A subsidiary company of Cumulus Media/Dallas radio station The Ticket (KTCK-AM) has settled a lawsuit with former co-hosts Dan McDowell and Jake Kemp. The lawsuit had been filed under the Susquehanna Radio LLC name over the duo’s Patreon-based podcast, The Dumb Zone, which started immediately following their departure from the station.
The crux of the legal battle was the alleged violation of noncompete agreements signed by McDowell and Kemp in 2018. Cumulus contended that the new podcast was created while they were still employed at The Ticket and accused them of commandeering social media accounts from their former show for the new podcast. The company also sought a temporary injunction and restraining order against the hosts and their new venture.
The duo had been co-hosting The Hang Zone on KTCK, commonly known as The Ticket, since 2020. McDowell had been a part of the station since 1999, while Kemp joined in 2009.
However, the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Texas denied a preliminary injunction sought by Cumulus earlier this week, stating that the legal criteria for such an action were not met.
The final resolution was announced on The Ticket’s Facebook page, stating, “Susquehanna Radio LLC, parent company of KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM The Ticket, along with Dan McDowell and Jake Kemp, are pleased to announce a mutually agreed resolution of their litigation. They each appreciate one another’s sincere efforts to resolve their differences so that everyone involved can move forward. The parties wish each other well.”
