Monday, September 23, 2024

Random Items, and Let's Step Up the Comment Quality, What Say?

REMINDER: "ANONYMOUS" COMMENTS WILL BE DELETED.

76 comments:

  1. Congratulations to the splendid Jean Smart.

    (1) I join Confessors who have expressed good wishes to Jake Kemp and his loved ones if his recent absence is related to any personal matter. If the reason has been clarified, I missed it, so maybe I'm too far out of the loop on matters related to Dan and Jake. In any case, best wishes to him and his.

    If the speculation of a return to The Ticket turns out to be true – it seems rather unlikely, but stranger things have happened in Da Medias – I would welcome that. I would, however, regret any departure of Sean Bass or David Mino or Matt McClearin or anyone else whose place he might take, none of whom, in my opinion, have underperformed in the roles they have been asked to perform.

    (2) I've been out of town most of the summer and have lost track of the comings and goings of former Ticket personnel. In general, "new media" doesn't seem to be any more forgiving than old media, nor any more interesting.

    As far as Dan + Jake + lawyers as crusaders against noncompetes is concerned, my uncomprehensive review of news items reveals that (1) one court has declined enjoin the Federal Trade Commisision's broad banning of them (presumably similar to what the lawyers have asked the National Labor Relations Board to do), (2) two have preliminary enjoined enforcement of the rule, which pretty much means defeat in those courts for the D+J+L position, and (3) the judge in the Cumulus lawsuit very strongly hinted that she would rule against D+J+L on invalidation of the noncompete if the case were not settled. (But D+J+L still win on the factual issue, i.e., Cumulus had not proved the injury necessary to get an injunction against D+J for violation, which is the more important victory in the case.) So the courts are trending away from the D+J+L position on the validity of noncompetition covenants. I urge law-watchers who are following this more closely to correct the foregoing.

    Personally, I don't think the law is going to end up looking like D+J+L have argued for. Even if the issue is not resolved in the lower courts (it may be resolved at the Supreme Court, which in its current incarnation would almost certainly rule against D+J+L's position), Congress will not allow this kind of regulatory lawmaking, especially as this particular exercise of power would be a blow to federalism (shared authority between the US and the states).

    (3) I never thought I'd miss the old Kars-for-Kids jingle, but then I heard the new one.

    (4) I'm going to step up my vigilance on comments I don’t understand or that cheese me off, which, because I am getting dumber and crankier, means more deletions.

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  2. PS: It would be helpful if commenters would use fewer initializations. While most of them are clear enough, some are not and all of them slow down the reading.

    That is, they slow down my reading.

    Thank you.

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  3. Here's a fairly recent post summarizing the three federal court cases mentioned in my comment above.

    (If anyone knows how to post URLs as active links, please advise.)

    https://ogletree.com/insights-resources/blog-posts/another-federal-district-court-enjoins-ftc-noncompete-rule-but-the-rules-effective-date-still-looms/

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  4. Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old BossSeptember 23, 2024 at 3:11 PM

    As unlikely as it would seem, there is a genuine rumble about Jake returning to TT. And not only Jake's.

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  5. 0% Jake returns to the ticket. They would have not relaunched the Dumb Zone, on a new platform with a new price point if that were the case. That would destroy the good will and good vibes they’ve worked so hard to establish over the last year. That would be the ultimate bait and switch.

    I think it’s pretty clear Jake is going through some personal issues and will be back in due time.

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  6. Corby from the top-rope! Enews about Diddy-
    -who doesn't love a nice Freak-off? Thats too bad that radio station collapsed, this would be a perfect tie in for them! They missed out!
    & On FM!
    -plus a nice little Seacow metal bats drop *chefs kiss.*

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  7. Very DZ handle there, GashMaster. Regardless, I agree with you, and I'll go one further: There is no way Jake, Dan, Danny, Julie, or Sirois ever again work for any Cumulus entity, much less The Ticket. Meet the New Boss is yet another in a long line of wannabe agents of chaos. No Puppet has a long way to go. Not sure if they'll get there, but I respect that they're trying. As Plainsman hints at, and I agree with, it matters not the platform and/or business model; the only things that do matter are appeal and finding your audience and growing it. I've zero business savvy, so I'm not going to pretend otherwise. I'd like to think No Puppet has competent advisors who've built up and had success with such an enterprise, and that soon we'll see growth. What I will say is that the numbers have been fairly static for a year, and they seem to be only adding ex-Ticket/Ticket adjacent talent. As one who wants to see No Puppet do well, it's a bit concerning. How will these moves garner a larger audience? Seems like more preaching to the choir than not. Plus, most of the new names have already failed to amass an audience on a far larger stage.

