I'm taking your ass down.

===============

First, Mitchell, if you're out there, permit me to apologize for spelling your name incorrectly for quite some time now.

Second, a Confessor reports hearing on a BaDD podcast that Mitchell is transported from New York to Dallas to do his Tickers a half-day on weekends.

Third, this site has had some fun with the challenges that Tickers have presented to Mitchell.  I didn't really feel good about that teasing, because I supposed that Mitchell was a radio tyro, some kid trying to make it, kid somehow got a tryout from The Ticket in the face of what I supposed were better audition clips with which, I also supposed, the Pan-American Catman had been deluged.  So while he was clearly struggling with  .  .  .  copy  .  .  .  which I supposed he had composed  .  .  . and seemed initially unaware that what he was delivering was a "Ticker," I was kinda rooting for improvement so the lad could get his start in a cool profession.  Alas, as the Indispensable Brad C has memorialized, things have not gotten much better as of a week ago:

Mitchell Karasik Classic Ticker on February 2, 2013

He has been savaged by The Hardline; but then, who hasn't?  Bono, possibly, aside.  Confessors have been similarly skeptical of his abilities.

Fourth, however, I was quite, quite wrong about where Mitchell came from.

This is Mitchell Karasik delivering his 2010 MLB preview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfnkbm46hZA

Surprised?

Mitchell Karasik has not only been around for awhile, he has run what is apparently his own production of something called, variously, "LockerBlogger" and ":60".   Always dressed smartly in a coat and tie, he has scored some pretty big interviews.  Here's his Miles Austin interview at some kind of function from a couple of years ago when Miles was doing good:

Here is his interview with Orthodox Jewish Boxer Dmitri Salita, Part 1 (I have not been able to find Part 2):

Thus:   Fifth, the PAC was almost certainly not pulling a resume out of a stack when he invited Mitchell to do some DFW Tickers -- he was enlisting a somewhat experienced talker, a guy with some credible sportsy media experience, even if it was his own medium.  Unless, of course, the PAC had nothing to do with this and it was imposed upon him by some CTO.  Although I have not been able to find any Internet evidence of any affiliation between Mitchell and Cumulus or CBS (with the exception of the somewhat tenuous speculation which I shamelessly offer way, way down at the bottom here).  No, his affiliation appears to be solely with his own company LockerBlogger, described on his beta site (www.lockerblogger.com) as follows:  "LockerBlogger is a Sports Social Media Company that Connects Athletes, Charities, Fans and Brands through Education and Philanthropy."  (But where did he score that bank of screens and ritzy studio-looking background?)

At first I thought BaDD must have been pulling our leg about MK flying in to do these Tickers.  But when I heard Brad C's recording from only a week ago (above), I realized that it must be true.

Sixth, what Someone Out There knows, is:

Why?

Here's a little extra tidbit to interest you:  A Mitchell S. Karasik was married in Collin County in 2008.  His parents live in the NYC metro.  (Scroll down here to view record)   No idea if it's the same one, but the Internet nuggets are suggestive.   So maybe MK is looking for a way to spend more time in the metro for family reasons.

But let's return for a moment to his qualifications.  Hey, I  admire the guy for living the dream.   He's got this sports-philanthropy-social-media thing going, and whatever that is, it does get him face time with jocks.  (I didn't join the site, but I've seen other things leading me to believe that this "LockerBlogger" is affiliated with MK's videos   of the same name.)   How did he do that?  ALERT:  CRASS SPECULATION FOLLOWS:    I'm wondering if Mitchell might have some independent wealth in his background.   The father of the Mitchell Karasik married in Collin County in 2008 -- which, I stress, I cannot definitively link up with OUR Mitchell Karasik, but there don't seem to be a lot of them in the U.S. -- is Stephen Karasik.   Stephen is an independent investment banker the New York City area.  Perhaps he invested in our Mitchell.  WARNING:  SPECULATION GETS EVEN CRASSER BELOW.

In any event, he's got a long way to go to join the accomplished Tickerman fraternity -- all right, a long way measured in astronomical units, if not parsecs -- but he's not a complete schnook, you know?  Those interviews are at least enthusiastic, and the fact is  .  .  .  he gets them.  Maybe this kind of initiative appealed to the CTO somewhere along the line.  So let's be fair -- they're trying.  They're trying to get some guys with maybe some gee-whiz potential to affiliate with the station.

