I Could Kick Myself for Not Bringing a Camera

[Tight Ends photo cribbed from the Internet Web will appear clear down at the end of this thing so cubicle dwellers will have plenty of time to see it coming and avoid it.]

As you know from the last thread, I made my way to Guys Night Out on Wednesday.  Looks like I missed East Texas P1, or he missed me.  Sorry, ETP1.

I don't have anything to say about The Ticket presentation because I didn't spend any time in that room.  I had a meeting in Frisco that afternoon, so got there around 4:15 or so, and the place was already packed.  I was by myself.

Noticed something I've never noticed at a Ticket remote, which was that they were taking names at the door, apparently for people to wait for reserved tables.  That wasn't objectionable, not to me, anyway, but it did somewhat detract from the informality of the occasion.  Perhaps it's a way to control the crowd in the part of the bar where the tables are.

If so, I violated the policy because the first thing I did was to walk into the room where The Hardline was broadcasting and stroll around between the tables, see if I saw any friendly faces at a table where I might linger for a bit until either I was invited to sit down, or I asked if I could join the group if they didn't seem too put out at this strange-looking guy.  (I had a suit on from my meeting; did loosen my tie, though.)  But didn't see any likely candidates (sorry ETP1, I didn't wander too close to the broadcast), so thought I would move away from the action at least to find a place to sit.  I saw some tables with "RESERVED" signs on them, but way in the back in the far room there were a number of empty tables with no signs, so I sat myself down.

Before continuing my not-very-interesting GNO story, I pause to reflect on the Tight Ends wait staff.  I don't know -- should I feel sorry for them?  Some extremely attractive young women, some pushing the needle over into beautiful, but most dressed as revealingly as North Plano community standards will allow, and some beyond.  I'm not a prude and I derive about the same amount of enjoyment as most males in viewing a woman wearing something that approaches the borders of the naughty bits.  And I really liked looking at these young women.  Yeah, really did.  Hey, look at that one  .  .  .  .  and whoa, looka tha --    But [shaking head to clear thinking and conscience] jeez -- pasties, thongs, some items whose names I don't know, some items that appear improvised and nameless, aimed at enticing the male to stay, spend money, tip lavishly, dream foolishly.  So one line of my thinking is -- man, we haven't come very far since the Fifties as far as exploitation of women is concerned.

But the other line of thinking is that these women are volunteers.  They were not pressed into service shortly after getting off the boat.  They put in their application, they get hired, they know what they're going to be required to wear (although there didn't seem to be a particular uniform, a fair amount of improvisation seemed to be de rigueur).  They're working, working hard.  I'm guessing the P1 crowd isn't going to be too forward.  (Also guessing there's security in place.)  Some may be single mothers.  Some may be a young wife making sure that mortgage gets paid.   Others may be students.  Perhaps models.  Maybe some professional women or administrative types in between jobs or picking up some extra dough.  But whatever they are, they all gotta eat, pay the rent, buy gas, and a day like that is probably good money for each of them.  Someone is going to make money off men's unconquerable urge to self-delude, and maybe they figure it might as well be them.

So -- no judgment, just curiosity.

I will say this -- they didn't seem very happy.  Photos below to the contrary.

As it turned out, I was served by a comely blonde named Stephanie who was more modestly dressed than most.  She took my order, and she had just stepped away when I was accosted by another waitress who asked me if I just sat down at the table without putting my name in at the front.  I confessed (of course) immediately.  She told me I couldn't sit there.  OK, whatever the rules are, don't want to cause trouble or take cuts over a deserving P1 who was waiting for a table, but GNO was getting to be more of a challenge than I really cared to deal with.  I rose to try to find a spot at the bar and got Stephanie's attention to tell her where I was going, and she said "Sit down, you're fine.  It's my table."  She then sought out the other waitress and, I gather, they had a chinwag and my eviction was abated.

While the wait staff seemed rather morose, the trio of brunette Ticket Chicks who stopped by to sign me up for a drawing were very cheerful and quite attractive, all three of them.  If I'd had my wits about me I'd have interviewed them on the life and career path of a Ticket Chick, which strikes me as a great topic for a post.  I'm something of a camera guy, if not an accomplished photographer, and am almost never without some decent glass, but yesterday found me lensless.   (Phone camera busted.)   So I got nothing for you on the three lovely Chicks.  The last time I got involved with a drawing at a remote (it was purchased raffle tickets, not just a sign-up), I won several times and the grand prize of Mavs courtside seats.  See:  http://myticketconfession.blogspot.com/2012/12/duckandcover-goes-out-on-some.html 

This time I did not win.

