MTC Extends Healing Thoughts and Generalized but Nonetheless Sincere and Intense Best Wishes to Justin Montemayor

[NOTE: Today's gingers were produced by Google's CoPilot AI Image Creator program in response to the input "pho-torealistic picture of a beautiful female doctor with red hair." At first it refused the request, but after a moment it seemed to relent and gave me the customary four choices. Each appears highly qualified to deal with current circumstances.]

Lessons in Chemistry

REMINDER: "ANONYMOUS" POSTS WILL BE DELETED.

Farewell, Work in Progress

A Fitting Farewell to Norm, and A Couple of Quick Hits

Are Mino and Monty the New Musers?

Is This the Best Show on The Ticket?

It's a whimsical question, of course.   There's no "best" show; each listener has a favorite.  The weekday lineup has never been stronger, with the strengthening of BaD.2 (I know I'm in the minority in thinking Bob and Dan needed to be separated, and not everyone cares for Jake, but for my taste the show sounds real good) and the enormous improvement in The Hardline.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Norm 'n' D is also in its prime with the increased role of Mike Sirois.  And the Musers --  well, there isn't much room for improvement there.  I'm a fan of Cirque du Sirois and Country Force, too.  Let's not forget specialty shows The Teebox and The Kickaround and Race Week, each of which has its partisans.

But the show I've been looking forward to the most for the last year is Work in Progress, the Sunday morning joint hosted by Justin Montemayor and David Mino.

If you've been reading this column for a long time you know I have a soft spot for the JV.  They may not toil in anonymity down there south of Tier 1, since The Ticket lets them get a little air now and then, but they toil a lot for a tiny wage (supply and demand -- lots of younger adults wanting to get into show biz, even behind the scenes, and not many slots to fill).  A tiny wage, and very uncertain opportunities for advancement.  So I like to bring them front and center and say nice things about them when I can.

I've liked Justin for as long as I've heard him on the air at The Ticket.  Usually just snippets in the midday shows where he had board duties, or maybe he produced now and then -- those lines tend to blur with me for some of the on-air voices of lesser-known players.  But his pop-ons were usually invited rather than forced and I instantly liked the sound of his voice, his attitude, and his content.  Didn't know one thing about the man.  Just a great radio sound, a real natural common-man Tickety sound.

Wait -- I did know one other thing:  I knew that Gordon worked his name into bits now and then.  For example, when The Touchdown Brothers sign off, more often than not they promise an upcoming interview with Justin Montemayor.  I figured if Gordon was teasing him that much, he must have some kind of cachet around The Ticket, either that or the kind of visibility -- and thick skin -- that caught Gordon's attention.

David Mino:  I knew he was considered a worthy heir to Dropmeister Michael Gruber on The Hardline's board and the target of Mike Rhyner's "bird of youth" references in the intro.  (Did we ever find out why he was dropped from the MR intro for an extended period?)  And once in awhile we heard from him.  Didn't make a huge impression, but yeah, OK, he was noticeably adding to the fun.

Justin hit the programming scene with "Not a Podcast" with Mike "Machine" Marshall, a show I also liked a lot.  Well, I liked it for awhile.  Did some columns on it early on, but it changed over time.  We won't dwell on that.  Machine moved on and Not a Podcast is Not Anything now.

In the early days of Work in Progress, Justin really ran the show.  David was finding his way but it wasn't too long before he got a whole lot more comfortable with the mic.  As time has gone by, I have really come to like the sound of his voice.  He has an interesting cadence, an appealing way of accenting certain words.  Even that ad for the apartment complex -- for some reason I can't begin to describe, the way he says "a great place to lay your head" always makes me smile.  At this point, the gents have achieved a nice balance.

At this point, it's really not a work in progress anymore; it's a pretty polished, integrated presentation that always entertains me.  I'm not a younger listener, but I find that they manage to bring some cultural awareness to the show without being snotty or inside or elitist about it -- I've learned something about shows and music and internet entertainment to which I had no prior exposure. 

And they're both funny.  Their humor is of the dry, self-deprecating, deprecating-one-another-like-friends-do type, but it hits the right pitch for a Sunday morning.