    Whatever happens, props to them for giving it a real go.

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  8. Nobody who left KTCK will ever be back on the air at KTCK. Especially those who went to a competitor.

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    1. Ticket Universe AdjacentSeptember 23, 2024 at 8:38 PM

      Not sure why people are speculating this about returning to TT when Jake's personal well being is the concern here. His absence seems to be very personal and not career related.

      Delete
    2. Not sure if you're being a virtue signalling troll or genuine. In charity I'll assume the latter. In the previous thread, there were numerous claims that Jake was returning to The Ticket.

      Delete
    3. Ticket Universe AdjacentSeptember 24, 2024 at 4:48 AM

      I appreciate your grace and charity and your kindness in the way you are handling your site responsibilities in the role of "virtue signaling" arbiter. My non trolling comment above is related to the fact that the evidence points towards a serious personal matter not involving career path. I could be wrong but time will tell. In other words there is no reason to think as many have pointed out that this has anything to do with going back to TT.

      Delete
    4. So it was the former, after all.

      Delete
    5. There are also numerous claims that JFK Jr is going to rise from the dead to become President of the United States

      Delete
  9. I doubt any of the expats would be hired at the Ticket at this point. TC did burn his bridges pretty completly when he left for his PD gig and he was brought back. He still had Bob, Dan and maybe the OGW in his corner to fight for him. I'm not sure that any who left has anyone on the staff that would have their back at this point. The only way I can see it happening is if there were some sort of winfall money wise to Cumulus, then I'm sure everything could be forgiven.

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  10. Sorry but the fact that anyone is giving any real consideration to the possibility of Jake returning to the Ticket is patently absurd. The reasons for this are obvious and were eloquently explained by others in the last thread. In no world does TT mgmt want or need him back.

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  11. You guys are underestimating the brilliance of Jeff Catlin. He has been running the Ticket for decades and knows what to say and do to get Jake back in the fold. Trust in the Cat Man (real good dude too!)

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    Replies
    1. They don't read this. Any of it.
      #Cult #HiveMentality #Parent'sBasement

      Delete
  12. cat emails Jake Kemp contract to Cumulus Corporate.

    “Didn’t we sue this MF’er less than 2 years ago? Uh, no way are we approving this.”

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  13. Cat fought for Jake because they are friends and Cat supports his people. You shall see…

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    1. I know you. Have it your way at. . . . . . initials. Aren't you busy admin'n the other place? Then again, MTC has far more traffic than your baby, doesn't it.

      Delete
    2. Don't you admin for the other one? What initials come before "Broiler" and "Fish"? Yeah. It's you.

      Delete
  14. It’s telling that people are talking way more about the people off the Ticket than on the Ticket…

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    1. If someone on the ticket took a leave of absence and no listeners knew why, same thing would happen

      Delete
  15. Some idiot said Jake would be back. There’s no coming back . They made a decision. And they have to deal with that decision .

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    1. Ticket Universe AdjacentSeptember 24, 2024 at 7:05 PM

      Totally agree. I suggested as much by saying that the evidence points to a serious personal matter and concerned for his well being and was accused of virtue signaling. There are a few cunning linguists who have correctly pointed out that the act of accusing someone of virtue signaling is in itself a form of virtue signaling. If I am wrong and he returns to the Ticket I will withdraw my virtuous concern for his well being.

      Delete
  16. It was a midday show. It wasn’t that great. Why do we act like it was an earth-shattering moment ? It wasn’t .

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  17. I know there is plenty of sanctimony to go around about how Jake doesn't owe anyone an explanation, but if I were a paying customer of a year-old podcast still fully in the "support us just because" phase, I would want a reason why he's not there. Doesn't have to be specific, but something is warranted. I feel like there is an element of Gordon Keith mystery man cosplay happening here.

