The Bob & Tom Show

The Bob & Tom Show
Genre Comedy, satire, talk
Running time 6:00 A.M.-10:00 A.M. ET (Syndicated)
10:00 A.M.-10:20 A.M. ET (WFBQ only)
Country United States
Home station WFBQ Indianapolis, Indiana
Starring Tom Griswold
Chick McGee
Scott Potasnik
& Pat Carlini
with Bob Kevoian
& Kristi Lee[1]
Producer(s) Dean Metcalf
Air dates since March 7, 1983[2]
Website bobandtom.com

The Bob & Tom Show is a syndicated US radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 7, 1983, and syndicated nationally since January 6, 1995. Originally syndicated by Premiere Networks, the show moved to Cumulus Media Networks (now Westwood One) at the beginning of 2014.[3][4]

The program enjoys extensive popularity and has frequently received recognition by the National Association of Broadcasters as an exemplar in American radio.[5]

About

For most of The Bob & Tom Show’s 30+ year history, the cast consisted of hosts Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold, sports commentator and comic foil Chick McGee, news director Kristi Lee, and producer Dean Metcalf. Kevoian and Griswold originally teamed up in the early 1980s at Petoskey, Michigan station WJML[6] before being lured to WFBQ "Q95" Indianapolis in 1983 to host what was initially a music-heavy morning show.[7] After McGee (in 1986) and Lee (in 1988) joined the show, the primary cast that listeners would know for decades simply as “Bob, Tom, Chick, and Kristi” was set.

As the show became more popular and successful,[8] Mark Patrick, Dave Dugan, Whit Grayson, Steve Salge, and Ron Sexton joined the Bob & Tom staff to voice dozens of recurring fictional and parody characters. Salge and Sexton, along with Metcalf, are still active today as voices of most of the show’s fictional characters and callers.

Steve Allee is the show’s music director. He has co-produced more than 50 Bob & Tom albums over the past 25 years.[9]

The show is a comedy-variety show. Several guests usually join the primary cast each day in the studio or via phone or satellite, including numerous comedians who tour nationally. During the show, live or pre-recorded comic songs and skits are often played, including many from a huge library of archived pieces. There are frequent impromptu "calls" from numerous characters voiced primarily by Salge, Sexton, and Metcalf. The show airs 6–10 A.M. ET and is aired either 6–10 A.M. or 5–9 A.M. locally on affiliated stations.[10] There is a segment that airs between 10:00 and 10:20 ET, only on home station WFBQ. Bob and Tom would do a traveling show of their own; however, those ended around 2003. They now organize and support the Bob & Tom Comedy Tour, which includes many of their frequent guests.

Professional athletes (including frequent guest Pat McAfee and, in past years, Peyton Manning, Jeff Saturday, Reggie Miller, and numerous INDYCAR drivers), musicians, authors, and actors from television and movies are also frequent Bob & Tom guests. The show has occasionally talked with national politicians, although those interviews generally steer clear of controversial issues.

Since January 31, 2011, The Bob & Tom Show has aired on the American Forces Radio Network as the morning show on AFN's Legacy Channel-The World's Classic Rock Station.[11] The Bob & Tom Show repurposes their live morning show as an overnight show called Bob & Tom All Nighter. All Nighter airs 12–5 A.M. on a few terrestrial affiliated stations and their streams.[12]

In the early years of the show, Pat Carlini served as a fifth in-studio cast member, joining Bob, Tom, Chick, and Kristi during their second or third hour after Carlini completed her weather-casting and news anchor duties at WTHR television's morning news program.[13]

Since the show was first syndicated in January 1995, Dave "Gunner" Gunn sometimes filled in for Bob, Tom, Chick, or Kristi when one of them was absent. Gunner currently serves as the show's host during "Best of Bob & Tom" broadcasts when the primary cast is on vacation.

