Radio From Hell

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Radio From Hell

Bill Allred (back), Kerry Jackson (front left), and Gina Barberi (front right). Radio From Hell: Songs From The Big Chair is an album of past material compiled by Richie T. The CD sold for $10.00 each in December 2006 in order to raise money for The Road Home homeless shelter in Salt Lake City. The title was an homage to the Tears for Fears album and the large Beaver, UT landmark where the album photo was taken
Genre Comedy, Talk
Running time 4 hours
Country Flag of the United States United States
Languages English
Home station KXRK 96.3
Starring Kerry Jackson
Bill Allred
Gina Barberi
Creators Bill Allred
Kerry Jackson
Executive producers Richard T. Steadman
Recording studio KXRK, Salt Lake City, UT
Air dates 1986 to Present
Audio format FM Radio
MP3 Podcast
iTunes Podcast
Website
http://www.x96.com
 Podcast
http://www.x96.com/12605TIME/djs/ondemand.asp

Radio From Hell is an American radio program broadcast weekday mornings on Salt Lake City, Utah's KXRK 96.3FM, simulcast via a live internet audio stream, and available as an iTunes podcast or downloadable MP3. The show features hosts Kerry Jackson, Bill Allred, and Gina Barberi.

Radio From Hell is the longest running radio program in the Salt Lake City area, and has consistently been rated as one of the best programs in the area by media reviews and polls. The show has received praise from outside the Utah region; Rolling Stone cited KXRK as one of the top-five rock and roll radio stations in the U.S., and reported that Radio From Hell was one of the longest-running local radio programs in the U.S.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

The show originated on Ogden's KJQ as "The Fun Pigs", hosted by Jackson and Allred in 1986.[2] It was later retitled to Radio From Hell for being "the radio show for people who feel like hell in the morning." Jackson and Allred were among five out of twenty-five employees who did not quit KJQ in December 1991.[3]

Many members of the former KJQ staff founded a new station, KXRK, which premiered in February 1992.[4] The new station featured Bill Allred and Dom Casual in a morning show called "Project X with Dom and Bill"; they were among many ex-KJQ personalities on the initial lineup on KXRK.[5][6]

Kerry Jackson continued to host a morning show on KJQ, working briefly with several other hosts including Mo Mellady (who lasted less than a month) and Clyde Lewis, becoming KJQ program director in May, 1993.[7][8] Jackson worked for a time on KZHT before joining KXRK on October 18, 1993, where he replaced Dom Casual in the mornings.[9] Reunited, Jackson and Allred resumed calling their show "Radio From Hell."[10]

On May 20, 1996, Gina Barberi joined the program. Barberi had been hosting a morning show on KUTQ called "Woody and Barberi" with co-host Scott Woodmansee; she had been working as a mid-day DJ at KUTQ before moving to this position.[11][12] Additionally, Gina had worked at KJQ in the late 1980s when she was 19 and still a student at the University of Utah.[13]

[edit] Basic Format

Radio From Hell (RFH) begins each morning at 5:00 A.M. Mountain Time. Between 5:00 A.M. and 6:00 A.M, the show consists of the 9:00 A.M - 10:00 A.M. segment of the previous show, interwoven with sound clips from various movies and television series. The live show runs from 6:00 A.M. and ends near 10:00 A.M.

The hosts regularly relate humorous anecdotes about their families, friends, jobs, pets, eating habits, shopping trips, vacations and other experiences. The show incorporates several regular features and guests noted below

Radio From Hell's hosts, especially Jackson and Allred, are known for being socially and politically liberal. They frequently discuss the LDS Church, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, Utah state liquor laws and many other idiosyncrasies of Utah life and culture.

Listeners are called "friends of the program;" every Wednesday, a "best friend of the program" is invited to be in the studio during the show where they are fed breakfast from the Judge Cafe.

[edit] Mission statement

The show's mission statement is occasionally played before the show begins. Allred reads the announcement, with music in the background.

"It is our mission to embrace the idea that our show shall always strive to belittle the stupid and to play an occasional song. We shall also strive to take all of your requests, but to never, under any circumstances, play those requests. It is our mission to offend as many people as we can in the shortest time possible. We shall always remember that no matter how pointless and stupid the things we say are, we shall present them in such a way that they will be lessons that will last a lifetime. We shall strive always to do nothing and to be mean. We shall strive mightily to always be the number one morning show in Salt Lake or, if not that, the number two morning show or, at least somewhere in the top 15 or 20 morning shows. At least once a year we shall go to someone's home and we shall eat really good food and we'll make you wish that you could be there to share it with us. And finally, it is our mission to always remind the listeners that we never lie, and we're always right. So let it be written. So let it be done."

