Don and Mike
Encyclopedia
The Don and Mike Show was an American nationally syndicated radio talk show
hosted by the shock jock
s Don Geronimo
and Mike O'Meara
, which aired from December 1985 through April 2008, when Geronimo retired in order to focus on his personal life. After Geronimo's retirement, the remaining cast members formed The Mike O'Meara Show
. In the later years, the show was carried on 20-30 stations across the United States
by the CBS
-owned Westwood One
Radio Network. The show's flagship
station was 106.7 WJFK
in Washington DC. In 2007, the show ranked #66 in the Talkers Magazine
Heavy 100. The show's last live regular episode with Don Geronimo was broadcast March 13, 2008. Don Geronimo hosted a farewell show April 11, 2008. The show debuted on WAVA
in 1985 as The Morning Zoo with Don and Mike. The official name of the show became The Don and Mike Show when the duo moved to WJFK-FM in 1991.
. News briefs and occasional commentary were provided by Buzz Burbank. The show was most recently produced by former show intern Robb Spewak. Phone calls were screened by Joe Ardinger (sometimes referred to as the "World's Oldest Phone Screener"), who also occasionally contributed to the show and broadcasts his own show on Saturday nights on WJFK-FM.
The show included four news reporters over the course of its run. David Haines (1985–1989), the program's original newsman, died on July 10, 2005. Laurie Neff, the second newsperson, is known for getting into a traffic accident with Washington DC mayor Marion Barry
. Dave Schreiber served as the show's third newsman until 1991 when Buzz Burbank arrived and continued in the position through the end of the Don and Mike show and on to the successor show hosted by O'Meara.
WAVA and WJFK-FM subscribe to the traffic services of fellow CBS Radio
subsidiary Metro Traffic. Former Washington traffic reporters include Kim "Boomer" Anderson, Rob Carpente, Janet DeLaney, Kris Gamble, Stevie Bridgewater, and Shari Elliker
(1992–1996) Elliker co-hosted the Broadminded
radio program on XM Radio and currently hosts her own show on WBAL
in Baltimore, Maryland. The show also took advantage of the service's offer to allow the show to provide pseudonyms for its traffic reporter. Over the years, "Michael Hunt", "Vera Bruptly", "Lane Closure", "Jason Feces", and "Michelle Hughes" (a take-off on "Michael Hughes", WJFK's general manager) were heard on the WJFK-FM feed of the show (not on affiliate feeds).
(1986–1991) opted to stay with WAVA when Don and Mike left the station for WJFK. Murphy has since moved to Los Angeles and worked at KROQ-FM
and KLOS
. Diana Silman (1991–1996) began the WJFK era for the show. She later left to become a program director on March 7, 1996. The current producer and a former show intern, Robb Spewak served as producer for a time after Silman and before Charlie Broyhill (1997–2001) arrived, followed by Lisa Herndon-Broyhill (2002–2004). Beth Ann McBride (2004–2005) left, citing the high cost of living in the Washington area, and to have her own show on WSJS
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She has since left that job and returned to Washington to work on O'Meara's successor show. Robb Spewak picked up producing duties again until March 2007, and then again in October 2007 Robb Spewak took over the role of producer.
In keeping with the open environment on the show, phone screeners were sometimes featured on air. In addition to Joe Ardinger, Joe Rockhead, and Christine CK2 were featured. Engineers Darryl Nichols, Tony Diggs, and NRA
member and gun enthusiast Wendell Hall received airtime as well.
Executives and managers at WJFK were also featured on the show. Former WJFK-FM production director, Chris Madzik, was featured frequently before he left in 1996 for Detroit. WAVA general managers Alan Goodman and Ken Stevens as well as WJFK-FM general managers Alan Leinwand and Michael Hughes were frequent targets for the show. Program directors Smoky Rivers, Jeremy Coleman, Cameron Gray, Greg Gillespie, Max Dugan, Matthew Verbin and Matt Farber received similar treatment.
Unlike other similar radio shows, the Don and Mike show did not always have an intern; those it did have, however, were often featured on the program. Producer Robb Spewak started as an intern. Other former interns included, The Menendez Brothers (Lowell Melser, Marc Ronick) Jimmy the Intern, "B.O. Bob" (Bob Cesca
) (news intern reporting to Buzz Burbank) and, most recently, Matt the Intern (AKA Matt the Pole) who worked with the show from June–August 2007.
