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| Binky and Sheba Wish The Pan-American Catman and All The Ticket Guys and Gals a Happy 19th Birthday |
And, lest we forget, the Magnificent 7 still on board (not sure whether Cactus still has some kind of affiliation):
Mike "The Creator" Rhyner
Craig "Junior" Miller
George "Formerly Sometimes Called 'The Commander'" Dunham
Gordon "Gordon" Keith
Mike "Fernando" Fernandez
Steve "Cactus" Pryor
and
Rick "The Immortal" Arnett
I am a day 1 P1 (I was a 17 year old senior in HS and listened to the "loop" all weekend before that 1st day on air) and I get just about every joke and callback from 19 years worth of radio...
ReplyDeleteBut I need help with 2 bits of ticket history:
1) who did the voice of Tom Foolery?
2) what do the musers mean when they refer to a woman having a "high peanut butter factor"
1) Don Harris
ReplyDelete2) It means she looks like she smells like peanut butter.
Happy BDay Little One!!!!
ReplyDeleteSTAY HARD, CUMULUS!
I say we now start the countdown till Mike's retirement.
From his open question to Two Point, I'd say ditto Plainsman.
Speaking of: That was kinda cryptic, big guy. What was that offer all about? Did duckandcover hit upon something else with his bag of predictions?
Does the same job title 'Production Director" for 17 years count as an affiliation? If so, then yeah, I'm still affiliated.
ReplyDeleteAnd Shaggy, to quote Rosen Rosen, "I think you're wrong'. Google snopes, peanut butter dog. That's what I've always understood the PBF to mean.
Shaggy:
ReplyDeleteWho is Don Harris? Is that the old WBAP guy?
Don Harris is a sports anchor in San Antonio. He was George and Junior's college roommate.
ReplyDeleteIs 10:14 Cactus Friar (sp)? If so, hey ho let's go!!!! Cool beans and kick ass that a guy like him peruses this blog!
ReplyDeleteIf it's you, Cactus.......'preciate ya pal.
ARS, Can you expound on Mike's question to Two Point and the cryptic offer? Link?
ReplyDeleteThe "cryptic offer" was my offer to sell Two Point a website for a very attractive price. He declined.
ReplyDeleteNothing cryptic intended -- just a tip-o'-the-hat to Two Point's writing style and expository tendencies, which somewhat mirror my own.
As far as peanut-butter factor is concerned, here's a vaguely Ticket-related discussion of it that comes to no conclusions, including whether it is a bad or a good thing. May resonate with a Gordon interview of Eva Longoria:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.spurstalk.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-87574.html
The big q is.......what website, Pman?
ReplyDeleteI understand why their 19th birthday celebration coincides with a Guys' Night Out and why it now happens to fall on a Stars game. While every anniversary at this point is a milestone of sorts, it's not a major milestone like a 20th. I can't wait to see what they do for the 20th next year. I hope they don't screw it up. A few years back I'd have thought there was no way they would, but now, they seem to mess everything and anything up. No matter how big or how small. From the whole engineering fiasco during the move, to using freaking FAN slogans in their promos, et cetera, nothing seems to be done right anymore. That's not the way it used to be. Quite the opposite in fact. The Midas Touch is definitely gone from the station.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been able to catch a lot of it today, but I've enjoyed what I've heard of birthday talk. I'm with ausgang, though, I can't wait to see what they do next year, and I hope they give it the attention it deserves.
ReplyDeleteI think I know who the FAN insider anon is. He goes by Jrprogrammer on the Radio-info Dallas board. Says much of the same stuff that that anon does.
ReplyDeleteAnybody think anything about Gavin Spittle taking the reigns at The FAN. They are going to have more interesting stuff happening soon. First off Elf and Slater project should be trashed.
ReplyDeleteSpittle already had the reins of The FAN, and it was worse then than it is now. He went to Houston and completely aped The Ticket. He can't do that here; well, not too much anyway; not too much more than they already do. This is, to use a phrase Whitt once made about The Ticket, "the Last Supper" for The FAN. They're going to make a few tweaks and even get rid of a show or two. My feeling is that the G Bag Nation (horrific name BTW) will replace Elf and Slater (Elf's a great guy and knows his stuff, but he's not an everyday host). Unfortunately RaGE, which deserves to be given the boot, will remain. I swear, that station will go down staking its name on that terrible show.
