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."
It's getting hard to find new reds. I've used hundreds, and I see old friends when I search on Google. (And, as one Confessor pointed out, I slipped up and repeated one not long ago.) Way too many AI images. Most are obvious to people who are online a lot, but some are really good.
I don't know if there are any actual media pros in here, but I'm still intrigued by what the future might look like, and if Cumulus and The Ticket care. I'm not an insider at all. Just a listener. I'm sure the biz model is still working wonderfully for TT. The ratings are so good that it's a great spot for advertisers. What does management think going forward? A) Keep it as is for as long as we can and milk the cow? B) Shift more aggressively to a podcast model, which may extend your talent? C) ?? Are there some media pros here who have an option C?
I'm not interested in speculating when folks are going to hang it up, but it will happen one day. What next? Based on the drop in mid day listening, I'm not confident the train can keep chugging if they don't start making some changes now. OR, am I naive to radio? The reality is you put folks in a slot and let the listeners' ears tune to the new guys, coach 'em up, and we'll soon forget the old folks?
I'm genuinely fascinated by this, and throwing some content out there for you Plainsman. Happy Saturday to all. Even emoji guy!
There was a post from Bass on X not too long ago that they’d signed new contracts. So I think they’re doing well enough to keep them around. And I think the thing that most people don’t know is how much of the advertising is concentrated in AMD and PMD. Middays are nice if you’re making money there, but advertisers are buying times when people are in cars. The Fan does reasonably well, but outside of Cowboys season they drop further behind the ticket. Heck, even in cowboys season they do fine on the Mon-sun 6a-mid numbers, but as you narrow that to m-f and especially m-f prime, ie 6a-7p, they drop further behind. So the fan has a glass ceiling, and until they break it I think the ticket is safe. There’s not really Ron for a 3rd sport station, see 103-3, and there’s not a market for what was once known as hot talk, or general guy talk, see 97-1. White Elephant is the last day of the Dec ratings. But the ticket still does well in the holiday book (so Dec calendar month) with a host of b-teamers, fill ins , etc. might it be different once the musers leave? Sure. As goes mornings, so goes the day. But inertia is also a hell of a thing. C
They’re the most popular pm drive show on the most popular station in town. Which also happens to be the highest billing radio station in the market. I don’t get the “they need to podcast” folks. They’re all being well paid to do radio. Until the overall station ratings tank, why would any of them upset the apple cart. C
Thanks C, I wanted to collectively speculate the play post Musers, because in its current form, you're right. But when (and I'm not interested in trying to guess that), what then? Can the HL sustain the whole enchilada?
I don't see the HL going much longer than the Musers. I can see Bob going on but I've always gotten the impression that Corby will get out early enough to enjoy his retirement. i don't see the station surviving the post Muser era, whenever that happens, in a recognizable form.
Tracks. Using that timeframe as a guide, I would guess we have roughly two years remaining of Dunham and Miller in AM Drive.
Sort of related. Been listening to all 11 CdS Danny/Mike pods on the state of The Ticket and DFW radio. They have one more that's all Ticket (about their exits). After that, they move into The Freak era. I have a lot of thoughts, and they are mixed to say the least. Waiting until they complete the entire arc before I post up a long form series of comments. Should be sometime in May. I know, bated breath and all.
Because every ad agency in town still gets ratings with all stations listed. Neilsen isn’t dumb enough to try to tell advertisers, who also pay for their service, that the station that’s been on a dominant run the last few years suddenly has zero listeners. The cumulus stations may not be listed in the publically released info, but Neilden still knows exactly what ratings and share the Cumulus stations have. Cumulus can’t use Neilsen ratings to sell advertising, but that doesn’t stop ad agencies from using the same data to buy radio advertising. C
Or items from Mexico, Canada, Columbia, the UK, Iraqi, Denmark, Italy, or Japan. Do you get upset at people selling Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb baseball cards too? Do yo uget upset about the Daughters of the American Revolution doing Wreaths Across America or the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, too?
I think I would have told my web designer to put pictures of my American or British memorabilia, rather than WW 2 Germany up. I'm sure there are legitimate reasons for collecting those items that don't involve being a fan of the Nazi's but even as much of a militrary history fan as I am I would steer clear of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan for my personal collection.
DJ now the voice of TW on The Ticket. He claims they built a plan for him and didn't include any unnecessary products. I bet a dollar TW put him in high commission annuities which 100 percent are horrible investments for low and middle income Ticket producers. Although they are promising 30 percent bonuses.
Richie Twitt was correct all along. Will the duplicity and machinations of Jake and Dan ever come to light? No way. They played Cumulus, some coworkers, and their audience like a cheap violin. And almost got their desired outcome. Too bad they didn't land the eagle. Would've been an all around win for the market. Instead, we get a 57 year old detailing his bate seshes and the smartest guy in the room who gets everything wrong, always. Too bad for us.
He's taken off for the Fiesta in San Antonio with his family for 3 years now. We'll get some fun fill ins like Doocy and Monty. If that keeps Junior for a few more years, I'm fine with the trade off.
I'm fine with the Musers having time off. They are still far and away the best thing on the in the morning, IMO. When they are on they are great and when they aren't there I catch up on Podcast. Its all good for me.