Don Geronimo was doing afternoons on WAVA
-FM. That year, the station asked him to move to mornings, and Geronimo, who had heard O'Meara entertaining station employees with impressions, asked whether O'Meara could serve as a co-host during his new time slot. The new program would replace the "Charlie and Harrigan Show".
WAVA debuted "The New Morning zoo
" on December 11, 1985, pairing up hosts Don Geronimo and Mike O'Meara. It also featured David Haines with news, Kim Anderson (nicknamed "Boomer" or Kim "Boom Boom" Anderson) on traffic reports, and was produced by John Nolan. Nolan was later replaced by producer Frank Murphy
. Whenever anything went wrong with the show, Don or Mike would shout "Fraaaank". The original format interspersed talk and comedy bits with top-40 music.
For several weeks during the summer of 1988, Geronimo and O'Meara hosted their own Washington, DC-based television series, "The Prime Time Video Zoo", which was aired on the local CBS affiliate WUSA. Airing weekly at 8pm, the show was taped with a small studio audience and featured several bits from the radio program as well as O'Meara's impressions and D.C. area personalities, with segments of Top-40 music videos.
Haines was the first show "regular" to leave for a better offer elsewhere, departing for more money at WPLJ
in New York City in 1989
. Haines' replacement was Laurie Neff. Dave Schreiber succeeded Neff.
Geronimo's wife was a DJ at the time of the debut of the show, using the radio name "Laura Petrie." Geronimo's young son Bart Sorce made appearances on the early stages of the show as "Bart the Weatherman."
In June 1991, WAVA was purchased by Salem Communications
. At first, Salem was known primarily as a religious broadcaster. But it had a few secularly programmed stations, and indicated it might be interested in maintaining a contemporary music format on WAVA if Don & Mike would stay on as the morning show. When the duo accepted a better offer from crosstown WJFK, Salem later announced that it would be changing WAVA'a format to Christian music & teaching.
. Mike Elston, known on the show as Buzz Burbank, joined the show in December 1991. The program evolved after the move, adding Burbank and traffic reporter Shari Liquour (real name Shari Elliker
) to the cast. Robb Spewak joined the show as an intern in 1992. He would perform various stunts.
The program was added to the lineup of WNEW in New York, and moved to mid-days in 2001. The move was billed as an opportunity to maximize the show's potential, and promote fellow Infinity Broadcasting network program Opie and Anthony
. It didn't work. The program garnered low ratings in New York. The show was #1 in Washington, DC during its last ratings book for mid-days but was removed from the WNEW lineup.
The last day in mid-days was August 21, 2002. The program returned to afternoons on September 3, 2002, in most of the markets where it had been broadcast before the move. In late 2006
, the show went on an extended hiatus without explanation.
When the show started broadcasting again live on January 2, 2007, it was revealed that Don had been angry since the death of Freda, and that he felt that he had not had time to properly grieve. Don was also feeling guilty about feeling happy without Freda. For all intents and purposes Don and Mike thought that the show was done, but after a few weeks Don accepted his bosses' offer to take the rest of 2006 off, get his head together with the help of a counselor, and then return in 2007. http://s146481175.onlinehome.us/archive/DAILY_LOG-archive-2-1-2007.shtml Contrary to popular belief, a new contract was not in the negotiations for Don & Mike's return to the airwaves, and the duo still planned to close out their contract in late 2008.
. It continued along with a similar format, minus Don, up until July 2009 when the show was cancelled following the decision to turn WJFK into a sports talk station. Westwood One
also continued to syndicate the show in its new lineup up until its cancellation. The Mike O'Meara Show
took a 5 month hiatus and returned as a daily podcast in December of 2009.
On February 3, 2004, a pair of expletives ("bullshit") spoken by Geronimo was not censored by the usual delay, resulting in a shakeup of the show. The show was subsequently suspended for two weeks. When they returned on February 20, 2004, their first show included four consecutive hours of music.
The move toward reverb
fluctuated throughout the life of the show. When Don became program director of WJFK-FM for a short time, he ordered reverb be added to the entire station, and years before that, when the duo first appeared on WJFK in October 1991, a caller asked, "Where's the reverb
?" The show on WAVA-FM had used heavy reverb
.
