What Are We to Make of the September 15 Hearing?

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No One Knows Anything

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There’s an Angle to This We’re Neglecting; Or, Some Sketchy but Nevertheless Long-Winded Speculations on What Might Happen Based on Limited Information

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.
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*  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

Pax Ticketa

Confessor Gypo Nolan commented:  "Hold on to your butts.  Big time."

That sent me into a frenzy of DFW sports media source checking, some of whom have tentacles into The Ticket.

Know what they all said?

Ain't nothing happening.  Hosts tied up.  No reports of rebellion or departure or retirement or unhappiness.  All good at 1310 AM, 96-7 FM.

But  .  .  .  what about Cumulus? I asked.

What about it? they replied. Next deadline with the lenders is sometime in 2019.

So Confessors, I did my due diligence, and came up with borscht.

Gypo, you got some 'splainin' to do.

Unless you're reporting on the Tony Romo thing, or something happening at ESPN or Fan, in which case if you don't say any more than "Hold on to your butts.  Big time" on a site dedicated to The Ticket, you haven't teased much of anything at all.

Give, Gypo, or forever lose your MTC cred.

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

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.
 

LEAKED: From Mike R's Inbox

From a remote Cumulus information technology administrator, exclusive to My Ticket Confession:

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

TO:        mrhyner@cumulus.com (mike_rhyner)

FROM:      jcatlin@cumulus.com (jeff_catlin)

DATE:      March 2, 2015

SUBJECT:   Some Thoughts from Bruce


Hey, OGW, hope you're staying warm. 

Listen, you know BG stopped by the station a few weeks back on his "grand tour" of the Cumulus sports talkers.  Great to see him again, hope he got a chance to stop by the show by to shake your hand.  Looks great, dunnee?! 

He told me he was going to have a few thoughts for us after hanging in Dallas and talking to people and driving around listening to the station for a few days, said he'd drop me a line.  Got a note from him this morning.

Turns out, he's got a little homework for you.

He's jotted down a few phrases he'd like you to study carefully and start working them in during the broadcast.  Actually, he used the phrase "tell Mike to memorize and use now."  May want to print this out and use it as a cheat sheet.

Look, man, I know you're the godfather, the founder of the feast, the inventor of sports radio in Dallas.  Gotta tell you, though, with respect, this sort of isn't a suggestion.  You know how a boss can sometimes throw something out that looks like some kind of random shit but you know it really isn't?  This is like that.  Gotta do this.  After these last two books our leverage with the parent to shuck the BS that usually comes from Atlanta ain't what it used to be.   Kinda under the microscope, ya know?

When I drove him back to Love he mentioned he was going to be popping in on iHeart to see how things were sounding. 

So you may want to start with this as soon as you've got them down, like today.

Cut and pasted this from BG's email.  Here are your phrases that pay from Bruce:

"Let me finish."

"Just hold on a minute before you start in."

"Look, I'm talking here."

"Jesus Christ, don't you ever stop talking?"

"Don't interrupt me, I'm saying something."

"This is my segment."

"Let me tell YOU something.  I was rockin' Gertie's and the Longhorn Ballroom all night and doing radio all day when you were just a glint off the bottom of a jigger of your pappy's Old Grand-Dad." 

"My turn here."

"Me taking a breath is not your cue to start talking."

"Here's the deal: I'll talk while you re-check that story you just found  on lowinfo.com forty-seven seconds ago so you don't accidentally misreport that Jesus has returned or the sun has exploded or Taylor Swift has married Dwaine Caraway."

"You want to shut your mic off there?"

"You know, it's absolutely amazing to me that What's On Mike's Mind is coming exclusively out of your mouth."

"Christ, even Bob Sturm has been known to let someone else talk for up to 12 seconds at a time."

"This is your quiet time." 

"Please, just  .  .  .  just  .  .  .  let me talk for awhile."

"I want my Hammer back.  That's not a drop."

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

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.

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.

Kinda Worried

Maybe a little more than kinda.

I never thought the ESPN deal would result in anyone moving from The Ticket to 103.3.  Didn't make sense for Cumulus to pirate a single one of its top-rated to counter-program 1310.

No, my worry is about what seems to be the related sale of 104.1.

I don't know if we have any definitive ruling on whether the ESPN deal, whereby Cumulus will program, but not own, 103.3, required the divestiture of 104.1.  Doesn't really matter for what's worrying me.

