🚀 go-pugleaf

Mark Anderson <mea@nospambradnylion.com> wrote:
> Jonathan Brandmeier will start doing mornings next Friday.  Brandmeier 
> and Garry Meier were two people who used to have shows that were 
> everything not WGN when in their prime.  Now both are WGN homers.  I'm 
> starting to feel old since I still like listening to Garry Meier.  Wally 
> Phillips is either spinning in his grave or Johnnie B. will become 
> Wally.  Methinks the latter.

Ok, but is he phoning in his show like he has been the past decade?

He was pretty good (for the time) when live here in Chicago. Guess at some
point moved to California and tried national syndicated or something.

Last few times he was back on the air here, sounded too generic. Without the
local element, it disconnects from the audience to me.

I should point out though, I don't care. Total listening time to the radio
annually for me, about 5 minutes these days. 

-bruce
bje@ripco.com

In article bje@ripco.com says...
> Ok, but is he phoning in his show like he has been the past decade?

AFAIK he's doing in studio.
 
> He was pretty good (for the time) when live here in Chicago. Guess at some
> point moved to California and tried national syndicated or something.

I stopped listening well before that when he started taking short trips 
to hassle certain celebrities.  It was so long ago I forgot why I 
stopped listening.  I did make their morning traffic once when my car 
broke down in the middle of Lake Shore Drive in the middle of rush hour 
at around Oak street.

> Last few times he was back on the air here, sounded too generic. Without the
> local element, it disconnects from the audience to me.
> 
> I should point out though, I don't care. Total listening time to the radio
> annually for me, about 5 minutes these days. 

Ever since I stopped watching TV I listen to a lot of radio.  I don't 
know which medium is more retarded.  Roe and Roeper and Garry Meier are 
IMHO, the only decent daily shows worth listening to in the Chicago 
market.   NPR has some decent weekly shows.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of a single radio show that has 
been successful nationally other than Howard Stern and right wing 
political talk shows like Limbaugh and his acolytes.  Limbaugh et. al 
succeed by drumming up the same topic every day -- hate -- which 
resonates to a loyal base of listeners that can be counted upon to tune 
in day in and day out to get their hate on.  Stern used to have that for 
comedy but he's gone now.  Brandmeier succumbed to hubris thinking his 
brand of goofiness could appeal to an entire country.  Getting people 
across the entire country to laugh day in and day out is a lot harder 
than getting people to hate something.  People find things funny 
differently in different parts of the country.  Hate is a common 
denominator that can glue a nation together.

I won't listen to Brandmeier when he's on but it's nice to see WGN shake 
up its lineup.  I wish they'd do something about the lame show that 
follows Garry Meier when the Blackhawks or Cubs aren't on.



 

Mark Anderson <mea@nospambradnylion.com> wrote:

> Ever since I stopped watching TV I listen to a lot of radio.  I don't 
> know which medium is more retarded.  Roe and Roeper and Garry Meier are 
> IMHO, the only decent daily shows worth listening to in the Chicago 
> market.   NPR has some decent weekly shows.

Well television is hitting new lows, but I think the comparison to radio is
difficult because it's a much more vast wasteland. I mean if you exclude
internet radio, it's still a territorial market.

With TV, anything above OTA, the channel count goes into the hundreds, even
on lower priced basic services.

This isn't a complete list, but some of the stuff I observed over the past
few years on tv, in case you want to know what you are missing:

Several years ago, both Ice Road Truckers and Ax Men appears to have created
a whole new genre of shows, but it's hard to define what that genre is. They
aren't really documentaries, they aren't really reality shows either.

Although Ice Road Truckers spun off another series (IRT-Most Dangerous
Roads), following the path Ax Men created is somewhat interesting. 

Ax Men
American Loggers
Swamp Loggers
Swamp People
Gold Rush Alaska
Moonshiners
American Hoggers
Lady Hoggers
Rat Busters NYC

Another oddball "thought" was this auction stuff, it seems to me it spread
quite raipdly into similar themed shows

Storage Wars
Storage Hunters
Storage Wars Texas
Auction Hunters
Auction Kings
Scrappers

Of course there are the pawn shop shows

Pawn Stars
American Restoration
Hardcore Pawn
Pawn Queens
Oddities

That last one (pawn queens) was sort of interesting in the respect that it
was about a shop in Naperville.