Sports knowledge -- I'll say "solid," but since I don't know a whole lot about sports myself, I'll have to say that I like it as much as I like any of the sports coverage on any of the shows.  Neither is Bob Sturm, but neither is anyone else.  

But I don't want to get too molecular here.  I just like the sound of the show, its good-naturedness, its modesty, its humor, the obvious friendship between Monte and Mino.  I know I talk a lot about the overall "sound" of the shows on The Ticket, a sound unlike what you get on any other show on any other station.  It is hard to create (it must be, or more shows would be doing it) and it is hard to describe, but Work in Progress has it.  They keep the bits to a tasteful minimum.  They prepare the show each week, but they don't over-prepare it.  It has the same spontaneous, genuine feel that the best Ticket shows (which is to say, almost all of them) have always had.

And there's something else they do well that some programs have stumbled over -- they work in a group of support guys but they don't overdo it -- there's never a jumble of voices that you can't quite identify.  Those skillful supporting players are Chris Tapia running the board, "Cray" Trey Mitchell producing, and Ryan Medellin with Tickers.  Sam Hale fills in if Cray Trey or Ryan are unavailable.  

Hey, this ain't exactly the New York Times make-or-break theater review, but if you can haul your ass out of bed on a Sunday morning, give these men a try.  Good sound, good stuff, and to the extent you can get a feel for human beings through buds, good people. 

  

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

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.

Endorsement and Encore

This is unlikely to be a controversial opinon.

I really like "Work in Progress" (although don't care for that name).  I was out on a jog this morning  listening to Justin Montemayor and David Mino and I chuckled out loud on more than one occasion, and was pretty attentive all the rest of the time.

Justin proved to be a natural broadcaster from his very earliest stints as a fill-in host and other on-air exposure.  It has taken David a little longer to be comfortable, but he's improved immensely over the past several months. 

There's also the matter of chemistry.  I didn't feel it with Justin and Machine, but he and David work together pretty seamlessly and -- something even harder to achieve -- evenly.  I thought of it as "Justin's show" for a long time, but now the balance is good and the back-and-forth pretty seamless.

Justin has always been funny, very much in the dry, witty mold of Craig "Junior" Miller.  David doesn't have Justin's facility with the language, but he's got a native sense of what's going to play with the Sunday morning crowd.

And here's something else -- it's probably been in there somewhere and I just don't remember, but these guys steer blessedly clear of  "current events."  They'll do the weird news stories for laughs, but we don't get too many snide remarks about politicians of the left or right.

Thanks, gents.

I'd like to hear "Work in Progress" more often.

*     *     *

And now, to please a couple of Confessors who Cared Enough to Write -- the same red as last post:

Is There Tension?

I ask this question sincerely.  I invite daily BaD listeners to weigh in, because I've recently heard something on BaD that I did not expect to hear.

I have been able to tune into BaD twice in the last couple of weeks.  I regret that I can't listen more often, because I've kind of been warming up to the show over the past year or so.  But I did have a chance to punch in a couple of times recently.

Both times I heard a very tense moment between Bob and T.C.

T.C. would pop on.  Now, in T.C.'s defense, if he needs one, these pop-ons did not seem to me to be any more annoying than T.C.'s usual pop-ons.  You listen to BaD, you're going to hear T.C. pop on.  It goes with the territory.  One of them was a little sarcastic -- I don't recall the subject matter of either -- but well within T.C. historical tolerances.  Some people are OK with T.C.'s pop-ons, others less so, others not at all, but these sounded to me like not-out-of-the-ordinary pop-ons.  I did not take particular note of them, did not think T.C. was out of line in comparison with what he's apparently been allowed to do in the past.

But Bob took note and -- I don't think the phrase is "snapped at T.C."  I think the phrase is more like "expressed very distinctive annoyance at T.C. popping on, or perhaps at the said popped-on content."

In both cases -- my recollection may be a little thin here -- he paused before he spoke, as though considering his words carefully, or to signal that something unusual was coming.

In both cases, he called T.C. "Chuck."  Is that new?  Does he call him "Chuck" when he intends to make a slighting reference?

In the most recent episode he made reference to T.C.'s mic always seeming to be on.  In another he sarcastically -- the sarcasm was not veiled -- "thanked" T.C. for his contribution.

