PSST ... OVER HERE!

In case you wanna read my cover stories for your free, friendly Dallas Observer, I'll make it easy:

   2018

   *FEB 28 - The sad saga of former DFW media star Wally Lynn

   *APRIL 3 - Why is the NFL is scared of this quirky Dallas entrepreneur?

   *MAY 8 - Dirk Nowitzki is DFW's Undisputed GOAT

   *JULY 3 - Former Cowboys' QB Babe Laufenberg helps son beat the odds ... and cancer.

   *AUG 7 - Missing Linc: Foggy Life after Football for former Cowboy Lincoln Coleman

   *SEP 19 - Jay Novacek's Son Struggles With a Diminished Life After OU Hazing

   *NOV 7 - Cynt of a Woman: New Mavs' CEO Cynthia Marshall cleans up a dirty mess

   2019

   *FEB 19 - RoughRiders on verge of being swallowed whole by Frisco's suburban sports swell

   *MAR 27 - Good Guy Elvis Andrus and the Bad Texas Rangers

   *MAY 7 - No Arms. No Legs. No Problem. Rick Turner and DFW's Bravest Soldiers

WHITT'S END: 2.11.14

      Whether you're at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt's End:

   *The update on the proposed fourth all-sports talk radio station is ...

   *Really, this Cowboy player can reverse, double-pump dunk? ...

   *He's been underrated in our area for 32 years, and now he's retiring ...

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WHITT'S END: 2.4.14

      Whether you're at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt's End:

   *Incest in play at Cumulus, where a member of The Ticket's BaDD Radio is now a member of ...

   *If the Mavs have proven anything in 2014 it's that they can ...

   *Robots not evolved enough to talk shouldn't win awards ...

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BREAKING NEWS: Jagger Mafia Reunited on Radio

 

According to multiple industry sources, the "Jagger Mafia" radio show is reuniting.
   Who and where and when? ...

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WHITT'S END: 12.13.13

      Whether you're at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt's End:

   *Told you waaaaay back around Labor Day about a new "sports and guy talk" radio station planning to hit the DFW airwaves. Well, it's ...

   *In early January 2014 you'll also hear a familiar sports-talk voice on a new radio home ...

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November Radio Ratings: StatusQuoStatusQuoStatusQuoStatusQuoStatusQuoStatusQuoStatusQuoStatusQuoStatusQuoStatusQuo

   If the Cowboys were to go 16-0 and win the Super Bowl every year for, like, 10 years, would that be amazeballs? Or, at some point, would it get boring?
   The Ticket must not think the latter because, now with the addition of a stronger FM signal, it keeps on keeping on. As in, bludgeoning the harmless noggins of its local radio competitors.
   In the November PPM ratings covering Oct. 10-Nov 6, The Ticket ...



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August Radio Ratings: ESPN Alive and Kicking

   The Ticket keeps on ticking.
   Meanwhile - in the undisputed leader's rear-view mirror - ESPN is widening the gap and strengthening its hold over The Fan as the Metroplex's No. 2 all-sports talk radio station.
   While Randy Galloway winds down his legendary career and the rumors and uncertainty swirl in the wake of Cumulus taking business and operational control of Disney-owned 103.3 FM, ESPN keeps plugging along with a not-too-shabby station that is gaining audience and traction.
   In the August local radio ratings The Ticket remains as dominant as ever, with each of its dayparts easily winning the sports-talk battle and finishing No. 1 or 2 overall in the coveted demographic of Men 25-54. ESPN is comfortably No. 2 ahead of The Fan in every daypart: Mornings, Mid-Mornings, Middays and Afternoons.
   But it's in a 12-month overview that ESPN's progress can be easily tracked.
   Since August 2012 Mike & Mike is up 18%, Colin Cowherd 40%, Fitzsimmons & Durrett 75% and Galloway and Co. 47%. And that, of course, is bad news for The Fan, whose only show to touch a 2.0 rating at any part of the day is Elf & Slater.
   In their four months on the air since taking over for a certain someone's show, Ben and Skin have yet to do better than a 1.8 rating or rank above 22nd in the market among sweet-spot male listeners.
   The breakdown:

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Station	Aug. 2013		Aug. 2012
Morning
Ticket	7.5		7.3
ESPN	3.3		2.8
Fan	1.7		1.3
Mid-Morn
Ticket	8.1		7.7
ESPN	3.5		2.5
Fan	1.9		1.8
Midday
Ticket	7.3		6.9
ESPN	4.9		2.8
Fan	1.9		1.8
Afternoon
Ticket	7.5		8.3
ESPN	5.1		3.4
Fan	1.7		2.1

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Ticket Takeover: What It Means for DFW Radio

   The Ticket is taking over ESPN Radio.
   Powerful. Defining. Epic. Yet, let's face it, confusing.
   Kind of like Texas A&M's Johnny Goofball signing hundreds of autographs - assembly-line style - for memorabilia brokers, just because he's a nice guy. Yeah, right.
   What happened yesterday - in a move I sorta saw coming a month ago - is seemingly the first step in a long journey toward 103.3 FM The Ticket.
   But when, how and what happens when we get to that point? After talking to peeps from all sides of the transaction, let's try to take some educated guesses at where re-shaped DFW sports-talk radio is headed.
   What this move means for ...