[edit] Hosts

[edit] Kerry Jackson

Kerry Jack Jackson grew up in Salem, Utah. He currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his Korean-American wife, Sue. Jackson often references and discusses his love for geek culture including video games, comic books (Marvel Comics, not DC Comics), and science-fiction movies and television series such as Star Trek and Star Wars. One of his favorite video games is the Lego Star Wars series. His large toy collection consists of Batman, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Marvel Comics action figures[1]. Kerry regularly plays audio clips from the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup including Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Sealab 2021, Squidbillies, and Saul of the Mole Men.

Jackson often recounts his adventurous weekend experiences (usually involving his fondness for mixed drinks), offers humorous pickup lines, and occasionally performs impressions of celebrities including Larry Flynt, Roy Horn, Lou Ferrigno, and Owen Wilson. Kerry has claimed that he has an innate talent for recreating the voices of handicapped celebrities. Kerry also does the voice of the character, "Frank Chryst", a celebrity-reporter who is perpetually grieving over the "horrible, terrible tragedy" of a recently publicized celebrity death.

Jackson also has been candid and jocular about his suffering from possibly a combination of personality disorders, such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, depression and Social Anxiety. He says he lies in bed and hears songs or phrases repeat themselves over and over. Mostly these intrusive and repetitive thoughts are Warner Bros. themed. Also, in early 2007, Bill was allowed to read an email from a listener that had seen Jackson shopping, who was noticeably irate and wrathful, due to being surrounded by too many people.

Jackson had a bit part in the film The Singles Ward, but has disavowed his role in the film because he felt it was simply not funny. Despite his best efforts, however, he has been offered a part in a proposed sequel. [2]

Jackson is also responsible for recording, selecting and playing the majority of the sound clips on the show; Allred has described Jackson as the Don Letts of Radio From Hell (referencing Lett's role in rock group Big Audio Dynamite).

Kerry attempted to participate in The World Series of Pop Culture. After traveling to California, his team, "Shatner's Midnight Runners" passed the written exam and were allowed to audition for the producers. The were ultimately cut from the contest and sent home with a calendar for their trouble.

[edit] Bill Allred

A native of Ogden, Utah, Allred was actually born Ralph William Allred. He attended Ben Lomond High School, then graduated from the theater program at Weber State University, and did some graduate work at Penn State University. According to Allred, while at Penn State he was attacked by squirrels and, therefore, no longer cares for the small animals. Bill fell into radio work by accident, starting with an overnight shift. Allred tends to be the most intellectual of the three hosts, reading such magazines as The Economist, and frequently referring to "tuna salad" as "salad niçoise". He also enjoys biking, camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities.

He currently lives in downtown Salt Lake City with his wife, "Mrs. Bill", his son "Little Bill", his daughter "Little Mrs. Bill", and his two cats, G. Gordon Liddy and Rush Limbaugh. Bill is a fan of movies, having gone so far as to say that he would like to be able to see every movie that is released, even the really bad movies. Some of Bill's stories relate to raising his live-in family as well as a family from a previous marriage who still live in Ogden. He is often trying to discover educational outings for his intellectually curious son "Little Bill". One such trip led to a children's library and a tour of a giant colon model. [3]

Bill regularly performs different voices and impressions during his reading of the news. The most popular include his German, Swedish, and Namibian accents. Also popular is his Strom Thurmond-like impression of Utah Legislator Chris Buttars and his bloviating reproduction of U.S. Congressman Chris Cannon. In the past Bill frequently appeared as William Shatner in order to wish friends of the program a "Happy Birthday", though appearance of this feature has become rare in recent years. In 2007, Bill performed the voice of Senator Larry Craig, the infamous Senator caught by police in a Minneapolis Airport bathroom stall for sex solicitation.

Bill has experienced a couple of brushes with fame and fortune. Bill can be seen as one of the extras in the Robert Altman movie, Nashville. According to Bill, he is in a crowd scene and is distinguishable by his Budweiser shirt and sunglasses.