Dan did not speak during these uncomfortable passages.

In the most recent instance, Justin M was sitting in for Jake and had been participating in the show, although less than Jake usually does.  No interaction between Justin and T.C. during these passages (or at all).

I guess this could be a bit.  Again, I don't listen to BaD enough to know if this is some ongoing schtick, or if Bob is growing unhappy with T.C.'s always-bubbling-beneath-the-surface desire to participate in the show. 

Confessors, please -- this is not an invitation to unload on T.C.  We've seen enough of that in the past and we all know how you feel.  I mainly want to know if either Bob or Dan has been spatting with T.C. on the air, or whether what I heard on my two recent flybys was anomalous.

T.C., you're  .  .  .  you're so much more than banter.

PROGRAM NOTE: JV Dream Date

I believe I wrote a week or so back that I wanted to hear Our Man Monte and Travis Mejia do a weekend show.  If I'm hearing things correctly, I believe I'm getting my wish this fine Central Standard Sunday ("Mon-T&T," they're calling it).

Sounds good so far.

LATER:  I guess I missed a "T" -- there's a third host, one Tim with an Eastern European last name I'm not catching and not finding online -- Krajewski, maybe?  The only one I can find.  Pretty good show, good sound.   Not sure about three voices on a Sunday morning.  Not sure.  But liking it OK.  Monte in charge, that's a good.

Also, that last redhead was only up for a couple of hours before I put up that archived post, so here she is again.

BREAKING: Country Force to Take 10-Noon Saturday Slot

If my deep Cumulus source is correct, I believe most Confessors will find this a welcome development.  (I never know how reliable my sources are, but this one has the ring of accuracy on the merits, so I'm going with it.)

I have enjoyed Eli Jordan's work since he emerged at The Ticket awhile back -- he'll even sit in with Rick Arnett on The Tee Box from time to time -- but I'm especially pleased for Ty Walker.  Of course, he hosts Diamond Talk with Sean Bass, but it's great to see he's earned a permanent daylight-hours slot after his expert backwater toil at The Ticket all these years.  (I'm still waiting for someone to tell me what award Diamond Talk has won, not that it doesn't deserve to have won one, but it's right there in all the promos; you'd think someone would know.)

That leaves Sunday mornings, 8-11, to be filled.

My own listening plus comments received on this site inspire a respectful request to the New World Catman to give the very most thoughtful and heartfelt consideration to some combination that includes Justin Montemayor.

Then the Ticket world will be perfect, except for all that network programming.

Congratulations to Ty and Eli.

Hay!  Country Force, can't wait for your tractor-pull coverage.

Justin Montemayor and David Newbury

are knocking it out of the park on the Cowboys pre-pre-before-ante-early pregame.  Some of the best Cowboys and general Niffle commentary I've heard in a long time.  Just the little segment on how the Cowboys use, or fail to use, Dez Bryant -- very insightful.

Other stations step up with their Cowboys game-day coverage, but I prefer The Ticket's.

Stay Cowboys-hungry, my friends.

(1) Welcome back, Monte, and (2) PROGRAM NOTE: Sunday AM Country Force

Wish I'd known Justin Montemayor was going to be returning to Monte + The Machine yesterday morning, I'd have tried to catch more of the show.  I thought he sounded real good -- a little rough, a little tired, but pretty darned good little broadcast, what I heard.

Machine seemed happy to have him back as well.  His account of he and David Mino visiting Justin in the hospital where he had his leg tucked back under him -- giving the appearance that he might have been relieved of that limb as well -- was pretty amusing.

So was their talk about the Golden Chick empire being built on the music of Ronnie James Dio.  You had to be there.

I didn't hear the first of the show so if he delivered his package of his account of his hospitalization, I'd appreciate it if one of you would fill us in.

*     *     *

A long, long time since Country Force with Ty Walker and Eli Jordan got a slot.  Good to hear those boys this morning.

Grocery-cart talk very welcome.

*     *     *

Liking some of these new Ticker guys.  Caleb seems like a zero-BS guy.