ReplyDeleteLet me be more clear, Spittle already has run The FAN. After he was let go, he went to Houston. I give Spittle/The FAN until September to make some sort of tangible gains. If not, my bet is that CBS, while perhaps keeping the name, goes all national shows.
ReplyDeleteElf is not bad. He and Josh had a great show. I know some were less enamored, but I feel if K & C guys got a real chance, they would develope an audience. They kinda grow on you. I was really enjoying them during their fill-in week.
ReplyDeleteSlinky, I believe you are the same anon who's a friend of the K&C guys, yes? That's fine. Good on you for supporting them. I've listened to them on the weekends and when they filled in. They were throwing out some of the most drunken barstool Tony Romo bulsh I've heard in a while. They're your buds so I can understand you see greatness or at least the potential for greatness in them. I don't. Pretty sure the majority of the metroplex feels the same. Sorry.
ReplyDelete(1) Laughed out loud at the Tom-Hicks-selling-his-house talk on the Musers this morning.
ReplyDelete(2) Had occasion to be in the car later at night the past couple of weeks. Tuned in to the G-Bag Nation with Gavin Dawson and Chris Arnold. Gawd, it was just awful. Awful.
(3) Various quarters have predicted the demise of The Fan, at least the current lineup, for a long time. Hasn't happened (other than in the ratings). Isn't it likely that Gavin Spittle will be given a fair amount of rope? CBS said: "“Under GAVIN's leadership, SPORTSRADIO 610 dominated HOUSTON SportsTalk,” said DALLAS-FORT WORTH SVP BRIAN PURDY. “During his time with the station, ratings among Men 25-54 more than doubled." In other words, with this hire CBS's intention is to focus on its sportsy talking, not its other talking stations. I surmise that(1) The Fan will be around in its current general format for quite awhile, and (2) he's got to shake things up to justify his hire, so we might well expect some programming changes sooner rather than later.
Sports Radio 610 had MaD Radio with Gay or Not Gay, Homer Call of the Week, and nearly everything about the station was a complete Ticket rip job. Rip job doesn't do it justice. He stole. He was The FAN's first pd. He failed, miserably. This is CBS's last ditch effort to salvage their failed endeavor. Spittle and the station are on a short leash.
ReplyDeleteI've gone back and forth on the G-Bag Nation. At first I appreciated having live, local radio on at that time of the night. Chris Arnold does come off as immature; especially considering his age and experience; but his connections within the DFW sports scene run deep, so he is a good source for information. His analysis of what goes on within the game is another story. Now that I've listened to the show for several, extended periods, I've come to the conclusion that it's pretty bad. Gavin and the rest of the crew are a joke. If anything, Chris should be the main host. The funny, or sad, depending upon how you look at it, I think G-Bag is going to replace one of the day shows. I have to agree with 10:30, surely The FAN is on a short leash by now.
ReplyDeletechris arnold has so very little its astounding that most people can't see it. he can barely read. doesnt think well on his feet. if there was a word that meant "more generic than generic" he would be defined as that. he is a nice person that has cobbled together a nice little existence for himself but hes exactly like a girl that looks good from far, but when you get close, is far from good. the closer you look the less you will like what you see.
ReplyDeleteSorry 2:11 slinky isn't FoK&C it's me, but I can understand the nature of being anon and getting it confused. Either way, I still think you'll hear more out of them in the future, whether it be 105.3 103.3, they are going to be around the area for a while in some form.
ReplyDeleteTicket still the America's favorite and a club that's tough to be part of. Tough to compete with guys that have been at it for 19 years. Also tough to break old habits as a listener. I punch around more often than I used to just because I have the options. If I didn't have the options, probably would still be trained and conditioned to leave it on 1310 all day, but I like Golden Corral and China Nugget.
Dallas Morning News story about Danny's new venture:
ReplyDeletehttp://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2013/01/now-that-they-have-plan-commissions-blessing-danny-balis-and-jess-barr-detail-their-plans-for-the-perfect-dive-bar.html/
Anon Ron, you just beat me to the punch! Danny is gone from THL. No ifs ands or buts.
ReplyDeleteI don't care what Danny says in the article. He might think he can do both (and want to open up additional bars...btw, Danny, better walk before you run), but if want's to be successful, he's gonna learn in quick order this first bar, alone, will take up all of his time. Right now, he's either purposely not being truthful or he's living in a fantasy land. Because the way he and his partner seem to have put it, this is their baby, and they're doing it themselves. Even if they have investors, it matters not. Investors are...investors. They invest to earn a nice return, not to work for the investment. Write it down, Danny will come on air no later than September and announce that he's leaving THL because he realizes that his business is one that requires attention 24/7. I do wish him the best, though.