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    1. Totally agree. People are paying for Dan & Jake....and Blake. If your business is fully dependent on people paying for your content, maybe just a quick note to those subscribers. There's no doubt that him being gone is in the 'Personal' category - I just think him putting something out there would have been better than Dan's "let the speculation begin" comments

      Delete
    2. My guess, and I hope I'm right because it would mean everything in Jake's world is OK, is that he's on vacation. Two weeks is pretty standard vacay timeframe. As far as the mystery surrounding it and the fact that Dan has even trolled it a bit goes, that falls right into line with TDZ total continuation of THZ (except they can cuss!). Dan's out for 4 days to take his daughter to college, and how is it put? Oh yes, he's been suspended by Dan Bennett for something said on-air. Jake's turn for his staggered vacation. Hey everyone, Jake's holding out for more money (well he did do that). The bit gets double downed upon when the sosh starts floating theories. I'm thinking (and hoping) that's what's happening here. Jake will return and then it's Dan's two week break.

      Delete
    3. If this is some sort of a parody, then lol. Good one. If not, then lol.

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    4. Aptly named, cuz.

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    5. There is zero chance Jake is merely "on vacation" when he is out at a critical time in the life of the Dumb Zone

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    6. I would have to think whatever it is, is completely involuntary.

      Delete
  18. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    1. *and the safety net of the Freak fell through.

      Jake would be hosting with Donnie right now, but unfortunately his time with Dan turned a different path. (Dan was leaving, regardless. The Split of BaD / Him staying in middays- he was Done).

      Delete
  19. What it comes down to is Jake made a grave mistake leaving the ticket and surrounding himself with people like Dan and TC. If Jake had taken head from people like Cat and Bob he would not be in the situation he is in now.

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    1. There’s a reason Bob got that promotion not Dan and it’s not exactly hard to understand why. Jake chose to go the antimanagement route.

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    2. Yes, Bob is more management friendly than Dan...but he's also way more talented, works harder, and is more of a fit at a station that calls itself SPORTStalk.

      Delete
    3. Agreed Nandor. I kinda feel like Dan was just chilling enjoying middays, going through the motions to a degree. Bob was working pretty hard. Then a promotion came up and Bob got it, naturally. Dan then realized there was a reason to work harder.

      Delete
    4. I don’t think you listened closely enough to what Dan brought to the table. All the audio stuff and Homer call and whatnot, whether or not you thought it was good, is super labor intensive to produce. Don’t get me wrong, Bob works hard too, but a lot of what Bob brought was doubled up for other work (articles he was writing or research he was doing for Aikman). Bob was a lot more in your face about grinding tape but I would guarantee that Dan worked just as hard (if not harder if just talking about their radio show) as Bob, he was just a lot more subtle about it.

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    5. I was always under the impression that the bulk of the scut work on Dan's produced segments was done by interns.

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    6. Kinda thought it was interns too, but don't really know. I never really liked the audio component of their shows. Thought it was a filler. All shows do it to some degree, but I felt like they relied on it too much.

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    7. Dan was always verbally abusive to interns and exploited them for content he couldn’t produce himself. Bob seemed like the guy who was kind to the interns and gave them his time and support.

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    8. I tend to agree that Bob is/was the harder worker. I will say though that my brother in law was a BaD radio intern 20 years ago and he said that Dan was by far the nicer one of the two to their interns. Not that Bob was mean, just more ambivalent towards them. Could have changed over the years, but at least back then he much preferred Dan over Bob.

      Delete
  20. Actually, Dan has been more than a little bit encouraging speculation on Jake's whereabouts. I can't imagine something serious going on and Dan making a bit out of it. Yes, I know, we're talking about the wannabe Andy Kaufmann meets Norm MacDonald. Still, some things you don't joke about. But who the fuck knows. I do know that the tenor of many a comment on DZ reddit rings a sour note. From the price hike to the "non-disclosure" on Jake to adding too many voices to the mix to the quality of the content, while the majority still think everything is gold, there's a growing faction (that's getting louder) that says otherwise. It's to be expected. So it's not as if this burgeoning trend portends a downturn in subs. Again. Who the fuck knows.

    Love your buns.

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  21. Recall that Jake’s youngest had some fairly serious health issues at a young age. I hope everything works out positively for the guy and his family .

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    Replies
    1. Of course. But I can't imagine Dan cracking jokes and fostering speculation if it is about Jake's kid.

      Delete
  22. ruh roh. houston, we got a . . . .September 26, 2024 at 1:33 PM

    ● Paid Members
    5,883

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    1. Are trying to tell me that yet another enterprise founded on spite is beginning to trend in the wrong direction? No. Way.

      To use a line from the great Karen Carpenter, "We've only just begun."

      Delete
    2. They're switching to substack bruv. patreon numbers will eventually go to 0

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    3. Except for the inconvenient fact that the number of Stackers doesn't make up the difference of the Patreon subs lost. Not even close. Sorry 'bout that, scruhttie.