When accounts of the 104.1 sale appeared, the word was that it would continue to simulcast 1310 until the intermediary -- apparently, the sale was made to a nominee, a media property broker who was going to flip to another operator when one could be found.   (The broker is Whitley Media, a broker with Media Services Group.)  I haven't found any further information on any deal closing, so as of now, 104.1 is effectively unflipped, and it's still chirping out Sportsradio 1310, The Ticket.

And what will happen when someone is found to take over the Sanger Blowtorch?

Your Plainsman rises early; chores, you know.  I travel to the skyscrapers of Dallas, Texas, where I park and scurry to my assigned seat and turn on the radio.  Most days -- not all, but most -- 104.1 may be heard on the radio set.  1310, no.  Even after the sun rises and 1310 makes recognizably human sounds, it still goes in and out, and but 104.1 generally remains stalwart to downtown and in the towers.

I get the impression that most Confessors listen to 1310.  But I listen almost exclusively to 104.1.  Could I listen to 1310 if 104.1 disappeared?  Yes, but not for as long, and not as comfortably.  iHeart and the new Ticket app and the website stream are not ideal substitutes for me for a number of reasons.

So do we know what Cumulus has in mind?  I suppose it should be plain after all these years that no one knows what Cumulus has in mind.  But I was troubled by this passage from this Barry Horn article:

"Although prominent sports talk radio stations in New York, Philadelphia and Boston have secured FM outlets, Cumulus’ [COO John] Dickey said that is not the current plan for the The Ticket.

"Cumulus has aired Ticket programming on weak-signaled KTDK-FM (104.1), but the sale of the station is pending. Might The Ticket find another more powerful home on the FM dial?

'We believe you don’t fix something that’s not broken,' Dickey said.

But he added, 'You never say never about anything.'"

This isn't exactly the same as saying "we're not going to replace the 104.1 signal, and will just go with the Bic-Lighter 1310 signal, and good fracking luck to you all," but it's pretty close.  Of course, it does confirm that Cumulus does not believe that the Ticket signal is deficient in any way that matters, which ought not come as a shock to Confessors.  And it also confirms that John Dickey really has pretty much no idea of what's going to happen -- or at least nothing he's willing to share, which is not necessarily a bad posture to take with a reporter.

So I'll enjoy the crystal clarity of the Sanger Blowtorch for now, and hope that Whitley Media's potential customers find 104.1 as worthless as Cumulus does.

KTDK Coverage Map

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ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

WE INTERRUPT GORDON KEITH WEEK TO BRING YOU THE NEWS THAT CUMULUS IS SHEDDING 104.1

Thanks to Confessor BBQ for this news:

http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/119986/cumulus-spins-off-dallas-area-fm

Here is a comment from radioInsight  (http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/84092/cumulus-sells-dfw-rimshot/):

"The station currently rebroadcasts Sports '1310 The Ticket' KTCK to the northern suburbs of the Dallas/Fort Worth market.

The sale price will come in two parts. At closing of this sale, Cumulus will receive $100. Whitley will then turn around and resell the station at which point Cumulus will receive all proceeds from that sale minus all expenses incurred in the operation of the station and from marketing and reselling the station.

William Whitley, the owner of Whitley Media, is a broker with Media Services Group. KTDK is a Class C3 operating with 6.2kW at 192 meters.

INSTANT INSIGHT: With Cumulus being at the ownership limit in Dallas and the way this sale is being structured it makes us wonder if they needed to quickly divest their worst signal in the market in order to make room for the acquisition of another."

This is either real bad news (incredibly scruddy Ticket aggregate signal gets even scruddier, unless there's some arrangement to keep broadcasting on 104.1 -- at this writing Ticket still on 104.1) or real good news (Cumulus gloms some other, better, signal and puts The Ticket on it).

Your Plainsman spends a fair amount of time on 104.1 so this is of extreme interest to this site.  Even though radioInsight calls the station a "rimshot."  It's MY rimshot.

Yes, if our radio guru DA has any poop on this, we respectfully request that he dump it here forthwith.

Thanks, and stand by.

PS:  After you have digested this news, flip back to the just-prior article and read birdie's Gordon Keith observations and Confessor commentary if you haven't already.  Thanks.

So, What's Going On?

You're asking ME?

We've had some fun the past couple of days.  The whole thing is wearing Your Plainsman out.

But I'm always ready to speculate.

Those of you who have followed this site for awhile have surmised that in my job I encounter internal business decisional processes.  I've never encountered one quite like the one facing Cumulus right now, but it seems to me that if Richie Whitt's suggestions are accurate, we might have some notion of what is happening this weekend.

