“We need to be more like The Ticket in Dallas.”
I cannot tell you how many times I uttered that sentence when I was a Program Director or General Manager. No matter what city I was in or station group I was working for, I would always point to The Ticket as an example of the type of station we should strive to be.
When listening to a radio station over the internet became an option, I would often tune in to stations outside my market and try to find good examples to share with hosts or other managers. At first, it was a quest to hear how the stations sounded – the imaging, the music, the station promotional ads and of course how the hosts conducted their shows.
Most of the time in the late 90’s, after listening to a lot of the major market stations, I would find myself with the same two takeaways; We need to have an event like WIP in Philadelphia has with ‘Wing Bowl’ and we need to sound more like The Ticket in Dallas. No easy task, for sure.
While it took me awhile to realize it, the two very much had the same common denominator – they were stations which had a true connection with the listening audience. Those that tuned in on a regular basis felt like they were a part of the club or family. Similar to a fraternity, others desired to be a part of it and when there were events (or fraternity parties), you didn’t want to miss out. If you did, you would not only miss the excitement of the event, but you also wouldn’t be part of the water cooler talk about it aferwards.
When I would listen to The Ticket, I heard fun. The hosts sounded like they had the best jobs in the world and the callers almost sounded as if they had won something just by getting their call through to give their take on the topics of the day or just to get in on the fun.
And, while sports talk radio shows had been around for many years, most of them stuck to the same formula. The hosts stuck to hardcore sports talk, which is exactly what the audience wanted. The Ticket started out this way as well, but within a couple of years it became something completely different than most other sports radio stations in the country.
The Ticket was less sports talk and more “guy talk.” We had all heard the expression that sports talk radio was supposed to be, “like a couple of guys sitting in a sports bar.” The Ticket was one station playing that out each day on its airwaves. Could “sports talk” get away with adding other topics the core male 25-54 demographic talked about? The answer was ‘Yes!’ and The Ticket really proved the model.
It is also worth noting, social media didn’t exist when The Ticket became more of a phenomenon than a radio station. Which makes it ever more amazing how smart programmers and talented hosts grew a legion of ‘P1’s,” who have carried The Ticket through many successful years.
Not every market is made for what The Ticket has been. It sounds simple – have a consistent lineup of hosts who deliver entertaining radio and build an adoring fan base around them. Yet most stations that tried to emulate it have failed miserably.
If you have a show in the sports talk format and you get to do things that are outside of the box, you probably have The Ticket to thank for it. The station has set the bar high for how to engage with an audience and make them feel like they are just as much a part of the success as the hosts themselves.
So let’s all raise a glass. To Mike Rhyner and Greg Williams. To George Dunham and Craig Miller. To Norm Hitzges. To Corby Davidson and Bob Sturm. To Jeff Catlin who has been the ringleader for more than 20 years. To all of the people who have made The Ticket one of the most entertaining radio stations in the country. And to the listeners who have been along for the ride.
Cheers to 30 years!
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The Best Thing I Heard This Week
NBC’s Mike Tirico popped on ESPN Chicago with Waddle & Silvy on Thursday afternoon. The topic of Bill Belichick’s future came up and how he may not end up as a head coach in the NFL next season. Tirico’s opinion on Belichick as an analyst was quite different than most and it was an educated opinion. Tirico is one of very few broadcasters who can say they have worked with Belichick in the capacity of football analyst, having worked with him on ABC prior to Super Bowl XL.
Click here to listen to Tirico with Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman.
Dave Greene is the Chief Media Officer for Barrett Media. His background includes over 25 years in media and content creation. A former sports talk host and play-by-play broadcaster, Dave transitioned to station and sales management, co-founded and created a monthly sports publication and led an ownership group as the operating partner. He has managed stations and sales teams for Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media and Audacy. Upon leaving broadcast media he co-founded Podcast Heat, a sports and entertainment podcasting network specializing in pro wrestling nostalgia. To interact, find him on Twitter @mr_podcasting. You can also reach him by email at Dave@BarrettMedia.com.