So let me get this straight. You never listen, but then say it is un-listenable. How could you possibly know? I think the Invasion is quite good, actually. Donny has always been great and Matt has come into his own. I think they are really good together. Sean and Mino are no HZ, but I also wouldn't say they are un-listenable either. The problem is the HZ left of their own accord so TSS is what we get. I get why Sean got the spot, he has paid his dues and seems like a good dude. I am not a huge baseball fan, so that might be part of why they are not my fav, but I do think they have gotten better over the past couple of years. I will say that even back when when Rhyner was on the HL, baseball segments were a tune out for me.
Can see you're confused little buddy so will explain. I have listened in the past. Thought it was terrible. Stopped listening. Donnie seems like a nice guy but generic. Matt is a creep. Sweet Spot is Guy Sports but more boring. Monty is a bright spot but he doesn't get enough airtime to fight through the other two. Tune in for WTDS. Think Sean and Mino add nothing to WTDS but fight through it for Monty and GXD and The Snake. Great hearing Monty on the morning show today.
I can see you are confused and/or can't comprehend. I am not saying everyone should love them or even that you have to like them, but if you say you don't listen and then say it is un-listenable, you are contradicting yourself. As I mentioned, I think both midday shows have gotten better. Things can and do change. I didn't think Bob and Corby were particularly good together when they formed the current iteration of the HL, but they are great now. Now if you would have said I listened once and it was terrible, that is fine, but to say it is un-listenable insinuates that you actually have listened recently.
I hate to remind the community of this, but as a person who hates wild speculation, I’ll add an addendum to my previous post at the end of a riposte, which turned out to be absolutely accurate.
In early 2020, Rhyner retires. His retirement is legitimate. He busies himself with the victory lap, sitting down, of course, for the big video; for the interviews, the podcast appearances (including with Ben and Skin), and the documentary. The documentary airs in October, but by then so much has changed. The OGW’s departure leads Sirois to believe the reshuffling at the mothership will benefit him; instead, due to the pandemic, he and others are furloughed. In emotional meetings, Cat reminds him that he’s running a marathon and that that marathon is nearly over. The story gets pretty confusing now - more twists in it than a watersnake. Grumblings begin. Julie is unhappy, as is Danny and Jillian. Dan and Jake aren’t impressed with how the company is treating others (compare this to Gordon’s policy of non-meddling). Sirois meddles. He doesn’t theorize. And Sirois, a romantic—a man who still believes that in America you are one good idea away for being set for life—is beginning to think of alternatives. Julie is attentive. Jillian agrees with the sentiment , but weighs options and simply resigns. Sirois doesn’t do anything by halves. He concludes he has finally found a way to easy street: Rhyner, 2.0. Sirois has been amazed with the chemistry of KTCK and believes he can bottle it. Rhyner, the spotlight gone, now bored, begins listening to Sirois — mostly to humor the young man, as a mentor. Sirois, like most salesmen, can read body language. Rhyner, borderline hooked, tells Sirois the one thing he (Rhyner) wished he (Rhyner) had when beginning the Ticket wasn’t a pro team or any of that. He only wished they had a better signal. Rhyner thinks he knows of a very good signal. So what really happened that day? Let's just for a moment speculate, shall we? Rhyner has been corresponding with Ben and Skin. Later, he will use this pretense in interviews as a reason to leave Cumulus. The reality is, Rhyner likes underdogs. A failure is expected, but he’s Your Leader if you succeed, and a genius for seeing something in you nobody else has. He tells Ben and Skin they’ve always reminded him of Dunham and Miller, but always under utilized—never understood. To hear The Guy say this of you, after decades of struggle, fights with suits, and failures you don’t understand along the way! Given the pandemic, iHeart is open to format changes. A change to all talk is absurd at first , but Rhyner leverages absolutely everything he has in terms of Radio Equity to get things done. And anyway, the pitch is easy: Suits from elsewhere are given the documentaries and interviews, the podcast interview with Ben and Skin (they’re told B&S are already at the station to aid in transition ). They’re shown the old KTCK numbers , the HOF, the Marconi. This was all Siriois. He sold it to Rhyner, who made it happen. And by then, Rhyner, set for life but bored, is looking squarely at the Hardline with Danny and Grubes. And instead of Corby or Greggo—an important note, later—he’s got young Mike Sirois. *
This is the key shot. Watch it again. Late June, 2013. The Bob and Dan Scare comes to the attention of the P1’s only after Dan decides to speak his mind. It is the end of WTDS, the end of Summer Bash, and BaD have been told to play it as it lays. Instead, Dan uses the last thirty seconds to improv. It is here that, lachrymose, Dan tells everybody he loves KTCK. But the 85% of his thirty-seconds are directed toward Rhyner, whom he calls his Leader Forever. To Dan, not only did Rhyner help him move out of the drudgery and general anomie of the Rust Belt, but he showed, by way of vibe and power, you can get what you want in this life, and how you want it. * The Stoical Philosophers say if you remove the phrase "I have been injured, " you have removed the injury. Let us think now in terms of farm systems. This is George and Gordon use to refer to Corby and Dave Lane: they are from the Rant farm system, as was Jillian (note current relationships in this system to KTCK). Dan’s farm system is fairly easy to see: Jake, Julie, TC, Blake, Grubes (shared with Rhyner). These are the young-ones Dan invested in. When one hits a rough patch in a career, when one wants advice, who does one turn to? Further, Dan is looking at who is already there / transitioning. He has: His leader: Mike Rhyner Three mentees: Julie and Grubes and TC Who is missing? Couple this with a guarantee from his Leader that the leash with iHeart is long, lucrative, and more than waiting for Dan and Jake to arrive to save the ship. * As for Richie Whitt, his source is obvious: Rhyner Rhyner was the only one who spoke to Whitt for The Hard Lie piece, with Corby and Danny telling Whitt they stuck by whatever it was Rhyner told them. He broke the story of Rhyner nearly leaving for CBS / 105.3. He worked with Rhyner on the second The Hard Lie piece. He broke the Rhyner to the Freak story. He broke the Bob and Jake to the Freak story.”
