D/FW Radio: Jake Kemp, Dan McDowell Leave The Ticket

Dan McDowell and Jake Kemp

Dan McDowell and Jake Kemp, hosts of The Ticket’s The Hang Zone, resigned Monday from Cumulus Media's KTCK The Ticket. The resignations follow the retirement of longtime host Norm Hitzges last month.

The Dallas Morning News reports McDowell and Kemp failed to agree to new contracts with the station after months of negotiations, according to a spokesperson for The Ticket. The spokesperson added that Donovan Lewis and Sean Bass would fill the noon to 3 p.m. slot previously held by The Hang Zone.

McDowell has been on the station’s airwaves since 1999, according to The Ticket’s website. McDowell co-hosted BaD Radio with Bob Sturm until 2020, when Sturm moved to late afternoons.

Kemp joined the station in 2006, according to The Ticket’s website. He served as the producer of BaD Radio, Barrett Sports Media reported. Kemp began hosting a show with McDowell in the noon to 3 p.m. slot after Sturm’s move to late afternoons.

In the past year, The Ticket has lost several of its legacy personalities.

Danny Balis left the station in May 2022, hinting at limited advancement and saying he plans to focus on other parts of his life. In November, he was introduced as the newest member of Mike Rhyner’s show, The Downbeat, on The Freak 97.1 FM.

Rhyner, who was one of the founding fathers of the Ticket, was The Freak’s showpiece personality on Oct. 3 when the station flipped its format from rock to free-form talk.

Last June, longtime producer Mike Sirois also left the station to take on business pursuits. He also eventually ended up at The Freak.