Bill also saw Geri Jewell perform her stand-up comedy routine in Ogden, Utah and was later able to have drinks with her.

Bill recently won the "Define-a-thon" hosted by KCPW and American Heritage Dictionary, confirming the fact that he wears the smartie pants and succeeding in his goal to beat Kurt Bestor. The first thing Bill did with his new dictionary is look up the F-word, which has 7 variations.

[edit] Gina Barberi

Gina Marie Barberi grew up in Roy, Utah, the daughter of famed Utah radio show host Tom Barberi and her frequent foil of a mother, "The Sainted Mary Claire." She was re-married in February 2005 to "Joe Jones." Barberi has three children, "Festus" (a son from her first marriage to "the Pirate"), "Jonesie", and "Mohamed." These names are of course pseudonyms for the childrens real names. Gina frequently expresses her fondness for celebrity news, gossip and rumor. To that end, she receives a Cosmo subscription for each Christmas from Allred. However, in May 2007, she stated that she had "seen and read" all the magazine had to offer and no longer desired the subscription. A good deal of Gina's personal life has been made public on the air, such as her experiments with thong underwear, her breast enlargement surgery, her 800 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, her Hawaiian-based wedding, and her elementary school aged son's penchant for hard rockers AC/DC. She is a fanatically picky eater, refusing to eat such common staples as cheese, tomatoes, honey, or seafood due to her dislike of their texture. When ordering a hamburger from either the Crown Burgers or Training Table restaurants, she insists on only having meat and bread. No lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, or condiments. Her husband "Joe" has attempted, largely unsuccessfully, to broaden Gina's culinary horizons.[14] Although, recently, they enacted a rule at the Jones household that there would be no special meals (not in Gina's case of course), but they're hoping to correct Festus and prevent Jonesie from being picky eaters.

Gina possesses several phobias, including wind chimes, shower curtains, sculptures depicting children, mountain lions, and the wind. (The first two have been explained by Gina's childhood exposure to horror movies.) In order to avoid being assaulted, Gina says she pretends to talk on the phone while walking through a parking lot, and if Joe is not home she will keep her cellular phone under her pillow, and turns on the TV (which cannot be visible from any window or someone might want to steal it) so it sounds as if people are talking if she is home alone.

Though Jackson and Allred will admit to occasionally exaggerating their own traits and behaviors for comedic effect, they insist that Barberi does not do so; her radio persona is not an act.

[edit] Richie T.

Richard Thomas Steadman is the Radio From Hell show "fresh-faced Mormon Sr. Executive producer and Grassroots Outreach Coordinator." He is not a host, but does appear sporadically on the show with anecdotes of his own. He began as an intern, eventually becoming a paid employee. Richie is a graduate of Southern Utah University, and was a DJ on the radio station there. He also participated in the SUU show choir Acclamation.

Richie recently moved out of his parents house into an apartment in the Avenues where he resides with current RFH intern Damon, his sister-in-law's little brother, a stolen mattress he purchased from a man in a parking lot, and the sounds of the sex from one of his many ex-girlfriends and her new husband coming from the apartment directly below them.

Richie also participates in many of the productions put on by the Desert Star Dinner Theater as an actor, director, and writer of their spoofs on popular culture.

Richie is currently dating a much better person than he, Booster, who is a student at the University of Utah. There has recently been much discussion of proposals and weddings, although nothing specific has happened.

He's just a "fresh-faced" Mormon trying to make it in the world.

[edit] Recurring Features

[edit] Big Boy News and Opinnuendo

Allred reads the newspaper because he claims that 90% of the listeners won't. He reads news stories from The Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret Morning News, USA Today, and various internet sites. The word, "opinnuendo" is a portmanteau of "opinion" and "innuendo", coined in 2004 due to complaints about the hosts' editorializing. Recently a voice mail only line was introduced as the drunk dial line. After many, many a drunks called in, including Kerry while visiting San Francisco for the weekend, it was changed to the "opinnuendo" line. Even after the change, drunks still called in and left messages, RFH then encouraged non-drunks to call in as well.

[edit] Punk's Movie Reviews and Junk Food Update

On alternating Tuesdays a character named "Punk" calls into the show to review B-Movies, mostly of the horror genre. Titles have included the elevator based The Shaft, the medieval Barbarian, the animated Li'l Pimp, and the futuristic Dream Warrior.

