The Ticket, which broadcasts over the 96.7 FM and 1310 AM frequencies, celebrated its 31st anniversary on the air Friday. Initially making its launch on Jan. 24, 1994, the station has continued to thrive in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with a compelling lineup of sports talk programming with familiar voices. In fact, the station won the Marconi Radio Award for “Major Market Station of the Year” from the National Association of Broadcasters last fall, marking the first instance a sports talk-formatted station had won the award in this category over three decades.
The initial station lineup featured Skip Bayless and Curt Menefee each having their own morning shows, which was followed by Mike Rhyner in the middays. Craig Miller and George Dunham, who remain on the airwaves today as part of The Musers, co-hosted an afternoon program spanning from 2 to 5 p.m. CST. Chuck Cooperstein then closed out the day for a three-hour show in the late afternoon and early evening. Bruce Gilbert, the senior vice president of sports for Cumulus Media and Westwood One, recently discussed The Ticket in an interview with Barrett Media.
“Radio stations don’t do what The Ticket has done in 30 years’ time,” Gilbert said. “Radio stations don’t have a morning show that’s been on the air for 30 years. It’s phenomenal; it’s a great story. Someone wrote a book on The Ticket probably 10 or 15 years ago, and there should be a whole new book. That book is completely worthless at this point because the book continues to be written. It’s a remarkable property that we are all extremely proud of.”
Over the last several years, The Ticket has endured lineup changes related to the retirement of Norm Hitzges and resignations from Jake Kemp and Dan McDowell. Furthermore, The Musers recently cut back their hours on the station, broadcasting for three hours in morning drive rather than their longstanding four-and-a-half-hour duration. Catlin, who participated in a previous interview with Barrett Media, emphasized the importance of remaining focused on continuing to improve and appealing to listeners in the locale.
“We have got to continue to get better and to continue to evolve to be the best reflection of our community that we can possibly be,” Catlin said, “and to be still entertaining and informative and have a place in our audience’s minds and hearts.”
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