Well, this was a pretty dreary entry, wasn't it?  I did enjoy just hanging out there, chatting with the Ticket Chicks, having a couple, reading.  Next time I'll try to be better prepared, maybe give you guys some better notice so we can find each other.

Not sure if I'll make Ticketstock, but I hope to stop by sometime.  Hope to see you there.  Photos liberated from the Internet (and these were some of the more conventionally revealing ones) follow the jump  .  .  .  .

Note from a Remote

Dropped in on the remote in Frisco yesterday to check on The Hardline and chat up the cute bartenders at Tailgaters.  Nice, unpretentious sports bar.  

Show sounded good, very clear in the room, except that for some reason Danny's contributions were muffled and completely inaudible through the speakers. 

It's interesting -- people come to hang out and chat with their friends; only a few people trying to hear the show.  Although when they mentioned the Cowboys moving to Frisco, they got a fairly widespread reaction, so either people are halfway listening, or their ears pricked up when they heard the word "Frisco." 

Corby has a habit of fingering his head-mic during the broadcast.

Mike was quaffing much beer.  Corby remarked on it.

During a break a gorgeous, leggy Ticket Chick was showing Mike some photo on her iPhone that was causing some amusement.  Um, woot.

While I was there, only one guy came up to chat with them during a break, spoke very briefly to Mike, who was receptive. Corby went to the men's room at one point, no one took the opportunity to come up and say hi.

I still marvel at how these guys can broadcast so naturally, their voices blaring out into the room, with dozens and dozens of people making noise, sometimes hollering, all around them.  It probably has something to do with the insulating effect of the headset.

Corby's hair is back in full Ruth Buzzi mode.

Anyway, nice remote.

duckandcover Goes Out on Some Tannenbaum Limbs, and I Issue a Historic Post, with Multiple Prezzies for Me!

This is a historic moment.  And one of the wildest entries ever.

I am blogging LIVE at the unlikely plural Scruffy Duffies, not only hard by, but actually in, the Shops at Legacy.  Damned poodle ate a chicken bone so I had to leave work early to pick up her curly carcass at the vet.  She's fine.  That was one expensive bucket of KFC.

And let me tell you, things are exciting here at the Duff.  I found a nice quiet corner to set up the old Kaypro.  No one's snooping.  I'm having a surprisingly good martini.  A barkeep from another joint I visit came up to say hello, and I had to tell him about an unfortunate service experience at his establishment, and he promised me a free Tanq up on my next visit.  The broadcast stage is very dark.  Corby is talking about Adrian Peterson.  Bought some raffle tickets for the Food Bank from some wandering Ticket Chicks.  They are very young.  They were nice.  Ooo, they're calling numbers right now.   Hey, what if I win?  Do I disclose my secret identity that nobody cares about?    Uh, no.   Good crowd.  Didn't win with this drawing.  That's OK, I didn't want any of those prizes anyway.  I'll be here for at least another drawing.

So here's the deal.  duckandcover posts this --

HOLY CRIMINEY!  I just won the next raffle, the one I wanted, the $50 Half-Price Book gift cards.   I'll be damned.

Okay, let's get back to confession.

Recent frequent Confessor duckandcover jacked the last thread -- in a good way.  (Most jacks are good, frankly.  Let the voice of the Confessor be heard in the land!)  He issued a number of STDs (Scorching Ticket Disquisitions, for recent acolyte Confessors) in the form of predictions for 2013.  Wish I had thought of it, but he did a better job than I could have.  Here it is, then I'll have a few reactions.  I have never had over 100 comments on a post before, but this might well be a first. 

So here you --

JEEBUS! I won again!  A $50 gift certificate to JR's Steakhouse (which is quite good, by the way, a favorite destination when I'm in that neck of the woods). Never encountered Gordon there. 

Uh oh -- as a repeat winner they took my picture with a couple of comely Ticket Chicks.

Let's move on to the matters at hand, shall we?

Ladies and gentlemen  .  .  .  duckandcover -- and duck and cover:

+++++++++++++++++

Our Ticket 2013 Predictions.

(i) The end of CdS. Not because of the show's success or lack thereof, but rather to Cash's Mavs duties and Mike's ever inching toward the management side of things.

