A home for those who love almost everything about The Ticket (1310 AM, 96.7 FM, Dallas-Fort Worth), and who would like to discuss -- respectfully and fondly -- their thoughts on how (and whether) to eliminate the "almost."
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Draft Coverage Reaction Here
Possibly the cheapest refresh yet. Hugely tied up, sorry.
And you can talk about stuff other than draft coverage.
At least through the Cowboys' choice of C.D. Lamb, I'm pretty happy with The Ticket's coverage so far. I kind of miss David Newbury. After some initial technical issues with David Moore and Bob Sturm, it seems pretty seamless.
And I'm not hearing a lot of David Moore. Like, none. Writing at 9:30 Central: Is Moore still on the line? If not, why not? And almost nothing from Donovan, who is supposed to be a team member on this.
Norm had a rough beginning. He confused "first pick" with "first round" in his remarks and questions, and his voice was rough. He's kind of made a comeback as the evening has worn on.
It's basically the Bob + Jake show now, as of 9:40, which is OK with me.
I understand why a lot of people are into the draft, and I respect that, but I am not one of those people. I am happy reading the 5-minute recap the next day. The only thing I find interesting about the draft is how the Browns always manage to ruin the career of whoever they draft in the first round. Beyond that, I can do without.
Any scuttlebutt on why Newbury isn't a part if the crew? I toi miss his analysis and insight. I hope this doesn't mean he's off the pregame show, as well.
120, you beat me to it. I didn't particulary miss The College Football Blowhard (although the lads did chew over why Corby was excluded this year), but I did miss David Newbury. I suppose they have to pay independent contractors like him, and that's not in the budget this year. Perhaps why they cut down the crew generally.
Women and Fellas, Advertising in radio and podcasting is basically dried up. Cumulus was the last major folks to do layoffs, but reports are that those at KNBR is SF were asked to take 15-20% salary reductions, but unlike The Ticket, KNBR had 162 Giants games to earn revenue from. http://richliebermanreport.blogspot.com/2020/04/415-media-extra-monday-knbrcumulus-asks.html
Regardless, both radio and podcast revenue is down in large proportions.
I was moved by Corby's heartfelt discussion about his mom's passing yesterday. Was the reason for his absence. As annoying as he may be to some people the dude has always seemed like a really good guy, good family man, good friend etc. Was a very moving segment. RIP Corby mom..
posted this over on the station's reddit page, thought I'd repeat it here.
A word on those “Ticket vacations to Bora Bora”: I'll take a stab at quelling the speculation with some facts. (Not that speculating isn’t a fun self-isolation time killer)
Rest assured, whether (a) you hear someone on-air every day over the next 90 days, (b) they appear to be on vacation for the full 90 days or (c) they take vacations to Bora Bora one week at a time, everyone, every, one, every single person at the Ticket...is sharing in the economic hardship together. From Tier 1 to Tier 6. Period.
The details of the company’s mandate on furloughs has been reported. If you are interested in that - and since you’re reading this you should be - go read it. It's pretty much spot on and spells it all out. Remember, the "little Ticket" is not a mom & pop record store. It is part of a much larger corporation. When reading that, recognize these decisions are not made exclusively locally by Ticket management. Not in the least.
Media, just like about 90% of all industries currently, is being impacted severely by the economic downtown caused by COVID19 shutdowns across the country. Don’t forget there are federal laws and other guidelines that determine how companies must handle their employees during these temporary conditions. What can be done or not? How they can be scheduled, etc.
Side note, since not everyone listens to everything; Corby’s absence is not tied to this, it is a family matter he discussed on Tuesday’s show.
Hope whatever job you have or industry you are in, you are in a good spot. Your job is stable and safe and you don’t have to deal with these type of “vacations” at your work. But if you do, and many are, this too all shall pass….for all of us. And it’s yet another situation that the Ticket guys and the P1s experience together.
Mike Rhyner said on Julie Dobb's podcast that he didnt feel like he was useful at the Ticket anymore and he will be trying it somewhere else. Does anyone have any inside info on this? Is that what his countdown on Twitter is about?
1100: Thanks for passing that along. Most interesting.