Even that American Pickers which is about 2 guys driving around looking for
junk at old farms and warehouses has a clone, Picker Sisters which is about
2 women driving around old farms and warehouses.

Interested in following around repo guys? Lizard Lick Towing (no, I'm not
making that up), Bear Swamp Recovery and South Beach Tow are just a few out
of the group.

The problem with most of these shows is the reality of them aren't enough to
make it interesting. Nearly all of them have some kind of artifical problem
to deal with, usually dealing with time, and if that can't be applied,
money.

There is an oddball one called Flip Men, two guys in the Salt Lake City area
that buy up foreclosed homes at auction, usually only checking them out
doing a drive by or educated guess based on the description.

What gets me, after they buy it, check it out, figure out what has to be done
to "flip the property", all of a sudden there is this 10 day, two week or
three week, "it has to be done by then to get it on the market".

Why?

It's never explained to any degree and just seems to be an artifical date so
some kind of tension can be created. It's real estate, not a fucking gallon
of milk that is going to expire.

Another one I just thought of, Mounted In Alaska.

That one followed the exploits of a family owned taxidermy store in Alaska.

Let's see Brandmier top that.

-bruce
bje@ripco.com

Bruce Esquibel <bje@ripco.com> wrote:
> Several years ago, both Ice Road Truckers and Ax Men appears to have created
> a whole new genre of shows, but it's hard to define what that genre is. They
> aren't really documentaries, they aren't really reality shows either.

I think the progenitor there is Deadliest Catch.  All 3 of those are from
Thom Beers' Original Productions.  And you're right, somewhere between
documentary and reality.

On 12/8/2011 4:19 PM, Geoff Gass wrote:
> Bruce Esquibel<bje@ripco.com>  wrote:
>> Several years ago, both Ice Road Truckers and Ax Men appears to have created
>> a whole new genre of shows, but it's hard to define what that genre is. They
>> aren't really documentaries, they aren't really reality shows either.
>
> I think the progenitor there is Deadliest Catch.  All 3 of those are from
> Thom Beers' Original Productions.  And you're right, somewhere between
> documentary and reality.


Not too hard to figure out a Thom Beer's production.  He narrates almost 
all of them.

Michele <really@areyoukiddingme.net> wrote:
> On 12/8/2011 4:19 PM, Geoff Gass wrote:
>> Bruce Esquibel<bje@ripco.com>  wrote:
>>> Several years ago, both Ice Road Truckers and Ax Men appears to have created
>>> a whole new genre of shows, but it's hard to define what that genre is. They
>>> aren't really documentaries, they aren't really reality shows either.
>>
>> I think the progenitor there is Deadliest Catch.  All 3 of those are from
>> Thom Beers' Original Productions.  And you're right, somewhere between
>> documentary and reality.
>
> Not too hard to figure out a Thom Beer's production.  He narrates almost 
> all of them.

I've wondered about that.  He has a decent voice (though I like Mike Rowe
better in Deadliest Catch), but is it because he's in love with his own
voice?  Or because he's a cheapskate and doesn't have to pay someone else?
Probably started as the latter.

On 12/8/2011 9:03 PM, Geoff Gass wrote:
> Michele<really@areyoukiddingme.net>  wrote:
>> On 12/8/2011 4:19 PM, Geoff Gass wrote:
>>> Bruce Esquibel<bje@ripco.com>   wrote:
>>>> Several years ago, both Ice Road Truckers and Ax Men appears to have created
>>>> a whole new genre of shows, but it's hard to define what that genre is. They
>>>> aren't really documentaries, they aren't really reality shows either.
>>>
>>> I think the progenitor there is Deadliest Catch.  All 3 of those are from
>>> Thom Beers' Original Productions.  And you're right, somewhere between
>>> documentary and reality.
>>
>> Not too hard to figure out a Thom Beer's production.  He narrates almost
>> all of them.
>
> I've wondered about that.  He has a decent voice (though I like Mike Rowe
> better in Deadliest Catch), but is it because he's in love with his own
> voice?  Or because he's a cheapskate and doesn't have to pay someone else?
> Probably started as the latter.

I haven't the foggiest.  Could be that he got into the habit of 
narrating because all of his stuff used to be low budget.  Think Monster 
Garage and Monster House.