Punk gives a summary of the cast list and plot, and then plays a very poor recording of a scene from the movie. Punk rates the movies on a scale of 1 to 4 Prozac pills as well as a handful of supplemental medication like Wellbutrin or Claritin. Punk then recommends junk food to consume while watching the movie, such as flapjacks and syrup, RC Cola, Star Wars breakfast cereal, Ring Pops, candy necklaces, or a Zagnut Bar.

[edit] Our Son Kyle

Alternating Tuesdays with Punk, the character of Kyle Brown calls in. Kyle's background and misadventures are almost entirely fictional.

According to the show, Kyle is a little albino boy trying to make it in the big-wide world. His call-ins were originally introduced by playing The Mary Tyler Moore Show theme song and an explanation that Kyle is the son of either Kerry or Bill. Both of them knew, and were apparently intimate, with Kyle's mother. No DNA test has ever been performed at the request of Kerry and Bill as the potential fathers would prefer to keep the hope that they are not his father. Kerry and Bill are required by the state to contact their "son" on a semi-monthly basis.

Kyle frequently starts new businesses in an attempt to better himself. Examples include Kyle's Home Botox Injections, Kyle's Carpet Munchers Carpet Cleaning, Kyle's Haunted Tomato Patch, Meaty-O's Cereal (dog food), and once a bow and arrow company in which the slogan was we'll send a quiver down your spine. Kyle has also attempted to imitate the magician David Blaine by locking himself in a cardboard box on the corner of State and Main in Salt Lake City, across from the Hardee's fast food restaurant. The "corner of State and Main" is a frequent location for Kyle's antics, though in fact State Street and Main Street run parallel and never intersect. Kyle moves from home to home, sometimes living with Kerry, or Bill, but most frequently, with Gina. Gina is usually unaware that Kyle is lurking in her home until he informs her during his call.

Kyle is also an ardent defender of Britney Spears.

[edit] Boner of the Day

Look up boner in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Arguably the most popular feature on the show, "Boner of the Day" (formerly "Boners in the News") is referred to as the "feature that won't go away." The term boner is now used to mean "a mistake", though the feature originally was called the "morning boner", and featured more sexual innuendo.

The feature presents three current event articles that display "bad, stupid, or funny behavior". Bill re-titles and reads the three articles. After all three candidates are read, listeners to the program can call or e-mail in their votes. The story which receives the most votes is crowned "Boner of the Day." A local resident and entrepreneur, Dave "The Flower Guy" Matson enters the studio on Friday, towards the end of the show, to choose one of the daily winners as "Boner of the Week."[2] In 2006 an attempt has been made to crown "Boner of the Month", "Boner of the Quarter", and "Boner of the Year" using online web polls. The hosts are not confident that these additional "Boners" will be presented in future years.

[edit] The List of Things That Must Go

Every other Wednesday, Radio From Hell presents "Things That Must Go". Each host then presents a list of pet peeves. The list has included Dr. Phil, The Buggles, "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep", The Orlando Jones Show, Rachael Ray, fake British accents, and public bathroom stalls without a hook on the door.

Alternating with the hosts' irritations is the "Listeners' List of Things That Must Go", for which listeners are encouraged to send in e-mails detailing the things they feel "must go".

[edit] The X-Poll

The X-Poll is an untallied and unscientific poll of the show's listeners. The hosts ask a question and listeners are allowed to call in or e-mail their answers to the poll question. Past polls have included, "Have you ever been in a natural disaster?", "What is guaranteed to make you cry?", "Is there anyone you trust 100% of the time?", "What would you take if you had to evacuate your home in 20 minutes?", and "What's your biggest case of buyer's remorse?" One X-Poll, in an attempt to resolve two e-mail messages, one critical, and one supportive regarding the shows content, asked listeners "What the hell do you want?!"

[edit] Margaret Ruth

Friday mornings include a visit from the local psychic Margaret Ruth, who also teaches occasional classes on tarot card reading at the University of Utah.[2]

Ostensibly, callers to the Radio From Hell show can ask Margaret Ruth a love-related question, to which she will apply her psychic advice and tarot reading. In reality, however, the segment consists primarily of the three hosts and Ruth belittling the caller in a polite manner referred to as "The Painful Circle". Lesbian or gay friends of the program are usually elevated to the front of calling line as their calls are more intriguing to Kerry.

