The Ticket's in a tough spot.
If they don't comment on the political nonsense on both sides of the spectrum that has now infected sports, they'll be accused of burying a big sportsy story.
If they do comment on it, they find themselves exposing their own viewpoints, sometimes thoughtful, sometimes not, to the irritation of listeners no matter how carefully it's presented.
Does anyone doubt that the plummeting popularity of Niffle has as one of its causes the sports fan's disgust over the preposterous, posturing sideline choreography we're seeing, dating back to Kaepernick? That we're being lectured by persons not normally known for careful policy analysis, a group tending to concentrate their studies more in the direction of endzone preening and domestic violence, probably hasn't sweetened viewers' disposition.
And because The Ticket is discussing it, it's reduced my listening time by quite a bit. And yet, I don't know how they can do anything other than walk the line between stuff they're comfortable and good at, and things they're decidedly not. To my taste -- way, way too much attention to the latter.
But I can't say that in general, that's a bad programming policy. Just means I'm not tuning in.
Debating whether even to allow comments on this post. Stay classy, Confessors.
And let me know what's actually being broadcast on The Little One these days.
 | |
| Mr. Cat, can't we please get back to things like Garrett's and Linehan's misuse of Dez Bryant and the premature deification of the offensive line? |
With all due respect to the Plainsman, the assertion that we are "being lectured by persons not normally known for careful policy analysis" could apply to ninety-five percent of the electorate.
ReplyDeleteAnd anyway, if somebody quietly kneeling during the Anthem feels like a lecture, that says more about the viewer than the kneeler, in my opinion.
And anyway anyway, the kneeling has nothing to do with public policy.
Thank you for your freedom.
" That we're being lectured by persons not normally known for careful policy analysis...."
ReplyDeleteSorry, but this is a bad point. I'd very much like for you to point me to where this analysis is discussed because it's nowhere on television or the Internet that I've seen.
I've been out on the HL since the election, they've made their stance clear on what listeners they want for their show. Totally out on all programs the last two days though.
ReplyDeleteThe Corner. Ok. That was the worst radio I've heard since Daryl Ancarlo.
ReplyDeleteRhino: You just saw it.
ReplyDeleteLucky Jim, your first assertion is valid, the rest is a non sequitur as regards Pman's post goes.
ReplyDeleteRhino, try The L.A. Times or The WSJ, for starters. Two different, yet reasoned, perspectives.
Look, you can agree or disagree with me whether the racial/free speech protests are among the reasons for the decline of the Niffle popularity decline. My point here is that The Ticket is in a no-win situation.
ReplyDeleteAnd, from the reaction we seem to be getting, The Ticket is losing.
What was on The Corner?
A screaming African-American woman who was incapable of doing anything but emoting and NPR Gordon trying to "dialogue" with her for nearly ten minutes. It was awful. They were terrified to hang up on her. This is where we are....and we got here in a nanosecond. And not only is it not going away, it's only going to intensify and expand into every aspect of our lives.
ReplyDeleteYOU SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO LIVE IF YOU ARE X, THINK X, OR HAVE EVER BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH X. SHUT UP. YOU HAVE NO SAY. #lovewins
ReplyDeleteAll this race/political talk makes me want to go back to the era when all we heard for three straight months was "Ragonk".
ReplyDeleteSomething always draws me in. I want to abandon the Hardline, but now I'm curious to see when, if ever, they acknowledge that ratings are dropping (even if just a little) because fans are being turned off. So far they have offered every reason but. And if they ever do acknowledge it, I can't image what that lecture on intolerance is going to sound like.
ReplyDeleteThis may be setting a record for "fastest time to 12 comments."
ReplyDeleteI emailed the COTA yesterday a screen shot of a thread between myself and another 20 yr listener. Should I say, a pair of former listeners commiserating on the demise of a once-great "sports" station.
ReplyDeleteAt some point hopefully this will become a blip in the rear view like Kaepernick was last year - until it wasn't. But as long as this dominates the culture, then it dominates the Ticket.
If someone can let the purveyors of this board know when said domination has ended end regular guy talk programming has been resumed, I may punch back in. Until then it's all podcast all the time
Yeah, Ed, I'm feeling kind of melancholy myself. I'm not one who longs for the good old days of The Ticket, I'm pretty happy with the joint now, but the political/social policy talk really needs to come to an end. I mean a complete end. Zero Anthem/kneeling/ostentatious-sideline-display/politics-social-policy-generally talk. I can't imagine that a single listener would object if the CTO (or COTA, in your felicitous acronym)ordered the hosts to eliminate all segments dedicated to these topics, including "news" segments. The Hardline has reached the point where it actually might need an outside programmer to tell them what to talk about and then oversee show prep.
