New York Times, Monday, October 14, 2019

I'm a VP of Programming for iHeartRadio. I oversee three radio stations and host two daily programs for the company, one on WNNJ in northern New Jersey and the other on Z93 in the Hudson Valley. These are music shows.

I also host a podcast on the iHeartRadio app that features guests whom I find fascinating. That would include folks like Sebastian Maniscalco, Chazz Palminteri, Katy Tur, John Sebastian, Tommy James, and a bunch more. They all had compelling stories to tell, but the show I'm recording tonight has a personal connection that sets it apart from the others. Will Shortz has agreed to meet me later this evening to record the next episode of ‘Talk to Me with Gary Cee.'

We'll no doubt talk about today's puzzle and his edits, but I'll also arrive armed with questions I've always wanted to ask. Is there a demographic "target solver?" Exactly what steps is he taking to bring more diversity to the grids? Did he ever imagine that one day crosswords would be critically reviewed? And since we're talking crosswords, how about this fill-in-the-blank: "I'd like to receive submissions with more ___." I'll post the interview on my podcast page later in the week.

Serviceable Monday concept — (cut a) RUG, (cut the) MUSTARD, (cut the) CORD, (cut the) DECK — easy(ish) to understand, even for newer solvers. Some nice extras, too: ETERNAL / STATURE, BLATHER, CAPE COD / HIRSUTE. That's a ton of great mid-length fill.

What could make it a cut above, though?

• More consistency. Do you see why 1.) RUG, CHECK, DEAL, or 2.) MUSTARD, CORD, DECK would have worked better? Having a set where all the themers imply "THE" — except one — is inelegant.
• More consistency, part 2. RUG, MUSTARD and CORD are much better than DECK, because the first three form colorful, colloquial phrases. CUT the DECK is the only literal phrase; again, an odd man out.
• Smoother fill that's more accessible for newer solvers. AMAH, CFC, AGIN shouldn't be let through. Even an entry like VESTRY is questionable. It is a real, dictionary-supported word, but how many newer solvers are going to look at it with the stink-eye?

What would have been better? RUG, DEAL, MUSTARD, CORD would have given two implied "A"s and two "THE"s. It's not perfectly consistent, but having a mix is better than risking a "this one is not like the others" moment.

I'd have also made one of the themers seven letters, to facilitate gridding — a central seven doesn't force big, hard-to-fill corners, the way a central nine does. Probably SHAG RUG.

I enjoy puzzles that feature the kooky creativity of the English language. But Monday puzzles need to contain much fewer irregularities than the English language does.