Always love to get suggestions for topics from the Confessor. Especially love to hear from the ladies, good to know we have a civilizing influence checking the site from time to time. Liz emails with a thought that segues nicely with the anniversary reminiscing now current:
"In the past twenty years, we've had non-hosts pass through our listening lives. Junior's "what ever happened to..." line in Scattershooting made me think of this.
"For example - back in the days of Fax Fodder and when THL actually took calls, we were introduced to Glenda (God rest her soul), Danny in Lake Highlands (we know where he is), Rogers Hammerstein (probably got the name wrong, but have no idea what ever became of him), BDH (in Vegas now? )...I think you get the point. I'm guessing that several of us will be reminded and remind others of named we had since forgotten."
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| Not Liz |
By the time I got here in 2007, the shows were already greatly de-emphasizing the callers. I can only remember two: Blue, and the crazy Vikings guy ("Viking ________," can't remember his name.) And of course there's Hakim in Frisco who calls the post-game show. Hong Kong Paul, there's another one. And wasn't there some guy, perhaps of Middle Eastern descent, a younger caller with girl problems (i.e., no girl)?
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| Not Blue |
Regale us, Confessors. And my thanks to Liz.
Great topic. Rogers in Hammerstein is an actual Broadway/session composure/musician. I'm not sure if he still lives in the area any longer. He used to call in THL while playing showtunes on a keyboard and sing-talking maniacally HSOs in a how shall we say less than masculine voice. True greatness. Last I heard on THL, BDH is working for the Bunny Ranch (legal brothel) in Nevada. Very strange dude. He began his radio career as the original HL yuk monkey. He called himself Little Teddy Champion and would do man on the street interviews a la Gordo, among other things. The Viking fan is Paul the Damn Viking. Last time I heard him call in was about two or three years ago. He was exclusively a HL caller. He would yell about the Vikings in an apoplectic manner until Rhynes would finally say "OK, do the cheer." Whereupon Paul would shout out some bizarre homage to an obscure Viking player from the past. Blue in the Grove had a caustic relationship with nearly every show, but especially Norm and BaD. I believe he was banned a few times, each time being reinstated. He seems to have moved on. I think he calls regularly in to the KESN and FAN Cowboy postgame shows. There was also the great JD. He was a HL caller who would talk up the Cowboys and disparage the Rangers by calling them "The Little Red Shoed Rangers." He was an unhealthy, extremely East Texas accented, piece of opinionated work. I haven't heard him call in at least a decade, if not longer. Though I swore I heard him call into The FAN not so long ago. Hope he's still alive and kicking. Then there were early guys like Greek Man (THL regular caller), Side Show Bob (the faxiest Fax Fodderer ever), and a doctor whose name currently escapes me (want to say Dr. Matt) but became quite the off air friend of many a host (incl. Rhynes). Glenda (RIP) was wonderful. She used to give Corby hell. Greggo too. She'd call b.s. on everyone and everything and had no qualms saying it. THL would let her go as long as she wanted. Which was fine because you wanted to hear what she had to say, and she said it concisely then would say "bye" and hang up. Hong Kong Paul is still around. He's a prize hound. He's a part of that subculture that goes from remote to remote, makes call after call, in order to win prizes, any prize whatsoever. The kid who's no longer a kid of Indian descent you're thinking of is Amit from SMU. He would call in all the shows with HSOs. He either had his own show on the SMU student run station and/or a sports column in the student paper. He considered himself sports smart (think young Sports Sturm) and would have all sorts of long winded takes. The hosts loved to pretend they hated him. They would for the most part ignore his HSOs and probe him with personal questions about his love life (or lack thereof).
ReplyDeleteGlenda, Greek Man, JD, et al stopped calling for the most part by the late 90s/early 00s. Though you'd hear from Glenda once and again until the mid 00s. It was during the late 90s that the station began to become more host driven and focused. By the mid-00s it was as it is now - almost exclusively host drive and focused. I understand why, but I wish it wasn't so.
HAHAHA! "Composure"! Uh, I meant "composer."
ReplyDeleteLOL! Man, anon 10:52, I thot I would come on here and throw out "JD", but you were all over it! What was the dudes name from Copeville, and also Dog "you're the best thing on tha Ticket'
ReplyDeleteDid Leon ever call the Ticket? I heard him once last year on the Fan.
ReplyDeleteAnticipating the question - Sterling died several years ago.
Didn't Sterling call some and talk Rangers? He used to call Norm and all of the host at KLIF and may have followed Norm over. Paul the Damn Viking started calling Mike Fisher when the Ticket got tired of his bit.
