Tom Leykis

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Tom Leykis
Tom Leykis

Thomas Joseph Leykis (born August 1, 1956 in New York, New York) is a radio talk show host, syndicated nationally and internationally (USA and formerly in Canada) by Westwood One. Leykis continues to command high ratings with his supporters and critics alike.

Contents

[edit] Background / early career

As a teenager in 1970, Leykis claims he won a contest for a one-time radio appearance on a station in Long Island, and he was asked back several times to serve as a fill-in host. During the late 1970s he had his own Public Access program on Manhattan Cable TV. He got a regular job hosting Sunday mornings at radio station WBAI in 1979. During this period, he also took odd jobs as a stand up comedian, researcher for a CBS late night show, columnist for the SoHo News, and telephone solicitor for real estate investments. He moved to Albany, NY in 1981 to do an evening show five times a week. The station wanted someone controversial, and Leykis was just that. Some listeners sent in angry letters, but his ratings soon earned him the morning drive slot and a position as program director. He then took a job in Miami at WNWS, where he became number one in the ratings in 1984, over a competing host who had been number one for the previous six years. In 1985, Leykis moved to KFYI in Phoenix, Arizona. He had problems with the station management, and was placed on leave. A listener fan campaign brought him back, but Leykis resigned on air soon thereafter. In 1988, the show moved on to KFI in Los Angeles, which was then beginning its talk radio format. Leykis was fired in 1992, replaced by Daryl Gates, and moved to WRKO in Boston for the midday shift in 1993.

During this time, the program was fairly politically oriented, and advertised as a "combat radio" program. However, even then, Leykis did not shy away from talking about his personal life. One notable instance was when he discussed a hypothetical man with marital troubles. After a few weeks, he revealed that the man was actually him, and had served divorce papers on his wife, news anchor Christina Gonzalez, 10 minutes before she was set to anchor the 6 o'clock news on KMEX-TV. [1] In addition, the program rolled over records of Cat Stevens and exploded a large replica of Barney the Dinosaur as stunts designed to get attention once he entered a market.


[edit] The Tom Leykis Show

The current incarnation of The Tom Leykis Show began on the Westwood One radio network on May 2, 1994 originating from Los Angeles although the show was not aired in that city until KLSX added it to its lineup in 1997. The executive producer of the show is Gary Zabransky, a former rock D.J. from New York City. Other crew members include Dean J. DeMilio (call screener) and Bret Abbott (engineer). [2]

Leykis regularly denies that his show is 'political', in the sense that it doesn't deal with the political issues of the day, but his show is designed to incite listeners with hot-button issues such as sex, dating, marriage, single parenthood, religion (Leykis is an atheist), career, divorce, the relationship between sex and money, and power dynamics between the genders. The topics are usually couched in terms of anecdotes from Leykis's personal life, current events, and listener e-mails.

In a discussion about new FCC regulations on indencency in 2004, Leykis said the major themes of his show are blasphemy and misogyny, two areas the FCC hasn't touched yet.

In the introduction to each hour of the program, Leykis proclaims his talk show to be the only one that is "not hosted by a right wing wacko or a convicted felon", widely believed to be references to his talk-radio competitors Rush Limbaugh and G. Gordon Liddy respectively.

On Fridays, listeners are allowed to call in and talk about anything they want ("yell, scream, jump up and down, complain ... as long as you're absolutely fascinating"), in contrast to other days when Leykis establishes a single topic for each hour of the show. Friday is also the usual day for occasional live appearances in cities around the U.S., when Leykis broadcasts from a bar or other public place with an audience present. The free-for-all subject matter and large crowds leads to a rowdy atmosphere on Friday shows. "Flash Friday" is another significant part of Friday shows. During "Flash Fridays", men are told to turn on the headlights of their cars to indicate that they are Leykis listeners, and women are encouraged to flash their breasts to male listeners. Like rock stars have been known to do, Leykis will autograph women's breasts using a Sharpie permanent marker.

The show's home station is currently KLSX, an FM talk station that also carried Howard Stern until Stern left the air in December 2005 to move to Sirius satellite radio. At first, Leykis was asked to fill in for other talk show hosts. Based on his wild success as a fill-in host, KLSX hired Leykis as part of their regular line-up. Leykis began to tone down the political aspect of the show around this time, and he started "Leykis 101" soon after that. A notable change back to political content was on 9/11/2001 and the rest of that week. Leykis still occasionally discusses political topics, but in a manner that reflects apathy.

