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

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The Guy in the Last Thread Who Said This Thing Needed a Fresh-Up Was Right

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The Future of Our Favorite Former Hangers

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Question on the NLRB Proceeding

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What Are We to Make of the September 15 Hearing?

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No One Knows Anything

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BREAKING: CUMULUS (through Susquehanna subsidiaries) HAS FILED SUIT AGAINST KEMP AND MCDOWELL -- DETAILED SUMMARY OF COMPLAINT -- PLEADINGS MISSPELL "BENNETT," FAIL TO CITE TX NONCOMPETE STATUTE

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There’s an Angle to This We’re Neglecting; Or, Some Sketchy but Nevertheless Long-Winded Speculations on What Might Happen Based on Limited Information

Forget It, Jake; It's Chinatown

Preliminary Note on Dan and Jake's Departure

BREAKING: Dan + Jake (and/or Dan or Jake) Are Not Going to The Freak

Something May Well Be Up

Here's How Little I Have to Post About

The Confessor will recognize this as an entirely burnt post intended to let you know I'm still out here and still providing the anchor for your trenchant Ticket commentary in your offerings below.

Here it is:

Jake Kemp:  He reads the ad copy put in front of him.  This is not a criticism of Jake.  This is a criticism of whoever writes the ad copy.

I speak of the ad copy for All-Pro Foundation Repair.  As this column has pointed out, one should never buy a house from a Ticket host, because they've all had foundation problems.  (Never, Never, No, Never, No, No, Never -- and I Mean Ever -- Buy a House from a Ticket Host)   Now, instead, they all say "we've all had reason to call" All-Pro.

Even new host Jake.  Apparently the moment you're elevated to Tier One, your foundation starts to get wavy and shifty and doors stick and paint cracks.

That's OK.  Never hurts to have your foundation checked on this supposedly difficult North Texas soil.  Although how homes have stable swimming pools but can't seem to have basements or sound foundations in this area is beyond me.

That's not my current issue.  It is:

During the latest ad, Jake says something like this:

"But what really sets All-Pro Foundation Repair apart, though, is  .  .  .  ."

No.

Just, no.

You can't say "but" and also "though."

It has to be either:

"But what sets All-Pro Foundation Repair apart is  .  .  .  ."

OR

"What sets All-Pro Foundation Repair apart, though, is  .  .  .  ."

Jeez.  An absolutely nothing moment, but drives me nuts.  Ad copy guys:  Jake has a Master's Degree in Communications.  Give the man correct copy to read.

And there you have the most vivid thought I've had about The Ticket in a while.

Wait, here's a couple more less-vivid thoughts:

I like Jake and Dan 12-3.  The show continues to warm.   Dan still has the occasional hissy moment, but Jake's good at handling them and overall I think Dan has upped his game.

I like Bob, Corby, and Danny 3-7.  Everyone is settling in nicely, I think.  Corby's calmed down, we're hearing less bonehead social commentary, and Danny has perked up.   Both Danny and Corby seem to be speaking with greater care in the presence of Bob's thoughtfulness and general niceness.

There you go.

Thank you for shopping at My Ticket Confession.

 

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

Just a Quick Refresh

Got nothing much on my mind.

I've had a big change in my work which, alas, means a lot less Ticket listening.  I'm hoping that will change soon, but for now I've missed a lot of shows I used to listen to frequently.  Let's hope I can continue to make this site worthwhile.  For now, I'm not planning on ending it.

Yesterday, I was able to hear a lot of 12-3.  I was impressed.  I know this may be a minority position, but I thought the show sounded really good.  Dan seems to have gotten a lot more comfortable with the new arrangement, and I liked listening to both him and Jake.

A lot of you have not liked 3-7 for the same reasons you didn't like the Mike R Hardline -- too much Corby, too much annoying virtue-signalling political talk from him and Danny.   Before my schedule got in the way, I had the opposite impression.  I liked the new arrangement much better and I thought Corby and Danny both were more focused, more mature-sounding.  After some initial uncertainty, Bob stepped up and provided the balance that show had lacked for some time.  I have not been able to listen to much of that show since sports came to an end, but I can see how those improvements could wither with the lack of any sports to talk about.

