The No. 1 cop Over 17-odd years, they've ingrained themselves into the local lexicon of media ... and sports, the latter almost becoming a footnote in the station's legacy.
For the longest, it was the area's only sports talk radio station. And if ratings are any indication, it still kind of is as it leaves the World Wide Leader and The Fan perpetually in the dust. Those other stations have their fans and that's commendable. However, it's an uphill battle against an enemy that is beyond entrenched. It'd take a nuclear war to wipe The Ticket from the map.
It's not that The Ticket has more listeners than the Dallas Morning News or Fort Worth Star Telegram has readers or visitors to their website. Or that less people watch Dale Hansen on WFAA at night. The Ticket may wane in these areas. However, should the war come, and we all had to pick sides, The Ticket's army of Johns from Plano, Blues from the Grove, plumbers from McKinney and delivery guys from Benbrook would greatly outnumber other media outlets.
The Ticket may have numbers. More importantly, they have emotion.
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Several years ago, something strange happened on air. For whatever reason, The Ticket's afternoon drive show -- The Hardline -- was missing two of its regular hosts, Corby Davidson and Mike Rhyner. All that was left was co-host Gregg Williams.
Late in the afternoon, if I recall correctly, the six o'clock hour, Williams played host to the newish Dallas Police Chief, the No. 1 cop, David Kunkle.
For anyone who listens to The Ticket with any consistency knows what happened. The most bumbling, mind-blowing interview (or, first question) in the history of radio.
It was also indicated that Kunkle was a long-time listener to The Ticket.
Kunkle would serve as police chief through April 2010, when he stepped down to lead a quieter life as a consultant. He was pretty highly regarded and considering Dallas' veritable train wreck of past chiefs, his departure was probably pretty missed.
Fast forward three weeks ago. Kunkle's name is thrown back into the media ring after its hinted he might run for mayor of Dallas, as current mayor Tom Leppert is stepping down to run for a Senate seat.
Where did Kunkle first run to when his name popped up in the rumor mill? The Ticket's Hardline, who else?
A week later, he was on the morning drive show, Dunham & Miller. He hadn't even officially filed to run yet for the May elections.
Kunkle's no dummy. He knows that local elections typically bring out an interested minority as a disinterested majority sits at home and hopes someone else fills the potholes and arrests the criminals.
If he can engage The Ticket listener, the everyday man, the person that attends Guys Night Outs and Ticketstocks, he might have an opportunity to overcome whatever financial deficit he'll be fighting through against richer, more well-connected opponents.
However, I don't know if The Ticket really understands their role in all of this. This is a sports talk radio station! It's the home of "Gay or Not Gay," "Gordo's Corner," "Homer Call of the Week," "The Pool Party," "The Reconsider Lounge" and "What's on Mike's Mind?"
This is not supposed to be the medium in which a mayor -- the leader of one of the biggest cities in the United States! -- should be elected. But, come May, The lil' Ticket might have elected itself a mayor.