dan andjake only cared about the way others were being treated when it provided a narrative to help paint them as good guys. They were going to the freak to afternoons and knew that was not going to go over with the p1. everything that happened after was an attempt to save face and paint themselves as victims and heros. the only mistake cumulus made was attempting to hold them to thier noncompetes. the good will dan and jake enjoy now comes from court fight. imagine an alternate world where they quit the ticket, started a stop gap podcast and landed on the freak a few months later to take on corby and bob without cumulus liftinga finger.
But to your point, had cumulus not held them to non-compete, the Freak might not have died and TT would then have more competition which is the whole reason they had one to begin with. The DZ purposely picked that fight and wanted that lawsuit to gain that good will. Ended up being a catch 22 because the Freak was killed before that non compete ended and the DZ was left in the lurch.
that weird hail-mary of Kingston & Co to try to save the Freak from going back to rock. A trip to rehab months after the switch back. D&J&B are getting by, but they definitely believed they would be taking iHeart money in the PM Drive slot.
Danny and Sirois all but named D&J as the lynchpin that was going to make The Freak a real force. But the plug was pulled before they could get to the airwaves. The whole thing was orchestrated. D&J knew exactly what they were doing. So did their lawyers. Cumulus played right into their hands. Thing is, while prima facie Cumulus appeared to be the dopes, in the long run they got what they wanted -- and D&J did not: PM Drive on TF, going head to head with THL. Dan's Revenge Tour. One thing D&S made clear was that any notion that TF was Rhyner's baby is dead bang wrong. He was made the face of the station, but had very little involvement in its founding or bringing aboard talent. Basically, he continued his lazy ways that began around 2005.
My guess is by that time the decision had already been made/iHeart was no longer going to sink anymore money into salaries. Jan would be the first time they could legally begin actual contract negotiations. Those types of jobs/salary structures, etc take a couple of months. Plus, all the KEGL/iHeart higher ups that OKed, signed off on, and believed in TF by that time had been let go.
Yes Dan and Jake each joined in on TF shows late March/early April with expected jokes on how they doomed the station with their presence. Its so funny- the way they hated the manufactured gladhand, photos, setups....but I guess you get to a point where you tell your wife some randos will be in and out of your kitchen as they paid $600 to hang in your above garage Den. When it makes its way to Jakes "den"....that is when the end is Near.
Anonymous laid it out well above. The irony of it all is that everybody lost. The Ticket is (subjectively but seems a common opinion) worse than it used to be. The P1s lose.
Sirois has all but said he regrets not leveraging Dingu’s departure from the HL into a Dave Lane type role he’d be in to this day. Sirois loses.
Dan and Jake didn’t get their new, higher corporate paychecks/benefits from iHeart and pm drive ratings showdown with their former home - aka revenge tour. Their saving grace was how well they cultivated a uniquely obsequious following that allowed them to scrape out a hollow ‘win’ of Reddit cache and enough podcast subscribers (who will insist they not only don’t mind getting ads podcasts they pay for, but they enjoy the ads) to allow them to earn a living. But not what they had in mind. Dan and Jake lose.
Danny is a draw I guess, he seemed to leave for no ulterior motive so any second radio career would have just been icing.
Julie is a self entitled rich girl who wanted media personality status for Christmas and was proven to have nothing. Draw for her also.
So this big move from Dan, Jake, and Sirois ultimately made things worse for everyone. That is what history should reflect.
Well said. But you left out the part about Dan and Jake now doing exponentially more work (most of it having nothing to do with content creation) for less compensation, benefits, et al. As well, It's much easier for Jake to lose in this situation. Like Julie, he comes from money; has a family business waiting for him at any time; and is also married to a spouse who earns more than him and is also from money. Plus, as long as his considerable ego is getting fed by the reddit sub machine, he's all good. Dan, on the other hand, not so much. So at the end of the day, I think Jake is a draw. Lastly, you didn't mention the biggest loser in all this: Rhyner. What a spectacular swan dive into obscurity. At best he'll be a footnote. It didn't have to be that way. He just couldn't help himself.
Lemme add Danny as a loser. If you've listened to the 14 + hours and counting of him talking Ticket, you've been hearing one barely below the surface angry, bitter, and regretful dude. No matter the disclaimers saying he's not. Disclaimers he tosses out each episode, only to immediately do the opposite. He protesteth too much. Dude is haunted by it all. Painfully obvious.
To their credit, they both admit that w/o TT and talking T, very few of any would know who they are, much less care.
But as the anon above said: despite his denial of such feelings, Danny seems to harbor a goodly amount of resentment and bitterness. Mostly towards Cat. Surprisingly, he often aims his not so passively passive-aggressive invective towards Bob. That is right after giving him praise. Does the same thing with Cat and others. Kind of a theme with both he and Sirois that runs throughout each episode.