Margaret Ruth's segment is always introduced with a clip from The Scary Door, a fictional TV show enjoyed by the characters of the TV series Futurama. The segment has frequently uses sound clips from the Disneyland attraction Haunted Mansion, which is one of Little Bill's favorite park attractions.

[edit] Jeff Vice's Movie Reviews

Jeff Vice is one of the movie reviewers from The Deseret Morning News. On Thursday mornings he visits the studio and presents his reviews of the current movies, more formal versions of which are then available in the paper and online the next day. Jeff will often give alternative ratings and reviews for geeks, i.e., giving Spider-Man 2 3 1/2 stars in the paper and 4 stars for geeks.

[edit] Bill Frost

Bill Frost is the TV columnist for the Salt Lake City Weekly newspaper. Monday mornings he enters the studio and informs the hosts and listeners of all the TV shows that are starting, ending, or doing something special.

[edit] Neglected News, aka Celebutard News

The neglected news consists primarily of celebrity-related news which Gina refers to as "THE NEWS". As of October 2007, Jackson has referred to this segment as the "Celebutard News." Bill, confessing frequently that he despises this feature, reads the news and intentionally mauls the names of celebrities into often unrecognizable forms. For example, Jennifer Aniston becomes "Jamima Amadon", Brad Pitt becomes "Brill Pim,", Oprah Winfrey becomes "Orpha Whimpy", or "Orca Whimpy", and Justin Timberlake becomes Jumpin Tamberman. Bill is also well known for pronouncing words phonetically which adds extra spark to his reading the otherwise boring news.

[edit] Billy Dee Williams trivia

Beginning in February 2007, Kerry Jackson began asking trivia questions about Billy Dee Williams in order to give away prizes. After only a week and a half, Jackson began asking questions tangential to Williams and his roles in films, due to the limited knowledge of most Radio From Hell listeners outside of William's roles as Lando Calrissian and spokesman for Colt 45.

Some listeners complained because they felt questions about the actor were only being asked as a form of affirmative action because of Black History Month, so, either to spite these listeners or to prove them wrong, the segment continues to the present day. However, now “Billy Dee Williams” “provides” the trivia questions to the hosts (because he is a huge fan of the show), usually via E-mail or text message, prefaced by a sound clip from Billy Dee Williams’ guest appearance on Scrubs saying “Don’t mess this up, man—Be smooth.”

[edit] Geek Show

Every few months, Kerry takes over a 30 minute to hourlong segment of Radio From Hell to host his own "Geek Show." This is usually done when Bill and/or Gina have other engagements, or will be out of town. The show features regulars like Jeff Vice, Bill Frost, Punk, and other local Geek Friends of the Program. They speak about all things geek: comics, movies, TV, toys, role-playing games, video games, etc. Other more famous guests have included local comic book authors and artists such as Mike Allred. Kerry and co. recently welcomed several attendees from a sci-fi convention being held locally. Their guests included David Prowse of Star Wars fame, and Garrett Wang and Chase Masterson from Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, respectively. The geeks were particularly excited to interview Chase and listen to music from her CD, "Thrill of the Chase."

[edit] Chainsaw Guy

Each October, usually close to Halloween, Bill Allred portrays the character of "Chainsaw Guy", the guy with the chainsaw and hockey mask at the end of a typical spook alley. Kerry introduces Chainsaw Guy and illuminates the audience as to Chainsaw Guy's credentials as a couple's counselor and sex therapist. Listeners are then invited to call in and ask Chainsaw Guy for advice. Chainsaw guy, who never removes his mask, and consistently carries his chainsaw with him, then proceeds to give advice to the listener. The advice can be somewhat hard to understand due to the mask and the gas-powered tree-trimming implement. When Chainsaw Guy began his career, all he could afford was an Eager Beaver. This saw was replaced by a larger and more powerful Husqvarna, which has since been upgraded to a Pullen. This is one of Gina's favorite segments of the year.

[edit] Discontinued Segments

In past years, a prominent portion of the Radio From Hell broadcast included radio skits. "Space Elders" was a series about two Mormon missionaries, Butch and Lehi, on a proselyting mission in outer space.[15] The duo would preach the gospel to aliens attempting to convert them to the LDS way of life. Often there would be cameos by Star Wars characters, or other science fiction persona. "The X96 Files" was a parody of The X-Files, with Agent Muldy, played by Kerry, and Agent Sculler, played by Gina. The partners would investigate the paranormal activities, often focused on Utah landmarks. These sketches were written by a now severed "friend of the program" whose given nomenclature on the show was changed after a falling out with the morning radio hosts.

