| Bob and The Showgram | |
|---|---|
| Format | Hot Talk |
| Created by | Bob Dumas |
| Starring | Bob Dumas, Mike Morse, and Erica Delong |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Production | |
| Running time | 4 hours |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | WDCG |
| Original run | 1992 – Present |
Bob and the Showgram is a morning radio show based at WDCG-FM in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina that airs from 6 am to 10 am weekdays. The current cast consists of radio personalities Host Bob Dumas, Executive Producer Mike Morse, and Co-Host Erica Delong.
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Bob and the Showgram is aired on G105 in Raleigh, NC. From August 2009 until June 2010, Bob and the Showgram were syndicated to WDCG's sister station in Greensboro, NC, 105.7 Now, the show was dropped in the Greensboro market due to low overall ratings. The show is a production of the Clear Channel Communications Corporation. The broadcast studio is located in Smoketree Tower in Raleigh, NC.
New episodes of the show are typically aired between 6 am and 10 am on Monday through Friday with a "Best of" from the previous week on Saturday in the same time slot. In addition, between 5am and 6am each day is a "Best of" block from the previous day. There is also a free podcast available called "Bob and the Showgram On-Demand" on the iTunes Music Store and on the show's website. The Showgram Channel can also be found on the IHeart Radio App that will replay day-of shows and "Best of".
Dumas, Morse, and former co-producer Jon Clark were co-hosts of a Thursday night country-music themed show on WDCG's sister station 106.1 RDUCountry from August 2008-October 2009. Dumas ended this show because of conflicts with his morning show. Soon after Dumas resigned from this show, Clear Channel, owners of WRDU, announced their intentions to change the format of the station from country to a news/talk format to compete with Curtis Media Group powerhouse WPTF. This change took effect January 1, 2010
Mike Stiles was the original co-host with Bob Dumas. At the time, the show was called "The Bob and Mike Show." In the mid nineties Mike was replaced with Madison Lane. The show was renamed "The Showgram with Bob and Madison." Madison then left G105 in 2004 for another Raleigh/Clear Channel station, WRSN-FM Sunny 93.9. She reportedly left over creative differences with Bob Dumas. Mike Morse, Amy Bristle, Kristin Klingshirn (aka "Kentucky Kristin"), and Erica DeLong have been all been cohosts since that time.
The show also features a number of broadcast interns who have come and gone over the course of the production. In 1999 Mark Kaye was the producer alongside John "Big Flash" Hartnett. Mark Kaye is now morning-drive host at WAPE in Jacksonville, Florida. During the following year the Showgram was known for numerous stunts and on air gimmicks which led them to being the #1 consecutive morning show in the Raleigh market. Kaye left to host a morning show in Washington D.C. and "Big Flash" was let go due to creative changes. Tommy Owen (the original Flash) replaced Kaye after taking a hiatus from the show. After 2 years on the show he left the Showgram to follow a new career path. In 2001, Erica DeLong known on-air as "Erica the Intern" joined the crew, shortly after she was hired as an on-air producer. She was later laid off by the station because of the Early 2000s recession. In early 2006 there was an on-air competition to find a new intern after "Intern Ben" returned to his native Canada. One of the more high-profile interns was referred to as "Racist Rodney" for his typical "that's racist!" reaction to statements made on the show, particularly those made by Dumas. During the middle of 2006, another intern, "Fried Rice," joined the show. He was known for believing that he was a member of the African-American race. Racist Rodney, along with several other African-American members of the show's audience, accepted Fried Rice's self-description as an African-American. Racist Rodney and Fried Rice were best known for sticking together and speaking out for the African-American community, because they were occasionally subjected to racist comments from host Bob Dumas. In January 2007, interns Racist Rodney and Fried Rice left the show in hopes of beginning a career in the hip-hop industry. The summer of 2011 saw the development of popular interns "Peanut Butter" and "Jelly". Peanut Butter was also a semi-finalist in the search for a new co-host that same summer.
On July 21, 2011, it was announced on-air that Kentucky Kristin would be departing the show to take a broadcast position in Atlanta that actually paid a reasonable salary. The other hosts simultaneously announced the beginning of a search for a new female member of the broadcast team. In August the listeners decided to bring back Erica DeLong as the new female Co-host.
On September 19, 2011, it was announced that Jon Clark was no longer part of the Showgram for undisclosed reasons. Bob Dumas stated that it was "part of the business" and not a Showgram thing. Bob has said he will not comment about the incident any further. Fans created a Facebook page to "Bring Back Weird Creepy Jon", but to no avail. Brooke "Peanut Butter" Hoover has since taken over the role that Jon Clark held on the show as producer.
"Bob and the Showgram" has a history of controversial broadcasts and subsequent disciplinary actions. Bob Dumas is a self-proclaimed "narcissistic redneck" and often makes statements which take on an inflammatory note against non-Christians and Harry Potter fans.
On September 22 and 23 of 2003, Dumas encouraged listeners to call in and relate stories about how they terrorized bicyclists. In the course of that show, he said that he kept empty bottles in his vehicle so that he could throw them at cyclists. [1] These statements caused protests from the local community [2], who successfully lobbied for an official resolution that the capital of the state was friendly to bicyclists[3] and convinced some local businesses to pull their advertising. Bob was suspended for two days and station management aired an apology.[4] Eventually a compromise was reached between the community and station management.[5]
Bob Dumas and previous host Amy Bristle were suspended from the station after causing national controversy by making offensive statements, characterized by some as racist, about the 2004 winner of American Idol, Fantasia, of High Point, such as calling her "ghetto".
Dumas also asked if the groom's grandfather would stand on the side of the road with "a single tear," a reference to the well known 1971 "Crying Indian" TV and print ads which were part of a Keep America Beautiful ad campaign. Also, co-host Mike Morse asked, "After you guys get married, are you going to have a teepee-warming party?" [6]
On April 9, 2008 the cast was suspended and the show was temporarily replaced by music. The show returned on April 14, 2008.
On April 2, 2008, just one day removed from the Native American flap, Bob Dumas criticized the Mexican Consulate in Raleigh over the issue of illegal immigration. An assistant producer, Jon Clark, went to the consulate. The initial plan was for him to be posing as an INS agent seeking documentation of citizenship for those who were there that day; however, they then decided to play "What are YOU doing at the Mexican Consulate?"[7]
On July 27, 2011 Bob was taken off the air after threatening to publicly humiliate Capital Broadcasting CEO Jim Goodmon and instructed him to stop blocking interviews from his station and particularly his 14 year old daughter, who was scheduled to interview American Idol winner Scotty McCreery that same day.
In November 2007, the Showgram raised over USD $280,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina. Celebrity spokespersons Ashlee Simpson and Lifehouse guitarist Jason Wade, along with the families of children with life-threatening diseases and the entire Eastern North Carolina community were also involved in this. The show also raised $280,000 for this charity in 2007. Overall, Pennies From Heaven has raised well over $2,000,000 dollars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
In 2009, Bob and the Showgram raised over $115,000 for the pediatric brain tumor foundation through donations collected through a 12-hour long marathon and an auction. In 2010, Bob and the Showgram raised nearly $200,000 for the PBTF.