On December 16, 1994 the program broadcast live from the El Dorado Casino in Reno, Nev. In 1996, the show produced "Sex, Pies and Videotape" , a video which featured Don and Mike taking a bus full of listeners to a local nudist colony for an Olympic style event, during which all of the contestants were nude.
In July 2003 the Don and Mike Show also collaborated with Brocket 99 radio station to promote the self-deprecating humour of Ernie Scar, a supposedly Native American aboriginal that stereotypes life on the local reserve nearby. A 2005 documentatory titled "Brocket 99 - Rockin' the Country", by Nilesh Patel illustrates this point by raising the issue in an effort to bridge the cultural divide. However, the segments featuring Brocket 99 on Don and Mikes' Radio show triggered no public outcry.
The show developed both good and bad relationships with several Hollywood celebrities over the years. Leah Remini
was a great friend of the show. Don and Mike have visited with Leah in her home and appeared on the King of Queens. Leah's appearances were so frequent on the show that she had an ISDN line installed in her home; however, she was unable to contribute to the show at the same level for longer periods of time. Max Baer, Jr.
, star of The Beverly Hillbillies
, feuded with Don and Mike after they made fun of his idea to open a Beverly Hillbillies casino in Reno, Nevada. He claimed on local radio he would "spend the rest of [his] life badmouthing Don and Mike."
at his home threatening him and his family. A judge has placed a lifetime restraining order on Grossman against any contact with Geronimo or his family. Shortly after, Grossman lost employment working on a help desk for Loudoun County employees. He was later diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a developmental disorder that shares traits with autism. Grossman died Aug. 22, 2009 at his home in Leesburg of respiratory failure.
On August 1, 2005, Geronimo returned to the air without O'Meara, speaking frankly as Michael Sorce, about the events of the previous month. He began the segment by playing the Beach Boys' 1964 hit "Don't Worry Baby", which he said was his and his wife's "special song". August 2 marked the return of the "normal" show.
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
hosted by the shock jock
Shock jock
Shock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of any radio broadcaster who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive. The term is usually used pejoratively to describe provocative or irreverent broadcasters whose mannerisms,...
s Don Geronimo
Don Geronimo
Michael Sorce , better known by his stage name Don Geronimo, is an American radio personality formerly featured on the nationally syndicated radio talk show Don and Mike Show...
and Mike O'Meara
Mike O'Meara
Michael Sean Patrick "Mike" O'Meara is the host of The Mike O'Meara Show, previously a nationally syndicated radio show which returned as a podcast. Previously he was the co-host of the nationally syndicated The Don and Mike Show...
, which aired from December 1985 through April 2008, when Geronimo retired in order to focus on his personal life. After Geronimo's retirement, the remaining cast members formed The Mike O'Meara Show
Mike O'Meara Show
The Mike O'Meara Show is a daily podcast available through their website or iTunes. The show is hosted by Mike O'Meara and includes Buzz Burbank, Robb Spewak and Oscar Santana. The show's Chief Engineer is R.J. Diaz. The Mike O'Meara Bonus Show is available every Friday to VIP members through...
. In the later years, the show was carried on 20-30 stations across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
-owned Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
Radio Network. The show's flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
station was 106.7 WJFK
WJFK-FM
WJFK-FM, known on-air as 106.7 The Fan, is a sports radio-formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Manassas, Virginia, serving the metro Washington DC area...
in Washington DC. In 2007, the show ranked #66 in the Talkers Magazine
Talkers magazine
Talkers Magazine is a trade industry publication related to talk radio in the United States. Its slogan is "The Bible of Talk Radio and the New Talk Media"...
Heavy 100. The show's last live regular episode with Don Geronimo was broadcast March 13, 2008. Don Geronimo hosted a farewell show April 11, 2008. The show debuted on WAVA
WAVA
WAVA and WAVA-FM are Religious formatted broadcast radio stations. Both stations are licensed to Arlington, Virginia and serve the Washington, D.C. Metro Area. Both WAVA and WAVA-FM, as well as sister station WWRC, are owned and operated by Salem Communications.-External links:*...
in 1985 as The Morning Zoo with Don and Mike. The official name of the show became The Don and Mike Show when the duo moved to WJFK-FM in 1991.