But I suspect Mitchell's path to Saturday mornings on KTCK is a lot more interesting than that.  Someone's either going to pretend to know in the Confessions to this post and we'll all have to wonder if we're getting pranked, or someone is going to lay a tip on me that I will be duty bound to keep confidential.  (It happens, rarely.)   How did he come to do Tickers for a station he doesn't know, reporting on teams he's not familiar with, where he is required to speak the names of athletes he doesn't know how to pronounce?  More intriguingly, why is he still doing it?

Well, my curious Confessors, here's another little tidbit for you:  There is a Steve Karasik who is a multi-Emmy-winning Senior Coordinating Producer for  -- dramatic pause -- CBS Sports.  Looks like he is about Mitchell's age.  His father is not Stephen Karasik, according to wedding announcements -- it's Robert Karasik from  .  .  .  Manhattan.  I'm way, way off the reservation here, but I wonder if perhaps Robert and Stephen are brothers, and Mitchell and CBS Steve are cousins.

While this is, I must Confess, not Responsible Ticket Journalism, the possible connection of Mitchell to CBS Steve, and Mitchell's possible family connection to the DFW area, may go some way to explain why the guy is getting airtime on the greatness of The Ticket.  Maybe that's also how he scores those snazzy production values for those studio interviews.

CBS -- again.

Inquiring Confessors want to know.

But you know something?  Whether I'm on track with any of the foregoing, or galaxies off -- I wish Mitchell Karasik well, I really do.  Even as a Tickerman -- maybe he'll study up and we'll get used to the somewhat exotic cadences he brings to his readings.  After all, one of the qualities The Ticket brings to sports-talk radio is its willingness to showcase unconventional broadcast voices.  So let's give the guy a chance.  (To help expiate my guilt over teasing him at the outset, and in admiration of the initiative he's shown in his non-Ticker ventures.)

Let the Mitchell Karasik Watch continue.

Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

Email:  ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

The Hardline Blues

I had something else planned for this entry, but there seems to be a hot topic emerging among Confessors.

First, a brief report on a conversation I had last night.  Present at this moment were two adult woman and a man.  They know I do this site.  One of the women said that she hated The Hardline because it was "coarse."  Sports/guy radio is not going to be her first choice under any circumstances, but that was not the case with the other adult male, squarely in the Ticket demo wheelhouse.  He mentioned that he'd been liking Norm's show lately.  He also said that he had tried to listen to "the afternoon show."  He tried to explain who he was listening to, without success, and I just asked him if it were afternoon or afternoon drive.  Drive, he said.  He said when he tried to listen there was almost no sports talk, but sometimes they tried to do political talk and it was so ignorant that he had to switch it off.

Second, I can hardly remember the last time a Confessor said anything positive about The Hardline.  To judge from recent comments, some Confessors say they are drifting away and will drop it entirely if Danny leaves.  Personally, I don't feel that way.  I still enjoy the show.  I like Corby.  I don't mind Mike not having all that much on his mind.   I could do without the political stuff myself -- the only thing worse than Musers talking politics is The Line talking politics -- but in general, my forays into Galloway and RaGE territory are always brief.  Which is another way of saying, I guess, that The Line's competition is weak.  But even so, it would take a pretty extraordinary presentation by another station to get me to switch.

Having said that, I do think The Hardline may be entering one of its dark periods.  It is true, as Confessors say, that Mike is drifting into one of his disconnected phases, show prep is not apparent, the OverCorby is appearing more frequently.  I will keep an eye on this trend and report, although I suspect you will all do so before I do.

Believe it or not, this is the only picture I could find on the Internet of
Danny, Corby, and Mike together. I'm sure there are others,
they just didn't come up in any searches.   What makes it of particular interest
is that I took it.  Junior Miller's distinguished beak is entering the frame
stage right.

Third:

Danny.

The end of the comment string from the prior post reported on Robert Wilonsky's report that Danny and others have invested in the revival, if that's what it is, of the Twilight Lounge in Deep Ellum.   (Link to Robert's Report)  His specific use permit hearing is before the Dallas Plan Commission this week sometime.  Confessors report there was no mention of it made on the show today, as predicted on this very blog.  I would not expect to hear anything about it until Danny's departure was certain, which I continue to predict with something approaching zero conviction, and even then not until shortly before.  There are lots of hoops to jump through before something as iffy as a Deep Ellum revival commits to open its doors, and the last thing The Line would want would be a lengthy lame duck period for arguably the most popular guy on the show.