Danny having the balls to call up Bob and ask him not to come to the hardline and let Jake come on instead is mind blowing. If I were Bob I’m pretty sure I would have tried to force him out ASAP
The only thing I miss about Danny is his musical additions. We'd be spared a lot of the AI crap the HL forces upon us. He was also good for drops but him leaving was addition by subtraction. Bob absolutely made the HL better. Jake wasn't going to get to go from producer to drive time. Cat isn't making that move nor should he have because that show would not have been long for the world.
cat said as much during his ama at ticketstock. Jake wasn't going to jump from producer tom afternoon drive host to replace rhyner bur jake would be a better fit as host on the same show he was already on as producer
So who are the winner? With the fact that TT is still atop the ratings (even if Neilen won’t tell the public that) and finished 2025 as the top billing station in the market, consider this; Winner-The P1’s, for all the change, the station has survived, arguably thrived, and appears on its way to surviving for 40 years. Winner-Dan Bennett. Survived the midday cratering of arguably Cumulus’s most important radio station, while cutting costs and age(more later on this) Winner-Jeff Catlin- proved that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Proved that all the stuff hosts gripe about, click over content, staying on time, playing the hits, translates to ratings success. TF had the chance to say what they wanted, be free, etc and they never drew much of an audience. Maybe if they’d been a sports station, talking sports, instead of discussing Mikes favorite type of bean (navy for the win) they’d have stuck around longer. Winner- the musers. Managed to both lower their hours and increase their vacation time simultaneously. Winner- The invasion. Matt gets another job in Dallas while Donnie is no longer Norms jr partner. And they traded almost 80 norm for 40 something Matt. Winner- the sweet spot. 2 back up players take the field and manage to hold their own. And by swapping baby boomer Dan for Sean or Mino, more getting younger at that position. Which has to help with the long term viability of TT. Winner- the Hardline. The OGW gets replaced by Bob, again cutting 20-30 years off the average age of the show. I don’t think the combination of continued success and younger staff can be overlooked. Yeah the Ticket isn’t what it once was. But it still makes money which is ultimately the deciding factor in its longevity. And the fact that the Fan has yet to make serious inroads where it counts (drivetimes) tells me the ticket has at least another 5-10 years of life in it.
You could see Sirois ingratiating himself with Rhyner for a long time, and not just on the air. They went to shows together, out drinking. Of course it wasn't Rhyner who launched another station; who in the world thought he had anything close to that much energy. He hasn't even done basic show prep in years. I don't blame Sirois. It was worth a shot.
I don't blame Dan and Jake either, but they should be honest with their wanton followers on Reddit that they were not in fact turning their backs on the "dying medium of radio." They had no intention of being permanent podcasters and are probably both still freaked out that they'll likely never be on the air again.
Awfully quiet around here.
ReplyDeletePerhaps my fault for not coming up with any new Scorching Ticket Disquisitions.
I'll put my mind to it on my return, see if we can't get some quality left-handed pitching in here.
Angie Everheart. Nice red Pman!
ReplyDeleteSmoking hot offering this time well done
ReplyDeleteOne hot piece O ass. Lvin' it.
ReplyDeleteIt's getting hard to find new reds. I've used hundreds, and I see old friends when I search on Google. (And, as one Confessor pointed out, I slipped up and repeated one not long ago.) Way too many AI images. Most are obvious to people who are online a lot, but some are really good.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if there are any actual media pros in here, but I'm still intrigued by what the future might look like, and if Cumulus and The Ticket care. I'm not an insider at all. Just a listener. I'm sure the biz model is still working wonderfully for TT. The ratings are so good that it's a great spot for advertisers. What does management think going forward? A) Keep it as is for as long as we can and milk the cow? B) Shift more aggressively to a podcast model, which may extend your talent? C) ?? Are there some media pros here who have an option C?
ReplyDeleteI'm not interested in speculating when folks are going to hang it up, but it will happen one day. What next? Based on the drop in mid day listening, I'm not confident the train can keep chugging if they don't start making some changes now. OR, am I naive to radio? The reality is you put folks in a slot and let the listeners' ears tune to the new guys, coach 'em up, and we'll soon forget the old folks?
I'm genuinely fascinated by this, and throwing some content out there for you Plainsman. Happy Saturday to all. Even emoji guy!
Cordial
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThere was a post from Bass on X not too long ago that they’d signed new contracts. So I think they’re doing well enough to keep them around. And I think the thing that most people don’t know is how much of the advertising is concentrated in AMD and PMD. Middays are nice if you’re making money there, but advertisers are buying times when people are in cars.
The Fan does reasonably well, but outside of Cowboys season they drop further behind the ticket. Heck, even in cowboys season they do fine on the Mon-sun 6a-mid numbers, but as you narrow that to m-f and especially m-f prime, ie 6a-7p, they drop further behind. So the fan has a glass ceiling, and until they break it I think the ticket is safe. There’s not really Ron for a 3rd sport station, see 103-3, and there’s not a market for what was once known as hot talk, or general guy talk, see 97-1.
White Elephant is the last day of the Dec ratings. But the ticket still does well in the holiday book (so Dec calendar month) with a host of b-teamers, fill ins , etc.
might it be different once the musers leave? Sure. As goes mornings, so goes the day. But inertia is also a hell of a thing.
