Is The Ticket Still Good?

WHEN “THE TICKET” IKTCK-AM 1310 ) signed on in January 1994, the all-sports talk radio station offered Dallas a fresh voice on die airwaves. The on-air personalities-knowledgeable, funny, and quirky-seduced fans with blunt opinions and Letter-manesque wit. And when sports became news, fans turned to The Ticket to talk about Jimmy Johnson’s firing or vent their frustrations about baseball greedheads during the strike. Ratings soared; after only a year, the station ranked 12th overall and first with its target audience, men ages 25-54.

The Ticket became so successful that SFX, the New York-based parent of KRLD, offered Ticket founder Spence Kendrick a reported $18 million for the station. Seeing an opportunity to turn a huge profit on his $3 million investment, Kendrick said yes. By spring of 1995,SFXhad moved in management from KRLD to run the show.

Loyal listeners were nervous, but the hosts gave on-air promises that there would be no noticeable changes. And several current and former Ticket employees say a clause in Kendrick’ deal with SFX assured that no content changes could happen for two years. But only a few weeks into the football season, change became very apparent.

Cash giveaways and scripted slapstick became the norm. The sardonic “Hardliners.” Mike Rhy-ner and Greg Williams, got moved from the lunchtime-buddy shift to the late-afternoon slot, taking over for George Dunham and Craig Miller, who replaced love-him-or-hate-bim sportswriter Skip Bayless on the morning drive-time show. Bayless, who was instrumental in the station’s take-off, was fired after refusing to inject cornball gags (like prank-calling 49er owner Car men Policy) into his routine. Gone too are nicknamed callers-which means no more pontification from Paul the Damn Viking or Nascar Dennis. Also gone is Bobby from Lewisville, a 12-year-old regular opiner and listener favorite. New policy prohibits kids (the demographic with the least amount of disposable income) from calling in.

KRLD general manager Jerry Bobo denies any wholesale shake-up. “We have never had plans to changethings,”Bobosays. “Weare only going to enhance and build on what they already built.”

That’s news to Ticket station manager Bob Huntley, who says, “Change is necessary to attract a broader audience. If we weren’t supposed to make changes, it’s pretty obvious I didn’t get that memo.”

Since the changes, ratings have steadily declined, and inside sources say both KRLD and the Ticket have been bombarded with complaints. Ticket management expects the numbers to turn around. However, the cult following that grew into a mass audience has been turned off and is tuning out. For die-hard sports fans, their voice on Dallas radio seems to be going, going…gone.