Mike Rhyner was a big reason for listening to The Ticket for many years. Judging from comments here, and my own listening, his interest in The Hardline had declined markedly; he only really showed The Old Grey Wolf personna when appearing elsewhere, and then only intermittently. How much do we disagree with him if said he felt he wasn't useful at The Ticket?
I don't blame Corby. Mike had the authority and the talent to tamp that act down, and he didn't do it because he didn't want to.
And why would he think he wasn't useful? Because he was unwilling to change his ways in the face of increased ratings challenges and, perhaps, some nudging from the CTO?
Much as I miss him, for me 3-7 is a better show now than it was in recent years. If he goes to another station to helm an actual show, it will be interesting to see if his enthusiasm for broadcasting ramps up, and, if it does, we might ask why he didn't contribute that enthusiasm to the show he founded.
Yeah, I think it was Peter from The Kick Around, and not Cat.
As to Rhyner: I agree with your analysis, Plainsman. I always have maintained that Rhyner's exit was not merely an "it's time buddy, it's time, feel it in my bones" thing. There's a not so musketeer, "one for all and all for one" bunker mentality backstory there that began some time ago culminating with his "retiring." One day we'll find out. Why? Because for all the years of posturing and pushback, Mike likes to be wanted, likes to be sought out, likes having "cache," and likes the spotlight. I don't mean that pejoratively, at all. It's just how he's wired. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be in the biz. It might be a bit down the road and it might come out in fits and spurts, but it will eventually come out....and when it does, Mike will make sure that he controls the narrative.
Yeah, 1145. Mike Rhyner was and is a broadcasting genius as well as a legend, but he'd been letting the legend do all the work in recent years. He balances playing the curmudgeon with craving recognition, and the melodramatic signoff was a somewhat ill-disguised example of that.
I'd love to see him back anywhere doing anything, but I hope it not just a bored old-man spasm that will find him eventually just hanging out on the air and letting his pards do all the work.
And depending on how competitive he turns out to be, I think we'll sense pretty soon whether or not he has any residual fondness for The Ticket, at least as it is presently managed.
I can envision a scenario where as the station became just another Cumulus asset as opposed to the Little Engine That Could that Mike created, his instincts for good radio were less appreciated. That could be what led to his seeming detachment from his own show. He didn't feel needed anymore.
Cumulus sales force furloughes to start this week, per reports.
Note, the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament cost Cumulus' Westwood One millions in ad revenue. And they've already started selling off stations, like their 4FM and 1AM cluster in Augusta, GA for just $450K. Don't be surprised if each of the three major companies (iHeart, Entercom, and Cumulus) continue to dump stations or transmitters to pay down their massive debts.
I think that by the time this all shakes out and some sense of semblance of normalcy returns, there will be less employees at The Ticket. And some of the remaining employees will be doing their job from home. If you can effectively run the station with only, say, two Ticker persons working 8 hour shifts 5 days per week each, then two different ones splitting Saturday (alternating every Sunday)--who also double as fill ins when one of the two weekday people are out--you've nicely streamlined one area of costs. Extrapolate that onto other areas of the station and BANG! the future of the station is the here and now. I can see weekend shows broadcasting from home, as well--excepting remotes, obviously, which earn revenue. Weekday hosts telecommuting? That might be a bit down the road, if ever. But so far, it hasn't been a real detriment to the overall quality, so maybe it isn't so far-fetched (?). I do think the Ticker position might be about to undergo an extreme makeover, if not completely eradicated. I mean, if there's breaking news, just have the producer cut in and make the announcement--which is what usually happens anyway. I also think that's another thing coming down the pike as a result of Covid: that is, more responsibilities placed on the producer. Which could include turning the position into a hybrid Ticker-producer role. I think Cumulus, across the board and not just at KTCK, probably sees a lot of what it considers as wasted resources and unnecessary positions that could be tacked onto other positions that perhaps don't (in their eyes) carry all the responsibilities/value the position could possibly handle/provide.