Two popular regular segments include "Flash Fridays", in which female listeners are encouraged to flash (expose) their breasts at male drivers who have their headlights on and "Leykis 101", in which "the Professor" (Tom Leykis) teaches his "students" his rules for dating.

The goal of these rules is to help single men, especially men in their 20s, get the most sex for the least amount of effort and money possible. Leykis believes men in their 20s are particularly susceptible to the "pregnancy trap" and continually emphasizes that they take responsibility for themselves and always wear a condom. Leykis emphasizes that the "Leykis 101" course that he teaches is designed for people not looking for a serious, monogamous relationship, but rather for those who wish to remain independent and unattached, and to understand the difference. According to Leykis, men should never spend a lot of money to impress women, they should stop dating a woman if she's still refusing sex after the third date, and they should never date single mothers. The latter is cited as a practicality issue; those wishing to "date" a woman don't need to get through any additional form of interference in the form of children. There is also the predilection of a single mother to consider should she find herself pregnant: she is much less likely to consider abortion if she already has children. Indeed, Leykis has stated on air that he has made agreements with all of his spouses that they will have an abortion if they become pregnant.

Leykis has repeatedly warned that men may become financially liable for children that are not their own. On February 1, 2007, the Florida Supreme Court held that a man was required to pay child support to his ex-wife even though the child was the result of an extramarital affair that the ex-wife concealed throughout the marriage and divorce proceedings.[2] It should be noted that Parker represents an unusual circumstance: the court's finding of paternity has more to do with fraud statutes than any certain guarantee of obligation on the part of Mr. Parker.

In addition to his weekday show, Leykis began hosting a syndicated weekend show called "The Tasting Room" in February 2005, covering lifestyle topics such as fine wine, spirits, beer, cigars, and cars.

On November 3, 2006, during a live broadcast from a venue in Portland, Oregon, a woman named Sue from Arizona claimed, on air, to have murdered a man that owed her child support. Tom announced that he would put up $5,000 of his own money for anyone with information leading to the arrest of the woman.

On March 21, 2007, it was announced that Tom Leykis would no longer be an employee of Westwood One and beginning April 2, 2007 will have a new contract and become an employee of CBS radio. [[3]] Although he would be changing employers, the format and syndication of the show would remain the same as it was prior to the new contract. Westwood One will continue to be a distributor of the show. This new contract is scheduled to give listeners more of Tom Leykis until 2012.

[edit] Identifying notorious individuals

Leykis has caused considerable controversy over the years by revealing on-air the names of such individuals as the following:

Major media outlets voluntarily withhold names like these due to their adherence to journalism ethics and standards while having no problem releasing names of alleged offenders, a policy Leykis disagrees with since he says he is "not a journalist". Leykis's point is that either both names of an alleged accuser and an alleged offender should be protected or both should be public.

[edit] A broad audience

The show's target demographic is males from late teens to early forties, although women are encouraged to listen so that they might "learn how guys think". Leykis regularly receives extensive criticism from various callers and writers, which he will air on the show. His favorite retort to arguments put forward by these callers is that they are merely pointing out exceptions to rules he has defined. He argues that what he does is called "broadcasting" and since he appeals to a broad audience, generalization is a necessary part of his rhetoric. He has admitted that there are always exceptions to his generalizations, though it is debatable whether some of the rules he refers to as generalizations can actually be considered as such.

Feelings about Leykis's views are highly polarized. Some consider his views to be chauvinistic and misogynistic while others believe he is performing a public service. Some of the advice he gives (always use condoms, be extremely wary of "gold diggers," focus on your career, etc.), however, is almost unanimously agreed upon by both the men and the women who call into the show.