Anyone out there actually liking the "new" Hardline?  I'm going to make a special effort to tune in here in the next few days.

By the way:  No excuse for not finding new names for these two shows.  Maybe we should give Cat a hand and suggest some.

Anonymous 415 Nails It (That Is, He Agrees with Me)

I was getting set to do an article on some early observations on 12-3 and 3-7, when ConfessorAnonymous 415 posted yesterday to the previous article (lightly edited by MTC):

So far I'm mostly liking the changes. I will admit that I'm partial to 3-7 over 12-3. For me to say that is incredible since I haven't been able to listen to 3-7 for over 5 minutes at a sitting for years now. 

I said mostly liking due to being less and less sold on Super BaD. I'm beginning to see chinks in Jake's armor. I'm beginning to see that while deserving and in a fundamental way ready for prime time, he's not a finished product by any stretch of the imagination. 

I also think Dan needs to dial it back a notch or four. To me it's obvious he's trying to make sure everyone (CTO) know that he still has his youthful fastball. At times it makes for uncomfortable radio. And this isn't Stern so this isn't a good thing. 

As to 3-7, the more Bob asserts himself and the scarcer Danny makes his presence known the better this thing gets. Danny's good for a segment and has nice add-ins throughout the show. Bob's getting more comfortable with each passing show and as a result is SOMEWHAT putting a matte finish on Corby's Corbyness. Good stuff. 

I think 12-3 is going to take a lot of time, experimenting, and even off-air discussions between Dan and Jake and/or Cat interventions to find its sweet spot.

*     *     *

These observations mirror my own to a large degree.

Dan and Jake:  In general, I think this show is good, better than recent Bob and Dan.  I do think Jake has settled in very well -- it's Dan who seems to be thrashing about a bit.  He's clearly the boss of the show, which is fine.  But not having been the boss of the show for all those decades, he's having some trouble figuring out how he should be pitching his presentation.  "Dial it back a notch or four," says Anonymous, and that puts it pretty well.  He seems to be pressing.  It's not that he hogs the show -- that's neither fair nor entirely accurate -- it's that his role as the sarcastic gadfly hovering around the stentorian Bob doesn't sound quite right without Bob there to puncture.  He's a naturally intelligent guy -- he should just relax and broadcast instead of constantly setting up his next sarcastic observation, looking for angles for jokes, a process that (you guessed it) bogs down the show.  I have pretty much no complaints about Jake, except to say I'd like to hear a little more from him.

Corby and Bob:  After an uncertain couple of weeks, this show has taken off.  I listened quite a bit over the past few days, and I thought it was an enormous improvement over legacy Hardline.  Bob is so much more comfortable, so much so that he is really remaking the show.  Corby is proving to be a solid equal partner, and he has dialed back the Corbosity.  Danny has done a good job of picking his spots.  A very enjoyable listen.

*     *     *

And, by the way:  Are you catching The Ticket's promos once again saying they're the number one sports talk station?  I don't have details, but I believe the latest book shows overall victory over The Fan.  But no one's making much noise about this; The Eagle beat 'em both in the demo, did it not?  (I'm not a ratings maven).

Duelling Insiders

I like it when Confessors have inside information and share it with us.  Or claim to have it.  Truth to tell, persons claiming special knowledge in this space do not have a great record.  Many years ago I heard from a Ticket person who said that he got his laugh for the day every time he would see in social media someone claiming to have inside information.  But I'd love to have a reliable pipeline, even if anonymous.

In the last thread, we had one confessor saying that Bob Sturm was going to move to The Hardline.

More recently, another said that a Muser, tired of the early mornings, was going to move to PM Drive.

Either would be fine with me.  Even if Jake ended up being a Muser, I'd absolutely listen to an AM show with a George/Jake/Gordon lineup.  I think the sparks would soon fly between Jake and Gordon -- Gordon isn't always  .  .  .  welcoming to other funny people on the show, and Jake has done some fantastic bits filling in when Gordon's gone.  But that would be a good Muser lineup for me.  And would love to hear Craig on PM drive, when I can hear a bigger chunk of the show most days.