ReplyDeleteFamously, however, the CTO takes a hands-off approach to individual showgram topic selection. Sadly, I do not expect that to change. Cat has a great deal of respect for his lads.
And we must remember this most important thing: Ticket ratings are strong, strong, strong up and down the broadcast day. Until sponsors start to question, or turn elsewhere, incentive to brighten up the broadcasts is not only missing, the incentives go entirely the other way.
So I'm brushing off some of my old music and getting reacquainted. I'll be tuning in for at least awhile longer, but unless the Ticket gets back to sports and farting, my days on the plains with a Zenith transistor to my ear may be drawing to a close.
Stay gassy, Confessors.
Plainsman, I think you ought to send your last comment to Cat. It perfectly sums up how I and many many many P1s feel and where we're heading.
ReplyDeleteI've given up on THL. If Corby and Danny feel the need to spread their propaganda, they should host a late night call in show.
ReplyDeleteAny suggestions on podcasts? I have 4 hours to kill each day now
Amen on Pman sending Cat his comments, hell, this thread. Also, it wasn't ten minutes The Musers let the caller scream like an infant, no, it was twenty. You read it right, twenty minutes. Twenty minutes with no break, no spots, no station id. But the Confessor is right, they were terrified to hang up on her. Utterly terrified.
ReplyDelete110: I don't think Jeff Catlin is a regular reader, but he does swing by to catch up from time to time. You know his email is full of reaction to the swill we're getting from some of these shows, and if he knows something is hot, he'll swing by to see what the thoughtful Confessor is saying.
ReplyDeleteHe's weathered firestorms of negative reaction to one or another presentation in the past, and I'm sure he's getting an earful on the overprogramming of politico-social commentary, especially on The Hardline. But his history is that he does not interfere, does not fine-tune content with these shows no matter what the controversy, and he's expecting this to blow over, too. And, as noted, until Luigi from Fake Mafia Motors calls up and threatens to run fewer than four spots an hour, we're not going to see any changes.
And let's not forget those three Marconis. The likelihood that he's going to change his oversight practices, yes, even over The Hardline, approaches zero.
Just go listen to Dale's commentary from last night. If you have an issue with that you're not the type of person I would ever wish to have any meaningful interaction with.
ReplyDeleteI'm tending to believe the majority of commenters here miss the option of eating breakfast at a diner on a town square and bitching to like-minded and like-appearing white men. I wish I was wrong, but sorry, there's way too much of an Ed Carter vibe in the air. Yet just consider that you may have your very own echo chamber going on here and the Ticket listership is quite possibly much more urban/suburban/worldly/progressive than you care to admit. Perhaps I'm wrong, I have no proof or data to back that up, but perhaps I'm dead on.
There's a congenial middle ground everyone needs to get off their ass and find--that's the actual standing of importance.
In collegiate field hockey...
202, I think you're way off base on this. You're confusing opinions about the substance of these protests (which is what Dale was talking about) with opinions on what topics Ticket listeners tune in to hear when they want to be entertained. There's no Ed Carter vibe here at all.
ReplyDeleteInstead, you have assumed that you know the political stance of the commenters here, and perhaps mine, and are further assuming that not wanting to hear host socio/political talk means not wanting to hear adverse opinions.
You're dead wrong. The host commentary is not enjoyable and I don't care how thoughtful or moderate it is. We get everyone's little opinions on this and everything else from all sources, all day, every day. The Ticket is, or should be, a sanctuary to which we may adjourn to get a laugh, to get some sports information, hear some bits, some drops. If The Ticket can't distinguish itself from the avalanche of amateur opining on social media, there's little reason to tune in.
And you believe, 202, that your comment in any way whatsoever offers up an opening for a dialogue that works toward a middle ground? Who here has said anything even remotely Ed Carter like? No one. But for you, as you said from the get go, those whose opinions fail to coincide with yours are not worth your time. And for you, that means they are Ed Carters, that is, bigots. Well aren't you a wonderfully enlightened soul.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if Jeff Catlin does swing by, what's he going to say? Ah, people talking heatedly about The Ticket. He may well like stirring the pot.
ReplyDeleteSome commenters don't like hearing this, but I do feel as though Corby and Danny don't know how to present their viewpoints without coming off as intolerant of the opinions of those who disagree with them. Gordo, who is also coming from the Left, doesn't not give off a lecturing vibe like they do.