Sir LeGrand Olivier, Utah's most accomplished thespian, and Conway Skinner, Utah's Cowboy poet laureate, were other characters performed by Bill Allred who would drop by the show in prerecorded spots. Olivier would perform a dramatic reading, usually of something non-dramatic in nature, such as the lyrics to "¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?" Conway Skinner would perform original cowboy poetry, often about something Utah-centric. One of his final poems was "Eatin' Pud", an ode to a pet turkey named Pud who was eaten at Thanksgiving. Presumably he was so shaken by this experience that he never returned with another poem. He would always sign off with "I'm Conway Skinner."

Past syndicated features included The Chuck Heston Mini Disaster Movie, which parodied Charlton Heston films, Mr. Manly, and Dingo Boy. and the Tom Brokow News Update, which parodied news shows.

[edit] Mario Morales' Spanish Language Lesson

Salt Lake business owner Mario Morales frequently visited the show with a Spanish lesson. He gave two sentences in Spanish, allowing each DJ to repeat the sentence in turn. He then gives the English translation of the often humorous sentences. Occasionally prizes are given to listeners who can accurately translate a given sentence. He had a tendency for being late every time he's on. When asked by a listener about the Spanish Lesson being discontinued, Bill Allred said we'd have to ask Mario Morales why he stopped doing it and attributed it to Morales being so busy with his work.

[edit] Political Interviews

Previous to the October 13, 2006 episode, Radio From Hell often interviewed politicians who came on the show unannounced. Radio From Hell promised to interview any politician as long as they did not interrupt the Boners, and arrived without a set appointment. Interviewees included Republicans, Democrats, Independents, school board candidates, city council candidates, state representatives, US representatives, and many others.

On the October 12, 2006 show, while broadcasting on location from St. George, Utah, Radio From Hell invited both Senator Orrin Hatch and his opponent, Pete Ashdown to appear on the show. Both Ashdown and Hatch were in St. George on that day for a debate. Mr. Ashdown made an appearance, Senator Hatch did not. Simmon's Media management called during the show, after Mr. Ashdown left, and indicated that politicians would no longer be allowed on the show.[16]

[edit] Notable Friends Of The Program

Listeners of the Radio From Hell show are referred to as "Friends of the Program". Sometimes this is further categorized as "Gay Friends of the Program", "Incarcerated Friends of the Program", and so forth. There are a few Friends of the Program who have become more than just listeners.

[edit] Atropos

'Atropos' is a friend of the program, as opposed to an employee of the radio station. He wishes to keep his anonymity as he fears his career could be negatively affected by his participation. He lives in Utah County, a notoriously conservative area of the country. After listening to as much of the show as he is able, he authors the show notes and posts them to the LiveJournal page. According to the show, 'Atropos' works at a landfill and listens to the show as he scares away seagulls. The show notes can be found at http://radiofromhell.livejournal.com/

[edit] Nancy Grace

'Nancy Grace' is the moniker used on Radio From Hell by noted Salt Lake City defense attorney Edward K. Brass. He frequently calls into the show to provide humorous one-liner comments about the current topic, such as, "I thought Julia Roberts was playing Seabiscuit?". 'Nancy', with a healthy dose of satire, claims to be married to 'Ann Coulter.'

[edit] Radio From Hell: Songs From The Big Chair

In December 2006, Radio From Hell produced their first "Best of..." CD entitled, "Radio From Hell: Songs From The Big Chair". The title was an homage to a Tears for Fears album, as well as referencing the big chair found in the cover photograph. The chair in question is a semi-famous Beaver, Utah landmark. The CD contained segments suggested by Radio From Hell listeners, and ultimately selected by Richie T.

The CD was part of Radio From Hell's yearly fund-raiser for The Road Home, a non-profit organization which helps the homeless. The CD was sold for $10 each.

[edit] Track listing

1. The Stork Has Arrived

  • The announcement, by Gina's sister, Mikelle, of 'Jonesie's' birth.

2. Y'OK Bill?

  • Bill having a bad day and interacting with Kerry's numerous recordings of the name, "Bill".

