Dallas radio legend Mike Rhyner was a guest on the Conversations.Buzz podcast with Dave Williams just days after iHeartMedia let him go along with the rest of the staff that made up 97.1 The Freak. iHeart has returned the station to a rock format and it is now known as 97.1 The Eagle.
“Let’s start with the big question, what happened?” Williams asked.
“We were brought on board to do a job there and we just didn’t get it done,” Rhyner said. “That’s it, and the end came. There were a lot of other factors that went into it. Some of which had to do with us and some of which did not. Still, they brought us on board with the belief that we could provide a viable, profitable radio outlet for them and we didn’t do that.”
Rhyner went on to say he does still believe in what they were doing at The Freak. “There are a lot of things I really did like about [The Freak],” he said. “Make no mistake, I am not thrilled with what happened and the way it all came down or anything like that. But I think we had a really good product; I think we did some really good radio…I do think we connected with a whole lot of people out there and I do think what we did is viable, and I do think that if somebody a little better equipped to take on such an endeavor wanted to again, I’d love that.”
Williams and Rhyner talked about the amount of time and patience it takes for a station like The Freak to hit with the audience and advertisers. Talk formats are very expensive to operate and the two pointed out some companies aren’t going to let it go long before it pulls resources to cut down on costs. The Ticket, a station Rhyner helped start and build, was given that time through multiple owners which continues today. “Cumulus gives those guys what they need, and they let them do it.”
As for what is next for Rhyner, he told Williams. “I don’t know. If something pops up for me, I’ll look at it. I kind of got a little bit reenergized with this last round. I started to enjoy doing radio again. I would really like for something to pop up, but if it doesn’t that’s fine too. I’ve had more fun and better times in this game than most. And if nothing pops up for me in sports, I’ll just take my toys and go home…”