ReplyDeleteOne good podcast I've stumbled on lately is by James Andrew Miller called Origins. First series of four hourlong pods was basically an oral history of Curb Your Enthusiasm, with more similar such content apparently in the offing. That gets 124 through....tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, the goal for this listener is not for MTC to become a swap meet for alternate content, but to be given the opportunity to return to the "almost everything" aspirations for Ticket affinity that is the raison d'etre of this board. In the current moment, "almost everything" has been supplanted by "very little" - sadly if the trend continues then I won't even have a reason to check in for fresh redhead content.....
As a self proclaimed dirty liberal, I too am torn on how to "open a dialogue". Pman, I think you do a fantastic job running this site and keeping the screaming voices in line and not having it turn into a Facebook comment like page that makes one's head explode. And while I think calling this place full of Ed Carter's is a bit of a stretch, occasionally it feels not far off at all. I try not to assume to know anyone's full grasp of political leanings, everyone is different, but this page certainly heavily favors a more conservative ilk, but that is to expected. This is texas and the target audience for the ticket is right in the wheel house of GOP voters. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Not in the least. I tend to agree with a previous poster in this thread that I have a hunch that the average ticket listener is a tad more accepting/progressive than this site tends to lead on. Although I do think the Ed Carter type voices here are actually a smaller handful who love to chime in with piggy back support for one another. Which, again, is fine because most of the time this place is not as politically intensive.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the hardline turning into a progress bitch fest... Yeah, it mostly has. I tend to agree in principle with what corby and Danny say on subjects that lean political, but I can absolutely see someone getting annoyed and punching out when subjects like this are discussed. But, as pman has stated before, it would be completely disingenuous for them to not discuss them. Much like the election, it is top of mind of everyone remotely interested in the sports world, yes, the SPORTS world, so how can a sports radio station not talk about it? I find it a tad odd that people who love a radio station enough to seek out a somewhat obscure website devoted to all things ticket, could then be so overwhelmingly offended by literally every single view expressed by said radio station. I know the right loves to view the left as so affected by every little thing, and to a large part that's very true, but it goes both ways. And this site totally proves that theory.
Love you and your body, pman.
502, you write this nice and on the whole (though not wholly) balanced comment only to mar it with your ante and penultimate lines. And that's the thing: It's as if anyone who is Left or Left-leaning that comments is unable to critically and more important charitably read what others write. Exactly where on this site, much less this particular thread is there a single "Ed Carter" voice? There isn't one, not a one comment that says anything with a pejorative connotation towards any so-called progressive idea (notice your usage of "accepting", which denotes anyone who doesn't label themselves/is labeled by others as progressive is somehow "unaccepting" of others) on MTC. There is a marked difference between disparaging one's views and complaining about (i) the way in which they are presented and (ii) the forum in which they are presented. So, if one says "the woman shrieked, emoted for 20 minutes on air like a child," that doesn't entail that there wasn't anything substantive to her view--it only means her avenue of expression is, for what is supposed to be an AM Drive good times get you up and at 'em and through traffic show, annoying. Moreover, it's annoying that said show allowed for it to go on for 20 uninterrupted minutes. It's not a town hall meeting, it's not a rally or demonstration, it's not one's personal blog, etc., it's a guy/sports talk station. There's nothing wrong with the hosts having their say on the matters of the day, be they sports/politics/social/economic, but The Ticket is neither KSKY nor is it the long defunct Air America. It's The Ticket.
ReplyDeleteNo one is "offended by literally every single view expressed." But many are annoyed by the constant barrage of socio-political views. As Plainsman said, the station is meant to be a respite (as are sports and entertainment in general...hence, "entertainment") from our mostly boring, often pain filled lives--the vale of tears and all that. Even you, a self-identified liberal said that "[y]eah, it mostly has" in regards to being a "progressive bitch fest." Those are your words. So perhaps a bit more philosophical charity is needed on your part when you read these comments? After all, as you not so implicitly implied, your socio-political leanings are more "accepting" than those who don't lean your way. If that's true, then, madam/sir/xe, I suggest you set the tone, the example.
"Liberals are so intolerant of others' political views!" a generic P1 says to himself as he turns off The Ticket because one of the hosts doesn't share his political views.
ReplyDeleteLucky Jim, do you have evidence of this, or is this some psychic ability? If the latter, can you tell me who's winning the Dallas Stars home opener? Papa needs a brand new bag, or some such. What is it with folks who can't understand what they read? Again, nowhere in any comment does it say "I'm turning off The Ticket because I don't share their political views." What is being said is: "I'm turning off The Ticket because I'm tired of hearing about their political views, every single day, over and again. Not their liberal/conservative/libertarian/Marxist views, but their views--of any stripe--period." Do you see the difference, Jim? I hope you do, I hope you do very much.