3. Homework

4. Chainsaw Guy

  • The October 2006 episode of Chainsaw Guy.

5. Tips For Kids

  • Kerry's tongue-in-cheek attempt at advice for children.

6. 16 Things When Dating Richy T

  • A letter from one of Richie's former girlfriends.

7. Broken Time

  • Radio From Hell receives a timer to remind them to say their names.

8. The 4/20 Show

  • On April 20, 2006, Radio From Hell stayed on the air for 13 hours. This is an excerpt of the explanation.

9. Something to Cry About

  • Kyle presents one of his many business plans.

10. Pie Dumped

  • Richie T. forgets the equipment for a remote broadcast.

11. Frisbee Inventor

  • Radio From Hell interviews Frisbee inventor Walter Morrison.

12. 18 Fingers of Death

  • Punk reviews the movie '18 Fingers of Death.'

13. Sample That

  • Bill tastes different dog-food in order to determine if they actually have different flavors.

14. Drinky McWeather

  • Gina relates the experience of getting drunk in California with Kerry.

15. 9/11 Letter

[edit] 9/11 Letter

On the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Radio From Hell was not sure how to commemorate the event, as they are, in general, a comedy program. Radio From Hell decided to throw a big birthday party for those people who had birthdays on, or around, the attacks. Listeners also requested a re-reading of a letter from listener, "Don", who authored an e-mail to the show on September 12, 2001.

[edit] Controversy

Radio From Hell has occasionally stirred up controversy with their, generally speaking, pro-gay rights, pro-gun, pro-death penalty, pro-adult-living, anti-Iraq-war, and anti-authoritarian viewpoints.

One of the more publicized incidents involved a 2004 billboard advertising campaign. The original billboards featured the likeness of a typical, small-town Christian church in front of a rainbow. The caption read "Alternative Lifestyle? 'Til Death Do Us Part." During an election season in which Utah voters were ultimately faced with the question of passing an anti-gay marriage amendment, the billboards caused a great deal of discussion, argument, and even vandalism.[17] The billboards did advertise a URL, but that site only duplicated the billboard's image and announced that additional information would be "coming soon." There were no indications that X96 or Radio From Hell were responsible for the campaign. After a certain period of time, the billboards were replaced by somewhat similar looking billboards that replaced the graphic of the church with a graphic featuring Bill in a wedding dress, Kerry in a tuxedo, and Gina in Catholic Priest garb with an advertisement for the show and radio station. The "Alternative Lifestyle" referred to was the station's alternative music playlist.

[edit] “Thanks for letting me listen”

Radio From Hell began asking their callers to thank Kerry, Bill, and Gina for letting them listen in Spring 2007. It was instituted for a number of reasons, including wanting to replace callers asking them “How are you?” at the beginning of every call and to mock people like Sean Hannity, whose listeners tell him “You’re a Great American.” They have repeatedly stated that the statement is meant to be ironic but many listeners have called or written to complain over the arrogance of the statement.

[edit] Awards

Radio From Hell has won the Salt Lake City Weekly's reader's-choice award for Best Radio Show at least seven years in a row (2002,[18] 2003,[19] 2004,[20] 2005.[21] 2006,[22] 2007[23] and 2008) [24].

Radio From Hell is the longest running radio morning show in the Salt Lake City, Utah area.[2]

Radio From Hell is the highest rated radio show by 18-34 year olds in the Salt Lake City market, according to Arbitron's Summer 2006 report.[2]

In its 2006 summer double issue, Rolling Stone named KXRK (Radio From Hell's host station) as one of the top five rock stations in the country.[1]

[edit] Humor from the Show

The following section includes humor, jokes and satire paraphrased from content on the show.

Kerry is said to often spend his weekend time in the company of numerous friends while enjoying "girlie" adult beverages, specifically on "Wino Friday."

Kerry is said to have recently purchased a cardboard son, naming him "Optimus Prime" after the Transformers character of the same name. Bill often warns Kerry of the dangers of water and its effects on the paper-product boy.

Up until recently, Kerry's official bio on the RFH web page was actually the fictional biography of Captain James T. Kirk.