Idk full time employment means you have to pay benefits. Now adding 3 more employees to ensure non tier 1s never work over 30 hours is more likely to save money
Yes, and the weekday Ticket folk are full-time employees, plus the numerous part-timers = higher costs. Only 2 full-time Ticket people covering for the current 4 and cut the numerous part-timers down to 2....not sure what your point is....
So how does someone like Donovan, Norm, or Mike Sirois qualify as 'full time' employees when they work two hours a day (being generous, three if you count prep meetings and, possibly, post meetings?) Even The Musers only work 5 hrs a day and 3-7, perhaps, 5 as well? Yet, all these guys are paid as full time? Are the Ticketstock, Summer Bash, and Men and Ladies night's out all factored into their time?
Euronymous: they don't just work the hours of their shows. I imagine they do a a lot of show prep work throughout the day, on weekends, like reading stories, going through email, prepping segments, collecting audio, watching games, etc. To say Norm and D only work two hours a day is quite a slight. Don't they say Norm gets in at 5am each day?
In general people don't understand that you're also getting paid for the social interaction and "always being on" factor that would be exhausting to many people.
@11:19 - Thanks, as I said, I know they have pre and post meetings and you're right: they have to do a lot of prep work for the shows even away from the station. So, that makes sense. I wasn't really trying to 'slight' anyone, but more so just understand how their schedule and their time commitments work. I mean, I know they have contracts, that's obvious, but, surely, some are paid more due to time slots and hours that are committed to pure broadcasting.
At least through the Cowboys' choice of C.D. Lamb, I'm pretty happy with The Ticket's coverage so far. I kind of miss David Newbury. After some initial technical issues with David Moore and Bob Sturm, it seems pretty seamless.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm not hearing a lot of David Moore. Like, none. Writing at 9:30 Central: Is Moore still on the line? If not, why not? And almost nothing from Donovan, who is supposed to be a team member on this.
Norm had a rough beginning. He confused "first pick" with "first round" in his remarks and questions, and his voice was rough. He's kind of made a comeback as the evening has worn on.
It's basically the Bob + Jake show now, as of 9:40, which is OK with me.
I believe David Moore was busy for a bit tracking down Dak's brother's death story and hence why we was gone for a bit.
ReplyDeleteAlso busy doing his day job, getting quotes and reaction on the pick from Cowboys' brass
ReplyDeleteThe Plainsman has outdone himself with ginger #3 here. Kudos.....
ReplyDeletePhotoshop is a wonderful thing
ReplyDeleteIt's only because I trust P-Man that I will believe that redhead #2 is of legal age.
ReplyDeleteI understand why a lot of people are into the draft, and I respect that, but I am not one of those people. I am happy reading the 5-minute recap the next day. The only thing I find interesting about the draft is how the Browns always manage to ruin the career of whoever they draft in the first round. Beyond that, I can do without.
ReplyDeleteAny scuttlebutt on why Newbury isn't a part if the crew? I toi miss his analysis and insight. I hope this doesn't mean he's off the pregame show, as well.
ReplyDelete120, you beat me to it. I didn't particulary miss The College Football Blowhard (although the lads did chew over why Corby was excluded this year), but I did miss David Newbury. I suppose they have to pay independent contractors like him, and that's not in the budget this year. Perhaps why they cut down the crew generally.
ReplyDeleteYes, I thought Red #3 would engage some Confessors.
ReplyDeleteWomen and Fellas,
ReplyDeleteAdvertising in radio and podcasting is basically dried up.
Cumulus was the last major folks to do layoffs, but reports are that those at KNBR is SF were asked to take 15-20% salary reductions, but unlike The Ticket, KNBR had 162 Giants games to earn revenue from.
http://richliebermanreport.blogspot.com/2020/04/415-media-extra-monday-knbrcumulus-asks.html
Regardless, both radio and podcast revenue is down in large proportions.
Looks like according to this tweet Danny is furloughed.
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/jkwoodley/status/1255127341501689856
I was moved by Corby's heartfelt discussion about his mom's passing yesterday. Was the reason for his absence. As annoying as he may be to some people the dude has always seemed like a really good guy, good family man, good friend etc. Was a very moving segment. RIP Corby mom..
