Ticket founder Mike Rhyner returns on new sports station 'The Freak'

Dallas-Fort Worth radio legend Mike Rhyner returned to the airwaves on Monday on an all-new sports and talk radio station, 97.1 The Freak.

Rhyner, the founder of the Marconi Award-winning station The Ticket 96.7/1310, posted a "first day out of retirement" photo on Twitter listing his employer as 97.1 The Freak on Monday.

On Thursday, Rhyner posted a video, similar to the one announcing his shocking retirement from the Ticket in Jan. 2020, simply stating "I'm back b******".

97.1 officially flipped formats from the rock music station The Eagle to the sports-focused The Freak Monday at 3 p.m.

READ MORE: Station founder Mike Rhyner retires from SportsRadio 1310 The Ticket

In the open of the new show, called ‘The Downbeat’, Rhyner described his brief retirement and a conversation with Ben Rodgers and Jeff "Skin" Wade about a return to the airwaves after filling in for Wade during a health scare.

97.1 has ventured into sports programming in recent years becoming the radio home of the Dallas Mavericks in 2021.

'The Freak' short for The Frequency will feature Rhyner and fellow former Ticket members Mike Sirois and Michael Gruber taking over the 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. afternoon drive, ‘Ben and Skin’ along with co-host Krystina Ray will move to the slot to 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the morning and a show called ‘The SpeakEasy’ featuring long-time Ben and Skin producer Kevin Turner, former105.3 The Fan host Jeff Cavanaugh and former Ticket personality Julie Dobbs will air from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Prior to the format flip, 97.1 is playing Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers ‘The Waiting’ on repeat.