Personalities
The show was co-hosted by Don Geronimo (real name: Mike Sorce) and Mike O'MearaMike O'Meara
Michael Sean Patrick "Mike" O'Meara is the host of The Mike O'Meara Show, previously a nationally syndicated radio show which returned as a podcast. Previously he was the co-host of the nationally syndicated The Don and Mike Show...
. News briefs and occasional commentary were provided by Buzz Burbank. The show was most recently produced by former show intern Robb Spewak. Phone calls were screened by Joe Ardinger (sometimes referred to as the "World's Oldest Phone Screener"), who also occasionally contributed to the show and broadcasts his own show on Saturday nights on WJFK-FM.
The show included four news reporters over the course of its run. David Haines (1985–1989), the program's original newsman, died on July 10, 2005. Laurie Neff, the second newsperson, is known for getting into a traffic accident with Washington DC mayor Marion Barry
Marion Barry
Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, representing DC's Ward 8. Barry served as the second elected mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995...
. Dave Schreiber served as the show's third newsman until 1991 when Buzz Burbank arrived and continued in the position through the end of the Don and Mike show and on to the successor show hosted by O'Meara.
WAVA and WJFK-FM subscribe to the traffic services of fellow CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
subsidiary Metro Traffic. Former Washington traffic reporters include Kim "Boomer" Anderson, Rob Carpente, Janet DeLaney, Kris Gamble, Stevie Bridgewater, and Shari Elliker
Shari Elliker
Shari Elliker is an American radio personality who has worked on a number of radio stations, primarily in the Washington/Baltimore metropolitan area....
(1992–1996) Elliker co-hosted the Broadminded
Broadminded
Broadminded is a daily talk and entertainment show on SIRIUS XM Satelliete Radio Channel 107 - Sirius XM Stars.It is hosted by real-life friends, Christine Eads and Molly Dedham. The hosts refer to themselves as "Broads". They discuss a wide range of topics from sex, men, entertainment, and life...
radio program on XM Radio and currently hosts her own show on WBAL
WBAL (AM)
WBAL is a news-talk radio station located in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. WBAL broadcasts on a clear channel frequency with 50 kilowatts of power. Owned by the Hearst Corporation, WBAL's tri-mast transmitters are located in Randallstown, Maryland...
in Baltimore, Maryland. The show also took advantage of the service's offer to allow the show to provide pseudonyms for its traffic reporter. Over the years, "Michael Hunt", "Vera Bruptly", "Lane Closure", "Jason Feces", and "Michelle Hughes" (a take-off on "Michael Hughes", WJFK's general manager) were heard on the WJFK-FM feed of the show (not on affiliate feeds).
Others featured on the show
The show had a number of producers throughout its run. While at WAVA, John Nolan (1985–1986) was the first producer. Frank MurphyFrank Murphy (radio)
Frank Murphy is known as a radio personality and formerly as a producer for a number of popular radio programs such as the Don and Mike Show, Kevin and Bean, and Mark and Brian....
(1986–1991) opted to stay with WAVA when Don and Mike left the station for WJFK. Murphy has since moved to Los Angeles and worked at KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
and KLOS
KLOS
KLOS is an FM rock music radio station based in Los Angeles, California, that debuted in 1969. The station is owned by Cumulus Media. It is home to the nationally broadcast Mark & Brian radio show, and Off The Record host Uncle Joe Benson.-History:...
. Diana Silman (1991–1996) began the WJFK era for the show. She later left to become a program director on March 7, 1996. The current producer and a former show intern, Robb Spewak served as producer for a time after Silman and before Charlie Broyhill (1997–2001) arrived, followed by Lisa Herndon-Broyhill (2002–2004). Beth Ann McBride (2004–2005) left, citing the high cost of living in the Washington area, and to have her own show on WSJS
WSJS
WSJS is a radio station based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that broadcasts at 600 AM. It has a news/talk radio format and its slogan is "The Triad's News Radio", where "Triad" refers to the Piedmont Triad.-Programming:...
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She has since left that job and returned to Washington to work on O'Meara's successor show. Robb Spewak picked up producing duties again until March 2007, and then again in October 2007 Robb Spewak took over the role of producer.
