Maybe someone can enlighten me? When Mike came on the air and kind of admitted his ratings are not so good and of course the ratings are flawed he added.

However, he stated changes and improvements will be made.

Maybe I don't listen enough to notice the changes and/or improvements , but one of his minions can take this oppurtunity to point out said changes and improvements.

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

So North says the ratings are flawed since his ratings are bad - BUT - he will change the show to try to get good ratings - BUT MIKE: you said the ratings are flawed! What's the difference then? Just like the old John Travolta/Vinnie Barbarino: I'm So Confused!

Happened to be in the car the last few days and listened to a few hours of North's show for the first time in ages...NOTHING has changed. It's still an abomination...assault on the ears. I'm not sure I've ever found occasion to even smile at their garbage (tho they themselves seem continuously amused). Fred continues to be more of a slobbering yes man than Ed McMahon ever dreamed; Annie seems to have given up what little spirit she showed in the beginning; and Mike continues to set world records for the use of personal pronouns. How in God's name did he come to think that ANYONE is even remotely interested in his minute-to-minute activities, thoughts, or bodily functions? I guess the demographic sought consists of those who define entertainment as living their lives vicariously through an unintelligent loudmouth.

The show is awful...and cannot be "improved" as long as North views it as 4 hours a day of his personal diary. A habit he obviously can't (or won't) break. Thus, it should be eliminated entirely.

I have nothing against Mike, Anne, or Fred but there are way too many commercials. That has everything to do with the shows salaries though. Example: Howard Stern can be on the air for one hour without a commercial. Mike and Mike have limited commercials. If the update and what you need to "know" news is included with commercials, a real conversation isn't started until 25 minutes past the hour. Basically there is no time for talk, sports or no sports.

The only way to improve the morning disaster known as the North show is to cancel it. When a moron is running a show that totally sucks, he can't fine tune it to improve. He has no idea anything is wrong with the show, how can the one who created it, improve his own work?

The show has definitely focused more on sports lately. I believe it's a conscious decision rather than just because of the White Sox. The political & social commentary seems to be limited to interuptions during Annies news reads. IMO, this is an improvement.

However, that being said, they still spend too much time arguing over the same subjects (Springsteen, Notre Dame..etc.), Fred does come across as just a yes man and Anne should avoid chiming in when sports is the subject.

Howard's show cannot really be compared with a local program. When he does go to break, they run 20+ minutes of commercials & most of his listeners flip to another station. Do you think The Little Guys would pay top dollar to be the 12th spot in a 20 spot run? As for Mike & Mike, every time I flip to them it's commercials or a sports update, so I doubt there's a significant difference in the amount of actual talk.

ESPN runs it's commercials at the same time for every show with the exception of about 6-7 minutes during mike and mike from 7:15am-7:21 a.m. (which, is right around the time I'm flipping over to Stern. at least for the next 27 days, that is.)

I think this is pretty standard in radio actually....
17-21 past the hour, 37-41 past the hour and usually just before the top of the hour....around the 52-55 minute mark.

Almost always the update guy (whomever it is that day) for ESPN in the afternoon will dish it over to Marty Jones around the #:21 mark...

Cancel this incredibly crappy show, hire a few new people to do a sports show for 1/2 the salary and use the rest of the savings to rehire John Rooney to broadcast Sox games. How can the Score justify spending millions on a blowhole like North and then not rehiring a class act like John Rooney?

Very good. I like your thinking. BRING BACK JR!

The Score has little/no say in the White Sox v. Rooney fiasco. Rooney did not want to come back. I believe I read it here on this board (I may be mistaken, but I did hear it somewhere) that Rooney was miffed that the Sox wouldn't let him talk to the Cardinals people a few years back.

Now that his contract is up, he'll be a free agent. His gain is definitely Sox fans' loss.

On top of that, Farmer as your main PBP guy is gonna be a trainwreck. He's a fine analyst...let's leave him there.

Bobby - The latest:
Rooney's departure not assured
Ed Sherman
On Sports Media and Golf

November 1, 2005

The door is open ever so slightly. Calling it a crack might be an exaggeration.

The odds of John Rooney returning as radio voice of the White Sox are about as long as Ozzie Guillen suddenly going politically correct. This is a huge long shot.

Still, it is worth recounting a lunch date Rooney had with Mitch Rosen, his former agent and the current program director at WSCR-AM 670, during the World Series in Houston last week. The conversation included an interesting twist.

"He asked me, 'Is there any way I would return [to the Sox]?'" Rooney said. "I said, 'Never say never.'"

Rooney then told Rosen to refer any future discussions to his agent, Steve Mandell.

Rosen declined to go into details about the lunch.

"We've been longtime friends," Rosen said. "It was a chance for us to catch up."

It probably won't amount to anything more than that. The Sox and WSCR, which becomes the team's flagship station in 2006, aren't likely to come up with additional cash. And Rooney isn't about to work at a bargain price.

Rooney balked at an offer that included a minimal raise, according to sources. With rights fees going down, the Sox and the station wanted to hold the line on expenses. After 18 years with the Sox, Rooney felt he deserved better.

Rooney has said he isn't bitter, but he did let out his frustration during the wee hours of the Sox clinching victory over Houston. As his colleagues hailed him on WMVP-AM 1000, Rooney said he had been told that anybody could call Sox games.

In other words, Rooney is replaceable. His fans obviously beg to differ.

"I was told, 'Sox fans will listen no matter who's doing the games,'" Rooney said. "That's their prerogative. I feel differently. When you invest this much time with a team, you build up a following and a trust. Vin Scully didn't become Vin Scully in a year or two. It took him 50 years."

Rooney, though, stressed that he isn't angry. He says he has good feelings toward the Sox and Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and partner Eddie Einhorn.

"I'm not a bitter person," Rooney said. "I don't like holding grudges. I had a good run here. Who could be angry about finishing with a World Series win? I had 18 years in Chicago, and most everything was handled professionally. Sometimes, you just don't get your way."

Fine analyst? WTF! This guy sucks. If you took Tom Petty and smooshed him into Rocky Dennis, you'd have this clown.

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"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." ~ H.L. Mencken

Can you imagine the amount of calories that were consumed at the Rooney / Mitch Rosen lunch date?

In case you didnt understand what the post following yours stated, it basically states WSCR has all the power. The announcers are part of the team, but WSCR is the one to sign off on who gets the gig, and I believe pays them as well.

so the wscr food chain in reverse order is: mitch rozen / paul agasi / whos next? who do they answer to? whos really screwing rooney?