Talk Radio

I have been listening to radio talk shows ever since I was in high school. Never listened to NPR or Dr. Laura… those are too left or right wind/boring to me. Ever since I got my first office job, radio talk shows have been helping me survive my work days. I started off listening to a show called “Walton & Johnson” (http://www.waltonandjohnson.com/main/). I believe they originated in New Orleans and now broadcasting in Mississippi I think (syndicated show). They are very talented guys, I was often amused by their off the wall/politically incorrect comments about our world today. The best part of the show is they do impressions of 4+ characters on-air. They are so good that you would never know it is only 2 guys unless you are familiar with the show. By playing a hick, a gay guy, and a black fella, they are able to “stretch” their jokes to all spectrums of people. Since we have moved toTexas, we have not been able to listen to the show. L

When I first came to Dallas, I discovered Kidd Kraddick. He is also another syndicated radio personality. Apparently he is nationally acclaimed also. He is more of your “vanilla” radio guy that is the total opposite of “Shock Jocks” (which I will go into further later). Since he is a big name on a big radio station (KISS FM), he is able to bring in big names like Backstreet Boys, Hannah Montana, etc to the show. His studio has a storefront open to public, so that listeners can watch the show while he is on-air. I actually went down to their studio one time on my day off to watch Shakira live ! However, the Kidd Kraddick’s demographics are geared towards moms and young kids in the morning. The show fell out of my radar when I started feel femanine for listing to it.

Then I switched to Howard Stern. I was curious about what the King of radio was all about. He is inventor of “Shock Jock”. I was fascinated by his audacity to push what can go on-air. His radio show was dirty, vulgar (as can be on public radio), and highly offensive. It was like a car wreck that I could not turn away. I also turned on the Russ Martin Show (http://www.russmartin.com/), a local version of Howard Stern. I found his original and unrealistic radio format intriguing. On top of the highly inappropriate topics, the yare both quite witty and very funny. I was in low point of my life, so all of these guilty pleasures were right my alley. I am glad I no longer listen to them. Shows like that are for people who look for totally mindless, filthy entertainment. Russ Martin was recently arrested for domestic abuse. Go figure.

What I enjoyed about Russ Martin was that he made his radio show “un-radio”. The show was like a fort where a bunch of friends hang out. I found a cleaner / less arrogant version of that in The Pugs and Kelly Show (http://www.pugsandkellylive.com/). They started in the Dallas market on the same station as Russ Martin. After Russ’s arrest, they went off-air and are now with 93.3 the Bone. Pugs and Kelly are people my age that brings up current topics that I care about… movies, politics, friendship… etc. I used to e-mail the show a good bit and had them read on-air. That was really exciting to me. I also visited them while they were live on locations. They were always nice to me when I met them, and I always got free radio promotion stuff! I listened to them everyday for about 2 years, and finally found them out of touch with my lifestyle. They were single (divorced), always drinking/clubbing, and had different priorities. Now that they are married and on a new station, I flip them on every now any then for variety.

What I mainly listen to now is Sports Talk. Many of my ex-co worker listen to The Ticket. It is a AM radio station that is quite a big deal for local sports fans. I never gave a chance until recently and have been in love with it since then. My radio dial is on the Ticket all the time. And since they stream on the web, it is my “brain food” for my work day. Two of my favorites are The Musers (http://www.theticket.com/musers.htm) and BAD radio (http://www.bobanddan.com/). They are my one stop shops for news, entertainment, gadgets, sports, and just everyday life.

If it is not for talk radio… I would go crazy during my stressful workdays.

Another thing I have also resort to is PODCAST. When my favorite show LOST is back on in January (YES!), I will be listening to all of the recap/conspiracy theory PODCASTS about the show!