 

(1) Crap; (2) Cool; (3) Click

CRAP:  I was waiting for the report on the intra-Ticket contretemps involving shots at George, but as the ads were winding down someone walked into my office and closed the door to solicit my confidential wisdom on proper plains management.  So I missed almost all of it, just picked up a bit near the end.

So Justin M is taking shots at George, I guess.  I've heard some of that banter on the Monty + The Machine showgram, but I always thought it was just a bit, the pygmies nipping at the heels of the giants for laughs.

But perhaps not.  I did hear Sean report that M+M is suspended for this coming weekend.

Can anyone fill in some details?  I guess it has something to do with the e-Brake?  M+M upset about weekend shows not being nominated?  Something like that.

By the way -- Gordon's bits frequently tease Justin, not in a harsh way, but there's clearly some (what I thought was friendly) friction there.

Perhaps Justin will stop by, or maybe I'll hear from one of my network of local industry sources who know some Ticket guys  .  .  .  .


COOL:  I was proud of The Little One in The Musers' and The Hardline's handling of the Odor/Bautista incident.  Balanced, interesting.

Odor's attack was colossally stupid, if emotionally satisfying.  And we didn't get any homerism from either show.  The visceral pleasures of the encounter were honestly acknowledged, but the bad optics and bad strategy were identified with precision (which is to say, I agreed).

I did not hear Norm or Dan/Bob -- can one of you fill us in on how they saw it?  I saw some Bob tweets but I have a hard time deciphering his Twitter attitude sometimes if I'm not following his thread or paying close attention to his Tweet-tormentors.

CLICK:  I've missed me some Ticket lately because I turn off the radio -- not just turn it down, turn it completely off -- within 1.6 seconds of the beginning of that Meador "Hidden Cost Motors" ad. Meador has hugely overestimated its appeal and persuasiveness.  It's running way, way too often on The Ticket.

You hear it once, you've heard all the jokes, unclever to begin with, then you hate it every other time it appears both because it's instant boredom and it goes on for a WHOLE MINUTE and the actor sounds like Gordon after a pack of unfiltered Camels.  It's a yuk-free bit and it goes on and on.

And really, Mr. Meador General Manager Guy who comes on and asks "have you ever had that experience?", no one has sold new cars like that since -- hell, I've never had that experience with any of the many new cars I've bought.  And you telling me Meador won't try to sell you an extended warranty and shine protection? 

And in all that airtime -- even the people who don't shut the damned thing off (1) don't hear the name of the dealership, and (2) don't hear the brand of cars being flogged until Mr. MGMG comes on, by which time people have already decided they will never, ever buy a car from whoever is inflicting this ad on them. The time would be better spent telling people how to spell "Meador".  (I assumed it was Medder or Metter -- never heard of it and thank Jah that Google searches phonetically.)

Meador is spending an enormous amount of money to drive people away from its dealership.

ThePlainsman1310@gmail

@Plainsman1310

Can We All Agree on This?

I'm glad to see that "Not a Podcast," starring Justin Montemayor and Mike Marshall, seems to have found favor among Confessors.  It's a pretty slick listen on a Saturday morning:   a little slacker, a little millennial, a little snotty, a little hip -- but well-prepared, good chemistry, some interesting takes, some interesting use of language.  The two very different voices and energy levels attract the ear.    Sometimes -- OK, a lot -- the show is Machine-heavy, but they're working on it, you can tell.  I tune in.  (Interesting dynamic emerging between NaP and Cirque, by the way.)

In an earlier post, I threw out the idea that "Not a Podcast" is not an attractive name for the show.  Despite Justin's denial in these very pages, seems like a jab at Jake and T.C.   Its phrasing is negative, almost apologetic, a downer.  And it's not descriptive of what the show is.  Bad name.

To my surprise, this drew quite a few comments.

To my further surprise, there seemed to be a gathering consensus that the name of the show should be "Monty + The Machine," pronounced "Monty and The Machine."

It's their show.  They can call it what they want, or what the Western Hemispherical Catman wants.

But for now, I'm going to call the show "Monty + The Machine," unless Justin advises that he prefers "Monte" as the short form of his name.

You have my permission to shorten this to "M+M" in the comments.  

I will also entertain other names for the show, perhaps something a little less quotidian, a little more clever. 