ReplyDeleteI think Rogers in Hammerstein gave us "Helloooo Frisco!"
ReplyDeleteLatest sports radio ratings are in. KESN-FN took three hours at 11, 1, and 2. (This book was before drydock)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. Can you provide a link, please?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dallasnews.com/sports/more-sports/headlines/20140110-d-fw-sports-radio-ratings-kesn-fm-wins-three-mid-day-hours-over-the-ticket-the-fan.ece
ReplyDeleteIt says this is the December book, so I don't know why you say this is before drydock? The Industry ignores the December book. That's why all the shows leave.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/more-sports/headlines/20140110-d-fw-sports-radio-ratings-kesn-fm-wins-three-mid-day-hours-over-the-ticket-the-fan.ece
ReplyDeleteI told you guys several months back that what was going on at KESN reminded me, in part, of the early Ticket days. In the sense that these new shows are mostly local guys who've been around a long time, a few very recognizable names (e.g., Cowlishaw) who have deep connections to the the local teams and media scene in general (both locally and nationally), and who can do the guy talk thing without making it all about their kick ass lives and first world problems.....doing it while giving sports precedence over guy talk, not making it all about themselves, and taking a few callers (Mosley and Cowlishaw less than the others on the caller front). These shows have a more it's about the listener, not about us feel to them. Just like The Ticket once had. Ticket long-timers will tell you that it was their making it about the hosts that got them where they are today. I've no doubt that's true. However it might be the very thing that eventually brings them down.
I know this one book is only....one book. KESN is a long way off from being a serious threat to KTCK, but this is the first serious and meaningful dent any competitor has made into Ticket dominance in well over a decade. I think it means something. It could be a sign of things to come. I still mostly listen to The Ticket, every show. But I do listen more and more to KESN. I used to stay on 1310 during breaks, or maybe flip to a music channel for the duration. Now I flip over to KESN. Sometimes I find myself doing the same when yet another HL music segment rears its head or when Norm talks of double plays or when BaD has some spare actor from some spare show I've never heard of.
2014 rings in The Ticket's 20 year anniversary. It might also be the year it tangibly begins its slide downward.
Shaggy, if you read the blurb it gives you that info.Though it's kind of buried....took me a second reading to find it myself.)
ReplyDeleteHere it is:
"The ratings period ran from November 7 to December 4. It marked the Ticket’s settling in on its new 96.7 FM frequency and it’s parent company, Cumulus, taking control of KESN-FM. "
So, this was prior to dry dock. Which makes the data even more compelling IMO.
ReplyDeleteOh, duh. Missed that.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is shocking.
I have to think that it wasn't frequency change related. If so, then you'd think the ratings would've been wonky across the board. They weren't. The dips are very specific. So I agree with you, Shaggy, this book is on the shocking side. But it also makes sense. It would be the softer middle part of the lineup that takes the first hits, wouldn't it? Not to disparage BaD or Norm, but DnM and THL are the juggernauts that drive the station's dominance. Like I said, very interesting stuff. A potentially interesting year is ahead where local radio is concerned.
ReplyDeleteHoly moly! We've left off the great R.O.! He was one, if not the, first caller into THL. When he passed away, THL gave a little tribute to him (like they did when Glenda passed). That was when GW famously said "STAY HARD RO!" Thus the origin of the drop. Some of the early listeners were every bit the character and caricature that the hosts were back in those days. True greatness! We all used to speak the same language: whip, wheels off, beating, spare, and on and on. You always knew when a fellow Tickethead or Ticketchick was in your midst because we all would use the lingo, make Ribby references, and provide for drops in our conversations, with everyone. Twas like you belonged to a special, sort of secret clubhouse. Damn how I miss those days! Still, The Ticket is greatness.
ReplyDeleteTo me this spells the end of Norm--I wonder when his contract is up?
ReplyDeleteNorm and BaD haven't changed at all. I don't really get how this shift happened. Admittedly, I didn't give the ESPN midday show much of a chance but it seemed like more of the same from the little I heard. Will be interesting to see January's numbers in a couple months.
ReplyDeleteDoes this say that listeners want to hear the Bad Radio open?
ReplyDeleteI do also wonder how streaming affects all of this. As of now there doesn't appear to be any way to stream KESN. I have a custom stream I use in TuneIn, but KESN doesn't even have a viable website anymore. It still lists GAC as the drivetime show.
ReplyDeleteUnless I'm missing something. KESN is not available through the ESPN Radio app either.
