Blue Moon, Golden Ticket from p6 working in a real newsroom and having such tight deadlines, but it can burn you out quickly. Plus, I looked at what career advance- ment looked like, and I decided I didn’t want to pay dues for five or 10 years for a shot to work nights.” Lane found voice-over work at a marketing agency, where he stayed for 13 years working on national ad cam- paigns before he was laid off. But he never strayed com- pletely from 1310. He had formed close friendships there, and his voice was still heard each Saturday as a mem- ber of The Rant weekly show with Gordon Keith from The Ticket’s weekday morning show, as well as his current co- host Davidson. When that show ended its run, Lane teamed up with Hardline then-producer Danny Balis to broadcast their own Saturday program, The Orphan- age, which ran until 2015. The irreverent title is a personal ref- erence: Both Lane and Balis were adopted at early ages. Lane also regularly filled in as co-host with other substitutes when the regular hosts took vacation. Over those years, not many hosting is happily married these days. His wife since 2019, Marissa Stabler, an advertising executive and the daughter of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Kenny Stabler, has been vital in helping Lane build belief in himself. As a father to a 12-year-old daughter, Clara, Lane grasps the importance of a parent’s support from an early age as well as anyone. “I always felt I was coming from a self- confidence deficit,” he says. “Because I was a late bloomer with latent adoption abandonment issues. It’s taken a long time for me to get even somewhat comfortable in my own skin and optimistic about my life ahead.” In January 2020, Mike Rhyner, the long- time co-host of The Hardline and Texas Ra- dio Hall of Fame inductee, announced his retirement. The job vacancy his departure created was the first one at the station in over a decade. Supreme Court justice open- ings appeared more often than open posi- tions on the top tier of talent at The Ticket during that stretch. Lane was among the candidates to fill Mikel Galicia Danny Balis left The Ticket in May because of a lack of hosting opportunities. slots were made available on the station as The Ticket enjoyed almost unheard-of stability throughout its core lineup of on- air stars. Lane convinced himself he wasn’t cut out for what the corporate suits of big-time radio wanted from their hosts. Lane’s humor has an edge, and he had long become a favorite among P1s for his off-color, off-the-cuff commentary. What is taboo for others is all-too-touch- able for Lane. He knows how to seize the comedic moments. Lane says he and Balis were approached by 97.1 KEGL back in either 2008 or 2009 about possibly bringing The Orphanage to their frequency, but those talks really didn’t go anywhere. The passionate Dallas Cowboys fan has hot sports opinions to share and dissect, but his specialty lies outside of the sport- ing realm. He’s the station’s resident ex- pert on all things new wave music, discussing the finer points of the Cure and Morrissey over the air. On a few occasions, he’s hosted a nighttime Ticket show on which he’s played a bunch of his favorite ‘80s tunes. “His foot has always been in the door,” Davidson says. “Even though he went away, he never fully left. But I am sure he never thought getting this hosting job would ever happen.” D 8 Setbacks and Delusions avidson is correct. Even though Lane remained a regular, and popular, presence on The Ticket, he still felt any thoughts he had of becoming a host at that point were “delusions of grandeur.” By Mikel Galicia Corby Davidson (left) welcomed Lane to The Hardline. Producer Mike Sirois (right) left the station over pay and lack of promotion opportunities. the time he was laid off from his marketing job a few years ago, he had become accus- tomed to navigating life’s unforeseen stum- bling blocks. In his 20s he had a stretch when unem- ployment benefits, a part-time job at the Gap and a rent-controlled apartment were his tools for survival. The hits kept coming beyond that, but he can look back now and see how he had trouble negotiating obsta- cles well before adulthood. A pair of divorces, at least four layoffs that he can remember and even getting ripped off by contractors on different homes over the years were some of the bru- tal roadblocks that killed any momentum Lane might’ve felt since he left college. He that spot. In a surprise move, the coveted seat went to Bob Sturm, the co-host of the station’s midday BaD Radio program. For the station to move an established star from one show to another was a shock to Lane. But perhaps due to a lack of self-esteem, it made more than enough sense, to him at least, that he wasn’t the one chosen for the promotion. “When [Mike] Rhyner left, I when you had guys like Danny [Balis] and me who had history with the show. At the same time, it’s afternoon drive, so I under- stand why they didn’t want to let the show devolve into total jackassery.” With Sturm moving to The Hardline, BaD Radio producer Jake Kemp took over Sturm’s old seat. In addition to Lane, Balis and Mike Sirois, the producer for the late- morning Norm and D Invasion show, were passed over for the hosting job. As the pan- demic rolled on, listeners to the station had little reason to think anything was other than perfectly smooth at The Ticket. The station kept dominating the ratings, and in November 2021, 1310 was announced as the Sports Station of the Year at the prestigious annual Marconi Awards, the Oscars of the national radio industry. T put on a full-court press,” he says. “I wore a suit up to the station for my interview. I don’t believe I ever felt I had real shot, though. I gave it my best, but I was realistic about it. It just came as a shock to everyone when they broke up BaD Radio and moved Bob [Sturm] to The Hardline. In retrospect, it makes sense be- cause Bob is a marquee personality and probably the most knowledgeable sports guy up there. But at the time, it seemed in- congruent and out of left field. Especially “HIS FOOT HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN THE DOOR. EVEN THOUGH HE WENT AWAY, HE NEVER FULLY LEFT.” – CORBY DAVIDSON Changing of The Tides he station’s waters, which had looked so serene from the outside, experienced a tsunami this May when Lane’s longtime buddy and Orphan- age co-host announced he was quitting. Making no bones about it, Balis explained during a May 18 broadcast that he’d de- cided to leave due to the lack of hosting opportunities at the station and to focus more on his quality of life. He also plainly noted he felt he’d been performing duties above and beyond his pay. A couple of weeks later, Sirois, another show producer who, like Balis, had been a host of a long-running Saturday show and acted as more of a co- host than off-mic support staff, announced he was also leaving the station. Sirois also said he wasn’t happy with his pay or his prospects at the station. His efforts would now go to- ward helping his brother and Saturday Cirque du Sirois co-host Cash Sirois man- age his two companies, The Well Creative Productions, a video production firm, and sports memorabilia video channel The Col- lectible Network. Although the vacancies left by Balis and Sirois were producer jobs, these two men were highly popular personalities with Ticket P1s. Following the resignations, Twit- ter discourse, not to mention the active r/ theticket Reddit forum, buzzed with con- cern and condemnation. Both departed producers participated in interviews with Gordon Keith on his Twitch channel, among other outlets, expanding on their dissatisfaction with their roles at The Ticket and their decisions to leave. The pub- lic was getting arguably its most revealing peek yet behind the mighty Ticket curtain, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. When Lane heard from Balis that he was leaving his post, Lane felt differently about a Ticket future. Thanks in large part to the support of his wife, he was more content with his station in life than he had ever been. He could tell the grind of the job had worn on Balis and that his friend was at peace with his decision. When Balis asked Lane if he would be interested in assum- ing The Hardline producer’s chair, Lane quickly knew he wasn’t. He had settled AUGUST 4 - 10, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.com
