The Rules of FM Talk Radio

12Jun07

As some of you may know, or maybe not, I listen to a lot of talk radio. Not your daddy’s talk radio though. Dr. Laura isn’t really my cup o’ tea and Rush Limbaugh is a little too “druggy” for me. What I like to listen to is FreeFM. For those of you who do not know, FreeFM is the home of Adam Carolla (and Danny Bonaduce too now), Frosty, Heidi, and Frank (except in San Diego which is a tragedy because that’s where I am unfortunately spending most of my time now), Tom Leykis (a horrible man that can be sometimes entertaining), and the night show varies per city. I’ve been listening intently and I think that I found some common threads in each show. I think these similarities are why these radio shows are radio shows to begin with, so I’ve assembled what will hence forth be called “THE RULES OF FM TALK RADIO”:

1. You must somehow incorporate the topic of sex into the show. Let’s face it, our culture is obsessed with sex, so the best way to have people tune into the show, sex needs to be a pretty consistent topic of discussion.

2. Have someone on your show that most people would call insane, stupid, or annoying. On the Adam Carolla show, Danny Bonaduce just joined the show and they constantly advertise the fact that he is a very angry person. On the Frosty, Heidi, and Frank show, people are almost invited to call in and comment on how “old-fashioned” and dumb Frosty, the older and more conservative of the group. I think you get the picture.

3. Crass and tasteless jokes are not unheard of. Sometimes they go over the line with them, sometimes they don’t. It’s really all a matter of taste.

4. No real news is necessary, commenting on pop culture will suffice. Usually this is fine, but sometimes, like last Friday when Paris got sent back into jail, it’s like beating a dead horse.

These are the things that I’ve noticed. I’ve got to be honest, it makes for some pretty entertaining radio and a tolerable drive. Feel free to add any if you know any.

[EDIT]

If any of you are seeing this the way I am, there are no breaks in between the paragraphs. Bear with me, I’ll try to fix it as soon as I can. Thanks guys.

[EDIT v2]

Fixed.  I downloaded Firefox and it worked.  You win for now, Mike Lee.

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