C
Cool story. Tell it again.
DeleteThanks C. Perhaps unfortunately for the hardline, I think you're right re: mornings. Hence, I think a pivot medium-wise needs to happen.
DeleteKTDK
DeleteThey’re the most popular pm drive show on the most popular station in town. Which also happens to be the highest billing radio station in the market. I don’t get the “they need to podcast” folks. They’re all being well paid to do radio. Until the overall station ratings tank, why would any of them upset the apple cart.
ReplyDeleteC
How do you know they’re the most popular drive time show? They don’t participate in ratings any more.
DeleteDenial of how much the product has slipped is kinda sad.
DeleteThat's your subjective opinion. The comment says nothing about quality. A lack of reading comprehension: now that's actually sad.
DeleteThanks C, I wanted to collectively speculate the play post Musers, because in its current form, you're right. But when (and I'm not interested in trying to guess that), what then? Can the HL sustain the whole enchilada?
DeleteI don't see the HL going much longer than the Musers. I can see Bob going on but I've always gotten the impression that Corby will get out early enough to enjoy his retirement. i don't see the station surviving the post Muser era, whenever that happens, in a recognizable form.
DeleteYou got 32 months left
Deletehttps://talkers.com/2024/01/22/ktck-am-fm-dallas-fort-worth-host-corby-davidson-inks-extension/
Nice resource. Thank you.
DeleteTracks. Using that timeframe as a guide, I would guess we have roughly two years remaining of Dunham and Miller in AM Drive.
DeleteSort of related. Been listening to all 11 CdS Danny/Mike pods on the state of The Ticket and DFW radio. They have one more that's all Ticket (about their exits). After that, they move into The Freak era. I have a lot of thoughts, and they are mixed to say the least. Waiting until they complete the entire arc before I post up a long form series of comments. Should be sometime in May. I know, bated breath and all.
Because every ad agency in town still gets ratings with all stations listed. Neilsen isn’t dumb enough to try to tell advertisers, who also pay for their service, that the station that’s been on a dominant run the last few years suddenly has zero listeners. The cumulus stations may not be listed in the publically released info, but Neilden still knows exactly what ratings and share the Cumulus stations have. Cumulus can’t use Neilsen ratings to sell advertising, but that doesn’t stop ad agencies from using the same data to buy radio advertising.
ReplyDeleteC
Ouch. Not so cute any libger, are we, anon. Giggle
Deletelibger, not libger?
ReplyDeleteAngie Everheart is perfect.
ReplyDeleteFinally went to the Collectors Firearms website. He has no qualms selling you Nazi and SS regalia.
ReplyDeleteOr items from Mexico, Canada, Columbia, the UK, Iraqi, Denmark, Italy, or Japan. Do you get upset at people selling Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb baseball cards too? Do yo uget upset about the Daughters of the American Revolution doing Wreaths Across America or the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, too?
DeleteSo your contention is the things you listed are the equivalent of Nazi and SS regalia? Wow.
DeleteNone of the things/concepts you listed instantiate unadulterated evil, whereas Nazi stuff does. Weird, disturbing take.
DeleteI think I would have told my web designer to put pictures of my American or British memorabilia, rather than WW 2 Germany up. I'm sure there are legitimate reasons for collecting those items that don't involve being a fan of the Nazi's but even as much of a militrary history fan as I am I would steer clear of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan for my personal collection.
Delete😢
DeleteTo answer Gopher’s question: no, I don’t get mad at people selling baseball cards. Because baseball cards aren’t SS regalia.
DeleteDJ now the voice of TW on The Ticket. He claims they built a plan for him and didn't include any unnecessary products. I bet a dollar TW put him in high commission annuities which 100 percent are horrible investments for low and middle income Ticket producers. Although they are promising 30 percent bonuses.
ReplyDeleteI bet a dollar he doesnt have a pot to piss in and its just an ad read
DeleteTV has always done right by me.
Delete30 percent bonus!
DeleteAt the end of their latest podcast, Danny and Sirois hinted at the fact that the original plan was indeed to add Dan and Jake to the Freak Lineup.
ReplyDeleteWater is wet.
DeleteRichie Twitt was correct all along. Will the duplicity and machinations of Jake and Dan ever come to light? No way. They played Cumulus, some coworkers, and their audience like a cheap violin. And almost got their desired outcome. Too bad they didn't land the eagle. Would've been an all around win for the market. Instead, we get a 57 year old detailing his bate seshes and the smartest guy in the room who gets everything wrong, always. Too bad for us.
DeleteJune 2027
ReplyDeleteHi, Seacow.
DeleteThat first epi I knew something was ip. In fact, this whole thing is all another Sirois PR run up gag.
DeleteThis is about a current Ticket program
DeleteEXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT! MUSERS TO RETIRE IN '27!
DeleteDeja vu all over again.
ReplyDeleteThat was directed at Anonymous 12:48 PM
DeleteWhen are The Stars going to spend some money and get some goal tending in here?
ReplyDeleteJr taking another week off. 2 weeks in March. Weed in April. After a month off in December. One foot out the door.
ReplyDeleteHe's taken off for the Fiesta in San Antonio with his family for 3 years now. We'll get some fun fill ins like Doocy and Monty. If that keeps Junior for a few more years, I'm fine with the trade off.