(ii) Scot Harrison's presence grows. He becomes a weeknight host, and eventually MaSS changes its name because it's now hosted by Matt and Jake.

(iii) In conjunction with (ii), the success of Intentional Grounding sparks a slew of weeknight shows. Harrison hosting one such show. Thus the programming schedule is all local until 11pm. THL ends at 7, the new show (IG-Fri, Harrison-MW, Newbury and SeaBass-TTH) runs till 9, then the Top Ten takes over until 11, which gives way to CBS national feed--due to the merger between Cumulus and CBS.

(iv) Danny leaves The Ticket. Yes, I said it. I don't like it. But I think it's going to happen. I think he's ready to move on to other things. Perhaps move to Boston or even Nashville (music). He's a musician, and that's what truly drives him and that's how he wants to make his mark in the world. And he knows he's not getting any younger (45, I believe). Time to make the move, now or never. His replacement: one Mike Bacsik. He's no longer deemed too hot to handle. And with his addition, Rhyner is reeled back in from constant, one might say teenager like, music talk and finds himself reinvigorated, just as he was in the halcyon days.

(v) See (iv), The Orphanage, RIP.

(vi) I believe that 2013 is the last year for one of our beloved shows: Dunham and Miller. I think the Joonz finally says "I'm done, let's tawk gahwfff." He's nearly quit a few times in the past, and I think he, like Danny (but for much different reasons) is ready to move on. 

(vii) The FAN is still with us. So is RaGE. But only for a while. By July, CBS finally says "enough," and pulls the plug. Greggo finally, and permanently, moves to Colorado.

(viii) Ready for this one? MTC, as we know it, says "adios, amigos." Yup. Plainsman decides that no longer has the time to maintain the site. He hands over the reins to T4, and this thing keeps on rollin'.

+++++++++++++++++++++

My Scruffy Tanq-fueled reactions:

"Our" Ticket 2013 Predictions?  d&c, is that the royal first person plural?  Or are you hoping for protection against crass error by pretending that these predictions are from a group of which you are a part?  I think you need to own these predictions, and I will look forward to your comment doing so.

(i) END OF CdS.  I dunno.  It's a good show and pretty popular.   Cash already has that sexy full-time gig, and as for Mike inching towards management -- that isn't much of a disqualification.  Look at Rich and "Race Week."  I think CdS will be around for awhile.

(ii) SCOT HARRISON ASCENDANT.  Quite possible, but I'm not sure where he goes (see below).  MaSS is a pretty solid weekend hit, if the evidence of Confessors' reactions are any guide.  I am a Scot ("Mr. Low-T") fan and would be happy to hear more of him.  My prediction -- we'll hear him more on fill-in if his everyday gig permits it.  I don't know if he's got a day job, maybe one of you has picked up on that.

(iii)  WEEKNIGHT SHOWS ASCENDANT.  Certainly agree that Intentional Grounding has found an audience.  (I'll be listening after I roll out of here.)  But I don't know about filling in other evenings with local programming.  I'd like to see it, but The Top Ten, which T.C. is doing a very nice job with, has got to be an attractive programming move for The Ticket, leveraging top-flight daytime programming in the early nighttime hours with very little additional investment.  So I can't go with duck on this one, much as I would like to see it.

(iv)  DANNY VAMANOS.  No.  I have got to believe that The Ticket has recognized Danny's value and has paid him market -- whatever market is for a producer who does a weekend show, writes and performs "What's On Mike's Mind" intros, produces the most popular radio showgram in the country and, in the opinion of increasing numbers of Confessors, is the best reason to listen to The Hardline (my view:  he moderates the OverCorby in a way that renders The Hardline consistently listenable).  He may be a fine musician, but Nashville and Boston (? -- Moms territory?) are chock full of established singer-songwriters and, in the former case, accomplished C&W guys.  My own thought is that Danny is a guy who has developed immense goodwill in the metro among the P1, music guys, and radio guys.  Could he skip to another station?  Sure, but where could he get the freedom he has at The Ticket?  If he decides to make a move, let's hope that has a good agent.  Danny, give me a call. Frankly, I think he's hanging.

But I will say this -- I have long thought that we might well see Mike Bacsik back at The Ticket, and I'd be OK with that.

(v) ORPHANAGE VAMANOS.  Orphanage will be with us for the foreseeable future.  If Danny bolts, they'll find another adoptee.

