As any loyal P1 might expect, we got some good stuff. A lot of it, in fact. More than we could fit into the confines of the weekly print edition you can find around town. In keeping with the oral history spirit of the cover feature, we decided it would be swell if we provided you with a supplemental sort of companion piece along the same oral history lines.
Check out our favorite bits from our Ticket interviews that didn’t make it into the cover feature:
The Musers
On the unpredictable nature of some of the wild roundtable discussions with popular athletes, such as Dennis Rodman, at Ticketstock, something Gordon Keith is usually in the center of. Gordon Keith (Co-Host, The Musers)
"That’s my boss [Jeff Catlin] wronging me, is what that is. He’s always putting me on those roundtables knowing that something bad’s going to happen [said with obvious sarcasm]. It’s also like a rollercoaster ride where you have that nervous excitement that you’re potentially about to be a part of an amazing radio moment that may last for years afterwards. Anytime you get a loose cannon like Rodman up there and when he starts doing something that seems unusual or perhaps chemically induced, you get excited.
“I’m like you as the listener. I hate those moments and love them at the same time. I hate the discomfort of being there for them but love what the payoff could possibly be. There’s kind of a false impression that I don't experience discomfort, because anytime I’m even out there interviewing or just doing open mic stuff, I have all the same stage fright that other people would have.”
George Dunham (Co-host, The Musers)
"Part of me, knowing that it’s at Ticketstock for some reason, almost makes it seem like it’s a safe place for that sort of thing. It’s the weekend, so it's different. I don't fear what might happen then like I would on our usual weekday show. The one time I did though, was when I thought Rodman might charge you [Keith]. I thought that was a possibility. I could tell he was getting pretty agitated.”
Craig Miller (co-host, The Musers)
"It is a white knuckle ride, but you’re also thinking, ‘Wow, this is really good radio brewing. There’s some really tense, funny stuff happening here.’ And it always feels like a safe space to me because it’s usually eight of us up there together with just the one guest. If it were one-on-one, it would be awful, but when it’s a bunch of us, it's different.”
From left: Matt McClearin, Gordon Keith, Craig Miller, George Dunham and Donovan Lewis fill the morning hours on 1310 The Ticket.
Kathy Tran
The Hardline
Corby Davidson (co-host, The Hardline)On his early days at the Ticket in 1994 working as a weekend overnight board operator.
“It was hard, though, because obviously you’re not making any money at all. And you’ve got friends that have had real jobs. I remember one of my friends bought a boat and I’m like, ‘What the fuck? A boat? I’m making $5 an hour working all night on the weekends.’ But I just knew that the vibe at the station was what I wanted to be a part of.”
On The Ticket’s place in his career.
“It’s the only adult job I’ve ever had. I think Gordon [Keith] is in the same boat here. It’s the only adult job he’s ever had, and it’s probably the only adult job we’ll ever have.”
On another “Lynchburg Moment” when he found himself in a hard-to-believe situation.
"In the first Quarterback Bowl, we had to score on the last drive to win. We were losing, and we had a third-and-seven or something like that. Roger Staubauch was our quarterback, and he was like, ‘So what do you guys think? We need this. We got to have this right now,’ and I’m just like ‘What the fuck is happening?’ He looks at me and says, ‘Can you beat your man on an out route? Let’s do it.’ And I was like, ‘yes, sir’ and then he grabbed the back of my jersey and spun me around and said ‘I need you on this.’"
Bob Sturm (Co-host, The Hardline)
On joining The Ticket in 1999 after working in radio in Lynchburg, Virginia.
"I didn't know what The Ticket was. All I knew was that I was about to get out of radio because I wasn't able to find my next job. My current job was a dead-end, and I was anxious and I was a newlywed and I was worried about ever being able to pay bills. We owed the IRS for some reason like $1,700, but it felt like a million, the most money ever. That’s when I kind of said, 'OK, let’s give this a few more months of trying to get a job in radio and then we’ll just move back to Wisconsin and get normal jobs and do what normal people do.'
"I probably would’ve said yes to any station in any city, but Dallas felt weird, though, because I had been in Redskins’ [now Washington Commanders] country and being a 25-year-old punk, it was kind of my brand to take shots at the Cowboys because they were a dynasty, which makes my Troy Aikman connection kind of hilarious now, looking back."
On the feelings that come with being the new guy on an established station.
"So I spent five years at least being incredibly insecure, even by my standards, and just hoping that I could survive. It was always a lot like that because I wasn't from here. I was one of the only people at the station that wasn’t friends with these guys or living in the same place as everyone else. I wasn’t a part of all the stories I would hear. I was this weirdo from the North, I went to Liberty [University], and I had these super weird things about me. I was just trying to gather some level of expertise. I think the Stars winning the Stanley Cup helped me because I was able to glom onto something that was really popular and yet nobody at The Ticket was super comfortable talking hockey in 1999, so that opened the door for me.”
On another “Lynchburg Moment” when he found himself in a hard-to-believe situation.