[edit] Take me out in style

Callers often request to be "taken out" a certain style at the end of their on-air conversations with Leykis. Leykis says, "Here yah go!" and then plays one of the following sound bites:

[edit] Most popular styles

  • "Blow me up Tom" -- Tom plays an explosion as the caller is done speaking. This tradition started when Tom hung up on callers because he was done listening to them argue. Now, callers asked to be blown up.
  • "Take me out with a bong hit" -- Leykis plays the liquidy sound of a bong hit followed by one of many sound effects, such as "Thanks, Tom!", "Can't we all just get a bong?", "No cough", "Thank you Jesus!" or the sound of hacking and coughing.
  • "Take me out Kobe style" -- a clip of Kobe Bryant apologizing for cheating on his wife at a press conference is dubbed in with the sound of a woman breathing heavily in sexual excitement and a bed creaking.
  • "Take me out old-school" -- the classic explosion. (aka "Blow me up, Tom!")
  • "Take me out African tribal style" -- sound of young kids singing a song reminiscent of an African tribal chant. If the old-school "Blow Me Up" explosion is added to the end, many people call it "Racist Style".
  • "Take me out Compton style" -- sound of a machine gun firing, followed by Snoop Dogg saying, "Bi-yatch!"
  • "Take me out Laci Peterson style" -- First, there is the cartoon sound of a frying pan bonk on the head, a splash as the body is thrown overboard into the water, the sound of air bubbles being released from the object as it sinks, followed by a boat engine revving up as he leaves the crime scene. Includes Scott Peterson's fake cell phone call from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, when he was actually in California, saying, "Amber, Amber, can you hear me?". When asked for this particular style, Leykis always tells the caller that he finds it tasteless, and that the caller should be ashamed for asking for it. It does not, however, stop Leykis from playing it.
  • "Take me out Jesus style" -- the sound of nails being hammered into wood

[edit] Less popular styles

  • "Take me out Texas A&M style" -- the sound of cowboys riding horses followed by gunshots.
  • "I'll take myself out with a bong hit" -- the caller will do a bong hit while on the phone talking to Tom himself.
  • "Take me out with screaming orgasm" -- sound of a woman having an orgasm, incorporating the clip of Meg Ryan's fake orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally.
  • "Take me out Latino-style" -- sound clip of a Latina woman yelling "Latinos, you shut up!" from a classic listener party.
  • "Take me out Dale Earnhardt style" -- sound clip of a NASCAR race car crashing into a wall.
  • "Take me out Halle Berry style" -- sound clip of squealing brakes is followed by the sound of a car crash, and then a running sound clip taken from The Flintstones.
  • "Take me out with a thank-you Jesus" -- sound of St. Louis Rams quarterback, Kurt Warner saying "Thank you, Jesus!" after winning the Super Bowl.
  • "Take me out old old-school" -- prior to the explosion sound effect, Leykis once flushed people down a toilet, so this request refers to that type of sound effect instead.
  • "Take me out Mariachi style" -- sound of a man screaming Mariachi style.
  • "Take me out THX style" -- trademark sound of THX (no longer used due to copyright)
  • "Take me out with a queef" -- sound of a queef (woman's vagina blowing air) is played
  • "Take me out with a spanking" -- sound of Tom spanking a woman
  • "Take me out Ted Kennedy style"
  • "Take me out Enumclaw style" -- a reference to Kenneth Pinyan, a man who was killed by having anal sex with a horse in a barn in Enumclaw, Washington. First, there is porn-like music with sounds of a horse neighing and a man enjoying himself, then the clip ends with a louder neigh, the man screaming, and the horse galloping away.
  • "Take me out JFK Sr. Style" -- Sound clip of three rifle shots, from the 3rd story of the Texas Book Depository.
  • "Take me out JFK Jr. Style" -- Sound clip of a plane flying, then crashing into water.
  • "Take me out Steve Irwin style" or "Take me out Crocodile Hunter style" -- Sound clip of Steve Irwin talking and then getting stung by a stingray.
  • "Take me out with Dino's voicemail" -- Sound clip of an angry voicemail to one of Tom's staff members from a woman he had dated.
  • "Take me out Sonny Bono Style" -- Sound clip of a the whirling winter air as a guy skis downhill, then boing -- he runs smack dab into a tree, ending it all.
  • "Take me out Hotel Rwanda style" -- African style, followed by JFK Sr. Style
  • "Take me out Russian Submarine style"
  • "Take me out Carmelo Anthony style" -- Sound clip of some movie punches and then a running sound clip taken from The Flintstones.
  • "Take me out abortion style" -- Sound clip of a carwash vacuum cleaner.
  • "Take me out John Ritter style" -- sound clip of a man dying followed by a laugh track from a sitcom.
  • "Take Me Out Match Game style" -- the Match Game think music that he plays when somebody stays silent after Tom takes his or hers call not realizing Tom has taken their call
  • "Take me out Kingdome style" -- a clip of the countdown and rumbling implosion of Seattle's old arena.
  • "Take me out Great White style": A clip from the rock band Great White is played, and interrupted by the sound of pyrotechnics, fire spreading, and people yelling and screaming -- a reference to The Station nightclub fire in 2003.
  • "Take me out Karen Carpenter style" -- Sound clip of someone throwing up referring to the singer from "The Carpenters" that died as a result of anorexia/bulimia.