(vi)  MUSERS VAMANOS.  OK, I need some historical background here.  I don't have any information about Junior's happy feet, although I have seen references to it on this site from time to time.  Has there been any thought of his departure since 2004 (my Ticket inauguration)?  It's never come to my attention, not that hosts consult with me about career choices or insiders leak stuff like that to me. What would he do?  Go to another station on his own?  Retire?  Folks, I have to tell you that in my experience, even highly-compensated persons are scared to death of what this President is up to -- and if you love the guy, that's fine, not a problem with this site, just reporting on what I'm hearing -- and executives (and, I suspect, highly-compensated entertainers) are not casually abandoning gigs like the one that Junior has.     ALSO:  Hell, they're coming up on 20 years -- he won't jump before that, for sure.  But even then -- I don't know where he jumps to, and I can't see him doing nothing.  As the Confessor Nation knows, Junior is my fave rave at the station, and he is entirely capable of  running a sports-guy-current-events show on his own.  I just don't see Craig jumping at this point in his career, and at this point in the history of the station.

I do, however, strongly endorse duckandcover's reference to Craig as "the Joonz," since it is the construction I myself have favored if he persists in referring to himself in this way, and I don't think there is any realistic alternative.

(vii)  RaGE VAMANOS.  I don't think so.  Confessors have been predicting the end of RaGE for a long time, and after that dreadful TV ad they inflicted on viewers I thought the end might be near.  But here they still are.  I think CBS is in for the long haul with Richie and Greggo and Sybil and Armen, and I think they'll be invited to the 2013 FAN Christmas Party.

I don't know how to evaluate the corporate changes that are taking place in the radio industry as they relate to Cumulus and the local CBS affiliates.  I do think that we've  been hearing about seismic changes for a long time, and none have happened.  So my guess is -- status quo, or something that looks a lot like it.

(viii)  MTC VAMANOS.  Are you a student of archival TV?  Do you remember Arte Johnson from Laugh-In?   Do you remember his tag line at the end of the show?  Verrrrrry interesting.  Good night, Lucy.

+++++++++++++++++++

What are YOUR predictions for 2013?  I haven't really --

HOKEY SMOKES, BULLWINKLE!  CORBY JUST READ MY TICKET NUMBER AND I HAVE NOW WON THE GRAND PRIZE RAFFLE, a couple of courtside Mavs tickets, I think, although from where I'm sitting the PA is a little muddy.

So your incredibly lucky Plainsman went up to the stage 3 times in less than 90 minutes to claim charity prizes.  Were you there? If you were, then you got to see your sainted Plainsman.   Well, what was I going to do?  Go up there with a bag on my head?  As it was, I don't think much of anyone was paying attention.  Certainly the hosts were not, and none of the promo people asked my name.

OK, so -- let's get your reaction to duck's predictions, and let's have yours as an eventful, Grubes-retiring, drop-losing year draws to a close.

   *     *     *

 

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

Email:  ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

 

I Was Feeling a Little Scruffy . . .

-  -  -

.  .  .  and my workday had taken me northish, so I decided that I had given my employer enough of my remaining time on this earth for the day, so I stopped in and checked out the Hardline remote.  I found a spot where I could observe the room, and I just hung out for a while and purchased some cocktails from a young woman who appeared to be an experienced service technician.

A few unremarkable observations.

The name of the place is "Scruffy Duffies."  Not a possessive, but a plural.  Not Scruffy Duffy's; not a place that belongs to Mr. or Ms. Duffy; rather, a place that is of, or resembles, or contains, more than one Scruffy Duffy.   If they think they are avoiding trademark issues with Scruffy Duffy's saloons in NYC and elsewhere, they are in error.

Not a big crowd, at least up to close to 6:30 or so.  There was one guy sitting directly in front of the Hardline setup who was listening to the show, and I noticed one other table of guys who seem to be paying attention. There was a guy reading a tablet and writing in a notebook.  I haven't been to a lot of remotes, but the ones I have dropped in on were a noisier than this one. The good news is that I could hear the show.

Nobody approached them during the couple hours that I was there. They probably prefer it that way, as some remote visitors seem unable to discern when our lads are on the air. Corby appeared to be working away on his Mac during breaks, probably doing some in-show show prep, but while Corby made his magic Mike stood quietly and swayed a little.

They were broadcasting almost in the dark. The bar is dark to begin with, but they were away from the windows and the "stage" was deep in the shadows.