Don't know about Norm's contract, Shaggy. But I have noticed him making more and more mistakes, mispronunciations, and the slurring of words. So much so, that Sirois and Seabass have stopped correcting him. Today, for example, he kept referring to the periods in hockey as quarters. He knows better than that. It's mistakes like that and the constantly getting his local teams crossed up in conversation that make me think his time as a midday host might be coming to an end, at least on The Ticket. As few as two years ago he'd rarely if ever make such mistakes. Perhaps it's time he retire and he and Mary and the boys travel the world.
ReplyDeleteI think KESN is having website issues. They are a part of the TuneIn group. A friend of mine listens to the station via stream.
I started listening to the station during my later years in HS around 96-97, so I don't always remember names of regular callers because they were getting away from that a bit. But I do member people calling in for the 2 minute drill.
ReplyDeleteOn a separate note, what is the deal with the red-head pics, Plainsman?
As I've stated before, I sure hope Mrs. Plainsman is a redhead.
ReplyDeleteIn the market 20 people determine the ratings.
ReplyDeleteOh, OK, 529. Then why is any credence given to them whatsoever? Even if it is 20 people, there must be something to it. Something that causes jobs to be lost, salaries to be increased, format changes, public boasting when they're good, and spin control when they're not good. Your point, then, is????
ReplyDeleteAs far as the last book goes, was that in the period when 1310 was the only option after 104.1 went dark?
ReplyDeleteNorm's contract is up in February. He has mentioned it several times recently.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought after seeing the ratings were this gives Cumulus ammo to either low-ball Norm or not renew him at all. I bet if they did remove him from 10-12, they might keep him around as a postgame guy and for norm-a-thons...
@Gopher... I'm pretty sure 96.7 went live October the 21st.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving this topic. First poster/Anon, are you sure that THL wasn't taking jabs at BDH when they said he was working for The Bunny Ranch? I know he started talking about the place toward the end of The Hot Spot/during his P1 Wild Ass Circus (and never stopped talking about it up until the end of his tenure with the station) - and the way Gordo/others used to satirize his "insatiable appetite for all things sexual" I could see how they'd make something like that up.
ReplyDeleteIt's also 100% believable, I might add.
Final thought: I'm here racking my brain to come up with what he did before producing The Hot Spot, so thanks for filling in the blanks.
@deezy You're welcome. Funny story how I found out that Little Teddy Champion was in fact BDH. Back when Corby became the official HL yuk monkey, it became very apparent, very soon into his tenure that he was taking up a lot of air time. It was quite obvious that his job went beyond mere yuk monkey-dom. It was plain as day that Corby was a 3rd host, pretty much from the get-go. I wasn't digging it. I loved my HL like it had been from D1. Back then, you could email either Rhynes or Greggo and they'd get back to you in fairly short time. I email Greggo asking him what the deal is with Corby, and is this a permanent thing, is he a co host, and that I thought their old yuk monkey, Little Teddy Champion, did a great job and hey whatever happened to him?. Greggo replies by saying that as to the first inquiry, it's something he and Rhynes often talk about. He went on to say that it worries both of HL proper that they're becoming a 3 man booth and they're not sure how to go about things and where it's all going. Obviously that's very interesting. Especially, now, in light of what was taking place behind the scenes with Greggo's personal life and his relationship with Rhyner and everyone else at that the station. Who knows if what he wrote to me was the truth. I have to think it wasn't, at least in the way he made it out to be. Anyways, he went on to say that Little Teddy Champion was none other than BDH. So that's how I found out. As far as I know, BDH's working for the Bunny Ranch isn't a HL ball bust or some such. I believe he's a Bunny Ranch big wig of sorts. All the BDH sex crazed talk by THL and DnM isn't exaggeration. I'll leave it at that.
ReplyDeleteThere were a couple of thinly veiled references to the ratings in WTDS Friday. Freido mentioned by name.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone heard any rumblings about possible Ticketstock guests that are ex-Ticket employees besides Greggo? Maybe that's what the Friedo reference was? I'm expecting some good 20 year anniversary recap talk and am thinking they'll have something up their sleeves.
ReplyDeleteJD was funny because the Cowboys could do no wrong. He was the ultimate Cowboy homer, but he would call bs on "those little red-shoed Rangers and that "nose pickin Oates"! He was also a regular on Galloway. Paul the Damn Viking could be a hit or a whip...mostly a whip!
ReplyDeleteI heard the not so veiled ratings references as well. Ditto the Friedo mention. I have to say that it sounded like the sort of arrogance that precedes a downfall. Very Titanic-esque. I'm a P1 and I exclusively listen to TheTicket for my sports talk - which means my radio stays pretty much glued to 1310. But yeah, those ratings raised my eyebrows, for sure. The WTDS jabs, if that' what you'd call them, at KESN came off, to me at least, as a bit pathetic. Why even make the comments? Unless the numbers are meaningful and unless it does bother you.