And no, "The Show That Melts In Your Mouth, Not In Your Hand" will not be acceptable.  Although  .  .  .  .

But for now it's "Monty + The Machine."

"Plainsman, you are so wrong.  More Machine." 

I'll be out of town for a week.  Keep things light, Confessors.

Data Dump

I've been terribly delinquent in getting up new blasts, but I do have an excuse:  Last Tuesday's storms were unkind to our shack out on the plains, and after a couple of visits from contractors and adjusters, the fine folks at Amica have offered to replace our sod roofing.  Those interruptions mean longer work hours and fewer MTC hours.  

I keep notes on things to write about.  I look at them and think yeah, that would work for a short piece, and then they get stale and I don't do it.  So to atone for my lack of output recently, I'm going to unload a ton of stuff on you in the hope that it will provoke a rainbow of well-considered reactions in the thread to follow.  Numbered for your convenience.

[By the way:  The guy who comments three or four times per thread making obvious reference to T.C. (and sometimes Jake) without naming him (them) – I'm going to start deleting you.  You got something specific, let's have it.]

*     *     *

            (1)   Let's say that Craig "Junior" Miller decided to go on the bicycle racing tour, whatever it's called, for a couple years.  Let's further say – and this may be more far-fetched – that Gordon could be persuaded to stop baiting Mike Doocy.  Would you listen to the George-Mike-Gordon Musers with regularity?  I would.

            (2)  I'm going to lose what modest credibility I have with some of you, but I am listening to those Reagor-Dykes ads with greater respect these days.  There may be some genius going on there.  That crappy production, the corny "keeping it real" theme, and Bart's non-sequitur giving-it-to-you-on-the-level ad copy ("I've never found Amelia Earhart, I've never published a paper on quantum loop gravity, but I'll make you a deal on a great car") – awful.  But he kind of won me over when he started pleading.  "Hey," he says, "don't hate me before you get to know me."  I don't like leasing my Conestogas (sorry, AutoFlex and D&M) and am unlikely to buy a used model, but if I did I might give old Bart a whirl.

            (3)  Over Drydock (I told you some of this stuff was stale), I heard Jake talking about someone, didn't catch the first part of his discussion so I don't know who he was talking about.  But the words out of his mouth made me laugh:   "The biggest thing for me was I learned about ego.  I couldn't believe anyone could be that brash that early in their career."  I didn't detect an ironic inflection in his remark.

            (4)  Why can't we have Intentional Grounding all year long?

            (5)  Award for Brain-Freeze Commercial Koan/Tautological Phrase of the Year goes to the following utterance from one of the blind pitch-guys on a Non-24 ad:  "If you're like me, you're not alone."

 

(6)  I do wonder about The Fan sometimes.  It was near the end of the Niffle year (at least for the Cowboys), I was switching back and forth between Norm/Donnie and the Fan post-game.   In contrast to Ticket callers, they took call after call from fans who were positively thrilled about the Cowboys' prospects for 2016.  Gavin shared their optimism.  When Jesse Holley tried to make a point about the Pokes' uncreative play-calling, Brad Sham (who joins the show for a segment) shot him down.  Aside from what seems like unsupportable Cowboys boosterism, however, it's not a bad show.   I've always thought Holley was quite good on it.

(7)  Is "Not a Podcast" a dig at "It's Just Banter?"   Let's help Justin and Machine think of a better name for what's a pretty good weekend show.

(8)  The muddy signal stayed muddy for a long time.  I don't know if I've just gotten used to it, but has it gotten a little sharper lately?   Someone dropped a comment not long ago, perhaps copied from Reddit, about some repairs being made.

(9)  Yes, I do like Not a Podcast.  Like it quite a lot.  And while I'm usually hands-off with the JV as they work to make names for themselves, I must say this – less Machine.  A couple of weeks ago I had to punch out when Justin was doing some news or something – in any event, it was a Justin segment – and the poor guy couldn't get a single sentence out without Machine derailing the point.