I am always reminded that it must be quite a talent to be able to hold a conversation in front of a bunch of strangers and in the middle of a bunch of noise. As I said, yesterday's remote was not overcrowded, but they are just as smooth when the place is roaring.

Corby looks at Mike most of the time when he's talking. Mike rarely looks at Corby unless he is particularly exercised, when he will turn to him and gesture. Most of the time, when Mike is holding forth, he just kind of stares into the middle distance even when he and Corby are conducting a lively conversation. It's odd to watch Corby speaking very earnestly  and directly to Mike and looking at him, while Mike is more or less gazing at some indeterminate point among the patrons.

I didn't see any Ticket Chicks or promo guys.

I didn't know who the engineer was.

Mike and Corby interact very little during breaks. As I say, it was dark, so perhaps they were mumbling to one another or to Danny through the headsets.  It's a little trippy to hear the disembodied voice of Danny come drifting through the speakers when he jumps in.

I had heard one or another sports pundit or play-by-play guy make many of the same points that Corby and Mike were making about the sole topic, the Cowboy game -- all of the same points, in fact.  And yet, I was not bored listening to them and I was struck again by the fact that Ticket hosts distinguish themselves in being able to make these repeated points listenable and even entertaining.

As I said, no great insights here, but a nice way to unwind, look at chicks, drink, and reflect on how it's Great to Listen to The Ticket.

Email:  ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

OPEN THREAD: Oxnard and Elsewhere

I like it when a host runs into some luminary at one of the road trips.  Gordon's stories of encounters with Garrett and Jones were fun this morning.

But what's your impression of how The Ticket does overall on these junkets?   Now, maybe Norm and BaD have more vigorous news-scounting organizations, I don't know, and they're broadcasting during the active practice hours.  The Musers, of course, are broadcasting in the very wee hours on the West Coast, although I guess they've snagged Bill Callahan this morning.  The Hardline -- might as well be broadcasting in Thule, not that I mind.  No one listens to The Hardline for sports information, so who cares if Danny isn't badgering Caleb McSurdy for an interview?

When I was listening to the post-Jerry round tables yesterday, I couldn't figure out why Norm's sound was so bad -- I assumed he was on a telephone feed.  I'm sure it takes a heroic engineering effort to get the station going halfway across the country at all.  Killer got some bouquets on The Musers this morning, which he doubtless deserves, from the looks of things.

Overall, I don't get the impression that these trips do much to enhance either the hosts' insight into the team, or ours.  Don't misunderstand me:  Got nothing against the junket.  Maybe the station uses it as some kind of a fringe-benefit team-building thing -- these guys seem to have a helluva time out there unrelated to coverage of camp, and that can kick up a fun story or two.  And, as noted, there's the odd interview here and there that you wouldn't get if you were back in DFW.  There's also the PR aspect -- just to be able crank out some promos to say that you're going/you're there/you went.

On the merits, though, I've never thought the the traveling added much to the sportsy aspect of the presentations themselves, compared to with how much this must cost.  Had this feeling with the Super Bowl and World Series junkets as well.

As always, thread is open for all topics.

Apocalypse Sometime

+++++

Confessors, I've got a bad feeling.

In a rare burst of efficiency, I'll get to the point.  

While we may not be seeing the end of The Ticket, or the beginning of the end of The Ticket, we may well be seeing the beginning of the beginning of the end of The Ticket.

By "the end of The Ticket," I mean the end of The Ticket we love and support and defend.

I'm not one of those who predicts the end of The Ticket, or one or show or another, "in the next six months."  And of course, we're still listening and the shows are still great.  Other than the occasional outburst at ongoing technical deficiencies, the hosts are doing their usual very entertaining jobs.

But clearly, something has changed and is continuing to do so.  And I think we can put our Confessing fingers on what that is and why it's damaging The Ticket.

Let's consider what we know:

First, the move to Victory was months behind plan.  It seemed not to have been planned at all, at least not by anyone who knew what he was doing.

Second, it was a botch.  I'm not a radio expert or insider, but I've heard enough by now to convince me that this was not par for the course.  It was a disaster, and a continuing disaster.  The Ticket lost gigabytes of one of the main things that binds the place emotionally to the P1 -- its history.  Stuff still doesn't work.

Third, SweetJack.  I've long felt there was more to that cursed cur than met our ears, and now we know at least part of the story -- his fleabitten services were bartered by Cumulus for reduced and inferior Internet availability for the programming.