ReplyDeleteTo Anon 6:33PM: I'll concede that, after going back through a few of the posts' comments, I was hard pressed to find one that explicitly stated the liberalism of Corby and Danny was the cause for a punch-out. But you've got to admit there's a general vibe here, a hardening of a type of genre of post:
ReplyDelete"THL needs to stick to sports; when they talk social justice or politics, I want to punch out."
The warranted reason here--that is, the implied and unspoken reason--is because they don't reflect the political views of the listener of the above argument.
I could be reaching. If so the warrant would read: "THL shouldn't talk social justice or politics whatsoever." You seem to be arguing this. I admit a fault in my logic.
But avoiding politics in their talk would be a radical shift in The Ticket's ethos. They've always touched on politics. Remember that Edna's "What? Huh? Okay." drop stems from the 2000 election and Gordon's Al Gore impression.
The Ticket has always relied on three sources for their subject matter: sports, personal anecdotes, popular culture. The National Anthem imbroglio touches on two of the three. Before he was president, Donald Trump was a popular culture icon. This weekend, he waded into the waters of sports. And every sports outlet--from ESPN to HBO to WFAA to The Ticket--along with news outlets such as CNN has discussed what happened. How could they not?
Again, the general consensus is that there isn't an issue with them expressing their political and social opinions. No matter where on the spectrum they lie. Its the quantity of it. It's also the rather my way or the highway quality of it. The latter would not be such an issue if the former weren't the case. Finally, again, while yes there's nothing wrong with The Ticket tackling the issues of the day, they aren't a political talker. And avain, The Ticket is supposed to be a sanctuary of sorts from the chattering class.
ReplyDeleteSo yes, Jim, you are indeed reaching. The paradox of the implicit is that there are explicit clues to its implication(s). By your account, a simple and direct statement is really a trigger statement intending to mean something else. I'm short, it's code for the Right. That does appear to be what you're claiming. And, Jim, that's awfully unfair, uncharitable of you.
ReplyDeleteDang autocorrect!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAt 7:00, I switched over to the Ticket to catch todays Fake Jerry. I was so bummed to find the Stars game. Where can I hear Fake Jerry?
ReplyDeleteGetting late here on Tuesday. Time to spend a few minutes with your family or your special someone, and if you drive fast enough, both, have a light snackie (but not if you're on SOTA), brush your teeth, and snuggle in for some sweet dreams. It's been a long day.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I'm pretty pleased with this thread. Yeah, there's a shot or two and a spot of snark here and there, but by and large everyone has conducted themselves with restraint and respect.
The sideline stuff is going to die down. Then it will die down on The Ticket. And all of us who have been punching out with regularity will then only punch out at the usual provocations provoking out-punching, you'll sneak a peek at the Featured Redhead -- will I ever run out of redheads? -- The Hardline will still be on the air, Bob will still be finishing up that interview question, I'll do too many columns about advertising, and all will return to normal.
Thanks to all Confessors.
Pleasant dreams and chocolate creams.
Lucky Jim,
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I'm over-simplifying, but are you drawing equivalency between a telephone bit that struck radio gold and calling anyone who voted for or agrees with Trump stupid?
"Instead, you have assumed that you know the political stance of the commenters here, and perhaps mine"
ReplyDeleteI mean you did say you were a Trump supporter.
Am I wrong guys?
slinky: you know they replay the 8:40 bit the next day at 6:40, right?
gordon is desperate to be accepted by his hollywood friends, corby is obsessed with hollywood
ReplyDeleteit's no wonder these two preach the way they do
Don't recall Pman ever claiming any political affiliation. @12am, put down the beer, bub, it's late.
ReplyDeleteWell, Plainsman, I hope you are right. But as you know and have opined, this isn't something new with certain shows and personalities on the station. In other words, it ain't going away. A P1 and a C1 (Confessor equivalent) can dream.
ReplyDeleteTo Anon 9:36 - I just want to clarify that at no point did I call Trump supporters stupid. I would never do that. I might've made a cheeky comment about hypocrisy, but when it comes to politics, I think all of us--left or right--have our hypocritical points. Apologies if my comment came off otherwise.
ReplyDeleteShaggy, what was that site you posted several months back, that had all the ticket bits from the past?
ReplyDeleteLucky Jim,
ReplyDeleteSorry that my remark was not more precise. I was responding to this comment:
They've always touched on politics. Remember that Edna's "What? Huh? Okay." drop stems from the 2000 election and Gordon's Al Gore impression.