Michele <really@areyoukiddingme.net> wrote:
> On 12/8/2011 9:03 PM, Geoff Gass wrote:
>> Michele<really@areyoukiddingme.net>  wrote:
>>> On 12/8/2011 4:19 PM, Geoff Gass wrote:
>>>> Bruce Esquibel<bje@ripco.com>   wrote:
>>>>> Several years ago, both Ice Road Truckers and Ax Men appears to have created
>>>>> a whole new genre of shows, but it's hard to define what that genre is. They
>>>>> aren't really documentaries, they aren't really reality shows either.
>>>>
>>>> I think the progenitor there is Deadliest Catch.  All 3 of those are from
>>>> Thom Beers' Original Productions.  And you're right, somewhere between
>>>> documentary and reality.
>>>
>>> Not too hard to figure out a Thom Beer's production.  He narrates almost
>>> all of them.
>>
>> I've wondered about that.  He has a decent voice (though I like Mike Rowe
>> better in Deadliest Catch), but is it because he's in love with his own
>> voice?  Or because he's a cheapskate and doesn't have to pay someone else?
>> Probably started as the latter.
>
> I haven't the foggiest.  Could be that he got into the habit of 
> narrating because all of his stuff used to be low budget.  Think Monster 
> Garage and Monster House.

yeah, that's what I'm thinking.  those did okay, then deadliest catch really
took off for him.  he did the pilot, then I think discovery knew they had a
hit and pushed for mike rowe to take over that one.

On Dec 8, 8:16 am, Bruce Esquibel <b...@ripco.com> wrote:

>
> Several years ago, both Ice Road Truckers and Ax Men appears to have created
> a whole new genre of shows, but it's hard to define what that genre is. They
> aren't really documentaries, they aren't really reality shows either.

Dirty Jobs with Rowe also started some years ago.

> Of course there are the pawn shop shows
>
> Pawn Stars

Gotta love the Vegas bust-outs trying to scrap together their last
dollar from some "civil war sword", chink made. The bald pawn dude is
also quite the historian.

> There is an oddball one called Flip Men, two guys in the Salt Lake City area
> that buy up foreclosed homes at auction, usually only checking them out
> doing a drive by or educated guess based on the description.

Mortgage fraud in LDS Central ?? who coulda guessed that ??

JG <jgrove24@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Dirty Jobs with Rowe also started some years ago.

Yeah but not quite the same, he at least was trying to be in someone elses
shoes. These shows I'm talking about all seem to have some kind of artifical
boundry for drama, we only have 10 days to put it on the market, two weeks
left to the season, the auction/storage shows with their bidding strategy,
that one really stumps me. "I stole it from underneath him", no you didn't,
he just quit bidding on it. 

> Gotta love the Vegas bust-outs trying to scrap together their last
> dollar from some "civil war sword", chink made. The bald pawn dude is
> also quite the historian.

I have to admit, Pawn Stars is kind of my favorite but they are starting to
go with extremes for drama as well. It's one thing for someone to bring in
something they thought was only worth a few bucks then find out its a rare
high priced item, or the other way around, but really, some guy trying to
sell a Lamborghini Gallardo for basically the current market price. Then the
shop offers him like 95% of his asking price.

Stuff like that is just to add some dazzle since it's pretty obvious unless
they can buy an item for half of current market value, with rare exception,
is the rule.

> Mortgage fraud in LDS Central ?? who coulda guessed that ??

I dunno if it's fraud but the show itself is really stupid. Think like
buying a car from Craigslist, sight unseen, just having it towed to a garage
and seeing what you bought then for the first time.

I mean it's really supposed to be surprising a vacant house was used for a
meth lab, has mold in it or the heating and a/c system needs to be replaced?

Supposed if the two guys were supposed to have some kind of psyhic powers
that fail them, it would make more sense.

-bruce
bje@ripco.com

On Dec 8, 4:27 pm, Michele <rea...@areyoukiddingme.net> wrote:
> On 12/8/2011 4:19 PM, Geoff Gass wrote:
>
> > Bruce Esquibel<b...@ripco.com>  wrote:
> >> Several years ago, both Ice Road Truckers and Ax Men appears to have created
> >> a whole new genre of shows, but it's hard to define what that genre is. They
> >> aren't really documentaries, they aren't really reality shows either.
>
> > I think the progenitor there is Deadliest Catch.  All 3 of those are from
> > Thom Beers' Original Productions.  And you're right, somewhere between
> > documentary and reality.
>
> Not too hard to figure out a Thom Beer's production.  He narrates almost
> all of them.

