into a happy flow of freelance marketing work and co-hosting his music-centric podcast High T With Old Waver with mu- sician Toby Pipes. Getting his hopes up and squeezing into a suit for just any job wasn’t going to happen this time around. “I took a total backseat,” he says. “I told my wife, ‘If anyone at The Ticket wants to talk to me, I’ll listen, but I don’t want to be a producer.’ I didn’t want to step into the role that had frustrated Danny for so long. I wanted to be a third host. I had finally real- ized that I don’t need The Ticket to define me or to chase notoriety or beg for atten- tion. I have an understanding of what I want to do and where I want to go.” Finally a Yuck Monkey lin, felt the same way, but as Davidson said, “It’s no secret that costs money, and we’re owned by a company (Cumulus Media) that isn’t one to spend a lot.” But with Davidson, Sturm and Catlin all on board with bringing Lane on as a true host, the idea was approved. Lane had kept Balis in the loop as talks A quickly progressed, and he says Balis was nothing but supportive. The timing of add- ing a hosting position to The Hardline right after such high-profile departures raised a few eyebrows. Both Lane and Davidson suggested there were some PR issues to consider, but Catlin says damage control had nothing to do with the decision to bring Lane back to The Ticket full-time. “The passion our listeners have for the D station is unreal,” Catlin wrote in an email. “And it’s the sole reason we’ve had the success we’ve been lucky to have over the past 28 years. But we can’t make personnel decisions based on ‘how it plays’ in the court of public opinion. Any of the pro- gramming moves or new hires I have made or make have one guiding principle in mind — what is best for The Ticket right now. Dave Lane was the best person to add to The Ticket and The Hardline at this time because of his unique talents that complement Bob and Corby.” Davidson is just happy to be back in the DIGITAL DALLASOBSERVER.COM/FREE/TEXASRANGERS MARKETING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE INTERESTED CANDIDATES PLEASE SEND YOUR COVER LETTER AND RESUME TO CHARLIE.DONDLINGER@ DALLASOBSERVER.COM studio with someone with whom he was once “inseparable,” he says. “I’ve realized just how much I have missed him being around,” Davidson says. “He’s got such a unique way of looking at things, and having him here laughing and cutting up is so huge, because that fun is a major part of our show, and he only adds to that side of it.” Lane seems wrong in his notion that the job came his way only after he stopped car- ing and gave up all hope it would happen. It looks like it finally happened when he stopped thinking he wasn’t good enough for the job. It doesn’t yet feel real to him to be in this position, but true to his new, self- assured form, he’s not ready to say whether this is his dream job, not just yet. “Whether or not it ends up being my dream job remains to be seen,” he says with a laugh. “It is a lot of pressure compared to what I’ve been doing, and I hope that I’m built for the long haul. I hope that I feel like it’s been a dream job down the road. I do know that I’m really enjoying it now, that’s for sure.” ccording to Davidson, he and Sturm wanted Lane as a third host, and the Ticket’s program director, Jeff Cat- ® VOTE FOR US! BEST OF DALLAS 2022 BUY MORE SAVE MORE BUY 3 PRODUCTS, GET DOUBLE DALLAS PLANO 214.987.1919 JOHNNYRODRIGUEZSALON.COM BACK TO SCHOOL POINTS ON JR THE SALON APP BUY ONE SAVE 10% BUY TWO SAVE 15% BUY THREE SAVE 20% BUY FOUR SAVE 25% Best Garden Center Best of Dallas 2022 Vote For Us 9 dallasobserver.com CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS DALLAS OBSERVER AUGUST 4 - 10, 2022