Ditto with a Jake and Dan show.

But I think those scenarios are not likely.  One show was blown up by Mike's departure.  I do not see the CTO blowing up another historically successful show.

Unless  .  .  .  contract time is coming up for the likes of Craig, and he has the leverage of his own retirement.  But wait -- didn't the Musers all just re-up a month or so back?

So my money is on Jake to The Hardline.  Transforms a stale show with a jolt of energy that "the kids" who, we hear, are deserting The Ticket, find lacking in the aging hosts.

The real controversy Cat will have to deal with is:  Who will replace Jake as BaD producer?  My money would be on either Justin Montemayor or David Mino.  I'm a fan of Justin's "radio sound" and attitude, but David has sharpened up his act on Work in Progress.  There are some other JV guys, Ticker and board op guys, who will probably toss their chapeaux in the ring.

Good luck to all.  The Ticket is in for a wild social media ride.  Stay tuned to My Ticket Confession, Your Source for Quality Ticket Journalism.

No disrespect:  Kobe Bryant, RIP.

A List, and Some Thoughts

I'm still thinking Corby and Danny stay where they are in the positions they now have.  I don't think Danny will be elevated, if he even wants that with his other outside interests.  He may not.


The thought I have is that the replacement must have sports knowledge.  Must.  This is where The FAN eats The Ticket's lunch.  It's where The Hardline has weakened over the years in a way that there simply was almost no serious sports talk on the show except maybe when Corby would talk tennis or college football, and even then  .  .  .  .

The second thought I have is that the replacement needs to have some weight, some heft, some adult credentials to rein in Corby/Danny's more juvenile tendencies.  Although, on further consideration, maybe The Ticket is looking to get younger at all positions, bring in some guys at the lower end of the demo that they seem to be losing.

So let's go through the list:

Of the current hosts, only Donovan strikes me as a potential Hardline replacement, and I don't see that working, much as I like Donovan.  Just not enough razzle-dazzle, and I think Corby and Danny would be tiptoeing around him to some degree.  While he and Corby do seem comfortable together and can put on a good show, that combo just doesn't spark for me.

Cat isn't going to break up BaD, and is not going to move BaD into The Hardline slot -- I don't think.  


That leaves, in no particular order:

Jake:  Leading coming out of the turn.  Sportsy, loquacious, smart, snotty.  At first I thought Jake with Corby would be too much snot for one show, but of the people at the station, he's probably tops.  There's no weightier Ticket guy available except Donovan, assuming neither Bob nor Dan graduates to The Hardline.  (And, if so, it would have to be Bob.  Dan -- Corby would say, "Are you kidding me?"  Besides, I think both Bob and Dan really like their time slot and massive intern support where they are now.)

Mike Sirois:  Love Mike Sirois.  Sportsy enough?  A little thin-skinned sometimes, makes for some interesting radio.  Cirque is frequently replaced, although he seems to be present for his producer duties with The Invasion.  He doesn't suffer fools gladly and he and Corby/Danny might be a tense fit.

Sean Bass:  Oddly, Sean seems to be a polarizing figure with the Confessor.  I like him.  Is he flavorful enough to boost The Hardline?  He's been moved into a semi-management role at The Ticket, so there's some weight there, and he is sportsy.  I don't recall a Sean/Corby pairing in the past but I'd like to hear it.

I don't see anyone more junior than Jake, Mike or Sean being serious candidates, as talented as some of them are.  Both Justin Montemayor and David Mino have turned into accomplished hosts on the Work in Progress Sunday show, they're both very good.  But with them there's the weight problem.

Ty Walker:  Like him on Country Force, and he can talk baseball.  He's gotten kicked in the cojones for so long by hosts -- all in fun, sure -- could he be elevated?

Dave Lane:  Again, a guy I like whenever I hear him.  I didn't think his +1 coat-and-tie "interview" appearance last week showcased him to good advantage.  His Mike tribute was great, but overall he didn't seem to be at his best.

I like Eli Jordan quite a lot, but I just don't see him leapfrogging more tenured in-house candidates.

