Armstrong & Getty
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The Armstrong & Getty show is, according to the Arbitron ratings of April/May 2006, the number one rated morning radio show in Northern California. Broadcasting live from Clear Channel's KSTE 650 AM Sacramento studio from 6-10AM weekdays the show is also simulcast on KQCA-TV, Channel 58 in the Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto market and airs in the same time slot on Bay Area AM radio station KNEW, reaching millions of potential audiences from the Pacific to the Sierras and the Oregon Border to Bakersfield. The show is accessible live as streaming audio from the KSTE website. During the 5-6AM time slot on weekdays and from 6-10AM Saturday mornings, KSTE airs "The Best of Armstrong and Getty", recorded segments from previous broadcasts.
The "call-in format" show is a mixture of political commentary, observations on both local and national news and reflections on social issues presented with witty, and sometimes ironic, humor that the hosts themselves describe as "the day to day wonder and silliness of life, love, kids, pets, work, play, and the parade of goofy behavior that is the news headlines."[1]
[edit] The Hosts
Jack Armstrong, from a small rural town in Kansas and by his own admission prone to turning beet-red when angered, became a radio DJ in Kansas the late 1980's. Joe Getty, a fish owner from Chicago, was also working as a DJ in the same area at the time. According to statements made on the air, Joe trumped the competition to land his first job because he was the only one who typed his cover letter. The two began working together in 1992, hosting morning shows in Kansas, then taking their show to a bigger market in Charlotte, NC. The two often recall back to their days as typical DJs, calling out soft rock hits and the occasional promotional radio stunt. Not appearing to ever want to relive that sort of employment again, on 25 August 2006 they discussed their time in Wichita when they did a show every single Friday morning from a grocery store; the two were told to walk around the store, talk to shoppers, and look at the products. Saddening their current producer with their tale, they continued on to describe the spidery garage, depressing card table setup in the front of the store, disturbing wang sightings, and bonuses paid out in donuts.
The pair moved to Sacramento, CA in 1997 and again found themselves stuck in a format show going by the form fit name "Out of the Sack with Joe and Jack" on Adult Contemporary FM station KYMX in Sacramento, a stint later referred to by Joe as "nightmarish". On August 31, 1998 the duo debuted as the current "Armstrong & Getty" show. According to statements made on air, Jack is planning to one day retire to Mexico.
Both are also amateur musicians. Getty plays guitar with what he sometimes calls his "garage band", the Mighty Josephines, and can be seen in the Folsom, California area. Armstrong's band, the Painkillers, occasionally performs in local bars and clubs.
Getty is married with 3 children whose schooling, little league games (which Joe coaches) and interactions with their mom often provide material for his anecdotes. Armstrong has no children but a fictional child, Jack, Jr., is a running joke that Jack uses on the show to relate whenever the topic of raising children is addressed.
[edit] The Show
Both Armstrong and Getty are fiscal conservatives but very moderate on many social issues. Common themes of the show are wasteful government spending, social responsibility, personal accountability, all surrounding current events. They have interviewed such figures as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, State Senator Tom McClintock and UN Ambassador John R. Bolton. In April 2006, they renewed their contract with Clear Channel and contracted for additional TV simulcasts to cover all of the San Francisco Bay Area set to begin in late May. By July 2006, TV simulcast coverage had expanded to nearly all of Northern California, and worldwide via podcasts available on iTunes.
Additionally the duo has become popular as MCs for various events in Northern California, participating in "The Great Debate" against Willie Brown and Ed Schultz, opening for a few of political commentator Michael Savage's live shows, and hosting the California legislature annual softball game. They also received an invitation to 2007's White House Correspondents Dinner.
In 2006 Jack became something of a minor celebrity for his angry tirades when he "arrives late" for the show. Citing at different times a failed alarm clock, flaps on his motorcycle helmet (2006-8-23), traffic, cops (as Jack stated, an opportunity granted by a member of law enforcement to straighten up), his electric company doing construction along his commute, a late night out or general angst and anxiety, Mr. Armstrong is hugely entertaining as he rants about being sick of "his act". In January 2006, as self punishment he instituted a $25 fee upon himself for every time he is late, the total proceeds to fund a party at the end of the 2006. At his current rate it promises to be a wild shindig.
On 2006-11-8, during a call in segment on how people were told they were getting divorced, a male caller described a judge's determination of what he claimed was an outrageous alimony amount to which Jack replied "that's very similar to my deal..." As Jack's words quickly trailed off, Joe immediately asked Jack, "Care to elaborate on that?" and Jack responded, "No, not really". This brief exchange was taken by many listeners to be an accidental acknowledgment that he is currently or had recently gone through a divorce. The apparent slip of the tongue followed months of speculation by fans due to myriad clues as well as an abrupt end to the on-air mention of his wife.
On March 29 2007, A&G will not be shown on KQCA-TV because KCRA (Station that does news for KQCA-TV) is going to put a newscast in its place.