Kerry is said to live by the aphorism "WWCKD?" (What Would Captain Kirk Do?)[4]

Bill dislikes the broadcasts of Sean Hannity, so much so that, as of September 29, 2005, he has vowed never to mention his name on the radio again. That vow has been broken in outrage on a number of occasions, but, thusly, Hannity is often referred to on air as "He Who Must Not Be Named", a reference to the villain Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series of books and films.

Bill became known as "the defender of the patty melt", due to his love for the sandwich, particularly one from The Training Table, a small, locally owned chain. Because of this, Radio From Hell often plays a clip from Dead Like Me in which Mandy Patinkin berates a customer for not knowing the difference between a patty melt and a grilled cheese. He has also referred to himself as "Slain Polygamist Leader Bill Allred", referring to noted (and assassinated) Utah polygamist leader Rulon C. Allred.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Serpick, Evan (2006), "Rock Radio's Last Stand", Rolling Stone 1 (1004 and 1005): 20; secondary coverage at Fagg, Ellen. "HELL Everlasting", The Salt Lake Tribune, 2006-10-26. ; see also Arave, Lynn. "'X96' ranked one of U.S.'s best", Deseret Morning News, 2006-08-04. 
  2. ^ a b c d e Fagg, Ellen. "HELL Everlasting", The Salt Lake Tribune, 2006-10-26. 
  3. ^ Buttars, Lori. "20 KJQ radio workers sign off over programming dispute", Salt Lake Tribune, 1991-12-19. 
  4. ^ Ross, Sean. "Docket '92: Everything Else Is Just A Light? More Fights From Philly, Salt Lake City", Billboard, 1992-05-09, p. 85. 
  5. ^ Gilreath, Scott. "Airwaves", Salt Lake Tribune, 1992-02-14, p. D7. ; other ex-KJQ DJs included Andrea Gappmayer (mid-day), Mike Summers (afternoon), Todd Nuke'em (evening), and Chet Tapp (overnight).
  6. ^ Arave, Lynn. "Disc jockey finds his way back home to KJQ", Deseret Morning News, 2003-07-25. 
  7. ^ Schmidt, Terry. "Airwaves", Salt Lake Tribune, 1992-02-28. 
  8. ^ Buttars, Lori. "Radio station fires duo that sparked employee walkout", Salt Lake Tribune, 1992-05-22, p. C3. 
  9. ^ Stark, Phillis. "Fired WQED Marketing Exec Files Suit; Pyramid To Add Stations with Equity $", Billboard, 1993-10-23, p. 115.  Dom Casual left for the Augusta, Georgia market, but would return to the Salt Lake market to play a role in the founding of KENZ and as program director for the new (Simmons Media Group) KJQN.
  10. ^ Arave, Lynn. "Popular X-96 DJs do what they like best: have fun", Deseret Morning News, 2002-07-05. 
  11. ^ Arave, Lynn. "'Freak Show' Returns on New Frequency", Deseret Morning News, 1996-05-24.  KUTQ changed to KURR "Rock 99" later that year, and is now KJMY.
  12. ^ Arave, Lynn. "Dad, Daughter 'Face Off' on S.L. Airwaves", Deseret Morning News, 1996-02-03. 
  13. ^ Buttars, Lori. "A Pair of Barberis Now Share Morning Airwaves Radio Shows Become Family Tradition", Salt Lake Tribune, 1996-02-09. 
  14. ^ Radio From Hell Blog - November 17, 2006
  15. ^ See for example Arave, Lynn. "Finally, it's true: KXRK is being sold", Deseret News, 1998-01-30. , where the Space Elders are described meeting the crew of Star Trek: Voyager
  16. ^ Radio From Hell Blog - RFH - 2006-10-12
  17. ^ Warner, Laura. "Billboard sets all straight", Deseret Morning News, 2004-04-27. 
  18. ^ "Best of Utah 2002", Salt Lake City Weekly, 2002-04-18. 
  19. ^ "Best of Utah 2003", Salt Lake City Weekly, 2003-04-03. 
  20. ^ "It Came From Planet Zion", Salt Lake City Weekly, 2004-04-01. 
  21. ^ "Best of Utah 2005", Salt Lake City Weekly, 2005. 
  22. ^ "Best of Utah 2006", Salt Lake City Weekly, 2006. 
  23. ^ "Best of Utah 2007", Salt Lake City Weekly, 2007-04-05. 
  24. ^ "Best of Utah 2008", Salt Lake City Weekly, 2008-04-03. 

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