Agree with many of the critiques already aired, and I’m sure those at TAW towers are aware of the ‘issues’ some have raised.
I still subscribe, however the times I’ve come close to cancelling the sub is when I’ve had to reconcile the fact that I’m barely listening to any of the shows, not because I don’t like the content or the contributors but mostly because I don’t know the difference between one show and the next and so I often just don’t listen to anything…so why am I paying if I’m not listening?
There’s more content than ever on the TAW, and kudos to the management and team for getting it out the door. But personally I listened more devotedly when there was 3 shows a week. I looked forward to listening when there was less, but more considered content and I never considered pulling my sub despite there being less hours to trawl through.
I didn’t need 20 Gutter shows this summer when there was nothing to discuss, just so TAW could keep up their ‘Xp per show’ ratio or fill the silence cos it’s the summer. It’s not good content. Its idle chatter about rubbish links and rehashed articles, often with contributors who don’t know the players being discussed in their loose affiliation with LFC.
The above is a very specific example, but there’s many others. The European show, featuring lads discussing European football without much knowledge of what’s even transpiring overseas. The lower league shows, featuring clubs and leagues I have no interest in. AFQ football *and* Wildcards, are the two formats really so distinct that we need both? Same question for the team talk, weekender and Friday show. They all drop Thurs/Friday and I can't differentiate between them and by tea time Saturday comes around they're largely out of date so I just think fuck it I'll leave them.
The easiest reply is to say ‘you don’t need to listen to all of the content’ and you’re right, that’s why I won’t criticise the shows I don’t listen to but are distinct, the likes of the rider and AFQ. They serve their purpose, they’re not for me but they’re there for people who like just hearing these contributors have a chat.
The football side of things however has become bloated and convoluted as TAW has expanded and its lead to an overall decrease in the quality (imo).
The review isn’t really all that more insightful than the Monday show, the contributors on Monday often cover a lot of what Sean will go on to discuss on a Tuesday due to them being more sophisticated contributors now, just merge them. The pink. Has become what the Monday show used to be. It's boozy and lighthearted when we win or its sombre/angry when we lose. By the Monday show that's largely dissipated and already been covered immediately post match, and people instead analyse the game.
Have a Gutter show when there’s something to discuss from Reddy or Joyce rather than forcing a conversation when there's none to be had.
Do we need the weekender to discuss the Premier league at large when we also have the coach home?
I dunno, far be it for me to tell anyone how to do their job who’s clearly good at it. And I know there is pressure to justify a subscription service fee with constant content, but less really is more. Clearly I’m not the only one thinking they’d be happy to see fewer shows in their feed if it meant a greater quality of show when they did come around.
To balance this somewhat., the season review shows and the specials with guests like Keegan, Carra, Tony Barrett and many more. In their various guises, these are great shows and worth the sub cost. They show how far the lads and lasses have come. I'd be more than happy to see the regular show schedule get cut by a third if it meant more resources and research went in to these sort of things rather than a lower league show, a European show, a show that looks back at the last 10 games, a show about a fantasy football format that nobody uses, a radio show where people are sat watching a 20yo game on YouTube, a show about Liverpools greatest.'x' (something almost certainly which could just be covered in AFQ football or wildcards).
I know a ‘spin off’ channel was considered before or attempted, so clearly it’s been on the discussion table, it didn’t take clearly but there’s merit to be found there in refining the scope of what TAW wants to be rather than attempting to be all things to all people and simply churning out content for contents sake.