ReplyDeleteGotta love this place. Constantly predicting things that never happen while ignoring comments from the people actually involved.
ReplyDelete@7:04
ReplyDeleteYou must have some sort of cognitive and-or psychological deficiency. It's the only rational explanation as to why you would constantly read a blog and its comment sections, make your own comments, and yet claim the blog is always wrong, ever inane. Seek help.
To add. This is a fan site of a particular radio station. Discussing the happenings, the potential happenings, and even, holy smokes prepare yourself jack a, S P E C U L A T I O N on what might happen will and does occur. The fact that you seem to have not figured this out yet only provides further evidence of your cognitive-psychological deficiency. Again, seek help. If not for your own good, for the good of society as a whole. Personally, I don't care to have my tax dollars help foot the bill for your extended stay in a state mental facility. So get your ship righted before it comes to that.
ReplyDeleteSnippy Anon vs. Grumpy Anon: Who ya got?
ReplyDeleteWe're having fun here, no?
On another note, Scattershooting has become my 2nd favorite segment of the week. I love Tha Junez and all he brings.
Well, we kinda sheepishly admitted when the original Wilonsky story came out that we didn't really know what we were talking about. So I don't mind that we're getting some grief for reaching a conclusion seemingly refuted by Danny himself. Sometimes speculation is wrong. Happens.
ReplyDeleteAnd I see no reason not to take Danny at his word. If that's his plan, that's his plan.
It does strike me as odd -- if someone else is going to run joint's daily operations, that's a salary and taxes and the lot that is not going into profit. I am under the impression that the food/drink end of the hospitality industry, unless you have a high-volume smash hit joint, are razor-thin. So I do think it's a curious choice for Danny not to jump into this with both feet, but but by no means necessarily a bad one. He doesn't want to run it? Great, sink some capital into another headcount and hope that cash flow pays for him, and all your other expenses, and leaves something for you and your investors. Not an irrational business model, just an odd one where prospects are iffy.
Hey, I couldn't be happier that I'm wrong -- assuming Danny's representations on this score aren't a smokescreen to avoid the appearance of lame-duck tenure at THL, which I judge a remote possibility -- and delighted to look forward to months and years more of Danny's wit on the old amplitude modulation.
Plainsman - Thanks for the level-headed response to Danny's quotes in the DMN article. Seriously.
ReplyDelete-Snippy Anon
Plainsman - You are missing something here about additional headcount. To wit: if one person is operating the investment on daily basis, that person should be compensated for his time IN ADDITION to the investment.
ReplyDeleteFor example: If MTC was a for-profit operation and you, I and Danny were equal investors; each with 33.333% (ad f'n infinitum). Then say you are the only person who publishes content, then you should be paid the going wage for that content. Otherwise, you will be doing all the work and Danny and I will be coasting, reaping our dividends.
Which brings the topic of sweat equity which you pointed out earlier. If, on the other hand, someone had a good idea of how to make MTC work, but did not have the funds to make it work, then that person (you) comes to investors, takes the cash infusion, makes it work with effort and skill, and "earns" your 33.333% return.
One of the first mistakes a lot of entrepreneurs make is failure to pay oneself. Factor paying someone else to manage the day-to-day; then if you want to assume that role, fine.
As for me, if I had the inclination and funds, I would hire a hot ass bartender and manager. I have never met Danny in person. I have heard he is a great guy and also that he is a "dark soul". Dark souls don't help an upbeat local dive.
IJS
To express an opinion contrary to someone who believes they can do x at the same time they're doing z is not way off the farm. Specially when you have firsthand knowledge of what it takes to make x successful.
ReplyDeleteDon't fall for this guy's crap, Plainsman. He's the same troll anon who has been coming on here for a couple of years now. He's internet scum.
I'm trying to give Corby every benefit of the doubt, but now he's gone and dissed the Moody Blues.
ReplyDeleteHe's not going to lose a listener, but he gets another black mark in the ledger.
East Texas: Don't think I missed anything. I would fully expect an equity owner who is working for the enterprise to be paid at market, including Danny. My point is that when you pay non-ownership for active management and not yourself (if you're doing the work), then you're losing some of the personal financial benefit (not to mention professional satisfaction) of working for a business that, presumably, you find more attractive from an "ordinary income" standpoint (i.e., you make more in salary) than producing The Hardline. And, of course, one would think an owner is going to work harder to make his capital, sweat or otherwise, appreciate than would a non-owner manager.
