Chaz & AJ
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Chaz & AJ in the Morning is a morning radio talk show program on 99.1 WPLR, a rock radio station broadcasting from New Haven, Connecticut. Though the show is mostly comedy based, it includes certain segments of more serious (and more important) things, including interviews with politicians and authors.
The show is done primarily by Chaz and AJ (who don't use their last names to protect their privacy when they aren't working), plus their sidekick, Billy (Winn), a stand-up comedian and a former United States Postal Service employee.[1]
Other regular participants include Megan, who does the traffic and news, but also takes part in many segments; Jesse, who usually runs the phones, also takes part in many segments; Stumpy; and Magilla.
The show began on WPLR on February 17, 2002, after the previous show, Smith & Barber, ended, moving from WRCN on Long Island. Chaz previously been a night jock at WPLR.[2] In 2007, Connecticut Magazine named the show "Best Local Radio Morning-Drive DJs", saying "If FM radio is going to hold off its satellite competition, ... it's the ability of the on-air personnel to connect with the audience. Chaz and AJ seem to be doing that very well."[3]
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[edit] Format
The show is usually "played by ear." A topic mentioned by a caller may be discussed for an hour on the show, for example, even though it wasn't planned when the show began. The show encourages maximum listener participation at most times.
[edit] Interviews
An interview with actor James Brolin on September 11, 2007 made the news after Chaz and AJ noted it was the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and Brolin replied "Right, oh, yeah, Happy 9/11!"[4][5]
[edit] Regular segments
The show has a number of regular features:
- Ticked-off Tuesday: callers call in and get "free therapy" because they are able to get something off their chest if they are mad at something or someone. Chaz & AJ then make jokes about this at times.
- Shock Collar Trivia: 4 of the hosts are fitted with dog training collars that send an electric shock when a button on the remote control is pushed. The 5th host operates the phone lines and reads a question if a contestant passes. Callers phone-in trivia questions for the players. They take turns answering them and if the answer they give is wrong, they get shocked. This continues for several questions until one person has lost (had the least questions correct). The loser then goes on to play Shock Collar Karaoke.
- Shock Collar Karaoke: Played after Shock Collar Trivia is played. The loser from that game must continue wearing their training collar while they sing a karaoke song of their choice. Listeners then call-in whenever they don't think the singing is good and tell them to zap the singer. The sounds of the person trying to sing while being shocked are often used as soundbits on the show.
- Loser of the Week: Played every Friday. Listeners call in to nominate and vote for the person or thing that was the biggest "loser" that week. After a few rounds of singular voting/nominations, the top two are selected and brought to the lightning round. In the lightning round, only those two can be voted for by callers and it is done as fast as possible for about 3 minutes. The one with the most votes at the end of the lightning round is crowned "Loser of the Week."
[edit] References
- ^ Christine Digrazia, "Tuning In for a Morning Jolt", New York Times, November 9, 2003
- ^ Scott Fybush, "North East RadioWatch: Smith, Barber End 18 Years at WPLR", BostonRadio.org, February 3, 2003
- ^ "Best of Connecticut 2007: People & Entertainment",Connecticut Magazine, September 4, 2007
- ^ "James Brolin's 9/11 Gaffe', New York Post, September 15, 2007
- ^ Annie Rourke, Actor makes shocking comments on New Haven radio show, News Channel 8 (WTNH TV), September 14, 2007