(10)  Corby did a story on 69 yo CBS newsman Steve Kroft's extramarital romps with the (rather attractive, and also married) Harvard Law School-educated NYC attorney Lisan Goines, dramatically illustrated with texts, in one of which he advised her, J-J Taylor-style, that instead of working he would "rather be eating your pudding."  What was strange about Corby's report is that this all took place a year ago, and there was nothing new on the story.  I wouldn't be mentioning this, except for Corby's closing remark, which made me laugh out loud on my drive home:  "I hope that when I'm 69 I'm not involved in a pudding scandal."

Lisan Goines, Esq.

            (11)  Did I hear George Dunham say that if you buy two PowerBall tickets instead of one, you do not double your chances of winning?  Yes, I did.  

*     *     *

 
Thanks for staying strong with MTC.  Hits still solid despite my recent neglect.  Will try to do better.  

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

LIGHTLY BREAKING: Justin and Machine Join Saturday Lineup

I'm way behind the social network curve on this one.  I actually had this tidbit hours ago but was in meetings all day and unable to scoop it, but nevertheless:

"Not a Podcast," starring Justin Montemayor and Mike "The Machine" Marshall will permanently join the Ticket’s Saturday schedule from 10am-12.

I think most Confessors will agree that this has been an excellent pairing.  I'm not a giant Machine pop-on fan, but I have really liked his shows with Justin.  These guys definitely deserve the gig and a chance to hone their on-air skills.

Justin is an interesting case.  Not flashy.  Just likable.  With a dollop of warmth and humor, he'd be a candidate for a Muser-type show, lower-key, salt/earth host type.

Machine's got something going on with his timbre that is hard for Ticket audio technology to digest, but his show-sound is much better than his pop-on sound, and he's got some sportsy chops and some pop-culture stuff happening without the Jake-as-Argumentative-Dylan vibe.

"Machine or Justin, Justin or Machine?  I just can't decide!  I wonder if they have George DiGianni's number."

Something to look forward to on Saturday mornings now after that certain Tee Box.

My Ticket Confession offers hearty congratulations to them both, and to The Ticket for a solid weekend call.

BREAKING / EXCLUSIVE: The New World Catman Confesses

Well  .  .  .  it's not a Ticket Confession, exactly.

Jeff "Cat" Catlin ("The Catman of the Americas," as Mike R calls him), Ticket Program Director, flew by the site the other day.  He doesn't do that frequently, he says, but perhaps it's like binge watching a TV series.  He takes some time and browses the site a time or two a year.  And, if the spirit moves him, he might drop me a line with some impressions, corrections, and occasionally a nugget.

He did that a couple of days ago.  I asked him if I could post his thoughts, and he was kind enough to agree.  Bear in mind that this is not a planned essay of the exquisite construction you have come to expect at My Ticket Confession -- it's just an email that he has graciously allowed this site to reproduce.  It appears between the asterisks without editing.  So don't look for a distinctive beginning, middle, and end.

I'll have a brief note after his remarks.

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First I think its nice and even charming and I LOVE p1s for having the attitude that The Ticket somehow operates outside the normal rules of a business. Wish it did, but it doesn’t.  We have to follow EEOC, Hippa Laws etc and all the rest. Long gone in radio and on the Ticket are the days where “one employee can get another employee blown out because they don’t like them”.  In radio wholesale format changes and blowouts went by the boards in 1996 when the telecommunications act was passed. But I digress.

Point being, employees are let go because of actual real performance issues. It has nothing to do with anything else. And certainly it’s not on a whim because, for example,  the Musers decide they didn’t like someone.

Side comment as it relates to Sean moving, TC on BaD,  etc. (See comment above about EEOC) the Hosts aren’t in management. They don’t hire or fire anyone. It sounds fun and all on the radio but its just not true. I hire these guys with corp approval. Now do I ask the shows for opinions? Of course I do. THEY Have to work in the studio with these guys every day. I don’t.  But the decisions I make, I make for the good of the station, the good of the show and how all the other pieces fit together and based on normal employee evals or interviews. Not everyone likes every decision and I can live with that. I don’t love every content segment every show does, but I respect the ability of the guys to make those choices, and I like to think they in turn show that same respect to me when I make a decision they disagree with, but still support.

