The Ticket's Response to My Letter

[Eddie P]

I sent an e-mail to the powers that be at 1310AM The Ticket to voice my displeasure with their continued abuse of SMU Football. Not that it changes anything, but here was the response I received:

Ed,
I'll pull the tape...I did not hear it. While I don't always agree
with what a host says I might point out that a team with SMU's record
is bound to get criticism. Norm Hitzges has defended Phil Bennett and
praised the hire yet you didn't seem to point that out. I'm sure as an
SMU alumni it's hard to take. What I can tell you that even though we
may carry a particular team that doesn't mean we can only say good
things and I think SMU knows that. I appreciate that you cared enough
to write...DB

Dan Bennett
Vice President/Market Manager
TalkRadio 570 KLIF Sportsradio 1310 the Ticket
99.5 The Wolf/93.3 The Bone
Susquehanna Radio Corp. Dallas

[abezontar]

I'm what they call a P1, I generally always have the ticket on as I work, mainly because they make me laugh a lot, not so much because I care about most of the sports talk they bring up. Of course there are exceptions and those are when Norm talks about SMU and interviews coach Bennett, and when Bob and Dan talk about the Stars. I've gotten in the habit though to turn off the radio when the guys on the hardline start talking about college football. It always just pisses me off when they start ripping on SMU...well, I don't think I really have a point, I understand the frustration, I share it, but I am truly grateful for the fact that our games are broadcast so that i can listen to the out of town games, and I am DEFINITELY grateful with Bennett's weekly program with Norm, it always gets me pumped up, even when our record was 0-7. In everything in life there is good and bad, and depending on when you listen to 1310 you will hear either unbiased guys talking sports and trying to bring up the good and bad things about all sports, and guys like Mike Rhyner and the Hardline crew that just like to complain about everything and view life as a royal pain in the [deleted]. My advice is just to let it slide and be that much more vocal when you talk about how great our program is. Every person we infect is one more person who disagrees with those members of the ticket, and one more person who will turn off the radio when they start bashing, making their ratings drop, and making them eventually have to change their ways. Um......sorry....kinda rambling now...I'll stop

[SHAQFU]

"Just let it slide"
WHAT! I understand your points, each team receives crap from the media. My question is, Why is our home radio station flipping us sh** about our record?
Aren't they suppose to be on our side?
I like what Ed has done here. I am behind him 110%. Ed, if you need any help, I would be glad to give it to you. I think that we should figure this out. We have the right, as true fans, to know what the hell is going on over there.
I don't think we should just "Let it slide"

[PerunaPunch]

Times have been tough for the Mustangs. No doubt. As "journalists", the Ticket is obligated to report the facts, and those facts haven't always been pleasant. What I take issue with is the cheap shots they take at the team. The demeaning, snide comments that are totally superfluous to the facts and serve no purpose other than that some people find trash talking humorous. Like who the hell are they to talk? You ever seen those guys? Bunch of donut-eating media wussies. I think the whole lot of them would last about 15 seconds on the Ford Stadium carpet against the likes of Viloria & Co.

The part that’s really sad is that in a few years, you’ll see those same sycophant bozos sucking up to SMU and Bennett when we’re winning consistently and packing the house.

Admittedly, I’d laugh if they took some cheap shots at UT. But hey, this is OUR TOWN and our home team. If anything, they need to be biased for the home team not against it. Let’s write letters and have them shipped off to Lubbock, Little Rock or Austin if they like those teams so much.

[DallasDiehard]

The Ticket serves one purpose and one purpose only: to broadcast SMU football games. Beyond that, why anyone would listen to that audio garbage is beyond me. If you want to talk about women's anatomy, go to a strip club. If you want to talk about bands, go to a music station, or go to a venue and see a band for yourself. But if you want to talk about sports, you have to go to a sports station like ESPN103.3 or FOX1190.

PerunaPunch, I agree with almost everything you say, except for your use of the word "journalists." Who's a journalist on that station? Norm Hitzges is, and thankfully, he's also the one guy who's interviewing Coach Bennett every week. Unlike the rest of those buffoons, he actually does his homework and knows something about the Ponies. Bob Sturm actually comes off as a legitimate journalist on his TXCN show, but his only goal on the Ticket is to try to be funny. The morning guys are misplaced FM deejays. The afternoon guys should be welcoming dancers to the side stages at a low-rent strip club. They are neither journalists nor funny. Their sole value in life is to leer at women and make comments about what they're wearing. That may have its place, but certainly not on a station that presents itself as a "sports" station.

Other than Norm and occasionally Bob, the only "journalists" on that station are the behind-the-scenes guys who do the Ticket Tickers and who chime in with updates. They actually have to read material, write stories and maybe even make phone calls to back up what they say.

Rich Phillips does a good job with the SMU games - he should have a daily show.

[Guest]

The Ticket is wonderful. Sure the afternoon shows are terrible, but for the most part, not too bad. Norm is great, he's got 30 years of experience! Rich and Craig do a great job with games too. Love hearing Rich blow up whenever Hampton scores. All the sudden, Hampton has his own team

"TOUCHDOWN, JOHN HAMPTON!" Hmmm....