One possibility is to do nothing.  No replacement.  Leave it as the Corby/Danny show.  Anyone else thinking that Corby sounds more responsible without Mike present?  Danny too?  Maybe I'm imagining things.  The Confessor seems to think that would not be a good idea, but I wouldn't mind it.

Let me throw out a couple of longshots:

David Moore.

Mike Doocy.

They're both sportsy; they're both adults.  I have no idea whether they are available or willing.  I do believe that Doocy, at least, could keep his current gig and still do the afternoon show.  David has to be present at Cowboy events and skulk around the locker room, so his availability is less certain.  However -- what is it that is making me think that David Moore is not a young man?  I went looking for his age and couldn't find it, but I think I heard somewhere that he's actually out of the demo.  (David, sorry if I've misheard that somewhere.)  He may be ready for a regular radio gig and broadcast paycheck.  Both are familiar to Ticket listeners.  Both have a sense of humor.  Doocy would need to tamp down his natural inclination to deference.  And again -- The Ticket may not want to replace Mike with an actual adult.  No idea whether either would blend with Corby/Danny.

And I think Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton is available.

I'm probably forgetting someone's favorite, and when you tell me who I've forgotten I'll smack my forehead and apologize.

Two Medium Hits and Four Quick Hits

No, this is not the STD.  It's still baking.


(1)

I heard the Jake/Dan/Bob/Julie from a week or so back on Work in Progress last Sunday.

It had an odd quality.  Very disjointed.  No one knew quite what was going on or knew quite what to say, so there was a lot of interrupting.  No one seemed all that angry.  Everyone seemed childish.

It got started in a strange way.  I thought the throw-in of the Country Music Saturday reference (by Bob, I think) in the middle of whatever else Jake was talking about -- it was a Jake segment -- was gratuitous and I didn't get what it had to do with what Jake was saying.  I don't think Jake did either, and that's why he got up on his hind legs, upset that one of the hosts had to reach for a doesn't-follow reference to bust his balls.  It sounded like they were spoiling for some kind of fracas with Jake.

I don't think this is the beginning of the end of anything -- does BaD sound appreciably different since then?  no -- but I do think it pulls back the curtain a bit as to who is getting on whose nerves in this cast.  We know Dan is somewhat thin-skinned.  Bob can be, too.  Jake, generally, is not.  He fights back when challenged, but he doesn't usually sound like he's taking it personally.  This sounded different, and it made me wonder if maybe there's some simmering jealousy there, some off-mic slights that have been building up to this.   Bob and Dan toiling for years in what they probably consider The Ticket backwater, sacrificing a good offer from CBS to stick with The Ticket. Jake the very talented and smart upstart, all over the station, talked up as a guy who may be needing his own show before too long.   Dan has a history of belittling underlings but it's tough to bully Jake.  The whole thing had a flavor of remember-you're-still-only-a-producer-just-like-Gribble to it.

I don't have any predictions.  I don't expect a series of similar jousts.  But it won't surprise me if Jake finds something else to do in DFW media if there are no host openings on any of the shows in the next year or so.  And none are anticipated. 

(2)

I've always liked Work in Progress, the Sunday ayem extravaganza.  Everything except the title, which makes even less sense now that it's an established weekend joint
What I want to mark today is the ascension of David Mino.

When WiP began, it was pretty much the Justin Montemayor Show, with Mino alongside.  Nothing in the world wrong with that.  Justin is a favorite of mine and I was glad he had his own show.  Didn't have a problem with Mino, either, but he was pretty green.  Had trouble getting out of his own way, lots of self-deprecating remarks about his inexperience, some uncertain starts to his segments, etc.  But Justin kept the show going and it was cool just the way it was.

But someone -- face it, it was the New World Catman -- had patience and let the show, and David, find their path.

And they did.  I listened last Sunday and was struck at David's polish.  I've been listening, but his improvement has kind of snuck up on me.  Dare I say it?  He led that particular show.  Seemed to helm most of the segments, was well-prepared.  Justin was even back on his heels once or twice, board had to dump the guy.  In fact, the show has a great balance now and it's a lot of fun.  More fun now that Justin doesn't have to carry the load.