DeleteI'm fine with the Musers having time off. They are still far and away the best thing on the in the morning, IMO. When they are on they are great and when they aren't there I catch up on Podcast. Its all good for me.
DeleteI think you're wrong.
ReplyDeleteThat makes no sense whatsoever. Dan will never see this. Find a new hobby, pal.
DeleteI haven't given the midday a listen for almost a year....have a feeling I'm not alone....anyway just checking in!
ReplyDeleteUm, thanks for sharing?
DeleteNever listen 9-255ish (tune in for WTDS - which Sean and Mino try to screw up). 9-3 is unlistenable (if that's even a word)
ReplyDeleteWho asked you?
DeleteSo let me get this straight. You never listen, but then say it is un-listenable. How could you possibly know? I think the Invasion is quite good, actually. Donny has always been great and Matt has come into his own. I think they are really good together. Sean and Mino are no HZ, but I also wouldn't say they are un-listenable either. The problem is the HZ left of their own accord so TSS is what we get. I get why Sean got the spot, he has paid his dues and seems like a good dude. I am not a huge baseball fan, so that might be part of why they are not my fav, but I do think they have gotten better over the past couple of years. I will say that even back when when Rhyner was on the HL, baseball segments were a tune out for me.
Delete
DeleteCan see you're confused little buddy so will explain. I have listened in the past. Thought it was terrible. Stopped listening. Donnie seems like a nice guy but generic. Matt is a creep. Sweet Spot is Guy Sports but more boring. Monty is a bright spot but he doesn't get enough airtime to fight through the other two. Tune in for WTDS. Think Sean and Mino add nothing to WTDS but fight through it for Monty and GXD and The Snake.
Great hearing Monty on the morning show today.
I can see you are confused and/or can't comprehend. I am not saying everyone should love them or even that you have to like them, but if you say you don't listen and then say it is un-listenable, you are contradicting yourself. As I mentioned, I think both midday shows have gotten better. Things can and do change. I didn't think Bob and Corby were particularly good together when they formed the current iteration of the HL, but they are great now. Now if you would have said I listened once and it was terrible, that is fine, but to say it is un-listenable insinuates that you actually have listened recently.
Deletejust kick me
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ReplyDeleteI hate to remind the community of this, but as a person who hates wild speculation, I’ll add an addendum to my previous post at the end of a riposte, which turned out to be absolutely accurate.
In early 2020, Rhyner retires. His retirement is legitimate. He busies himself with the victory lap, sitting down, of course, for the big video; for the interviews, the podcast appearances (including with Ben and Skin), and the documentary. The documentary airs in October, but by then so much has changed. The OGW’s departure leads Sirois to believe the reshuffling at the mothership will benefit him; instead, due to the pandemic, he and others are furloughed. In emotional meetings, Cat reminds him that he’s running a marathon and that that marathon is nearly over. The story gets pretty confusing now - more twists in it than a watersnake. Grumblings begin. Julie is unhappy, as is Danny and Jillian. Dan and Jake aren’t impressed with how the company is treating others (compare this to Gordon’s policy of non-meddling). Sirois meddles. He doesn’t theorize. And Sirois, a romantic—a man who still believes that in America you are one good idea away for being set for life—is beginning to think of alternatives. Julie is attentive. Jillian agrees with the sentiment , but weighs options and simply resigns. Sirois doesn’t do anything by halves. He concludes he has finally found a way to easy street: Rhyner, 2.0. Sirois has been amazed with the chemistry of KTCK and believes he can bottle it. Rhyner, the spotlight gone, now bored, begins listening to Sirois — mostly to humor the young man, as a mentor. Sirois, like most salesmen, can read body language. Rhyner, borderline hooked, tells Sirois the one thing he (Rhyner) wished he (Rhyner) had when beginning the Ticket wasn’t a pro team or any of that. He only wished they had a better signal. Rhyner thinks he knows of a very good signal. So what really happened that day? Let's just for a moment speculate, shall we? Rhyner has been corresponding with Ben and Skin. Later, he will use this pretense in interviews as a reason to leave Cumulus. The reality is, Rhyner likes underdogs. A failure is expected, but he’s Your Leader if you succeed, and a genius for seeing something in you nobody else has. He tells Ben and Skin they’ve always reminded him of Dunham and Miller, but always under utilized—never understood. To hear The Guy say this of you, after decades of struggle, fights with suits, and failures you don’t understand along the way! Given the pandemic, iHeart is open to format changes. A change to all talk is absurd at first , but Rhyner leverages absolutely everything he has in terms of Radio Equity to get things done. And anyway, the pitch is easy: Suits from elsewhere are given the documentaries and interviews, the podcast interview with Ben and Skin (they’re told B&S are already at the station to aid in transition ). They’re shown the old KTCK numbers , the HOF, the Marconi. This was all Siriois. He sold it to Rhyner, who made it happen. And by then, Rhyner, set for life but bored, is looking squarely at the Hardline with Danny and Grubes. And instead of Corby or Greggo—an important note, later—he’s got young Mike Sirois. *
DeleteThis is the key shot. Watch it again. Late June, 2013. The Bob and Dan Scare comes to the attention of the P1’s only after Dan decides to speak his mind. It is the end of WTDS, the end of Summer Bash, and BaD have been told to play it as it lays. Instead, Dan uses the last thirty seconds to improv. It is here that, lachrymose, Dan tells everybody he loves KTCK. But the 85% of his thirty-seconds are directed toward Rhyner, whom he calls his Leader Forever. To Dan, not only did Rhyner help him move out of the drudgery and general anomie of the Rust Belt, but he showed, by way of vibe and power, you can get what you want in this life, and how you want it. * The Stoical Philosophers say if you remove the phrase "I have been injured, " you have removed the injury. Let us think now in terms of farm systems. This is George and Gordon use to refer to Corby and Dave Lane: they are from the Rant farm system, as was Jillian (note current relationships in this system to KTCK). Dan’s farm system is fairly easy to see: Jake, Julie, TC, Blake, Grubes (shared with Rhyner). These are the young-ones Dan invested in. When one hits a rough patch in a career, when one wants advice, who does one turn to? Further, Dan is looking at who is already there / transitioning. He has: His leader: Mike Rhyner Three mentees: Julie and Grubes and TC Who is missing? Couple this with a guarantee from his Leader that the leash with iHeart is long, lucrative, and more than waiting for Dan and Jake to arrive to save the ship. * As for Richie Whitt, his source is obvious: Rhyner Rhyner was the only one who spoke to Whitt for The Hard Lie piece, with Corby and Danny telling Whitt they stuck by whatever it was Rhyner told them. He broke the story of Rhyner nearly leaving for CBS / 105.3. He worked with Rhyner on the second The Hard Lie piece. He broke the Rhyner to the Freak story. He broke the Bob and Jake to the Freak story.”