On September 1, 2015, Bob and Tom were selected as inductees to the National Radio Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place on November 5, 2015 at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in downtown Chicago. During his induction speech, Bob announced his retirement effective at the end of 2015.[14] [15] Bob's last day on the air was December 17, 2015. He planned to spend retirement traveling with his wife, Becky.[16]

In recent years, Scott Potasnik ("P-taz") replaced Gunner as the fourth in-studio voice when Bob went on extended vacations or took Mondays off. Tom has described "P-taz" as the show's "sex desk" correspondent and, after Bob's retirement, as its "fact checker."

Kristi Lee's last on-air appearance was also December 17, 2015. She announced on January 11, 2016 that she, too, had left the show.[17][18]

On January 4, 2016, Carlini re-joined The Bob & Tom Show as news anchor (for all four hours each morning); it has not yet been announced whether Carlini will serve as Kristi Lee's permanent successor.

On January 18, 2016, the show introduced the free Bob & Tom Show App for iOS and Android,[19] through which users may hear live streams of new broadcasts on weekday mornings through affiliate stations[20] plus "B&T 24/7," a continuous stream of "Best of Bob & Tom" shows. This marked the first time that a stream of broadcasts from the show's archive became available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at no charge to listeners. Previously, "B&T 24/7" was available only to paid subscribers of the "VIP" feature at the show's web site.[21] "B&T 24/7" features segments recorded throughout the show's history, most featuring the original primary cast of Bob, Tom, Chick, and Kristi.

Characters

Many fictional characters and parodies of real-life people have sprung up during the show's history, some voiced by Bob Kevoian, Tom Griswold, Chick McGee, on-air producer Dean Metcalf, Steve Salge and Ron Sexton.[22]

Recurring characters
Recurring parodies of real people and fictional characters

The show takes calls from actual live listeners, plus miscellaneous "crazy listener" caricatures.

TV program

On November 3, 2008, WGN America began airing an hour-long TV show taken from the day's radio broadcast at Midnight ET Monday through Friday[24] (as of November 2009, it was moved to 2 a.m. ET). The program ended its run on WGN America on September 10, 2010, as part of an extensive revamp of the network's schedule.[25] As part of the deal, WTTV Indianapolis (another Tribune-owned station) would be the first to air the nightly one-hour telecast.

Public service

Over their career, the show has been actively involved in charitable work. Some of the albums they have produced since 1986 have been utilized to raise money for various charities. After the syndicated portion of their show ends at 10:00 a.m. Eastern they typically devote up to a half hour to further interviews, often about local events, bands, and charities.

In October, it has become tradition for Chick to get a prostate exam on the air to raise awareness for prostate cancer. Bob and Tom used to promote this exam as "Proctober";[26] however, this exam is now "Rectember". The latest exam was held on September 6, 2011 with Gunner doing it.[27]

The Bob & Tom Show has produced seven CDs for the USO to include in holiday care packages sent to troops stationed world wide.[28]

Bob and Tom had a friendly wager with former Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday that if he ever got a touchdown they would donate $5,000 to the charity of his choice. During the 2006–07 NFL season, they increased the wager to $10,000. They assumed that they were safe since offensive linemen almost never score points in NFL games. In January 2007 in the AFC Championship game against the rival New England Patriots, on a play near New England's goal line, Dominic Rhodes carried into the middle of the line and fumbled. Saturday fell on the ball in the end zone for the touchdown.[29] Bob and Tom made good on their wager and donated $10,000 total with $5,000 each going to People's Burn Foundation of Indiana and Kid's Voice of Indiana, Inc.[30][31]

On May 9, 2014, Bob and Tom presented a comedy show as a tribute to the late Tim Wilson. All proceeds were to go to help with the education of Tim's son.

