EPISODE · Jan 20, 2026 · 1H
From the Control Room to the Ballroom | Tony Smith
from Your Dark Companion Podcast · host Mike Rhyner
For years, Tony Smith was exactly where you wanted him — behind the glass, keeping the lights on, the sound clean, and occasionally dropping a perfectly timed Dancing with the Stars reference that somehow became radio gold. In this episode of Your Dark Companion, Mike Rhyner and Grubes welcome longtime Ticket engineer Tony “the Engineer” Smith for a candid, funny, and surprisingly emotional conversation about radio life, finding your voice in the margins, and knowing when it’s time to walk away. Tony traces his path from promotions to engineering, explains how an unexpected obsession with Dancing with the Stars turned into a beloved on-air bit, and opens up about how leadership changes, shifting station culture, and a slow drip of punishments eventually drained the joy from a place he once loved. Along the way, Mike reflects on his own departure, the unspoken bonds inside radio stations, and how sometimes the thing you leave behind simply isn’t the thing you fell in love with anymore. It’s part nostalgia, part therapy session, part inside baseball — and a reminder that sometimes the most interesting stories come from the people who were never supposed to be on mic at all. ydc_ep_189__tony_smith_v1 Chapters 00:00:00 – Welcome in and meeting Tony “the Engineer” 00:01:46 – Life at The Ticket and the people who made it special 00:03:20 – How Dancing with the Stars became “the bit” 00:05:23 – When the show — and the station — started to change 00:08:18 – Engineering, promotions, and finding your way inside radio 00:10:15 – Becoming unexpectedly famous for the wrong reasons 00:13:20 – The move that changed everything 00:15:27 – When leadership shifts alter the culture 00:18:13 – Why the bit worked (and why it mattered) 00:22:14 – Popularity vs. talent, radio and reality TV 00:27:19 – Campound, crossing a line, and unintended consequences 00:32:09 – Punishments, silence, and losing the joy 00:36:42 – “The station I left was not the station I loved” 00:43:52 – Sponsor break: CBD House of Healing 00:46:26 – Life after radio: travel, podcasts, and freedom 00:49:49 – Leaving without regret and keeping the memories 00:58:06 – Dallas radio legends, reunions, and closing thoughts Thanks to our monthly supporters Matthew Kamper W hammons B Smith Robert Stoolfire Thaddeus D. Matula Rachel W Scott Lewis cody SIMS John Gilbert Robert Saunders Kiffer Sidney Long Pattie Rhyner Davidson David Ashlea Bullington James Corona Gordy John C Caffey Joe Lindsey Cam Jillian Wright David Moore Becca Moore Mike Rhyner Your Dark Companion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
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For years, Tony Smith was exactly where you wanted him — behind the glass, keeping the lights on, the sound clean, and occasionally dropping a perfectly timed Dancing with the Stars reference that somehow became radio gold. In this episode of Your Dark Companion, Mike Rhyner and Grubes welcome longtime Ticket engineer Tony “the Engineer” Smith for a candid, funny, and surprisingly emotional conversation about radio life, finding your voice in the margins, and knowing when it’s time to walk away. Tony traces his path from promotions to engineering, explains how an unexpected obsession with Dancing with the Stars turned into a beloved on-air bit, and opens up about how leadership changes, shifting station culture, and a slow drip of punishments eventually drained the joy from a place he once loved. Along the way, Mike reflects on his own departure, the unspoken bonds inside radio stations, and how sometimes the thing you leave behind simply isn’t the thing you fell in love with anymore. It’s part nostalgia, part therapy session, part inside baseball — and a reminder that sometimes the most interesting stories come from the people who were never supposed to be on mic at all. ydc_ep_189__tony_smith_v1 Chapters 00:00:00 – Welcome in and meeting Tony “the Engineer”00:01:46 – Life at The Ticket and the people who made it special00:03:20 – How Dancing with the Stars became “the bit”00:05:23 – When the show — and the station — started to change00:08:18 – Engineering, promotions, and finding your way inside radio00:10:15 – Becoming unexpectedly famous for the wrong reasons00:13:20 – The move that changed everything00:15:27 – When leadership shifts alter the culture00:18:13 – Why the bit worked (and why it mattered)00:22:14 – Popularity vs. talent, radio and reality TV00:27:19 – Campound, crossing a line, and unintended consequences00:32:09 – Punishments, silence, and losing the joy00:36:42 – “The station I left was not the station I loved”00:43:52 – Sponsor break: CBD House of Healing00:46:26 – Life after radio: travel, podcasts, and freedom00:49:49 – Leaving without regret and keeping the memories00:58:06 – Dallas radio legends, reunions, and closing thoughts
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From the Control Room to the Ballroom | Tony Smith
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