In keeping with the open environment on the show, phone screeners were sometimes featured on air. In addition to Joe Ardinger, Joe Rockhead, and Christine CK2 were featured. Engineers Darryl Nichols, Tony Diggs, and NRA
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
member and gun enthusiast Wendell Hall received airtime as well.
Executives and managers at WJFK were also featured on the show. Former WJFK-FM production director, Chris Madzik, was featured frequently before he left in 1996 for Detroit. WAVA general managers Alan Goodman and Ken Stevens as well as WJFK-FM general managers Alan Leinwand and Michael Hughes were frequent targets for the show. Program directors Smoky Rivers, Jeremy Coleman, Cameron Gray, Greg Gillespie, Max Dugan, Matthew Verbin and Matt Farber received similar treatment.
Unlike other similar radio shows, the Don and Mike show did not always have an intern; those it did have, however, were often featured on the program. Producer Robb Spewak started as an intern. Other former interns included, The Menendez Brothers (Lowell Melser, Marc Ronick) Jimmy the Intern, "B.O. Bob" (Bob Cesca
Bob Cesca
Bob Cesca is an American director, producer, writer, actor, blogger and political commentator.Cesca writes weekly columns in The Huffington Post, which he has written since August 2005. He has also contributed to AOL's WalletPop blog and Manhattan Magazine.He began his career in media working as...
) (news intern reporting to Buzz Burbank) and, most recently, Matt the Intern (AKA Matt the Pole) who worked with the show from June–August 2007.
WAVA era
In 19851985 in radio
The year 1985 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 1 - CKLW Windsor, Ontario adopts the Music of Your Life format.*March 28 - A Roger Waters concert is broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall...
Don Geronimo was doing afternoons on WAVA
WAVA
WAVA and WAVA-FM are Religious formatted broadcast radio stations. Both stations are licensed to Arlington, Virginia and serve the Washington, D.C. Metro Area. Both WAVA and WAVA-FM, as well as sister station WWRC, are owned and operated by Salem Communications.-External links:*...
-FM. That year, the station asked him to move to mornings, and Geronimo, who had heard O'Meara entertaining station employees with impressions, asked whether O'Meara could serve as a co-host during his new time slot. The new program would replace the "Charlie and Harrigan Show".
WAVA debuted "The New Morning zoo
Morning zoo
Morning zoo is a format of morning radio show common to English-language radio broadcasting. The name is derived from the "wackiness and zaniness" of the activities, bits, and overall personality of the show and its hosts...
" on December 11, 1985, pairing up hosts Don Geronimo and Mike O'Meara. It also featured David Haines with news, Kim Anderson (nicknamed "Boomer" or Kim "Boom Boom" Anderson) on traffic reports, and was produced by John Nolan. Nolan was later replaced by producer Frank Murphy
Frank Murphy (radio)
Frank Murphy is known as a radio personality and formerly as a producer for a number of popular radio programs such as the Don and Mike Show, Kevin and Bean, and Mark and Brian....
. Whenever anything went wrong with the show, Don or Mike would shout "Fraaaank". The original format interspersed talk and comedy bits with top-40 music.
For several weeks during the summer of 1988, Geronimo and O'Meara hosted their own Washington, DC-based television series, "The Prime Time Video Zoo", which was aired on the local CBS affiliate WUSA. Airing weekly at 8pm, the show was taped with a small studio audience and featured several bits from the radio program as well as O'Meara's impressions and D.C. area personalities, with segments of Top-40 music videos.
Haines was the first show "regular" to leave for a better offer elsewhere, departing for more money at WPLJ
WPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
in New York City in 1989
1989 in radio
The year 1989 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:*KMEZ breaks away from its FM sister station to adopt a business-oriented news/talk format as KDBN.*ABC Radio has acquired Satellite Music Network...
. Haines' replacement was Laurie Neff. Dave Schreiber succeeded Neff.
Geronimo's wife was a DJ at the time of the debut of the show, using the radio name "Laura Petrie." Geronimo's young son Bart Sorce made appearances on the early stages of the show as "Bart the Weatherman."
In June 1991, WAVA was purchased by Salem Communications
Salem Communications
Salem Communications is a U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher specializing in evangelical Christian and conservative political talk radio. It owns 99 commercial radio stations, 65 of which are in the top 25 markets. Salem is the fifth largest U.S....