Well done, Justin, David, and Cat.

(3)

Those Juul stop-smoking-device ads.  Not the worst we're-trying-to-make-something-utterly-scripted-sound-unscripted ads, but pretty comical nonetheless.  ("I thought  .  .  . OK, I'll try it.")   What was that one that aired a few years ago that tried the same schtick? 

(4)

I'm not anti-Christian -- raised in a church, was an officer at a major Protestant church, not so active now -- but I do wonder about some of those Good Contractor's List ads.  The ones that are frankly evangelical, the message overtly religious and really with very little to do with the GCL.  I don't find them offensive, but they're just the littlest bit creepy. 

Here's what occurs to me:  How would we feel if a Muslim business proselytized in Ticket ads in this fashion?  Hindu?  Druid?

(PS:  Out on the Plains, I sometimes deal with self-professed "Christian businessmen."  YHWH save me, I'd rather negotiate with Michael Avenatti's less ethical cousin than some of these guys.)


(5)

Someone in a comment a post or two back said they didn't care for those Sharon Moore good-citizenship City Credit Union ads.  I think they're OK, she sounds like a nice lady, the good deeds sound sincere.

Here's the thing.  Listening to these things for months on end, I formed a mental picture of her.  Maybe mid-forties, early fifties.  Blond.  Hair parted in the middle, straight, mid-length,  framing her face.  Pleasant face, quite attractive but not glamorous.   No Kelly "The Bulldog" McClure, she.

Looked her up:

(6)

God, do I get sad listening to those Tight Ends ads.  Poor Savannah.  Poor all of those girls.  Although  .  .  .  woman's gotta work, the tips can probably get them through the week, pay the rent, get some pot pies on the table for the kiddo, pay the cell bill.  Is it really more fun than a 9-5 gig?

Yeah, probably.

Savannah and Emma suffering from cell phone's poor optics in handling relative sizes of items at different distances from the focal plane

Obviously a slow ad season.  The Baby Dolls Saloon ads are back, too.

Nice hits, Plowman.  But can't wait for your STD.

A Few More Quick Hits

(1)  This is not the STD I have planned.

(2)  The Ticket must not be selling out its ad space on the stream.  Getting lots and lots of that cheesy synth filler where, presumably, there should be commercials.

(3)  For the longest time, I couldn't figure out why anyone would call a business "Mr. Store."  Improved automotive audio reveals that if you have fire/water damage, the entity to call is "Mr. Restore."

(4)  Does Jake seem a little cranky lately?  Must not be getting sufficient sleep with the new little one.

(5)  I get an icky feeling when advertisers try to make you think that they're big P1s, or include other Ticket references, like the commercial referencing "Norm The-Mozart-of-E-Brakes Hitzges"  At least, unlike George and one or two others at the station, they pronounced his name correctly.

(6) Musers showgram had an odd sound today without Becca or Sean.  I didn't hear why they were absent.

(7) I'd be interested in a study on the percentage over time of the Ticket broadcast day dedicated to sex/gender-related matters.   Speaking of icky-feeling listening.

Thank you for your patience.

Drydock Tock + Happy Birthday to MTC

Let's have some.

I'll start.  I was glad to hear The Shake Joint in the ayem, but was sorry to think that I would not have the pleasure of hearing Jake on with Dan McDowell.

I was in error.  I was able to tune in midday yesterday, and there they were.

I like Bob, I like Dan, and I like BaD, but BaD bogs, boy does it bog.  But Jake and Dan do not bog.  Jake keeps things moving and maybe I'm just imagining this, but it seems to me that Dan steps his game up with this pairing.

Gotta run.  Gimme some drydock thoughts.

ALSO:  Please keep a good thought for this My Ticket Confession internet online website, which is celebrating its ninth anniversary.  Yep, Your Plainsman went live on June 30, 2009, with none other than that Nice Young Michael Gruber as its first non-test commenter (although not on the first article, as I recall).  Hope to keep this joint going for awhile longer.  Thanks to all readers and those of you who take the time to comment.  Hope to meet some of you someday.