And why don't the deck hands wear helmuts ?? One brother of a deck
hand even died when falling off a stack of crab cages.

Bruce Esquibel <bje@ripco.com> wrote:
> I have to admit, Pawn Stars is kind of my favorite but they are starting to
> go with extremes for drama as well. It's one thing for someone to bring in
> something they thought was only worth a few bucks then find out its a rare
> high priced item, or the other way around, but really, some guy trying to
> sell a Lamborghini Gallardo for basically the current market price. Then the
> shop offers him like 95% of his asking price.
>
> Stuff like that is just to add some dazzle since it's pretty obvious unless
> they can buy an item for half of current market value, with rare exception,
> is the rule.

Seems they've been doing that here and there, like the couple times Rick has
gone up to Utah with Sean the weapons expert, once to look at a gatling gun,
once at a cannon or something?  Rick fired them, but the guy selling had his
own store and was trying to sell the stuff, not dump it to a pawn shop, so
you knew there wasn't going to be a deal.  Seemed like the guy in Utah had
called them up and said "hey, I have something cool, come on up, put it on
your show as advertising for me and I'll let you shoot it".

and another time Corey and Chumlee went to check out a robot that shot fire,
it was cool, but there was no way they were going to buy it.

JG <jgrove24@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Dec 8, 4:27?pm, Michele <rea...@areyoukiddingme.net> wrote:
>> On 12/8/2011 4:19 PM, Geoff Gass wrote:
>>
>> > Bruce Esquibel<b...@ripco.com> ?wrote:
>> >> Several years ago, both Ice Road Truckers and Ax Men appears to have created
>> >> a whole new genre of shows, but it's hard to define what that genre is. They
>> >> aren't really documentaries, they aren't really reality shows either.
>>
>> > I think the progenitor there is Deadliest Catch. ?All 3 of those are from
>> > Thom Beers' Original Productions. ?And you're right, somewhere between
>> > documentary and reality.
>>
>> Not too hard to figure out a Thom Beer's production. ?He narrates almost
>> all of them.
>
> And why don't the deck hands wear helmuts ?? One brother of a deck
> hand even died when falling off a stack of crab cages.

it'd be fucking heavy wearing a goddamned german man on your head, how the
fuck is that supposed to help with stability?

On Dec 16, 4:24 pm, Geoff Gass <g...@tanzenmb.com> wrote:
> JG <jgrov...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > On Dec 8, 4:27?pm, Michele <rea...@areyoukiddingme.net> wrote:
> >> On 12/8/2011 4:19 PM, Geoff Gass wrote:
>
> >> > Bruce Esquibel<b...@ripco.com> ?wrote:
> >> >> Several years ago, both Ice Road Truckers and Ax Men appears to have created
> >> >> a whole new genre of shows, but it's hard to define what that genre is. They
> >> >> aren't really documentaries, they aren't really reality shows either.
>
> >> > I think the progenitor there is Deadliest Catch. ?All 3 of those are from
> >> > Thom Beers' Original Productions. ?And you're right, somewhere between
> >> > documentary and reality.
>
> >> Not too hard to figure out a Thom Beer's production. ?He narrates almost
> >> all of them.
>
> > And why don't the deck hands wear helmuts ?? One brother of a deck
> > hand even died when falling off a stack of crab cages.
>
> it'd be fucking heavy wearing a goddamned german man on your head, how the
> fuck is that supposed to help with stability?

Helmet, whatever. And why don't these boats have a relief person(s) to
rotate in after say 16 hours. That Sig Hansen is a slave driver.

On Dec 15, 7:18 am, Bruce Esquibel <b...@ripco.com> wrote:
> JG <jgrov...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > Dirty Jobs with Rowe also started some years ago.
>
> Yeah but not quite the same, he at least was trying to be in someone elses
> shoes. These shows I'm talking about all seem to have some kind of artifical
> boundry for drama, we only have 10 days to put it on the market, two weeks
> left to the season, the auction/storage shows with their bidding strategy,
> that one really stumps me. "I stole it from underneath him", no you didn't,
> he just quit bidding on it.

The dramatic deadlines on Deadliest Catch involve:
a. The state imposed end of season
b. Delivery deadline to the processor
c. Crew member court date in Seattle
d. Approaching storm