[edit] Affiliates

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

The show is broadcast live from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific time (6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern time) weekdays. Some affiliates air the show live, while others air it on tape delay. Some stations air the show in a five-hour timeslot, which means either the 3:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. hour is replayed at the end. The show can also be heard over the Internet through streaming radio available on the show's site or the websites of Los Angeles' KLSX and Pittsburgh affiliate WURP, and as a podcast feed (delayed about a day). As of April 2, 2007, he is no longer on in Chicago.

Below is a list of terrestrial radio stations which broadcast The Tom Leykis Show as of early 2006:

[edit] Personal life

Leykis has been married and divorced four times, although he has never had any known children. His fourth wife, Susan Drew Leykis, filed a police report against him while they were married and living in Boston in 1993. She allegedly told police that Leykis assaulted and threatened to kill her during a fight after they returned home from a radio station Christmas party. The charges were dropped after he agreed to complete a domestic violence program for six months, although Leykis did not admit guilt as part of the agreement (see [5]). They separated in 2001 and divorced in 2003. He lives in the exclusive enclave of the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles.

He is the oldest of four children. His father, Harry Leykis, was a pressman and union leader at a daily newspaper in New York City. He has two sisters and one brother. The family lived first in the Bronx, and then moved to Long Island.

An avid Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Kings fan, he is also a wine aficionado who spends his free time reading Barron's Magazine, watching CNBC, and dating women.[citation needed]

[edit] Trivia

  • According to IMDB.com, Tom Leykis was married to award-winning KTTV news reporter Christina Gonzalez. [6]
  • In the late 1990s, Leykis would occasionally merge his radio show with the equally outspoken James Whale Show from the United Kingdom, which aired in the same time slot, resulting in a single simulcast show co-hosted by Leykis and Whale via a satellite link between the two studios. In these cases, Leykis and Whale would alternate equally between American and British callers.
  • Leykis was the host of "Boys Night Out," a live comedy stage show that took place at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles and the Paramount Theater in Seattle. The line-up of male comedians included Bobby Slayton. The shows were for men only and men were strongly discouraged from bringing girlfriends, wives or any other females.
  • Leykis appeared on the third season "Family Values" episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit!.
  • Leykis served as the co-host of "Poker Royale: Battle of the Sexes" on GSN, formerly the Game Show Network.
  • Leykis tried to get on the air as a student at Fordham University but failed. [7] He attended Fordham for two years, but his educational pursuits ended abruptly "because I was broke and had to drop out." [8]
  • Has stated many times on his show that he is an atheist.
  • He repeatedly refers to the city Portland, Oregon as "Porkland, the home of the other white meat."
  • Other projects in the works: He has been asked about writing a book on Leykis 101 and said that it's being considered but no formal announcement has been made. He's also said he's had numerous meetings with Hollywood executives about creating a TV series only to have those talks lead to nothing.
  • He is rarely seen without his sunglasses on, allegedly even when he is broadcasting.
  • The Tom Leykis Show has only had a fill-in host once -- Rod Roddy, the Price Is Right announcer who earlier in his career was a radio host with a similar style to Leykis'. Other than that, the show airs reruns and best-ofs when Leykis is away.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Rosen, Craig. TOM LEYKIS: CRAZED BUT NOT CRAZY. Los Angeles Daily News, September 26, 1988.
  2. ^ Parker v. Parker, Case No. SC05-2346 (Feb. 1, 1997).[1]

[edit] External links

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