"I remember that for one of the Charity Challenge face-offs both [Brett] Hull and Mike [Modano] were there on the front row. They were on the glass watching us play and, of course, terribly amused at how bad the hockey was. But after that game, I’m taking off my skates and the guys in the locker room started laughing, and I looked up and Hull was standing there with a Sharpie and a puck and he wanted me to sign it for him, and it stayed in his locker for two seasons.”
On the surprising longevity of The Ticket.
"I remember when we had all gone out to the Raiders-Buccaneers Super Bowl in 2002. I was out to dinner with a couple of the guys, and we had a real conversation of how many more years we had. Could we do three more years of this? Even in 2002 it felt like we were at the very end of a normal radio life cycle of how long a station can stay without a format change or significant roster changes. Eight years back then felt like we were on borrowed time almost."
On taking pride in the station.
"It’s a very rare thing in our business to be super proud of the jersey you wear because most people can't stop complaining about our industry and their company. We’re not at a perfect company, and it's definitely not a perfect industry, but there’s a sense of pride, and there always has been, on being able to wear this shirt. That’s an important thing that I think is worth saying is that to this day, I feel like even some who have made decisions to step out of the boat, they realize that they’re giving up something pretty special. I think that’s what motivates a lot of us to keep it going for as long as we can."
The Sweet Spot
David Mino (Co-host, The Sweet Spot)On finally landing a job after being an intern.
“It wasn’t a lot of money, but I was 23 years old, and I got to be full-time at The Ticket and I got to work with Bad Radio and The Hardline every day. I did that for almost eight years. I loved doing it, but my goal the whole time was to be a host someday. I didn't put a timetable on that because if you do that up here, you’re going to drive yourself crazy because nothing changed up here for a long time.”
On the ability of The Ticket to grow and evolve.
“I think the station has grown a lot. It’s definitely changed, and I know people are afraid of change. But I think there’s been so much growth and it’s not just because people have left. We all get along still and you see that in stuff like White Elephant Day or when we do ‘wife swaps.’"
From left: Dave Lane, David Mino, Bob Sturm, Sean Bass and Corby Davidson (seated) of 1310 The Ticket.
Kathy Tran
On how he balanced his dreams with reality in his early days with the station.
“You just want to prove to the adults that you’re also an adult and that you can actually hang in the room with them. Then you have to prove yourself in a bunch of different ways, so I couldn’t view it as I was just a 19-year-old overnight board op. I wanted to be a host one day. I’m not saying dreaming big is bad, but I knew if I just focused on that alone I would drive myself crazy. No matter what job you have, you have to find happiness in your work and away from your career. You have to be content with your life.”
On the recent staff changes at the station.
“Radio listeners, especially the dedicated listeners we have, can be reluctant to change. And look, we understand that we [he and Mino] are at this juncture in time because some people left, but we’re not always thrilled about that. This has been a fraternity, and when those people go away, it still hurts our hearts. For people to say, ‘Well, you’re only where you’re at because other people left,’ well, that’s true, but we also went through the emotional side of those departures, and I don't think people put a lot of credence into that. We actually hurt because certain people left, and it sucks not having the same level of relationships we once had with them. All we can do now is try to show up every day and put the best product we can out there.”
The Invasion
Matt McClearin (Co-Host, The Invasion)On the decision to leave The Ticket for more opportunity before eventually returning.
“I got to be around Bob [Sturm] and Dan [McDowell, former host] a bit in 2011 and 2012 before I moved to Alabama the first time. I loved their show [Bad Radio]. It was always a big deal to me. It took me a while to kind of be like, ‘OK, these are dudes I’ve looked up to, but now I’m working with them.’ Me moving away after that for the first time seemed insane. Why would anyone ever leave The Ticket, right? But I was only part-time and I wanted to do this for a living. Back then, unless someone died, it wasn’t happening here.”
On the difference between The Ticket and other stations.
I went to work at the same station in Alabama in two different stints over five and a half years. It’s a great station. I loved it out there, but when I got out there, I was like, ‘Whoa, there’s just not another station like The Ticket.’ They have a great relationship with their listeners there, but not like we have here. The P1s are so passionate. They remember everything, like all the little details from over the years that you don't see anywhere else.”
On another “Lynchburg Moment” when he found himself in a hard-to-believe situation.
“I love [country singer] Pat Green. Donny [Lewis] and I were out at the golf course for the Dunham and Miller Open last year and Pat Green just came up and started talking to us to do a segment with us. In my head, I'm not thinking about how he listens to the show all the time. I’m just thinking, ‘Hey, that’s Pat Green!’ That stuff just blows my mind.”
Donovan Lewis (Co-host, The Invasion)
On the reach of The Ticket.
“I can stand by somebody at the airport and they won’t recognize me at all, but as soon as you open your mouth, they look and say ‘Donovan from The Ticket!’ That floors me every single time, and it happens more often than you would think.”
On how working at The Ticket has surpassed his expectations.
"I hate to keep saying ‘wild’ over and over, but it is really wild what has happened here with the station. It’s wild that this is even possible, because all your thoughts about working in this business when I was in school and how you thought the business was going to be doesn't even come close to matching what the heck this station represents right now. As cool as I thought working in radio was going to be, it doesn’t even compare to the reality here. This station is as unique as it gets.”