. At first, Salem was known primarily as a religious broadcaster. But it had a few secularly programmed stations, and indicated it might be interested in maintaining a contemporary music format on WAVA if Don & Mike would stay on as the morning show. When the duo accepted a better offer from crosstown WJFK, Salem later announced that it would be changing WAVA'a format to Christian music & teaching.
WJFK era, and national syndication
The show debuted in the afternoons on WJFK on October 1, 1991. After a two-month hiatus, the show had changed time slots, stations and producers, with Diana Silman replacing Frank MurphyFrank Murphy (radio)
Frank Murphy is known as a radio personality and formerly as a producer for a number of popular radio programs such as the Don and Mike Show, Kevin and Bean, and Mark and Brian....
. Mike Elston, known on the show as Buzz Burbank, joined the show in December 1991. The program evolved after the move, adding Burbank and traffic reporter Shari Liquour (real name Shari Elliker
Shari Elliker
Shari Elliker is an American radio personality who has worked on a number of radio stations, primarily in the Washington/Baltimore metropolitan area....
) to the cast. Robb Spewak joined the show as an intern in 1992. He would perform various stunts.
The program was added to the lineup of WNEW in New York, and moved to mid-days in 2001. The move was billed as an opportunity to maximize the show's potential, and promote fellow Infinity Broadcasting network program Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
. It didn't work. The program garnered low ratings in New York. The show was #1 in Washington, DC during its last ratings book for mid-days but was removed from the WNEW lineup.
The last day in mid-days was August 21, 2002. The program returned to afternoons on September 3, 2002, in most of the markets where it had been broadcast before the move. In late 2006
2006 in radio
The year 2006 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:*January 3 - The BJ Shea Morning Experience switches to KISW in Seattle, Washington, from the former FM Talk station KKWF....
, the show went on an extended hiatus without explanation.
When the show started broadcasting again live on January 2, 2007, it was revealed that Don had been angry since the death of Freda, and that he felt that he had not had time to properly grieve. Don was also feeling guilty about feeling happy without Freda. For all intents and purposes Don and Mike thought that the show was done, but after a few weeks Don accepted his bosses' offer to take the rest of 2006 off, get his head together with the help of a counselor, and then return in 2007. http://s146481175.onlinehome.us/archive/DAILY_LOG-archive-2-1-2007.shtml Contrary to popular belief, a new contract was not in the negotiations for Don & Mike's return to the airwaves, and the duo still planned to close out their contract in late 2008.
Don's retirement
Don Geronimo announced on February 4, 2008, that he would leave the show on May 30. That date was moved up to April 11, 2008 in a surprise announcement from the WJFK program director which also included the return of Beth Ann McBride as producer. The show was then known as The Mike O'Meara ShowMike O'Meara Show
The Mike O'Meara Show is a daily podcast available through their website or iTunes. The show is hosted by Mike O'Meara and includes Buzz Burbank, Robb Spewak and Oscar Santana. The show's Chief Engineer is R.J. Diaz. The Mike O'Meara Bonus Show is available every Friday to VIP members through...
. It continued along with a similar format, minus Don, up until July 2009 when the show was cancelled following the decision to turn WJFK into a sports talk station. Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
also continued to syndicate the show in its new lineup up until its cancellation. The Mike O'Meara Show
Mike O'Meara Show
The Mike O'Meara Show is a daily podcast available through their website or iTunes. The show is hosted by Mike O'Meara and includes Buzz Burbank, Robb Spewak and Oscar Santana. The show's Chief Engineer is R.J. Diaz. The Mike O'Meara Bonus Show is available every Friday to VIP members through...
took a 5 month hiatus and returned as a daily podcast in December of 2009.
Controversies
On December 14, 1999 the show called an El Cinezo, Tex. city council woman and lampooned the community's decision to conduct official business in Spanish. The FCC fined Infinity Broadcasting $4,000, the minimum amount, for "willful violation of Section 73.1206 of the Commission’s rules, the unauthorized broadcast of a telephone conversation."On February 3, 2004, a pair of expletives ("bullshit") spoken by Geronimo was not censored by the usual delay, resulting in a shakeup of the show. The show was subsequently suspended for two weeks. When they returned on February 20, 2004, their first show included four consecutive hours of music.
