Regular Guys
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Regular Guys (Larry Wachs and Eric Von Haessler) was the most recent morning show on WKLS 96 Rock in Atlanta, Georgia (1998-2004, 2005-2006). The show's demographic targets were men from 25-49. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications.
The Regular Guys were hired in 1995 by KLSX 97.1FM in Los Angeles. They were fired in 1997 after Larry Wachs had a meltdown on the air over Station interference of their show.
The Regular Guys were hired after a period of time by WKLS Atlanta Station in 1998.
The show was voted "Most Likely to Be Fined by the FCC" in an Atlanta Creative Loafing survey. Ironically, and much to their critics' disappointment, the Regular Guys were never fined by the FCC, in spite of their "extended vacation."
The Regular Guys were fired on April 9, 2004 at the height of their Arbitron ratings success when a graphic interview with pornographic movie actress Devin Lane was accidentally aired over a Honda commercial. That interview was intended to be played backwards when they returned from the break, mocking the FCC indecency crackdown at the time. Upon their dismissal, their sidekick Southside Steve Rickman was retained by Clear Channel because he had a different contract.
The station immediately suffered ratings losses after the duo's termination.
The Regular Guys were rehired by Clear Channel in early 2005. They returned to the air on March 21, 2005 on their sister station, WGST Newsradio 640 AM. The format of news radio did not fit with their narrative style, and so they returned to WKLS 96 Rock in May, sans Rickman.
The Regular Guys had recovered about 3/4 of their previous audience by mid 2006. On September 25, 2006, "Southside" Steve Rickman returned to make guest appearances on a nearly daily basis. On October 17, 2006, the Regular Guys Show mysteriously went into reruns, eerily reminiscent of the three weeks prior to their firing on April 9, 2004.
On October 23, 2006, Larry Wachs and Eric von Haessler were dismissed from Clear Channel, due to a lawsuit by Viva 105.7 morning deejays Yogi and Panda. The suit against The Regular Guys claims that Larry Wachs recorded them against their knowledge while having a discussion in separate bathroom stalls. Eric von Haessler's Mad Pundit Radio program which was broadcast Saturday afternoons on WGST was also dropped.
The line up of the show featured:
- Larry Wachs – Co-host, various voices/characters
- Eric Von Haessler – Co-host
- Tim Andrews (a.k.a. "The Porn Czar"/"Porny") – Producer, various voices/characters and occasional sidekick.
- Alfie - Producer
Also:
- Mid-Day DJ Fin (As Duke LeCrosse [sic]) – Daily Sports Brief
- A Boy Named Lucy - Intern
- Kelly "Race Card" Brown - Phone Screener
- "Southside" Steve Rickman - Regular Guest, Former Producer
- Ben Connor (a.k.a. "Ben the Bunnyman") - Regular Guest
- Tommy the Tard
Past staff on the show included:
- Tim Frasier (a.k.a. "Virgin Murray") - Producer
- Garrett "the 40 Year-old Intern"
- "Church Chick"
- Heather "the Tiny-bouncy-breasted Intern"
- Tim Rhodes - Daily Sports Brief
[edit] Aggravators to the Listening Public
There are recurring bits that were added from time to time. In such segments of the show, the hosts take calls from people who are allegedly affiliated with certain organizations or high-profile figures. Sometimes repeat callers are often heard. Some of these repeat callers add to the wackiness of the show are as follows:
- "Ricardo": The Latino caller who enrages listeners regarding Latino related issues.
- "Terrell": The African-American caller who enrages listeners regarding African-American related issues.
- "Zebulon": the ultra-conservative Christian, associate Pastor-Rev. of Popular Creek Church of God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost, who sometimes has enraged listeners regarding ultra-conservative Christian related issues. Such as the fact that he felt 'Harry Potter' books caused children to turn 'queer'.
- "Herman": A fan obsessed with host, Eric, who often calls up and harasses Eric because he perceives Eric as being 'arrogant'. Other listeners have even called in and offered to be Eric's 'body guard' to protect Eric from this obsessed fan.
- "Curtis Washington": An associate of Cynthia McKinney who would call discussing updates and schemes for her 2006 re-election. Many callers would call the show aggravated questioning the illegality of the schemes and the intelligence of Washington.
- "Travis Elliot" and "Lester Chalmers": various "governmental figures from around the metro Atlanta area, most notably Cobb County Board of Education advisor who mandated a "Gay Studies" class for all Cobb County high school students.