The Edna phone call and calling your listeners "stupid" because they voted for Trump both occurred on The Hardline. Don't you think there is a difference between yuck monkey bits and political diatribe? IMO, P-1s would like more of one and less of the other.
Anon 11:21 AM,
ReplyDeleteUnderstood. I haven't heard The Hardline call Trump supporters stupid, but then again, I haven't been listening much to The Hardline recently. I wouldn't put it past them. To do such a thing would be very foolish indeed. You can't alienate listeners and expect continued success. Bad for business, rude, and given the political demo of the area, well.
I only mentioned the Edna prank call by means of suggesting it occurred within a larger milieu. Which is to say, the bit was one thing; they more than likely talked about the 2000 election and its fallout at length. If theunticket went back that far, I'd not be surprised to find hosts offering HSOs about Gore v. Bush.
Incredibly, I think we might be more divided now than we were in 2000. It's probably for the better that the station not venture into those waters more than they have already.
It's amusing that those commenting here about not wanting to hear about any of this political nonsense, "so I'm not going to listen to The Ticket!" Well...you're not going to listen to anything else, either. The other sports stations in town are doing the same thing. Hosts are giving their opinions and being just as "preachy" as THL or anyone else on The Ticket.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to stick your head in the sand, that's your prerogative. I did that during the election. But it's not just sports radio...it's everywhere. It's everywhere because it's a topic. You may not like the topic. You may not care. But the world isn't going to keep spinning simply because you're sticking your fingers in your ears.
I don't think any of the hosts want to talk about it, either. But they have to.
You're really off your game as far as this thread goes, Rhino. Please actually read what others write. No one said they shouldn't talk politics, but rather they shouldn't do so at every turn. That is, to bombard the listener. If that's the average Ticket listener wanted to hear, they'd be tuning into a political talker. That's not what The Ticket is. How difficult is that to grasp? Why do you insist on characterizing those whose views differ from yours to be somehow morally and intellectually deficient?
ReplyDeleteWow. As far as I can tell, there are about a dozen closed-minded hillbillies who regularly comment here, and have no ability to even pretend to grasp the dynamics outside of their own rural trailer park rhetoric. These are the same views I heard growing up in a conservative bubble/echo chamber, and I would bet a lot of money the uneducated responses are coming from people who have never lived 15 miles from where they were born. I'm sad P-Man is a part of it, as I used to think of him as a bit more intellectual, but alas, a traveling salesman running a poorly visited blog, who obsesses over objectifying "red heads" shouldn't be expected to know any better.
ReplyDeleteThe Ticket is what it is. It has never been "sports talk" and it has always focused on topical events. The topical events of our time are very heavy and emotional, and they are guaranteed to divide closed-minded people. I actually thought yesterday's Corner was riveting. The caller was only speaking her reality, and the Musers allowed her that freedom. White privilege is a real thing, and I truly believe the divisive comments in this thread represent a bunch of WASPs scared of the actual truth.
For the love of God, please try to get out of your rural sinkholes and explore more of our wonderful country (and heaven forbid, this world), and try to practice some form of empathy.
Big kudos to the Musers for what they have done to their bodies, and prayers for those who feel the neo-nazis have a point. You are welcome to find somewhere else to listen.
Dear Musersrule,
ReplyDeleteNice try, but no one's gonna bite. Gotta do a better job than that if you're gonna troll. Take that weak shut somewhere else, chief.
Signed,
Your Middle School Debate Coach
#truthhurts
ReplyDeleteWoo hoo! The MTC Troll is back! Where ya been, old chum? We've missed you. Man, no one can roast like you! Thanks for putting some levity back into the conversation.
ReplyDeleteAwesome discourse. You disagree with me, thus I'm a troll.
ReplyDeleteAnon 1:34,
ReplyDeleteI never stated my opinion on the topic. I only disagree with the "oh these guys need to shut up about politics." Sometimes it's unavoidable. Didn't think that was a hot take...nor "difficult to grasp."
I seem to recall that in Hillary Clinton's latest book, "What Happened," there is a chapter dedicated to MusersRuleNazisDrool.
ReplyDeleteDon't rise to the bait, Confessors. This jamoke is like that alien glob of energy that feeds off the violent emotions of others in one of the later episodes of the original Star Trek. Laugh his ass outta here.
I promise I'm nowhere close to a "jamoke". If only you knew (and I weren't too scared of the ramifications of having a confederate flag planted in my front yard and having my windows broken by some of you if I revealed who I actually am) . . .
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echo_chamber_(media)
The woman was on for exactly 10 minutes and 38 seconds. Not 20.
ReplyDeleteNo, Shaggy, it was 20. Just listened to it this very morning.
ReplyDelete