ReplyDeleteMethinks the Ticket boys are indeed rattled. Methinks soon after Ticketstock there will start to be some changes. Methinks me know what me says is true because me knows those in the know.
ReplyDeleteI suppose you could read the remarks on WTDS as whistling in the graveyard. Or maybe they were poking fun at some of their own who got a little too hysterical over one book.
ReplyDeleteWow! I encountered a real Mike Rhyner doppelganger in the grocery store today. Maybe not the spitting image but enough to require a double take. I would have taken a picture but there was no way to do it discreetly.
ReplyDeleteFor those who actually want to see those rating numbers.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dallasnews.com/sports/more-sports/headlines/20140110-d-fw-sports-radio-ratings-kesn-fm-wins-three-mid-day-hours-over-the-ticket-the-fan.ece
That's the 3rd time the link has been posted now.
ReplyDeleteMissed it the first time. My bad.
ReplyDeleteLife will go on.
My initial thought is that the ratings issue is meaningful, but only as far as it goes. As noted, it doesn't appear to touch drive, and yup, it is only one period, and yup, it's year-end.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that: There simply haven't been any numbers that look like this for any reason in forever, and even if it's an outlier, it's not nothing. We won't know for sure how not-nothing it is until the next book or two. You can absolutely bet they're not treating it lightly at KTCK The Ticket. We haven't heard the usual crowing that accompanies the appearance of the latest book.
I haven't heard the ESPN midday shows so can't compare to Norm/BaD. Can we get some (rational please, no anti-BaD rants) reviews?
I will say I do nip over to Cowlishaw/Mosley some, and sometimes I stick. Decent content but if someone doesn't get Cowlishaw to get into his damned mic pretty soon I'm going to stop listening. Way too often, syllables, words, and even phrases vanish into his jowls and his point is lost. Don't mind print guys moving to radio, but work at getting some radio chops, for Chrissakes.
That's just how Cowlishaw speaks. He's made over 1200 appearances on ESPN's Around the Horn, so I think he's had plenty of time to work on it.
ReplyDeleteThose numbers definitely made an impression. The bunker mentality (perhaps a memo from Dan Bennett as well) keeps the drive time shows from crowing. All of which speaks volumes. If these numbers continue into the next few books, look out. This is great news for Ticket listeners. Specially if the competition starts to make a noticeable dent into the pm drive book. It's great news because it will hopefully force management to either make a change (choose not to renew Norm's contract or put BaDD back to BaD, maybe moving Donnie to Norm if they keep Norm), and/or for them to tell THL in no uncertain terms that their years of coasting are officially over, wake up, and start doing your job as if you actually enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteFunny how know one was talking about this when the Fan was making inroads throughout most of 2011. Just goes to show as soon as KESN is owned by the ticket, you blind puppy's starting pawing them with affection.
ReplyDelete"know one"
ReplyDelete"puppy's"
Really?
Well...looks like The Ticket lost a listener from 11-1. I didn't know much about Friedo's before reading these posts and seeing the ratings. After giving it a shot today....I gotta say...not bad. Good voices, good content, no annoying moments or vacation stories. Maybe their ratings increase with these numbers as more people, like myself, give them a shot.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I've never been much of a Norm guy (I'm 30) and I mostly like the B in BADD radio. Now if we can only get TSJ in the afternoons...
The Shake Joint is now my 2nd favorite Ticket show (BaD is #1). I love Norm; great guy, legendary, but it's time buddy, it's time. Norm and Donnie during football season would be a nice little show, but I think the move to make is Shake Joint 10-Noon. Then, you could do some interesting things with Norm:
ReplyDelete-- Norm does NFL and NBA draft,
-- Two segments a week during NFL training camp instead of Ranch Reports
-- Moderate bi-monthly Monday night Cowboys-centric roundtables with Jake, Bob, George and Rhynes.
-- Cowboys pre (with Bob) and post (with Donovan).
-- Keep using Norm during the Xmas break to fill in for Musers
Amazing that of all the Ticket alums, Friedo is the one that finally beat them in the ratings (for one book only, for now). I never thought of him as an on-air talent.
ReplyDeleteI'll add whatever happened to the Hardline squid who used to call in in the 90s (I think Travis was his name??). He's probably 30 now.
Hey 1133, The FAN never once, not even for one hour in one day for one ratings book beat The Ticket. Please peddle that weak s somewhere else. For example, amongst your fellow FAN promo co workers.