And a word on the subjective "like vs dislike" —I get it, its radio, they are on air personalities….TC left here in the proper way. At least to me, he gave notice, he was trying to better himself in his career and all that…And he got blown out in Pensacola and I did what I thought any human being would do. He called me, and I extended a hand—I didn’t give him his old job back, I didn’t offer charity. I told him what I had available and how it would work and then he had to decide himself if wanted to start from the bottom now he’s here.  He did. I give anyone credit for that.  I also recognize that he HAS gotten better,  because he has.  And all of us in life have had situations that have helped us grow and change. Kudos to those that actually do. He got the ticker job because he was most ready for it right now and his tickers were consistently the best of the group that applied. (PS-some of the other guys that applied will be heard on weekends PT)

Sean moved to AM Drive because (see above again) It was best for the station, best for the show and best for all the other pieces. And he’s still planning on doing Dtalk next season.  He was happy and excited to do it..and no I didn’t really give him a choice. But he saw the writing on the wall when I asked him to start getting his head right with it. But he knew it was the best move as well. Everyone up here, to a man, is a team player. When it comes down to it, everyone wants to do whats best for The Ticket first.

Justin IS good at tickers and he’s growing. He is on the proper career path here and he will get more opportunities to grow. But at this time for this spot, TC was the choice.  (BTW BaD Radio nor Jake hard sold me on adding or not adding TC to the show. In fact they told me when I asked, that they were cool with any move I ended up making including keeping Sean 10a-3pm) J.

Newbury’s role at the station I think has actually increased with his presence on Cowboys Countdown to Kickoff.Jake is doing a fine job as BaD Radio Producer….and all of the guys, All of us,  LIKE Tom. For real. He still works here.

The Shake Joint has the highest ratings of any weekend show on the ticket and that is pretty consistently true and its usually a pretty significant margin.

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I would ask that Confessors bear in mind that Cat's doing us a nice turn here and that criticism or disagreement be expressed in your inside voice and like your mother is at your elbow.

He mentioned that he likes the illustrations.

Thanks, Cat

My thanks to the Western Hemispherical Catman.

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

Away

Mrs. Plainsman and I will be out of the country for the next week.  I'm not sure what kind of access I will have to the Internets but I believe I should be able to moderate comments to ensure their moderation.

So, is comment moderation a success, or not?  It certainly has cut down on the number of comments.  I'll continue it for awhile, see what happens, or doesn't.  In case you're wondering, I've only declined to publish one, for name-calling.

Got a thing or two to cover with you all when I return, and if I get a chance I'll post from afar.

In the meantime, a quick hit or two on drydock:

(1) I haven't minded the soccer talk at all.  I watched some of some of the games, including once in the company of a guy who was a high school soccer star hereabouts and went to college on a soccer scholarship.  I can see why people can get hooked on the game, but my exposure to the game to date (including a couple of FC Dallas games live) hasn't engaged me.  I had the odd and probably wrong feeling that the game seemed, of all things, slow.  And this coming from someone who finds baseball fascinating to watch.   Baseball and football at least have the potential for explosiveness and drama in every pitch, every snap.  Soccer just seems too  .  .  .  hard.  Probably why I don't enjoy watching golf much, either.  I don't mind the lack of scoring, but it appears too random somehow.  Although the fact that some teams are perennially great suggests that it is not, at all.  Just looks that way while waiting for some action in front of the net.

But if the country embraces it, if The Ticket talks about it, it's OK with me.  I'm nothing if not educable.

(2) Will soccer experience a hockey-stick-graph increase in popularity as a result of the World Cup?  No more than ice hockey does after the Stanley Cup.  Or before.   Remember all the hoo-hah after the women's team did so well and developed some stars awhile back?   Maybe a blip, maybe even a permanent blip, but not much.

No flopping.

(3) I've liked all the drydock pairings I've heard.  Shake Joint, Norm and Doocy, other teams.  I even liked Rhadigan and Followill.  One name I didn't hear as a participant at any level in any of the shows was T.C.  Did he produce or run the board on anything, or did he co-host?

The JV joshing is also fresher than it has been in recent years, with the addition of Justin Montemayor, Logan Gourley, David Mino, others.   Is it cruel sometimes?  I dunno; I haven't gotten the feeling of bullying so far.

See you in a week or so, maybe sooner.

In the meantime, watch those comments.

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ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

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