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    4. How would you even know that? I don’t think Substack releases paid subscriber numbers. And DZ has over total 8,000 Substack subscribers. I switched from Patreon to Substack (both paid)

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    5. If that's so, then how do you know they have over 8k Substack subs?

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    6. stately state of game state of the artSeptember 26, 2024 at 3:15 PM

      If you meant 8k Patteon subs, then you're lying.

      Delete
    7. I looked at their Substack page and that’s what it says, “8,000+ subscribers”. But it doesn’t differentiate between paid and free subscribers.

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    8. I looked at their Substack page and that’s what it says, “8,000+ subscribers”. But it doesn’t differentiate between paid and free subscribers.

      Delete
  23. Here's the facts - TDZ subscriber numbers have dropped since 9.26.23....no matter platform change. A big drop off probably did happen in the last few weeks.
    This was not the plan. This is full on "Wild Card, Bitches!"
    Maybe they break on through to the other side.
    Maybe, and more than likely, they don't.
    Major props for giving it a go, though!

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    Replies
    1. September 2023 they had 5,277 paid Patreon subscribers. As of this moment they have 5,886 paid Patreon subscribers plus some number of paid Substack subscribers. 5,886 is greater than 5,277. Your comment that the have lost subscribers since September 26, 2023 is incorrect.

      Delete
    2. I don’t think you understand what a fact is. Either that or you don’t know how to compare numbers and see which one is higher.

      Delete
    3. Actual Facts
      1. They’ve moved to a platform that will take less of a percentage of their subscriptions and actually courted them to sign them on. With the higher subscription rate and less percentage taken they don’t need as many subscribers to make equal or more money. Substack doesn’t do that if they’re failing on Patreon.
      2. They’ve hired Danny, Julie, Jasmine and Rob all as direct employees. You can’t do that without cash flow.
      3. They were also courted by Fox4 and given a studio and airtime on TV. Admittedly not a primary channel.
      4. They’ve picked up title sponsor Lonestar Beer along with sponsorships from Proslat, Frankel and Frankel, Eatzi’s, Prosper Ford, Earlybird CBD, etc.
      5. No Puppet Productions now distributes NINE independent podcasts through their network which diversifies their reach allowing them to maximize their advertisements.

      All of these are facts about the show you can verify with a quick search. As for Jake I just hope he’s ok and comes back happy.

      Delete
    4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    5. They are being paid by No Puppet Productions to do their jobs. Certainly you don't dispute that

      Delete
  24. Cash Sirois helping carry the weight on DZ podcast today. Too bad he has a bag.

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  25. When I was 12, I got paid by grandpa to mow his yard. That didn’t make me his employee. Some widdle boys need to learn the difference between a W2 & a 1099. In one case you are an employee (maybe even a direct employee) & in the other you are just some dude who got a check. Getting a couple of hundred bucks (or less? More?) and being responsible for your own tax payments is not being an employee. The bartenders at Danny’s bar have more rights

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    1. Let's be clear then---you think that Rob Chickering is getting a few hundred bucks to work for No Puppet Productions?

      Delete
    2. They literally talked about getting insurance stuff figured out before they hired Danny. 1099s don’t get insurance.

      Delete
  26. NYC Water = Boppin'' BagelsSeptember 27, 2024 at 9:51 AM

    "Castles made of sand fall into the sea, eventually" --James Marshall Hendrix

    Hi, Jasmine.

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  27. I bet telling people you do a podcast called The Dumb Zone is a lot of fun.
    "Oh but theres also a production company---It's called No Puppet----ok so do you remember the 2016 debate, so on another podcast livestream this guy got super hammered and started yelling this phrase that came from that debate! Of course we made merchandise!"

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  28. March 2025: The Investors give No Puppet notice that effective immediately they are pulling all funding.

    July 2025: Jake is running the family business, Dan is working mornings in Dubuque.

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  29. In the end the Cat Man is proved the winner!

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    1. Do all ya all think Cat is going to come over and blow you for licking his balls on this site ad nauseum? Good lord you lunatic boot lickers. We get it, everything other than the ticket sucks Cat's balls.

      Delete
  30. On anther subject, there is a good article in the DMN about John Blake (semi-) retiring from the Rangers. It is behind the paywall so I am not posting a link. One line from the article

    His loud voice became a drop on The Ticket, when he’d finish off interviews with Yu Darvish, shouting “questions in Japanese?”

    ET P1





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