| Other names | TRG |
|---|---|
| Running time | 240 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English |
| Home station | WNNX |
| Syndicates | WROK |
| Starring | Larry Wachs Eric Von Haessler Steve Rickman Tim Andrews |
| Creators | Larry Wachs Eric Von Haessler |
| Producers | Mark Owens (assistant) |
| Exec. producers | Tim Andrews |
| Recording studio | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Air dates | since 1995-1997 (Los Angeles) 1998-2004 2005-2006 2008-present (Atlanta) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Opening theme | "Wake Up to the Regular Guys" |
| Ending theme | "Wake Up to the Regular Guys" |
| Website | http://www.regularguys.com/ |
| Podcast | Yes |
The Regular Guys is a radio morning show based out of Atlanta, Georgia airing on rock station Rock 100.5 featuring Larry Wachs, Eric Von Haessler, "Southside" Steve Rickman and Tim "Action Plan" Andrews. The show's primary demographic target is men aged 25 to 49. The show also has Mark Owens as board operator and assistant producer.
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Wachs and Von Haessler met in the late 1980s while doing radio in various capacities in New York. They later sent demos of what work they did together to various markets, ultimately landing interest in Los Angeles. The show originated in its current form in 1995 on the Los Angeles station KLSX 97.1 FM. However, Wachs and Von Haessler were later fired from KLSX in 1997 after a hilarious on-air meltdown over station management interference with the show, which the station's management failed to see as a bit.[1]
In 1998, Wachs and Von Haessler resumed the show on Clear Channel owned Atlanta station WKLS, which was branded as 96 Rock at the time until just after their second firing in 2006. The new incarnation of the show was voted "Most Likely to Be Fined by the FCC" in a Creative Loafing Atlanta survey. However, Wachs and Von Haessler have never been fined by the FCC, in spite of their two firings from Clear Channel.
Wachs and Von Haessler were first fired from WKLS on April 9, 2004 at the height of their Arbitron ratings success when a graphic interview with pornographic film actress Devinn Lane was accidentally aired over a Honda commercial. That interview was intended to be played backwards, dodging FCC censorship, in a bit called "backwards smut" when the show returned from that commercial break. The intent was to mock the Federal Communications Commission indecency crackdown at the time which stemmed from the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy.[2] Their sidekick "Southside" Steve Rickman was retained by Clear Channel as he had a different contract.
Wachs and Von Haessler were rehired by Clear Channel in early 2005. They returned to the air on March 21, 2005 on sister station WGST 640 AM. The news radio format did not fit their narrative style, and so they returned to 96 Rock in May, sans Rickman who was doing the afternoon drive time slot with Tim Rhodes who previously did the mid-day shift on 96 Rock. On September 25, 2006, Rickman began making guest appearances on the show on a nearly daily basis.
On October 23, 2006, Wachs and Von Haessler were dismissed from Clear Channel for the second time due to a lawsuit by then Viva 105.7 morning DJs Yogi and Panda. Von Haessler's Mad Pundit Radio program which was broadcast Saturday afternoons on WGST, was also dropped. The suit claimed that Wachs recorded Yogi and Panda without their knowledge while having a discussion in separate bathroom stalls. That recording was part of a bit that was played on the show which Wachs said was approved by station management.[3]
In March 2007, the criminal case against Wachs was dismissed by the Fulton County, Georgia district attorney for having no merit. Consequently, Clear Channel agreed to settle Wachs' breach of contract claims against them in an agreement under which terms were not disclosed.[4]
The show returned to Atlanta airwaves on January 28, 2008, on a new rock station Rock 100.5 which is not owned by Clear Channel, but by Cumulus Media.
In April 2009, it was announced that the show would be also simulcast on KDBN FM 93.3, a Cumulus station in the Dallas/Fort Worth market.[5] The show was later dropped from the Dallas/Fort Worth station in September 2009 due to a format change. In October 2009, the show was once again simulcast to a second market. This time to Rock 105.5 in Macon, GA. Rock 105.5 is also owned by Cumulus. The Regular Guys Show is also streamed live during the show's broadcast and replayed throughout the day on Ustream with a chat feature. The show is also released each day via podcast in its entirety, split into different segments.
In January 2011, the show was given a 3 year contract extension keeping the show on the Atlanta airwaves through 2014.[6]