ReplyDelete@1:40 Completely agree with you (although I've never really been able to listen to Norm). BaD is the only show I consistently feel the need to listen to. Having The Shake Joint 10-noon would definitely change my listening habits a bit.
ReplyDeleteI think these ratings show that BADD is losing its lead-in audience because of Norm (it was smart of ESPN to start that show at 11 to get a head start and grab Ticket listeners who punch out from 10-12).
ReplyDeleteI think if the Ticket figured something out from 10-12 to keep listeners, they would win back the 12-1 hour as well.
Shake seems like the obvious choice, but I dread having to listen to Sean "look how liberal and progressive I am" Bass.
Any inroads the FAN made in 2011 now qualifies as YEARS AGO. How'd that work out for them?
ReplyDeleteKnow wonder nobody talked about it.
IF......you replace Norm do you make that a normal 3 hour shift? Do you risk losing the last hour of the Musers to capture or counter the odd start time?
ReplyDeleteIF say TSJ replaced Norm, I think the 2 hr 5 days per week would be enough for them. At least in the short term. Depending on how they did, listener reaction, etc., down the road you could start fiddling with schedules. If anything, start BaD at 1, THL at 4, giving TSJ another hour while making BaD a bit more pm drive-ish and giving THL less to do, which is what they seem to want anyways. Speaking of which. . . .
ReplyDeleteListing to THL while driving to Target in order to buy a new saute pan and hopefully give away my credit card info to some hacker. Corby and Mike threaten me with Golden Globe Awards talk. I think to myself "yuck, I'll be switching that segment off for sure." Then I think again: "Hey, didn't I listen to the entire Muser segment about the same thing this morning and had no negative thoughts whatsoever? So why not give THL the same chance, ya dope?" I did. And about 3 minutes into it, I realized why I listened to The Musers and was repulsed by THL before they even did the segment. The Musers give their thoughts on it like me and my friends would. They bust on the obvious, have a few likes and dislikes, stuff like that. But THL, the whole show not just Cobby, acts as if they're industry insiders or big time celebrities themselves. It's a total turnoff. It then dawned on me why I can't stand it when THL talks music. Same thing. I might not agree with some of what The Musers say about awards shows or music in general, but they talk about it appropriately, if that makes sense. THL talks about music and pretty much everything as if they're not just authorities but also insiders. Sorry but playing in DFW tribute bands and local hero alt-country outfits might get you laid, put your name in the Observer, and get into rock shows for free (being an on-air talent at a top rated sports station SORTA, pun intended, helps out in this regard too!), but it in no way qualifies for some sort of music or show biz expertise or insider status. At least not on the scale they seem to perceive themselves or portray themselves as having.
I went to the great ticket website to listen to some of the best moments and what is written on the homepage is embarrassing. I love the Ticket but jesus. It's not all I talk about and I have way more important things in my life. I've also never dreamed of being in the studio and being "in" on a joke. It could be tounge and cheek, but I was embarrassed for the person who wrote it. Here it is...
ReplyDeleteFor most of us, the first thing we do when getting into our car is tuning in and turning it up on 1310 AM or 96.7 FM. The thought of listening to any other sports radio station doesn't cross our mind. We are die-hard P1's. Listening to The Ticket is like a disease. It's all we think about and all we talk about. We're not worthy, we're scum, we suck.
The Ticket is more than just a radio station, it's one thing we have that 99% of the world doesn't. And that ain't half bad. Most of us share a dream of spending just one day in the studio with The Ticket family. Or being alongside our favorite hosts during a legendary moment. Sitting back and being "in" on the joke brings a smile to our face, and that's why we listen.
The hosts may never understand, and looking from the inside-out, we look like nothing more then a bunch of blood-thirsty wolves. Just like Dances With Wolves, but different. The Ticket is the greatest thing to ever happen to us, and I can't imagine what would our lives would be like without it. The future is still bright and we hope this station is around for another 20 years. Even if it is just Jake, T.C, Sean Bass and Ty Walker.
Or it might be tongue and cheek.
ReplyDeleteJeff, where did you say you read that? And where does the quote start and end?
ReplyDeleteThat new ticket blog mentioned here.
ReplyDeletePlainsman, I did a handy "quote" exact phrase search on part of the message and it seems he was being literal when he said "the great ticket" website -- that's the actual name of the site. www.thegreatticket.com
ReplyDeleteI, probably like you, assumed the use of great was faceciously refering to the actual ticket website.
oops, that's not right--the quote was from
ReplyDeletethegreatticket.com
Moving this thread to the new post.
ReplyDelete