And the point I offer for discussion is what that departure would mean for the show.  I've always felt that Danny keeps the OverCorby under control and keeps the show moving.  He's also very smart, very funny, very witty (not the same thing), and just an all around good listen.   When either Mike or Corby is absent, the resulting show with Danny always gets good reviews.  When Danny is away, the reviews are not so good.  Would his departure send tremors through the CTO as they hand-wring over whether to replace him, and, if they do, with whom? 

Fourth:  Despite the evidence of the Confessor, the show is enjoying historical levels of popularity.  Something about the show continues to resonate with the demographic, and isn't that the idea?

So consider this an Open Thread for some truly thoughtful 30,000-foot thoughts on The Hardline.  Remember -- this site was founded in part as a reaction to what I call "The Corby Sux School of Ticket Journalism."    If you're abandoning the show, that's fine and you are invited to tell us why, but I'm really more interested in why you think the show is still a smash hit in the metro.

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Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

Email:  ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

Sunday Morning Quick HIts

*  *  *

 

(1)  I was wrong in previous comment about freshman Tickerman Mitchell Kerasik (sp) no longer broadcasting.  He's doing Tickers this morning. 

 

(2)  I try always to listen to the Bob Sturm/Rich Phillips Cowboys pre-game.  Always strong, and I like the teaming of Bob and Rich.

 

This season they've been required to feature other Ticket hosts.  If anyone knows why the CTO believes this is necessary, please advise.  Are they concerned about Sturm monopolization of two hours of broadcasting?  Do they think there's not enough variety in the two-hour show?  They already have David Newbury, David Moore, Norm doing the numbers, and pre-recorded George doing some keys to the game (although I'm thinking that maybe they don't do that last one anymore; I may be thinking to past seasons). 

 

Why they make Mike R do stuff like this is a mystery.  He has almost nothing to say.  Junior had a good segment prepared.  But the best, so far, has been -- Dan McDowell, last week.  The best BaD broadcast I've heard in awhile, with some Dick Hicks spice in the bargain.

 

(3)  Those George/Gordon Raising Cain's ads are effective.  I've written in the past how utterly mediocre the Raising Cain's chicken product is, but the other day I was hungry and saw a Cain's up ahead so thought, hey, for George and Gordon, I'll give it a fifth try. 

 

As usual:  Friendly, fast, spotless, fresh/hot, and chicken utterly, 100% without flavor.  And, in this case, under-battered, although it scarcely matters.  What do they marinate it in for 24 hours?  Water?  And how they manage to develop a recipe for a batter that does not register on the tongue at all is a mystery of modern culinary science.  Tip:  salt.

 

(3)  I'm liking MaSS.   One way I judge showgrams is whether they get me interested in topics I know nothing about or otherwise have no interest in.  This morning, MaSS did just that with its "local beer" segment. 

 

We smack the CTO around a fair amount, but it must be said that it's made a good effort to come up with solid weekend programming.  I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I'd rather listen to MaSS than any other show on either of The Ticket's competitors, weekday, drive, or otherwise.   The Ticket conversational formula must be impossible to duplicate, since no one has been able to do it, yet the CTO seems to identify the right types to put on a show that fits in The Ticket sound and broadcast theory.  For that, they deserve some credit.

 

Those hits weren't as quick as I'd expected.

OPEN THREAD: CBS Rumblings

As I mentioned, I was going to take a break, but this tidbit deserves its own thread.

See the following article brought to our attention by Anonoymous:

Boomer and Carton: Get Ready For Your Close-Up

The money quote, speaking of the Dallas market and 105.3 The Fan:

 "This is a market where both CBS and Cumulus own sports radio stations. It would basically be a coin flip between “The New School” on “The Fan” and the long-running “Musers” on KTCK/”1310 The Ticket” – though a scenario where the “Musers” would move to “The Fan” in favor of a “B&C” clearance on “The Ticket” is not out of the question."

According to hawk-eyed Confessor Shaggy, Mike Rhyner had the following reaction to this on his Facebook page, which I've confirmed:

"so you thought this cbs/cumulus alliance is a non-story, huh?...fight through this until you get to the salient point ( and when you do, you'll know it) and then see if you still are thinking that...a merger, probably later than sooner, is coming"

In considering the possibilities, please bear in mind the evidence currently before us on the strategic acumen of the CTO.