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    The Ticket - Okay, I admit. I got suckered in. For the first time since 2010ish I tuned in this morning at 7:30 for the "Major Station Announcement", assuming I'd get some clarity on this story. Instead, I heard trumpets followed by some gibberish about a new phone app and ...
   Nonetheless, I think I have a better understanding of why The Ticket made this deal. Bottom line: It's much more a business transaction than a programming strategy.
   Its parent company, Cumulus, didn't buy 103.3 FM, it signed a Local Marketing Agreement to assume operational control of the station. I'm told the deal - for approximately 5 years and $6 million - mandates that 103.3 FM remain an ESPN affiliate. The suits at Disney considered this a deal-breaker. Keep the brand and keep our national shows in place, or end of discussion.
   What that means is - barring further, future negotiations and a tweaking of the agreement - we will likely hear Ticket programming on 103.3 FM, but it will not be fully re-branded as 103.3 FM The Ticket.
   What Cumulus instead gets for its approximate $100,000-a-month payment is two-fold: A stronger signal. And a weakened rival.
   For years The Ticket has coveted a stronger stick from which to transmit its primo content, and KESN's Allen-based transmitter will do the trick. It reaches all of Tarrant and Dallas county, yes even at night. A stronger signal, in theory, means a wider scope which leads to more listeners which begets better ratings which translates into more revenue. But apparently The Ticket won't just up and move its entire programming to 103.3 FM. 1. Per the LMA it can't; 2. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
   The Ticket bills about $20 million a year; ESPN around $8 million (and, for what it's worth, The Fan approximately $6 million). Instead of jeopardizing a great operation, The Ticket will instead merely attempt to use 103.3 FM to further spread its gospel - you'll hear spots promoting Ticket events and shows on ESPN - while pocketing most of that additional $8 million in billing revenue.
   It's a weird arrangement, no doubt. Two separately-owned and competing stations, run by the same management team. Imagine Jerry Jones owning the Cowboys, but Dan Snyder calling the day-to-day shots. Hardline co-host Corby Davidson jokingly Tweeted yesterday afternoon that the move would prompt Randy Galloway to jump on The Ticket and host "Entertainment News" at 4:15.
   No doubt 103.3 FM will be de-fanged, but the direct alterations won't be nearly that drastic.

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    ESPN Radio - Fact is this move wouldn't be happening had the station been successful. It's not.
   Its ratings and revenue are decent, but 103.3 FM has annually underperformed - it makes only a couple hundred thousand dollars in profit - because of all the excess fat and Bristol had heard/seen enough. In other words, there will be attrition. Everyone from Fitzsimmons and Durrett, to general manager Pete Dits, to ESPN Deportes personnel to sales/promotions folks should be nervous. A couple were fired yesterday. Some were given pre-dated pink slips for September, October and November. Since The Ticket/Cumulus already has a successful operations staff in place, there will be a significant body count. No reason to double-dip.
   One of the mainstays that will leave 103.3 FM will be - in my opinion - Galloway. His contract is up Dec. 31 and I just don't see him returning in 2014 to a watered-down station controlled by his life-long competitors. And, remember, The Ticket will now have final say in 103.3 FM's local content. In exchange for the handsome chunk of change from Cumulus, ESPN's Disney parents are relinquishing the local control while maintaining their successful national shows - Mike & Mike and Colin Cowherd - on the air in America's 5th-largest radio market.
   But, make no mistake, the 103.3 FM you've come to know over the last 12 years will soon be Dead 'n Gone.

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    The Fan - For a station tanking in the ratings and in need of any shred of positive vibes, this has to be received as good news. How's that? Because - barring a series of catastrophic events and multiple personnel moves - The Fan can't realistically threaten, much less catch, The Ticket. But with ESPN being ultimately downsized and diluted, The Fan will, by default, rise to No. 2. When I was at The Fan the rallying cry was always "Beat ESPN!". With this move, that goal should become more attainable.

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    Texas Rangers - This is where there will certainly be some radio-dial position changes. Since ESPN will still technically "own" 103.3 FM, the Rangers' contract with it will remain in place. But with The Ticket now in "operational control" of the joint, the options get better for baseball fans. Last year when a conflict arose between simultaneous Rangers' and Mavs' games on ESPN, baseball was booted to the dark, oblivious corner known as 660 AM. Now under Cumulus' broad umbrella of stations, the Rangers could move to better alternatives like 1310 AM, WBAP 820 AM or even KSCS 96.3 FM.

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    Dallas Mavericks - The basketball team that has long been on ESPN is currently a radio free agent, and in talks with The Fan. Owner Mark Cuban has long sought a stronger signal, but will he accept it along with a weaker partner? The Mavs could also sign with The Ticket, and ultimately remain "home" on ESPN. Told you it could get confusing.

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    Dallas Stars - Banished to the low-wattage night offerings of 1310 AM for years, they could conceivably get bumped to a better signal as part of the change-up. Probably not. But increased options can't be bad news for a hockey team seeking any shove to relevance.

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    You, the Listener - If you're in the legion of dedicated - if not a tad narrow-minded - P1s that covet The Ticket, nothing but The Ticket and, at all costs, more The Ticket, then you're elated. Your favorite, strong station will only strengthen in signal and, likely, share. But if you are a consumer who enjoys a variety of side items at the buffet - not just 20 platters of steak under the sneeze guard - this isn't good news. Fewer edible, audible choices are in your future. Bon appetit.

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