ReplyDeleteIf your point is that a salary paid to a Danny is as much a charge against earnings as that paid to a non-owner manager, of course you're entirely correct.
My head hurts!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, keep some Cumulus items in mind:
ReplyDelete1- They lost Paul Finebaum from Birmingham's WJOX this week.
http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/80659/paul-finebaum-departs-cumulus-wjox/
2- Cumulus may still purchase CBS Radio outright.
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/191652/cumulus-may-buy-cbs-radio.html#axzz2IobkjmQ3
3- Cumulus is still in court with former KNBR afternoon host Ralph Barberi over wrongful termination as Ralph disclosed on air his Parkinsons.
Granted, I do no know Ticket salaries, but Ralph was making $400K in salary according to his legal filings and was asked to take a $100K cut one year before termination. While they have the Giants, here is what they do:
http://ratings.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb009
They only have one gut worth a d@mn and Damon Bruce is on their secondary channel. Their morning drive guys (Murf and Mac) are terrible.
Other than Davey introducing Danny as "now entrepreneur" there was no mention of the bar on The Orphanage.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the info, Damien, though I'm not sure what it means vis-a-vis The Ticket, other than the fact that its a Cumulus station.
ReplyDeleteFrom the scuttlebutt I've heard around the neighborhood (I live in the same area as Mr. Pizza), Danny and his partner are going to be running the day to day, night to night operations. Not sure what his partner does for a living other than playing music, so who knows, maybe he'll be doing all the daytime work. Which is a lot. I know, I bar tended for years. In a small operation like the one Danny's getting into, it's been my experience that owners and managers work day and night. So maybe their schedules permit them to split up the work load. If that's so, then it's possible that he can retain his Hline duties and work the bar at night. Even if that's the deal, I'm not sure how long it'll last. I have to agree with those who say Danny will say adios soon after the bar opens. He might not think he's going, but like I said, most small bar owners I've known work constantly. I sure hope he can do both jobs, because THL will suck even more without him.
Does anyone here watch the webcam? I can't. It's clunky (and I have a super fast connection) and in some ways it kinda ruins the magic for me. Sorta like pulling the curtain back on the Wizard of Oz.
ReplyDeleteNew fan PD admits he stole, sorry, I mean borrowed from The Ticket to gain ratings in Houston
ReplyDeletehttp://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2013/01/horn-new-executive-plans-to-use-cowboys-rights-to-bring-105-3-the-fan-out-of-radio-basement.html/
Just read the Spittle piece. Thanks for posting the link, Slim. I must say that this is the first ounce of sanity I've ever heard coming from anyone involved with The FAN. He's exactly right: stop talking about The Ticket; stop thinking about The Ticket; and go after something more realistic...at this point...that is, ESPN. I also think that from what he said, there are going to be changes to the lineup, and soon. I highly doubt RaGE is on the hot seat. At least not just yet. But it is pretty damn sad that they can't even compete with GAC, which is so bad, it makes THL still sound like quality radio (which it still can be on good days; on most, not so much). I have a feeling the morning crew and Elf and Slater will be the first to go. I also have a feeling that Spittle is going to attempt to money whip some local sports authorities (no, not THAT Authority--Coop). Might that mean current Ticket hosts that are on the ass end of their current contracts??? (Out of curiosity, does anyone out there know which hosts are up for renewal in the near/soon-ish future?)
ReplyDeleteWhatever Spittle does, I'm glad that he admitted he ripped from The Ticket while in Houston. I'm also glad that he realizes such tactics will only backfire here (as they already have where The FAN is concerned). My one suggestion to Mr. Spittle: Don't be deceived by the G-Bag Nation's nighttime, going up against nothing ratings; you'll regret moving them into either the morning or midday shift. Though something tells me that's exactly what he's going to do. It also wouldn't surprise me to see him give K&C Masterpiece a shot at midday. That, too, would be a mistake. Those guys are in no way near ready for such an undertaking. No way near. Sorry you commenters that espouse their greatness, your boys are JVers through and through right now. And bringing in talent from outside of the market rarely works around here--Bob and Dan being the two exceptions. Thus I see an aggressive plan of money whipping and poaching to be implemented. Considering CBS's bottomless pockets and apparent desire to succeed in the market, it could get interesting around here.