DeleteExtra credit for "anomie."
Deletedan andjake only cared about the way others were being treated when it provided a narrative to help paint them as good guys. They were going to the freak to afternoons and knew that was not going to go over with the p1. everything that happened after was an attempt to save face and paint themselves as victims and heros. the only mistake cumulus made was attempting to hold them to thier noncompetes. the good will dan and jake enjoy now comes from court fight. imagine an alternate world where they quit the ticket, started a stop gap podcast and landed on the freak a few months later to take on corby and bob without cumulus liftinga finger.
DeleteBut to your point, had cumulus not held them to non-compete, the Freak might not have died and TT would then have more competition which is the whole reason they had one to begin with. The DZ purposely picked that fight and wanted that lawsuit to gain that good will. Ended up being a catch 22 because the Freak was killed before that non compete ended and the DZ was left in the lurch.
Deletefreak was killed in like april. dan jake left TT in july. a six month noncompete puts them on freak in jan. to save the day.
Deletethat weird hail-mary of Kingston & Co to try to save the Freak from going back to rock. A trip to rehab months after the switch back.
DeleteD&J&B are getting by, but they definitely believed they would be taking iHeart money in the PM Drive slot.
Danny and Sirois all but named D&J as the lynchpin that was going to make The Freak a real force. But the plug was pulled before they could get to the airwaves. The whole thing was orchestrated. D&J knew exactly what they were doing. So did their lawyers. Cumulus played right into their hands. Thing is, while prima facie Cumulus appeared to be the dopes, in the long run they got what they wanted -- and D&J did not: PM Drive on TF, going head to head with THL. Dan's Revenge Tour. One thing D&S made clear was that any notion that TF was Rhyner's baby is dead bang wrong. He was made the face of the station, but had very little involvement in its founding or bringing aboard talent. Basically, he continued his lazy ways that began around 2005.
Deletethe plug was pulled in April D&J were free in Jan so what gives
DeleteMy guess is by that time the decision had already been made/iHeart was no longer going to sink anymore money into salaries. Jan would be the first time they could legally begin actual contract negotiations. Those types of jobs/salary structures, etc take a couple of months. Plus, all the KEGL/iHeart higher ups that OKed, signed off on, and believed in TF by that time had been let go.
DeleteAs D&S said, in hindsight TF was dead in the water before it even launched.
DeleteHere is the riposte:
ReplyDeleteCorby and the Musers end in 2029. That’s where the contracts end and the ages meet retirement.
Who can blame them in the meantime for asking to have half a foot out of the door, when they are all approaching 65?
Swing and a miss
Deleteben and skin still on the air as for the rest mostly not
DeleteIf a podcast shits in the woods . . . . .
DeleteYes Dan and Jake each joined in on TF shows late March/early April with expected jokes on how they doomed the station with their presence.
DeleteIts so funny- the way they hated the manufactured gladhand, photos, setups....but I guess you get to a point where you tell your wife some randos will be in and out of your kitchen as they paid $600 to hang in your above garage Den.
When it makes its way to Jakes "den"....that is when the end is Near.
Anonymous laid it out well above. The irony of it all is that everybody lost. The Ticket is (subjectively but seems a common opinion) worse than it used to be. The P1s lose.
ReplyDeleteSirois has all but said he regrets not leveraging Dingu’s departure from the HL into a Dave Lane type role he’d be in to this day. Sirois loses.
Dan and Jake didn’t get their new, higher corporate paychecks/benefits from iHeart and pm drive ratings showdown with their former home - aka revenge tour. Their saving grace was how well they cultivated a uniquely obsequious following that allowed them to scrape out a hollow ‘win’ of Reddit cache and enough podcast subscribers (who will insist they not only don’t mind getting ads podcasts they pay for, but they enjoy the ads) to allow them to earn a living. But not what they had in mind. Dan and Jake lose.