The move toward reverb
Reverberation
Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air...
fluctuated throughout the life of the show. When Don became program director of WJFK-FM for a short time, he ordered reverb be added to the entire station, and years before that, when the duo first appeared on WJFK in October 1991, a caller asked, "Where's the reverb
Reverberation
Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air...
?" The show on WAVA-FM had used heavy reverb
Reverberation
Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air...
.
On December 16, 1994 the program broadcast live from the El Dorado Casino in Reno, Nev. In 1996, the show produced "Sex, Pies and Videotape" , a video which featured Don and Mike taking a bus full of listeners to a local nudist colony for an Olympic style event, during which all of the contestants were nude.
In July 2003 the Don and Mike Show also collaborated with Brocket 99 radio station to promote the self-deprecating humour of Ernie Scar, a supposedly Native American aboriginal that stereotypes life on the local reserve nearby. A 2005 documentatory titled "Brocket 99 - Rockin' the Country", by Nilesh Patel illustrates this point by raising the issue in an effort to bridge the cultural divide. However, the segments featuring Brocket 99 on Don and Mikes' Radio show triggered no public outcry.
The show developed both good and bad relationships with several Hollywood celebrities over the years. Leah Remini
Leah Remini
Leah Marie Remini is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Carrie Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens and as Stacey Carosi on the NBC sitcom Saved by the Bell...
was a great friend of the show. Don and Mike have visited with Leah in her home and appeared on the King of Queens. Leah's appearances were so frequent on the show that she had an ISDN line installed in her home; however, she was unable to contribute to the show at the same level for longer periods of time. Max Baer, Jr.
Max Baer, Jr.
Max Baer Jr is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, and director. He is best known for playing Jethro Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies.-Early life:...
, star of The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
, feuded with Don and Mike after they made fun of his idea to open a Beverly Hillbillies casino in Reno, Nevada. He claimed on local radio he would "spend the rest of [his] life badmouthing Don and Mike."
Stalker
Carl R. Grossman, a former frequent caller, pleaded guilty in May 2007 to stalking charges in connection with a letter sent to Don GeronimoDon Geronimo
Michael Sorce , better known by his stage name Don Geronimo, is an American radio personality formerly featured on the nationally syndicated radio talk show Don and Mike Show...
at his home threatening him and his family. A judge has placed a lifetime restraining order on Grossman against any contact with Geronimo or his family. Shortly after, Grossman lost employment working on a help desk for Loudoun County employees. He was later diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a developmental disorder that shares traits with autism. Grossman died Aug. 22, 2009 at his home in Leesburg of respiratory failure.
The death of Freda
On Sunday July 10, 2005, Don's wife Freda died after an automobile accident, and the following day, O'Meara and the crew, minus Geronimo, broke the news to listeners. The first hour of the program featured calls from concerned listeners, most of whom expressed condolences. The show attempted thereafter to return to the usual format, though it held a somewhat somber tone for the rest of the day.On August 1, 2005, Geronimo returned to the air without O'Meara, speaking frankly as Michael Sorce, about the events of the previous month. He began the segment by playing the Beach Boys' 1964 hit "Don't Worry Baby", which he said was his and his wife's "special song". August 2 marked the return of the "normal" show.
Friends of the show
- James BrownJames Brown (TV personality)James Brown , commonly called "J.B.", is an American sports announcer known for being the host of The NFL Today on CBS and Inside the NFL on Showtime. He is the former host of the FOX network's NFL pregame show, Fox NFL Sunday.-Early life:Born on February 25, 1951 in Washington, D.C. to John and...
: Host of CBS's NFL Today show. - Jim NantzJim NantzJames William Nantz, III is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his work with CBS Sports television.-Early life:...
: "Mr. CBS", affectionately referred to on the show as "Nancy" and "she". - Dick Van PattenDick Van PattenRichard Vincent "Dick" Van Patten is an American actor, best known for his role as patriarch Tom Bradford on the television sitcom Eight is Enough. He began work as a child actor and was successful on the [New York] stage, appearing in more than a dozen plays as a teenager...
: actor, comedian, dog food entrepreneur. - Patton OswaltPatton OswaltPatton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...