Fourth,  Grubes ups and leaves.  I believe him that he's anxious to complete his education and improve his career prospects, but I also believe (and he has hinted as much) that the garbage Cumulus gave him to work with had something to do with it.  In fact, I think it had quite a bit to do with it, the timing at least.  

Fifth, remotes, one of the hallmarks of Ticket programming, and a lot of fun, got worse after the move to Victory and, incredibly, are getting worse as time goes by.  I felt sorry for Rick Arnett and Craig Rosengarden Saturday morning, fighting through that static haze.

Sixth, hosts are dumping on management like never before.  Even called out that Brett Blankenship guy by name awhile back.  They've dialed it back a bit in recent weeks, but it still creeps in.

Seventh, you almost never hear Cat mentioned on the air anymore.  There used to be a teasing kind of mixed affection/resentment thing going on like a lot of us have with our bosses, but you don't hear it much any more.  I'm no Mentalist but I'm sensing a growing divide between talent/operations and management.  

Eighth, as noted, the Internet stream is also getting worse, for the reasons we now know.

Ninth, stalwarts at other Cumulus stations are leaving or being shown the door.  KLIF has terminated guys like Jon-David Wells.  WBAP non-renewed (?) Mark Davis.  Jeff Bolton, also at KLIF.  Non-local programming is creeping in.  Grubes.  I've heard that other off-air staff have been leaving and that an audit of Cumulus employee laptops would find a variety of resume-generating software.

Tenth, Cumulus is introducing more and more syndicated programming.  I was very saddened when Joe Morgan's show started running weekends, reversing the trend of increased local weekend Ticket programming -- fewer opportunities for the up-and-comers.   I have heard that Dr. Sanjay Gupta segments will begin appearing on Cumulus Dallas outlets -- including, possibly, if you can conceivably believe it, The Ticket.  (If it hasn't already -- I haven't heard one, but since no one has commented, I'm thinking it may not have started yet.)

Finally (or at least until I think of another one) .  .  .

Finally, there was that really odd moment on The Hardline a few days ago.  I mentioned it in a comment.  Corby was doing a fairly amusing bit on Mike dating the mom suckling an eleven-year-old son, and Danny broke in.  Now it may have been a time-for-a-break thing, but there was a different quality about it, like Corby was treading into territory he'd been warned away from.  Corby kind of snorted and said something about "executives listening" back at the station.  May be reading too much into that, but it was a very odd little exchange.

And I'm thinking -- this isn't just a flubbed migration to Victory.  Something has changed, is changing.  And that last little goofy fifteen seconds of broadcasting is what got me thinking:

It's not that the move to Victory was incompetent, although it surely was.

It's that they moved to Victory at all.

Because the move to Victory wasn't just a Ticket move -- it was a Cumulus, and then a Cumlus/Citadel move.

They brought all the children together in one place.  WBAP, KSCS, KLIF, KTCK, i93, The Wolf.  Yes, including sometimes naughty children like The Ticket.

So what?

So this:

Stations like The Ticket who operated somewhat on the edge, somewhat independently, somewhat as a separate team, are brought more firmly under the thumb of corporate management.  Think physical location doesn't make a difference in things like this?  You'll have to trust me on this one -- it does.

While it is hard to begrudge a conglomerate the cost savings of consolidation -- that's one of the capitalistic benefits of consolidation, after all -- in this case it is being amateurishly managed to the detriment of the overall product.  What used to be distinctive becomes homogenized.  What used to be improvisational and edgy becomes guarded and vanilla.  What used to be dedicated to a particular function for a station is now required to serve that function for multiple stations -- and the same management may not be appropriate for the different stations.  We've already seen that in Anon's report last time that The Ticket is being required to use equipment/software that may work for the other stations, but not for a station that is, for the most part, extended improv. 

"Executives" formerly remote from a rowdy station's operation now find overall supervision and authority -- and discipline -- much easier to exercise.

Cost-cutting also becomes easier.  The Ticket disappears in the gang of lower-rated stations; not only are its individual requirements lost in the clamor for resources at Victory, so is recognition of its singular greatness.  Instead of being nurtured and promoted and expanded, the station is starved and discouraged.

Morale gutters.

And, inevitably, the greatness starts to leak away.

I know I've gone on too long already, but let me make one more point:

Consider the position of the hosts, and maybe even a guy like Rich, who also seems unhappy with what's going on, even though he is Rich the Suit.