First, we may surmise that what is going on is governed in large degree by their current contracts.  I don't recall seeing anywhere that their contracts are in fact expiring, and what's happening now does not necessarily suggest that they are.  It is not impossible that their current agreements allow them to receive offers from other stations during the term of that agreement which Cumulus would have the opportunity to match, although that would be unusual.  More than likely, Cumulus has that right if Bob and Dan wish to go elsewhere at the end of the contract term.

[PS:  I have a specific reason for wondering about whether Bob and Dan's contracts are at an end, and that is the six-month noncompete we're hearing about.  It is not impossible that there is a noncompete that would take effect at the end of a mere contract expiration/nonrenwal, but those are of questionable validity unless very carefully drafted and supported by specific types of consideration -- Texas law is notoriously unclear on this subject.   A noncompete would have more teeth in the event Bob and Dan quit in the middle of a contract term.  And frankly, since parties frequently don't like to think real hard about the end of a relationship when a contract is being negotiated, a lot of times separation provisions tend to be somewhat general and vague.]

What does this mean?  What's happening?

Well, first thing is, Bob and Dan must take some kind of written offer back to Cumulus so they will know what they need to match.  Which means that CBS has to have made them a written offer.

So they take it back to Cumulus and say, here ya go.

What are Cumulus's rights at this point?

Of course, I don't know what their contract provides, but I think it is unlikely that even if Cumulus matches, Bob and Dan would be required to stay at The Ticket.   No employer wants high-profile employees to stay if they're itching to go, even on the identical terms offered by the competitor.  The employees have indicated their desire to go, and the employer feels held up.  Bad scene.   Personal services are not like other types of contract, where requiring a party to continue with a contract if terms were matched would not create the same kind of internal discomfort (renewing an exclusive product supply contract, for example.)   So if they're gonna stay, it's gonna have to be on terms where they're real damned happy and The Ticket is achieving some other strategic objective -- smiles all around.

The flip side of this is that Bob and Dan are not required to take the CBS offer, even if Cumulus does not mirror the terms of the CBS offer.  The CBS "offer" is only that -- an offer.  CBS cannot unilaterally create a contract (unless Bob and Dan have independently promised to go to CBS if Cumulus doesn't mirror the offer, which would not be prudent for reasons I'll get to in a minute.)   My suspicion is that rather than an "option" to get Bob and Dan to say by matching, this is more like what parties sometimes call a "right of negotiation," an opportunity to get a gander at a competing offer and then the ability to negotiate terms that would persuade Bob and Dan to stay voluntarily.

Another reason for thinking that this is not a lock-step procedure is that personal services agreements are frequently not just dollars and cents.  There may be incentives and promises that the current employer couldn't possibly meet because it doesn't have the same setup as the competitor.  So I'm thinking this is more like "if you've got an offer to go somewhere else, you've got to bring to us and give  us a chance to persuade you to stay with a new deal you'd like."  This is not an unfavorable thing for Bob and Dan, because it means that the competitor is going to have to come up with one helluvan offer to discourage the employer from trying to keep the employees.

If I'm right that it's not a strict "option" type of renewal clause, it is a good thing for people wanting Bob and Dan to stay (including me), because it gives Cumulus the flexibility to put together a package for Bob and Dan that include incentives other than, or in addition to, the ones offered by CBS.  Maybe even less money, but other goodies that Bob and Dan would find attractive.  This is why Bob and Dan should not have made any side deal with CBS to accept the offer if Cumulus doesn't mirror.

So that's what's happening this weekend, if Cumulus hasn't already punted.  Lots and lots of lawyers, plus agents for Bob and Dan.  There might even be a bidding war going on.

What might an appealing BaD package include?

Confessors have speculated that Bob and Dan might be promised PM drive, which would almost require some kind of promise that Mike would be retiring at the end of his current term (late 2014 -- speculation) -- or perhaps well before; after the 20th anniversary?  (Did someone say they heard Danny or someone say "RIP Corby" or the like?)   This would be possible in the scenario I suggest.  It also would require Mike's participation in this whole scene.  And his willingness to consider something like this may have been the inspiration for Dan's sudden sentimentality in addressing his "leader," the not-all-that-Old Grey Wolf.

So:  I'm thinking this is not strictly a "Cumulus has the opportunity to match" scenario.  It's probably more like "Cumulus has the right to see CBS's written offer and try to make a deal."