Wrecking the channel seems like a long way to go just to get rid of MTC.

*     *     *

Hope to be back in a couple.  Carry on.

A Note on Speculation

+     +     +

Some Confessors like the guessing games on this site.

Others find it annoying and even improper.  That's OK.  I don't mind the criticism, if expressed in tones conventionally disgusted.

I don't want to whine, but put yourself in my shoes for a moment.

This site had its third anniversary last Saturday.  That's 469 posts, counting this one.

Basically covering (1) the station as a whole (CTO, signal, internal politics), (2) The Musers, and (3) The Hardline.  There are posts about Norm but not a lot of them.  A few more about BaD but again, not a conspicuous feature of this site.  An occasional visit to other stations.

You know I'm not a Ticket insider, and you'd need a scanning electron microscope to find the inside information I've received from genuine insiders.

Which means that if I'm going to generate new material on this site more than once every couple of weeks or so, I've basically got two sources to draw on:  I can comment on stuff that I've heard, which is far from the majority of the broadcast day and only, on average, about half of The Musers and The Hardline.  The stuff I've heard you've heard too.  It can be fun to comment on that and get your reactions, but after awhile, let's face it, there's not a lot new out there.  You want another column about Hardline potty mouth?  I didn't think so.

Or I can listen real carefully when I do listen, and speculate about stuff that the Nation speculates about, and sometimes I come up with stuff that maybe it hasn't thought of.  Sometimes it strikes a nerve, sometimes it's right, sometimes it's plausible but wrong, and sometimes it's just plain ridiculous.  I accept the ridicule and criticism -- anyone who runs a blog about something that people care strongly about had better be prepared for that.  If it isn't vulgar or too over the top, up it stays.

A third source would be y'all, but my occasional calls for topics meet with stony silence.  Still, you've noticed that a particularly interesting or well-aimed comment will sometimes serve as the topic for the following article.

Even when I'm wrong, I can sometimes flush out stuff that we wouldn't know otherwise.  Take the just previous Pants Finnegan column.  Anonymous advises that Pants is Gordon's reference to an obstreperous new sales guy.  Says it twice, in fact.  He also instructs me to "stop overthinking stuff like this."  Well, Anonymous, if I hadn't wondered why Gordon had created this character, who didin't seem to have reference to any "type" we knew from the station, we wouldn't have the benefit of your (apparent, and, I think, actual)  inside information that Gordon was noodging this new sales star from San Diego and, presumably, the sales department generally.  And we wouldn't know that Gordon sometimes does whole bits that are meaningful primarily to his colleagues, and not to us.  Those insights are not going to overturn Obamacare, but they are of interest to the good folks who click over to My Ticket Confession.

So I'm going to keep listening between the lines, and throwing out guesses, and maybe we'll all learn a little something about this wonderful station that positively invites us to care about it on a personal basis.

And someday, maybe some of those guesses will come home to roost, and I'll be able to say that you read it here first.

+     +     +

In other news:  Did you hear Corby and Mike discussing Dan Bennett this afternoon?  The subject was working on holidays, which the hosts don't have to do this year, the first time in a decade or so, since the early Susquehanna days.  I laughed out loud in the Conestoga when they ridiculed Bennett for his judgment that a lot of new listeners, freed from their workplaces, would spend their holiday listening to the radio.   And that it took him ten years to realize that this view was in error.  Pretty rough on the ol' CTO.  

+     +     +

Confessors, I'm buried for the rest of the week and then off with Mrs. Plainsman for a vacation in cooler climes.  Please feel free to do 90- and even 180-degree turns on subject matter in the comments.  I will monitor comments and toss in a pfennig or two if I have a thought.   I'll be back if I'm able, but it may be awhile before there's a new article.  Thanks to all for observing the unwritten rules of civility of this site, and in advance for continuing to do so.

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Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

Email Your Plainsman:  ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

Some Smart Radio Guy Read This Right Away and Tell Us What It Means

http://rbr.com/cbs-radio-cumulus-pact-for-cbs-sports-radio-network/

I have a feeling it may mean as much or more for The Ticket than it does for The Fan.

You may comment even if you are not a Smart Radio Guy.

[Thanks to Confessor Ron for calling this to our attention.]

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Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

Email Your Plainsman:  ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com