They're placed in a terrible position.  They don't like what's going on.  They would like to advocate for the P1, but what can they do?  If they complain too much, they could get disciplined, or perhaps even squeezed when renewal time comes around -- or nonrenewed.  Some of them may have been made well-off by their years of service, but, like Deion, they can't do without their salaries.  But if they hold their tongues  and broadcast like nothing's happening, the listener begins to think of them as compliant, even complicit with the CTO.  Their bond with the P1 is compromised as the growing crappiness is ever more apparent coming out of the speakers.

As I said -- The Ticket is in no danger of collapsing tomorrow.  I'll be tuning in tomorrow to catch Rich's 5:30 AM Ticker.  But, like the Ghost of Christmas Present says, if these shadows remain unaltered I foresee major changes at The Little-and-Getting-Littler Ticket -- soon, behind the scenes (hell, they've already begun) -- and in the next couple of years, on the air.

And we're not gonna like them.

That's enough for now.  I have a couple of other topics to address on this subject, but I'll save them until after The Nation has its say on this regrettably gloomy STD.

Living La Vida Ticket -- PART 1

I’ve been kicking this one around for awhile.  It’s still not well formed so  it will meander somewhat more than is my custom, and that's some meandering.     I’ll leave you with a question which I hope will provoke some comments, and I’ll bounce off those comments for Part 2.

Most of the people who visit this site like The Ticket.   There is the occasional naysayer with a grudge of one kind or another, either against this site or a Ticket personality, or, on occasion, with The Little One itself.   Once in awhile, a commenter will take me or the Confessor Nation to task for taking it all too seriously, for, in effect, caring too much about what is, after all, just a sports/guy-talk radio station.

I blather on a lot about fairness in these articles, so let’s be fair to these critics:  Are they right?  What does it mean to be a P1?  Does it materially affect our lives?  Would we really miss it if it disappeared tomorrow?   Certainly the station encourages its listeners to listen every moment of every day.  Mike daily requires listeners to mill about the premises making sure that every radio is turned to The Ticket.

So I invite you to join me in an informal exploration of the impact of The Ticket on our daily lives; whether it is a positive or negative influence; and if your relationship with the station has changed over the years.

I believe that almost without exception – and perhaps without any exception – Ticket personalities deeply and sincerely appreciate the loyalty and enthusiasm of the P1.  They express it on the air.  Most pay some attention to email and Twitter exchanges.   The station spends an enormous amount of energy and cash staging free events that the P1 enjoys.  This site occasionally hears from station personnel, and on very rare occasions I’ll get a private email of comment, correction, or appreciation.

And yet, do you sometimes get the feeling that even they are overwhelmed with the obsession that some listeners exhibit?  Don’t you sometimes hear jeez, give it a rest in their voices?  I’m going to explore the relationship between the P1 and the hosts as human beings in an upcoming post, but the point I want to make here is that it’s not just grumpy commenters that exhibit occasional impatience with the intensity of some listeners’ enthusiasm for 1310 AM/104.1 FM.

The Ticket does play a big role in my life, and I would have said that even if I’ve never started this site.   It is the case that keeping this this site going has changed that role.   My need to come up with topics of interest to The Nation means I listen with greater care, scribble down things that strike me, and get by the channel during times when in my pre-MTC life I might have been spending my time in that most idyllic of states -- quiet burger reflection.

But for guys like me and AP and maybe a couple of others we hear from, following The Ticket has turned into a fairly time-consuming hobby.  This site started in 2009, and after a slow start where I was talking mainly to myself, I’ve averaged around 15-20 posts a month.   (I’ll never forget the Confessor who, after I’d been blog-silent for awhile and maybe would get a handful of hits a day, wrote to say how much he liked the site and how I should write more.  Got me going.)  I keep a list of potential topics.  Looked at it the other day.   Got about forty items on it right now.  A lot of them are stale; others look less interesting to me now than they did when I wrote them down.  Others are gigantic topics that would take me chunks of time I haven’t had the last few months.  (By the way – I do a general-interest blog that I neglect and that I have more than once thought of emphasizing at the expense of this one – to date, it’s decidedly the other way around.)    Others I realize I’ve done already.  For example, among my recent favorite moments on The Hardline are the Mike/Corby live spots for GumOut – but I did a piece on that last July [LINK]..     (But wait!   I just noticed something interesting in rereading that article.  Ooo, I’m going to save this one.  The only thing I can promise is that it will be another one of my Listening Too Hard entries.)  