But  .  .  .  incredible as it may seem, I could be wrong.  But unless Cumulus has already said adios, this is probably one sizzling weekend in the inner sanctum of the CTO and various lawyers, agents, HR types, and, of course, the very talented gentlemen under discussion.

I'm not seeing anything online suggesting that this game is over.  So at present, I'm not getting too excited about wondering who will do middays.

Let's hope the CTO deal CBS yet another disappointment.

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ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

The Ticket. Mark Cuban. Big Deal. No, I Really Mean, Big Deal.

Mark Cuban buying Cumulus is not such an odd idea.  It might be a bargain for him.

Richie Whitt is teasing a scoop for next week stating that something's in the work that will re-shape the radio landscape we've known for three decades.

My only clue the Cuban is involved comes from the mysterious Confessor known as Gypo Nolan, who made reference to October 28, 1962 -- the day the Cuban Missile Crisis was resolved.

I have no other scoops or clues and certainly no inside information.

But think about this for a minute:

As of today, the market capitalization of Cumulus is $585 million.  (That's the value of all its stock at the current market price.) 

It is nowhere near beyond imagining that Cuban could put an investor group together to purchase (or tender for) those shares, albeit at some premium to that price.  Or maybe just the Dickeys' shares.

Yeah, that's a lot of money. 

But folks, that is approximately how much Nolan/Greenburg paid for the Rangers ($385M cash plus assumed debt of $205M = $590M), outbidding a group of which Mark Cuban became a significant part.  There's a lot of money sloshing around among Cuban and his friends, money that could be put to work rehabilitating a mismanaged property bought on the cheap.

Although Cumulus stock is down slightly today, suggesting no rumblings of a buyout amongst those in the know.

I will point out to you, however, that Cumulus has been shedding talent like crazy around the country, and the general feeling is that the Dickeys overpaid for Citadel and other acquisitions and are now in some distress.

So it's not crazy to speculate that Mark Cuban may purchase Cumulus.

Wrong, maybe, in keeping with this site's track record, but not crazy.

 

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Email:  ThePlainsman@gmail.com

Twitter:  @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.

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Email:  ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

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.

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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

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

June 15, 2012

8:26 a.m. --  There is nothing the CTO can do to make working for i93's sales department sound appetizing.  Those frantic ads that run on The Ticket touting the fabulous Cumulus growth in DFW (growth which seems to have been almost entirely purchased, not earned) are unintentionally hilarious.  I'm learning that the radio world is shaking its head nationwide at Cumulus mismanagement and venality. 

Wonder if those ads run on i93. 


8:29 a.m. -- I was genuinely alarmed when Mike didn't come out of the bathroom for Community Quick Hits yesterday.  I have to believe that Corby and Danny had to know that Mike was not in extremis or they would not have made joking reference to his death.

He wouldn't be the first media star to die on the porcelain throne, and I personally know of two other males of Mike's approximate years who expired in exactly the same circumstances.   Must have been bad, the poor guy missed two entire segments and couldn't even come out to say goodbye.


9:35 a.m. --  Who will give us a report on Summa Bash this weekend?

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Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

Email Your Plainsman:  ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

June 7, 2012

7:58 a.m. --  A Confessor sends along this link regarding anti-Cumulus anger in San Fran, and a possible rally against management in support of another popular station Cumulus is said to have screwed, KFOG.  Here is a link to a very short reference: 

http://richliebermanreport.blogspot.com/2012/06/breaking-listeners-revolt-against.html

I agree with the commenter to that blog who said that it won't help, and I can't imagine the P1 bestirring itself to do anything similar here.  I do agree with the commenter who said that until the advertisers start leaving, nothing will happen.

8:00 a.m. -- This morning Rich Phillips took over Gordon's Muse/News duties.  He was grumbling about this and stated that "The P1's hate me." 

Is that true?  This site is not the Voice of the P1, but I am actually a fairly stout Rich Phillips fan, after some initial misgivings.  His Tickers are crisp, I like him as a host with Donovan and a Sturm sidekick during Cowboy season.  He's got an acerbic sense of humor, but at least he's got one.  His skills make Race Week listenable for me, who cares nothing about NASCAR.  And he's an absolutely first-rate play-by-play guy for the 'Stangs. 

8:06 a.m. -- Can we get a detailed report on the technical problems yesterday on The Hardline, and Mike's reaction?

8:07 p.m. -- Some miscreant from Ankara, Turkey, just attempted to access this site's gmail account.