by John Walters
Starting Five
Minding Your Cuse
The MH staff got a late start today because we all piled into the Charger Hemi and drove up to Syracuse, the Paris of Central New York, on a whim. Bad idea. Boring game. We can’t even remember who won.
2. Immigrants In Los Angeles To Be Deported?
Jay and Dan get to leave the country. No fair!
At a meeting on the Fox lot this morning, FS1 notified employees that Fox Sports Live is being canceled. The last episode was last night and hosts Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole, who were a big deal in Canada, will not have their contracts renewed. Does this mean they no longer have work visas and will soon receive a visit from ICE?
Recyclable Time?
FS1 also canceled Garbage Time, Katie Nolan’s boutique show, but only as a means to give her greater exposure: “”You’re going to see zero Jay & Dan,” one nameless (I mean, he has a name, he just didn’t want it to be used) executive told Ben Koo of Awful Announcing. But you’re going to see five times as much Katie Nolan.”
No word on if FS1 will develop a show for her in which she says “Hi” to her dad at least once per episode.
3. For Runners Only
The staff or Let’s Run, pictured with four of their human friends.
If you are an avid runner, you know about the site LetsRun.com. It’s the internet knitting circle of sub-7 minute milers. Here’s a great profile on the site from Outside (wish I’d thought of this) and a story within about how the crowdsourcing factor of its many readers allowed them to bust a runner who was in the midst of committing a hoax.
4. White Noise
#MakeAmericaGreatAgain pic.twitter.com/iwkcH3BBAG
— President Trump (@POTUS) February 17, 2017
(This photo is NOT white enough to accurately depict how white major market sports radio is)
A site/service named Barrett Sports Media recently released a list of the Top 20 Major Market Morning Shows for sports radio (I can’t listen to sports radio; it’s like taffy for the mind). You can click on the list. I counted 43 white dudes and one white woman. No blacks, no Hispanics. This is only fair because everyone knows that African-Americans rarely are provocative or have anything interesting to say, especially not about sports. And they’re very monotone and dull, you know, the way Rod Tidwell was in Jerry Maguire.
5. Another Day Of Trump
The Standing Rock camp is set to flames as one protester refuses to budge. This photo by Stephen Yang of Getty should win a Pulitzer.
Standing Rock awfulness, Paul Ryan not understanding the difference between freedom and wealth, and Arkansans taking it to Senator Tom Cotton (R) (Heartwarming to see GOP’ers finally understanding they’ve been suckered). It’s Another Day of Trump/Another Day of Trump....
“Freedom is the ability to buy what you want.”
Um, no. That’s *wealth.* You’re describing wealth. https://t.co/TXehL20yrH
— Fred Clark (@SlacktivistFred) February 22, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKmR4VATPbY
Music 101
Sex (I’m A)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpYNwFGaMik
For awhile there in 1983, as New Wave was entering its peak years, we thought that Berlin (an American band) might be the next Blondie. This song was banned on several radio stations, which is why 16 year-old me and my friends craved it so much. It never climbed higher than 62 on the charts. Berlin never were as dangerous as Blondie, and lead singer Terri Nunn was no Deborah Harry. But they did achieve mega-success three years later with their schmaltz hit “Take My Breath Away” that was featured in Top Gun.
Remote Patrol
Superstore
8 p.m. NBC
“Let’s make the colored guy a cripple. Two birds with one stone.” “I like the way you think, Tucker.”
I’m KIDDING! But have you noticed how the networks, realizing they can’t compete with edgy NetFlix or Amazon shows, have decided collectively, “Why would we WANT to do that, anyway?” Look who won!” So bring on the red-state, MAGA-friendly comedies.
(Clips-Warriors is on at 10:30 p.m. on TNT while Pasch and Walton will be bickering about the “conference of champions” over on ESPN at 9 p.m.)
This NYTimes feature (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/23/magazine/the-new-working-class.html) includes some interesting personal stories, but the introductory essay is what really stands out — it clearly and simply walks through the gradual change over the last century in America to a service-based economy. Efficiency in production has led to decreases in both prices and jobs, and wealth has moved away from the middle class. What’s left are the type of service-type jobs that most white middle class males aren’t interested in taking on as careers. It’s this disaffected group most willing to support Trump, because Trump has claimed he will chart a path to the old America. The problem, of course, is that the old America can’t ever come back, and the actual policy changes taken or threatened by Trump (reduced access to health care and Medicare, forced removal of the persons most willing to work service jobs (recent immigrants), loosening of labor and finance regulations that will tend to move money downward from the 1%, etc.) all serve only to hurt those who support him most.
That Barrett Sports Media list was interesting. I podcast a St. Louis-based sports radio show that ripped the lists (though not for the same reason you did) – yes, there were multiple lists – major market morning, mid-market morning, major market mid-morning, mid-market mid-morning shows, etc.
Not that anyone really cares (or will read a comment made on a blog post from yesterday), but I don’t like the normal template for sports radio or sports opinion TV shows. The entire “hot take” phenomenon is overplayed. Taking a stand and shouting it doesn’t make it any more interesting or, for that matter, valid.
Which is why I like The Morning After (http://insidestl.com/radio-shows/the-morning-after). While it’s as white as the rest of these shows on Barrett’s list, they break the mold of the stereotypical sports show. They talk about all sorts of stuff in the national and local news, pop-culture and sometimes sports. What I like most is that they don’t take themselves too seriously, not pompous in the least. Though, they can be crude (which may fit in the sports radio mold a little too much).
Like I was saying, they ripped the Barrett lists because they felt the guy, Jason Barrett, takes himself a little too seriously. Sort of a, “who cares what regional sports shows are best when you’re more likely to listen to what’s local,” sentiment. Plus, Jason Barrett is a sports radio station consultant and placed a bunch of his clients near the top of each of the lists, which is sort of shady.