Danny is a draw I guess, he seemed to leave for no ulterior motive so any second radio career would have just been icing.
Julie is a self entitled rich girl who wanted media personality status for Christmas and was proven to have nothing. Draw for her also.
So this big move from Dan, Jake, and Sirois ultimately made things worse for everyone. That is what history should reflect.
Well said. But you left out the part about Dan and Jake now doing exponentially more work (most of it having nothing to do with content creation) for less compensation, benefits, et al. As well, It's much easier for Jake to lose in this situation. Like Julie, he comes from money; has a family business waiting for him at any time; and is also married to a spouse who earns more than him and is also from money. Plus, as long as his considerable ego is getting fed by the reddit sub machine, he's all good. Dan, on the other hand, not so much. So at the end of the day, I think Jake is a draw. Lastly, you didn't mention the biggest loser in all this: Rhyner. What a spectacular swan dive into obscurity. At best he'll be a footnote. It didn't have to be that way. He just couldn't help himself.
DeleteLemme add Danny as a loser. If you've listened to the 14 + hours and counting of him talking Ticket, you've been hearing one barely below the surface angry, bitter, and regretful dude. No matter the disclaimers saying he's not. Disclaimers he tosses out each episode, only to immediately do the opposite. He protesteth too much. Dude is haunted by it all. Painfully obvious.
Delete14+ hours talking ticket. exactly. danny sirois have nothing without the ticket and associated fodder they continue to dredge
ReplyDeleteTo their credit, they both admit that w/o TT and talking T, very few of any would know who they are, much less care.
DeleteBut as the anon above said: despite his denial of such feelings, Danny seems to harbor a goodly amount of resentment and bitterness. Mostly towards Cat. Surprisingly, he often aims his not so passively passive-aggressive invective towards Bob. That is right after giving him praise. Does the same thing with Cat and others. Kind of a theme with both he and Sirois that runs throughout each episode.
Danny having the balls to call up Bob and ask him not to come to the hardline and let Jake come on instead is mind blowing. If I were Bob I’m pretty sure I would have tried to force him out ASAP
DeleteThe more I hear Fanny and get to know the real Danny, the mote I understand why he has the rep that he does IRL.
DeleteThe only thing I miss about Danny is his musical additions. We'd be spared a lot of the AI crap the HL forces upon us. He was also good for drops but him leaving was addition by subtraction. Bob absolutely made the HL better. Jake wasn't going to get to go from producer to drive time. Cat isn't making that move nor should he have because that show would not have been long for the world.
Deletecat said as much during his ama at ticketstock. Jake wasn't going to jump from producer tom afternoon drive host to replace rhyner bur jake would be a better fit as host on the same show he was already on as producer
DeleteSo who are the winner?
ReplyDeleteWith the fact that TT is still atop the ratings (even if Neilen won’t tell the public that) and finished 2025 as the top billing station in the market, consider this;
Winner-The P1’s, for all the change, the station has survived, arguably thrived, and appears on its way to surviving for 40 years.
Winner-Dan Bennett. Survived the midday cratering of arguably Cumulus’s most important radio station, while cutting costs and age(more later on this)
Winner-Jeff Catlin- proved that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Proved that all the stuff hosts gripe about, click over content, staying on time, playing the hits, translates to ratings success. TF had the chance to say what they wanted, be free, etc and they never drew much of an audience. Maybe if they’d been a sports station, talking sports, instead of discussing Mikes favorite type of bean (navy for the win) they’d have stuck around longer.
Winner- the musers. Managed to both lower their hours and increase their vacation time simultaneously.
Winner- The invasion. Matt gets another job in Dallas while Donnie is no longer Norms jr partner. And they traded almost 80 norm for 40 something Matt.
Winner- the sweet spot. 2 back up players take the field and manage to hold their own. And by swapping baby boomer Dan for Sean or Mino, more getting younger at that position. Which has to help with the long term viability of TT.
Winner- the Hardline. The OGW gets replaced by Bob, again cutting 20-30 years off the average age of the show.
I don’t think the combination of continued success and younger staff can be overlooked. Yeah the Ticket isn’t what it once was. But it still makes money which is ultimately the deciding factor in its longevity. And the fact that the Fan has yet to make serious inroads where it counts (drivetimes) tells me the ticket has at least another 5-10 years of life in it.
End E-Brake Voting NOW!
ReplyDeleteBeen over for hours now. Happy?
DeleteYou could see Sirois ingratiating himself with Rhyner for a long time, and not just on the air. They went to shows together, out drinking. Of course it wasn't Rhyner who launched another station; who in the world thought he had anything close to that much energy. He hasn't even done basic show prep in years. I don't blame Sirois. It was worth a shot.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame Dan and Jake either, but they should be honest with their wanton followers on Reddit that they were not in fact turning their backs on the "dying medium of radio." They had no intention of being permanent podcasters and are probably both still freaked out that they'll likely never be on the air again.
Neither Dan nor Jake are capable of being honest with themselves and each other, much less their fanboys.
DeleteWhen a half-baked snake oil guy like Sirois is in charge of your grand scheme, your scheme will never be grand.
ReplyDeleteThis is one long road trip
ReplyDeletenow that the berkshire meeting is over hes prolly on his way back
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