Awards

Discography

  • The Free Laughs Collection (December 2013) (digital download)[38]
  • Don't Answer That! (December 2012)
  • Radio Chatter (November 2012 - eighth USO Care Package troop-only album)
  • Somewhere Over the Radio (November 2011)
  • Hot Air (November 2011 - seventh USO Care Package troop-only album)
  • Crushed Nuts (December 2010)
  • General Static (October 2010 - sixth USO Care Package troop-only album)
  • Dead Air (November 2009)
  • Radio Waves (October 2009 - fifth USO Care Package troop-only album)
  • As Big As a Hat (November 2008)
  • Greetings from the USA (October 2008 - fourth USO Care Package troop-only album)
  • My Job Sucks (June 2008)
  • State Law (November 2007 - part of WJL package)
  • We Just Landed! (November 2007)
  • Radio Rations (October 2007 - third USO Care Package troop-only album)
  • Please, Stand Up (album) (September 2007)
  • Bob and Tom: Comedy All Stars Tour DVD (2006)
  • Bob and Tom: Standup, Sitting Down DVD (2006)
  • Bob and Tom: The Comedy Tour Volume 1 DVD (2006)
  • Shut-Up Randy! (November 2006)
  • Man Boobs (November 2006)
  • Operation Radio (October 2006 - second USO Care Package troop-only album)

References

  1. http://www.bobandtom.com/app/
  2. D, Nick (7 March 2013). "Bob & Tom Mark Major Milestone". Building Indiana. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  3. "The Bob And Tom Show Moving To Cumulus Media Networks". AllAccess.com. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  4. http://www.ibj.com/articles/44084-bob-tom-show-switching-syndicators
  5. National Association of Broadcasters | 2006 Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year Winner: Bob & Tom, Premiere Radio Networks
  6. Harvey, Brad (9 September 1999). "Radio listeners can't get enough of BOB & TOM SHOW". Lima News. pp. (on page 35). Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  7. http://www.nuvo.net/indianapolis/bob-from-bob-and-tom-the-exit-interview/Content?oid=3653010
  8. http://www.ibj.com/articles/11165-bob-tom-keep-q95-on-a-roll-even-as-classic-rock-format-shows-age
  9. http://www.steveallee.com/Steve-allee-bio.html
  10. http://www.bobandtom.com/stations/
  11. "American Forces Radio Net Adds Bob & Tom". radiosyndicationtalk.com. 16 November 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  12. The Bob & Tom Show
  13. http://www.patcarlini.com/pats-bio/
  14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_YFS8dbV4k
  15. Lindquist, David. "Radio icon Bob Kevoian will retire at year's end". www.indystar.com. Gannett. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  16. http://www.nuvo.net/indianapolis/bob-from-bob-and-tom-the-exit-interview/Content?oid=3653010
  17. http://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/2016/01/11/kevoian-griswold-bob-tom-indianapolis-q95-kristi-chick/78618738/
  18. http://www.bobandtom.com/2016/01/11/kristi-lee-exits-the-bob-tom-show/
  19. http://www.bobandtom.com/app/
  20. http://www.bobandtom.com/stations/
  21. https://members.bobandtom.com/pcd/document?ikey=99001IGTZ
  22. "About the Show". Bob & Tom Show website. 2013.
  23. "About the Bob & Tom Show". bobandtom.com. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  24. Bachman, Katy (21 August 2008). "WGN America to Add Bob & Tom to Lineup". AdWeek.com. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  25. "Radio's Bob & Tom are off their nightly TV show". Radio-Info.com. September 21, 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010.
  26. "It Won't Hurt A Bit: Bob and Tom Promote Prostate Cancer Screening". AllAccess.com. 17 October 2005. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  27. Gunner's Exam - Photos - The Bob & Tom Show
  28. Operation USO Care Package Partners and Sponsors – Care Packages for Troops | USO
  29. Watch New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts [01/21/2007] - NFL.com
  30. "Jeff Saturday earns $10K for favorite charity". Wordpress.com. 25 January 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  31. "Bob & Tom Pony Up". AllAccess.com. 31 January 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  32. The Bob & Tom Show Cast
  33. NAB Awards: Marconi Radio Awards | Past Award Winners
  34. The BOB & TOM Comedy Show - Paramount Theatre
  35. "Bob & Tom Receive Sagamore Award". InsideINdianaBusiness.com. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  36. The Bob & Tom Show
  37. 1053 The Point
  38. http://www.bobandtom.com/common/page.php?pt=Get+the+Free+Laughs+Collection!&id=364&is_corp=0

External links

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