A typical gathering of P1's

But let’s put aside my extra Ticket obligations, since they are atypical.  Here’s the extent of my devotion to The Ticket:   I begin listening right around 5:30 am, as Rich is finishing up his pre-Musers Ticker.  Mrs. Plainsman indulges my listening while we share the bathroom, as long as I turn on cable news before I leave.  I have a fairly long commute, and I get to my workplace almost two hours before the place starts hopping.   So I listen to The Musers from the beginning of the show until the 8:40 bit, which I’m going to hear the next morning anyway.  I’ll miss the last hour and change.   If I’m on the road during the day I listen to Norm and BaD, but unfortunately those opportunities are limited.  If I’m paying attention to the clock, I’ll flip on The Hardline sometime between 3:30 and 4, and listen as much as I can for the balance of the work day, on the drive home, and at home until I hear Mrs. Plainsman putting the oxen back in the shed.  I am fortunate to have an employer who lets me have a radio on in my work area. 

I should listen to the Top Ten to get some notion of what Norm and BaD are up to, but family duties, the other blog, and even writing these pieces invariably intrude.   I’ll strap on a radio and headset if I’m off for a jog or bike ride (although in general, I think it’s dangerous to listen to the radio whilst biking and I’ve pretty much quit that).   I listen as much as I can on weekends.  I don’t listen to podcasts; alas, I rarely even listen to clips on The (Incomparable) UnTicket unless it’s a big deal that a site like this should know about or something that AP has commended.  I don’t follow anyone on Twitter.   I only very rarely ever stream the station if I’m not in range of the sputtering terrestrial signal.

I’ve only been to a couple of remotes, and then only briefly to check in.  (Remotes are on my article-to-do list.)  Never been to a Ticket event.  Never called a show.  Never spoken to a Ticket employee other than once at a remote just to say a brief “thanks” before I left, which the host politely acknowledged.  Wait, I think I asked a Ticket Chick for a T-shirt once.  Don’t have any buddies or relatives who listen much at all. 

So there you have the extent of my average-guy devotion to The Ticket.  Four to six hours a day during the week, and probably two to four hours over the entire weekend.

That doesn’t strike me as a crazy Ticket-listening schedule.  I listen when I can and when the time is otherwise unchallenged by much of any other activity.    I’d like to know how you guys (and Jonaessa, and Christie, and all distaff Confessors) listen to The Ticket.  I’d also be interested in your thoughts not on The Ticket’s content, but on how you feel about the time you spend with it. 

I’ll conclude next time with some thoughts on how the P1 relates to The Ticket, and whether the Ticket-geek accusation has some truth to it.

The TeeBox Seems to Have Solved Its Sound Probems

Rick and Craig, sounding smooth this morning on their remote.

I will say that they've got those mics EQ'd very hot, especially Rick's.  Gives their voices kind of an overlying sizzle.

But at least it doesn't sound like they're broadcasting from a quarry.

Once Again, the Teebox Seems to Be Broadcasting from Pluto

On April 10, I made a note of particular horrible-sounding broadcast of The Teebox.  I don't mean the content was bad -- I mean the sound was atrocious.  A week or so later, even Danny made note of it on the handoff to The Orphanage.  RickArnett seemed very surprised that Danny had remarked on how bad the broadcast sounded.  So apparently he and Craig Rosengarden aren't aware of this.

I'm listening to it right now and I can't believe that The Ticket hasn't corrected this.  Other remotes don't sound like this.  This is not a signal-strength or reception problem -- this is a hardware problem.  Somewhere between the hosts' lips and the transmitter some foul and awful thing is happening to those soundwaves. 

I'm not sure how I can describe it.  It sounds like a digital broadcast where only about a third of the bits are coming out of the speaker.  A very rough sound, like these guys should be clearing their throats after every word.  Incredibly unappealing.  Other remotes don't sound this way.  I'm wondering if The Avid Golfer buys this time and uses non-Cumulus equipment. 

The Orphanage has just come on and it sounds fine.  Nope, something is rotten in the bowels of The Teebox's technology.  Someone should tell these guys.

Too bad.  It's a really nice show.  And I don't even play golf or particularly like anything about it.  But, like a lot of stuff on The Ticket, it holds your interest because of the skill of the hosts.