ReplyDeleteI will preface this by saying Danny is my leader (sans Rhyner). Sirois is killing it as the 3-7 producer. At least his on air presence is.
ReplyDeleteposted this over on the station's reddit page, thought I'd repeat it here.
ReplyDeleteA word on those “Ticket vacations to Bora Bora”: I'll take a stab at quelling the speculation with some facts. (Not that speculating isn’t a fun self-isolation time killer)
Rest assured, whether (a) you hear someone on-air every day over the next 90 days, (b) they appear to be on vacation for the full 90 days or (c) they take vacations to Bora Bora one week at a time, everyone, every, one, every single person at the Ticket...is sharing in the economic hardship together. From Tier 1 to Tier 6. Period.
The details of the company’s mandate on furloughs has been reported. If you are interested in that - and since you’re reading this you should be - go read it. It's pretty much spot on and spells it all out. Remember, the "little Ticket" is not a mom & pop record store. It is part of a much larger corporation. When reading that, recognize these decisions are not made exclusively locally by Ticket management. Not in the least.
Media, just like about 90% of all industries currently, is being impacted severely by the economic downtown caused by COVID19 shutdowns across the country. Don’t forget there are federal laws and other guidelines that determine how companies must handle their employees during these temporary conditions. What can be done or not? How they can be scheduled, etc.
Side note, since not everyone listens to everything; Corby’s absence is not tied to this, it is a family matter he discussed on Tuesday’s show.
Hope whatever job you have or industry you are in, you are in a good spot. Your job is stable and safe and you don’t have to deal with these type of “vacations” at your work. But if you do, and many are, this too all shall pass….for all of us. And it’s yet another situation that the Ticket guys and the P1s experience together.
Thanks for stopping by, Cat. Great information. Stay hard, brutha!
ReplyDeleteThat was not Cat
ReplyDeleteMike Rhyner said on Julie Dobb's podcast that he didnt feel like he was useful at the Ticket anymore and he will be trying it somewhere else. Does anyone have any inside info on this? Is that what his countdown on Twitter is about?
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/theoldgreywolf/status/1253426703302422529?s=20
ReplyDeleteLooks like he already has a fairly nifty studio set up
https://i.imgur.com/Sds5FuZ.png
1100: Thanks for passing that along. Most interesting.
ReplyDeleteMike Rhyner was a big reason for listening to The Ticket for many years. Judging from comments here, and my own listening, his interest in The Hardline had declined markedly; he only really showed The Old Grey Wolf personna when appearing elsewhere, and then only intermittently. How much do we disagree with him if said he felt he wasn't useful at The Ticket?
I don't blame Corby. Mike had the authority and the talent to tamp that act down, and he didn't do it because he didn't want to.
And why would he think he wasn't useful? Because he was unwilling to change his ways in the face of increased ratings challenges and, perhaps, some nudging from the CTO?
Much as I miss him, for me 3-7 is a better show now than it was in recent years. If he goes to another station to helm an actual show, it will be interesting to see if his enthusiasm for broadcasting ramps up, and, if it does, we might ask why he didn't contribute that enthusiasm to the show he founded.
3-7 was so, so, SO much more enjoyable with SeaCowCenter in for Danny
ReplyDeleteI really prefer Danny. But I agree Sirois is very entertaining too.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think it was Peter from The Kick Around, and not Cat.
ReplyDeleteAs to Rhyner: I agree with your analysis, Plainsman. I always have maintained that Rhyner's exit was not merely an "it's time buddy, it's time, feel it in my bones" thing. There's a not so musketeer, "one for all and all for one" bunker mentality backstory there that began some time ago culminating with his "retiring." One day we'll find out. Why? Because for all the years of posturing and pushback, Mike likes to be wanted, likes to be sought out, likes having "cache," and likes the spotlight. I don't mean that pejoratively, at all. It's just how he's wired. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be in the biz. It might be a bit down the road and it might come out in fits and spurts, but it will eventually come out....and when it does, Mike will make sure that he controls the narrative.
