The Demise of 93.9 The Ticket

by JMC1 on Nov 18, 2008 10:57 PM EST Comment 23 comments

I case some of you haven't heard, the only real sports talk channel (93.9) in the city is no more after today. Cumulus, the channel's parent company, is switching the channel's format to automated classic rock.

Jurich pulled the station's U of L credentials after John Renshaw predicted Pitt would mop the field with us. Of which they did. Matt Jones also says that Jurich didn't like the fact that the station employed him as blatant UK homer, and that was another reason the credentials was pulled. While Jones is a complete UK homer and a borderline U of L hater, at least he's witty and is fun to listen to. While it wasn't all Jurich that caused this, he had some hand in it, that is obvious. The station became handicapped when it didn't have access to U of L personel or games. I'm guessing some of the station's sponsers were or were about to be squeezed by U of L. But that's just speculation on my part.

Renshaw bashed Jurich and Cumulus today and his show got pulled and ESPN national put in its place. I feel bad for all the talent at the station. They were just getting things going and ratings were rising. Hell there's no competition for them. 790 isn't really all that great. Its basically just an AM station to broadcast U of L games because WHAS went blue. Jim Rome sucks, the Afternoon Underdogs do the best they can, but when you can't speak the truth out of fear for your job, then you'll always be limited.

With his Krag hire, his "Orange Bowl every week" comment, and this stunt against free speech, I'm starting to wonder if TJ hasn't worn out his welcome here. I'm grateful for what he has done in his tenure here, but at what point does someone's ego become so big that he becomes a dictator and a detrament to his own Athletic Department? Good luck getting any other sports talk radio station any time soon, you simply can't compete when your station can't get access to U of L.

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Can't agree with you

I personally didn’t like 93.9 the ticket. I only listen to the radio for about 40 minutes every morning and every evening, going to and from work. The early birds and afternoon underdogs are just better to listen to. Sorry. I like John L.‘s personality and opinion. Every time I tried putting it on 93.9 it was always commercials. I know some guys who worked there who are going to be affected, maybe even losing their job, but just wasn’t drawn to that station.

As for Jurich, he won’t wear out his pass until PJCS falls to the ground, the Cardinal Park area is turned back into a gravel parking lot, the basketball program is put on probation, or our Orange Bowl victory is wiped away for cheating. Sorry, but he has built our athletic program into a national powerhouse. Just because the football team has had two mediocre years doesn’t erase every good thing he’s done.

If Kragthorpe is not the right person for the job, he will rectify the situation. All in due time. He’s smart enough not to get into a situation where he can’t find a new head coach or where we’ll have to pay a huge buyout. It might take some patience on our part, but he’ll get it done when the timing’s right.

by Hari Seldon on Nov 19, 2008 8:49 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

JMC1, please don't go there....

Hari is right. I couldn’t disagree with you more. U of L is very fortunate to have Tom Jurich and he has done a stellar job with everything he’s been involved in. TOM JURICH KNOWS FOOTBALL; he hasn’t gone stupid all of a sudden. Do I like Koach and the direction our program is heading? #$%^& no. Do I think TJ just may know what he’s talking about and do I trust Tom Jurich with the future of our football program…you’d better know it. There are many universities who would love to have him and hire him away from U of L. Please don’t start an anti-Jurich – let’s get him out rhetoric. PLEASE. He will right the football ship and it will be as successful as everything else he has done here. I hope he stays until he’ s too old to accept another Best Athletic Director national award.

by Linda on Nov 19, 2008 9:34 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Even if he has his hands in things he shouldn’t as an AD?

by JMC1 on Nov 19, 2008 9:46 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

such as....?????

what are you referring to? I really don’t know.

by Linda on Nov 19, 2008 10:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

such as....?????

I don’t know what you are referring to……

by Linda on Nov 19, 2008 10:29 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

uh....

I really don’t know why my question was posted twice……DUH

by Linda on Nov 19, 2008 11:09 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Perhaps its a conflict of interest for a Athletic Department to own its own radio station to broadcast its games?

by JMC1 on Nov 19, 2008 11:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I believe there are...

huge programs that do that though. Ohio State for one, I think. I don’t know about the conflict of interest angle and will be interested to see what others think about that. I personally like the idea……thanks

by Linda on Nov 19, 2008 11:20 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

UofL owns WKRD?

I thought it was a clear channel station.

by Dais on Nov 19, 2008 1:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You are right Dais....

my husband used to work at Clear Channel – WKRD IS owned by Clear Channel and not U of L.

by Linda on Nov 19, 2008 6:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

TJ has some ego and likes to control his empire

what emperor doesn’t.

BTW, TJ is human and makes mistakes. But not that many, really, taken in the whole context of things..

I can put up with a little ego and free speech curtailment when he’s brilliant otherwise.

He was beginning to go off the deep end with those “Orange Bowl” comments—but he dialed it back yesterday.

We’ll see what he says in his presser today…

by frankpos on Nov 19, 2008 9:53 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

what time....

on Channel 4???

by Linda on Nov 19, 2008 10:09 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Per WHAS-11, Jurich to hold PC at 2:30....

according to a poster at ITV, but I didn’t see anything in the paper, so…?

by frankpos on Nov 19, 2008 10:41 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

thanks....

I’ll tune in. ,o)

by Linda on Nov 19, 2008 11:08 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Press Conference

It’s 3:40, and nobody is talking about it. Did Tom Jurich have any earth-shattering news for us today?

by Dais on Nov 19, 2008 3:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Nope

by Mike Rutherford on Nov 19, 2008 4:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I really couldn't listen to 93.9

It does suck to lose a sports station, but I won’t be missing “The Ticket” at all.

I’m also glad to see people defending Jurich. If you look at the state of the athletics department, it’s obvious that he is running it VERY well. Our football team is disappointing this year, but more programs are succeeding than ever before.

by Dais on Nov 19, 2008 10:44 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Well, I guess I’m the only one that has this feeling. Sorry I posted it.

by JMC1 on Nov 19, 2008 11:11 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Never be sorry....

for expressing an opinion. Different strokes for different folks you know? That’s what makes the world go ’round.

by Linda on Nov 19, 2008 11:21 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Don't be sorry

We kind’ve got off topic from Jurich interfering with the station to his overall job. I think he’s done an excellent job overall, but I don’t think he should have hindered this station from doing its job. It was my understanding that it took Jurich’s intervention to get 790 to release Ragone and Padgett to move to the Ticket? Or do I have that backwards? Did he try to prevent it?

by Hari Seldon on Nov 19, 2008 11:17 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I can't stand sports or talk radio

But losing variety and a group of diverse opinions is never a good thing.

by Mike Rutherford on Nov 19, 2008 1:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

hari you do have it backwards. Jurich tried to get Scott and Dave to go to WKRD but they were unable to get out of their contracts with Cumulus (The Ticket).
And Dais Clear Channel does own WKRD but they are obviously controlled by UofL.

I don’t think any station could please 100% of the people 100% of the time. but any true sports fan could find a time sometime between 6a and 8p that The Ticket was GOOD sports talk. And what it was doing for UofL; UK and IU was GREAT! They were also airing high school football games on Friday nights….they were really trying to reach out to the community that it serves……and just because they would criticize UofL and wouldn’t play Tom’s games….they are shut down. Like the ticket or not…..it isn’t right.

by ticket fan on Nov 19, 2008 1:48 PM EST reply actions 0 recs