: stand-up comedian, longtime Don & Mike fan. Loves to talk comics with Don. - Frank CaliendoFrank CaliendoFrank Caliendo is an American comedian and impressionist, best known for his work on the Fox Network television series MADtv, and as the in-house prognosticator for Fox NFL Sunday. In 2007 and 2008, he performed his impersonations on his own show, Frank TV, which aired on TBS...
: stand-up comedian/impressionist, Featured performer on MADtvMADtvMADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
for several seasons. - Jim Elliot: Competing DJ of "Elliot and Woodside", later worked at WAVA with Don and Mike, later worked at Arista Records, and currently; analyzes radio airplay.
- Al MolinaroAl MolinaroAlbert Francis "Al" Molinaro is an actor in television and films, most notably as Al Delvecchio, the owner of Arnold's on Happy Days and its spin-off show Joanie Loves Chachi, Murray the Cop on The Odd Couple television series, as well as starring in commercials for On-Cor frozen dinners...
Star of Happy DaysHappy DaysHappy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
and the Encore family dinners TV spots. A former "go to" celebrity Don and Mike would call to offer birthday wishes or to simply say "hi". In the closing months of the show Don and Mike tried to verify whether Al was still alive, attempting in vain to contact him by fax and phone. - Topper ShuttTopper ShuttCharles "Topper" Shutt is Chief Meteorologist at WUSA Channel 9 in Washington, DC and forecaster for WHUR-FM.-Career:In 1981, Shutt began his television weather career with CNN in Atlanta, Georgia, working as a weather producer and substitute weather anchor. In 1984,he moved on to a weekday weather...
: WUSA 9 chief meteorologist - Cheryl the Big DykeCheryl SpectorCheryl Ann Spector was a well-known gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender activist who lived in Arlington, Virginia.Spector was born in Lakewood, New Jersey, and raised in Toms River, New Jersey...
: activist and contributor to the show on all things gay and lesbian. Cheryl died of myeloid leukemiaMyeloid leukemiaMyeloid leukemia is a type of leukemia affecting myeloid tissue.Types include:* Acute myeloid leukemia* Chronic myelogenous leukemia...
on September 4, 2007. - "Mr. 40": Frequent caller that called the show while drinking 40-ounce cans of beer. Mr. 40 made several appearances on the show, and eventually released a musical album.
- "Homo Joe": Outspoken gay man who offered cub report style coverage of several alternative lifestyle events.
- Dennis Murphy: A long time contributor to the show who was befriended by Don & Mike and became a semi-regular reported from the field and sometimes in studio also used his appearances to create his personna as "Major F---ing Star, Dennis Murphy" complete with a website and Christmas albums
- Tom Gavin: A rival to Dennis Murphy who hosted his own cable access radio show in the Washington Area was a frequent contributor to the show
- Super Dave: A man with an extremely high voice and an enemy of Tom Gavin
- The Belcher: A known radio and television prank caller since 1976 in the New York City area, began as a prank caller to the show on WNEW-FM New York in 2001, later becoming a popular regular feature on the show as a prank caller of other radio and television shows mentioning various cast members by name, gaining a widespread following across the United States thanks to the syndication of The Don & Mike Show across the country. Later became a feature on "The Mike O'Meara Show" Audio Vault after Don GeronimoDon GeronimoMichael Sorce , better known by his stage name Don Geronimo, is an American radio personality formerly featured on the nationally syndicated radio talk show Don and Mike Show...
retired, resulting in the formation of The Mike O'Meara Show. Inventor of V-Neck Pants. - Dr.Nanite: (Don't be disparaging Dr.Nanite! ole Buddy ole' pall!) who is actually Charles Michael Collins a scientist who made the first Self-replicating Machine http://charles1.jimdo.com/ Self-replicating machineSelf-replicating machineA self-replicating machine is an artificial construct that is theoretically capable of autonomously manufacturing a copy of itself using raw materials taken from its environment, thus exhibiting self-replication in a way analogous to that found in nature. The concept of self-replicating machines...
He did two comedy/science shows answering call-ins in prime time on December 5 & 8 in 2005.
External links
- WJFK website, audio stream
- Don Geronimo (as Michael Sorce) on Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Mike O'Meara on Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- One on one with Buzz Burbank
- HoboTrashcan.com's tribute to Don Geronimo
- The Belcher's website