Yeah, 1145. Mike Rhyner was and is a broadcasting genius as well as a legend, but he'd been letting the legend do all the work in recent years. He balances playing the curmudgeon with craving recognition, and the melodramatic signoff was a somewhat ill-disguised example of that.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see him back anywhere doing anything, but I hope it not just a bored old-man spasm that will find him eventually just hanging out on the air and letting his pards do all the work.
And depending on how competitive he turns out to be, I think we'll sense pretty soon whether or not he has any residual fondness for The Ticket, at least as it is presently managed.
I can envision a scenario where as the station became just another Cumulus asset as opposed to the Little Engine That Could that Mike created, his instincts for good radio were less appreciated. That could be what led to his seeming detachment from his own show. He didn't feel needed anymore.
ReplyDeleteBut I will say this
ReplyDeleteCumulus sales force furloughes to start this week, per reports.
ReplyDeleteNote, the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament cost Cumulus' Westwood One millions in ad revenue. And they've already started selling off stations, like their 4FM and 1AM cluster in Augusta, GA for just $450K. Don't be surprised if each of the three major companies (iHeart, Entercom, and Cumulus) continue to dump stations or transmitters to pay down their massive debts.
I think that by the time this all shakes out and some sense of semblance of normalcy returns, there will be less employees at The Ticket. And some of the remaining employees will be doing their job from home. If you can effectively run the station with only, say, two Ticker persons working 8 hour shifts 5 days per week each, then two different ones splitting Saturday (alternating every Sunday)--who also double as fill ins when one of the two weekday people are out--you've nicely streamlined one area of costs. Extrapolate that onto other areas of the station and BANG! the future of the station is the here and now. I can see weekend shows broadcasting from home, as well--excepting remotes, obviously, which earn revenue. Weekday hosts telecommuting? That might be a bit down the road, if ever. But so far, it hasn't been a real detriment to the overall quality, so maybe it isn't so far-fetched (?). I do think the Ticker position might be about to undergo an extreme makeover, if not completely eradicated. I mean, if there's breaking news, just have the producer cut in and make the announcement--which is what usually happens anyway. I also think that's another thing coming down the pike as a result of Covid: that is, more responsibilities placed on the producer. Which could include turning the position into a hybrid Ticker-producer role. I think Cumulus, across the board and not just at KTCK, probably sees a lot of what it considers as wasted resources and unnecessary positions that could be tacked onto other positions that perhaps don't (in their eyes) carry all the responsibilities/value the position could possibly handle/provide.
ReplyDeleteIdk full time employment means you have to pay benefits. Now adding 3 more employees to ensure non tier 1s never work over 30 hours is more likely to save money
ReplyDeleteYes, and the weekday Ticket folk are full-time employees, plus the numerous part-timers = higher costs. Only 2 full-time Ticket people covering for the current 4 and cut the numerous part-timers down to 2....not sure what your point is....
ReplyDeleteSo how does someone like Donovan, Norm, or Mike Sirois qualify as 'full time' employees when they work two hours a day (being generous, three if you count prep meetings and, possibly, post meetings?) Even The Musers only work 5 hrs a day and 3-7, perhaps, 5 as well? Yet, all these guys are paid as full time? Are the Ticketstock, Summer Bash, and Men and Ladies night's out all factored into their time?
ReplyDeleteThey have contracts
ReplyDeleteEuronymous: they don't just work the hours of their shows. I imagine they do a a lot of show prep work throughout the day, on weekends, like reading stories, going through email, prepping segments, collecting audio, watching games, etc. To say Norm and D only work two hours a day is quite a slight. Don't they say Norm gets in at 5am each day?
ReplyDeleteI can think of one host who should be giving money back then.
ReplyDeleteIn general people don't understand that you're also getting paid for the social interaction and "always being on" factor that would be exhausting to many people.
ReplyDelete@11:19 - Thanks, as I said, I know they have pre and post meetings and you're right: they have to do a lot of prep work for the shows even away from the station. So, that makes sense. I wasn't really trying to 'slight' anyone, but more so just understand how their schedule and their time commitments work. I mean, I know they have contracts, that's obvious, but, surely, some are paid more due to time slots and hours that are committed to pure broadcasting.
ReplyDelete