The Free Beer and Hot Wings Show
Encyclopedia
'The Free Beer and Hot Wings (Morning) Show' is a syndicated talk radio
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...

 show based at WGRD-FM
WGRD-FM
WGRD-FM is an active rock radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The station is owned by Townsquare Media.WGRD-FM is the flagship station of The Free Beer and Hot Wings Show, a comedy/talk program, on weekday mornings...

 in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...

. The show is hosted by Gregg "Free Beer" Daniels and Chris "Hot Wings" Michaels with Eric "Zane" Zeitunian, "Producer" Joseph Gasmann, Jr, Assistant Producer Steve McKiernan, and Robot. The show is syndicated mostly throughout the Midwest and Eastern United States. The show is distributed by Compass Media Networks
Compass Media Networks
Compass Media Networks is an American radio network.The company launched in January 2009. It is owned by former Westwood One CEO and former COO of Connoisseur Media, Peter Kosann...

.

The Free Beer and Hot Wings Show has also been guest hosts on The Dan Patrick Show
The Dan Patrick Show
The Dan Patrick Show is a syndicated sports talk show hosted by former ESPN personality Dan Patrick. It is currently produced by DirecTV Sports Group and is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks. The three-hour program broadcasts live every day beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern/6 a.m. Pacific time on Fox...

on multiple occasions.

History

The Free Beer & Hot Wings Show began as an afternoon show in Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...

 (within the Omaha metropolitan area) at non-commercial station KIWR
KIWR
KIWR is a radio station broadcasting an Alternative format. Based in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA, the station serves the Omaha Metro area. The station is licensed to Iowa Western Community College. The station has broadcast alternative rock since January 1, 1996...

 in March 1997. The Show consisted of two former Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...

 roommates, who eventually moved to mornings several months later where they remained until the summer of 2000, when they moved to WBON
WBON
WBON, also known as "La Nueva Fiesta", is a Spanish-language FM radio station licensed to Westhampton, New York and operating at 98.5 MHz and 96.9 MHz with a Tropical format. Its transmitter is located in Manorville, New York. The station is licensed to JVC Media LLC.Until March 2007, the...

 in Knoxville, TN. It was there that they met the show’s eventual 3rd member and fellow CMU grad, Eric "Zane" Zeitunian, who was, at the time, their direct competitor at WIMZ. When Zane was fired, he immediately drove across town, and joined The Free Beer & Hot Wings Show. The show then moved to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, where they were on WTHK
WTHK
WTHK, known on-air as "The Hawk" was a radio station located at 97.5 FM which had a classic rock format. Although the station was originally licensed to Trenton, New Jersey, changing to Burlington, New Jersey in early 2006, The Hawk targeted the Philadelphia broadcasting area in addition to its own...

 in Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...

 and WCHR
WCHR-FM
WCHR-FM is a Manahawkin, New Jersey radio station broadcasting at 105.7 FM with a classic rock format...

 on the Jersey Shore. The Free Beer & Hot Wings Show began full syndication in 2004 with the move to WGRD in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...

 and began syndicating to WTHK and WCHR. The show is now heard on 20+ radio stations.

Origin of names

The names "Free Beer" and "Hot Wings" were chosen by the hosts as "just stupid names that were easy to remember" early in their career, when they never really thought the show would last long. The guys have stated numerous times that they realize the names are not clever, but as of now, it's too late to change them. Since Eric Zane joined the show later, he does not have a "dumb food name", as stated by Free Beer.

Show Segments

Free Beer & Hot Wings Show Segments
Segment Description Times
The Free Beer & Hot Wings Report Biggest news stories of the day are discussed Daily
Can't Wait To Talk About Blank Listeners can call in and discuss any topic with the guys Daily
Flashback A look-back on a funny segment from the past Daily
What Hot Wings Thinks Hot Wings provides his own commentary about current topics Daily
Dumber Than Zane Trivia Listeners get their chance to call in and face Zane in a game of trivia. Sponsored by Cat Footwear Thursdays
Name That Blank Game where listeners compete against each other with questions that encourages them to "name that ____" of audio clips Fridays
Sounds of the Game A collection of soundbites from college and pro football that, when taken out of context, sound dirty Weekly during the football season
Dude Shadoway The guys invite their esteemed colleague/legendary radio DJ Dude Shadoway in to do an interview with "flash from the past" celebrities and current events heroes rarely
What Can Joe Do? Producer Joe performs a stunt, and if he's lucky, for money Once in a while
Paired With An Idiot Listeners are paired with the hosts in a game similar to Pyramid
Pyramid (game show)
Pyramid is an American television game show which has aired several versions. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973 and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series...

Once in a while
Intern-view A show intern conducts an interview. But here, the intern is set up to fail. The intern is told only moments before that they will be doing an interview and given minimal info about the interviewee. Once in a while
OCTOSMASH A parody game of "crazy morning zoo" radio shows, where eight different songs are played simultaneously and listeners must identify each level. Once in a while

Charity work

In 2006, Eric Zane was approached by a former teacher of one of his children to raise money for the Ataxia-Telangiectasia Children's Project. The teacher has two children who have this disease and told Zane that they needed money for a clinical trial. Zane took the quest to the listeners and the radio show managed to raise $65,000, more than enough money to cover the trial. Zane also followed through with his part of the deal, running the Detroit Marathon and getting the infamous Mr. 10 tattoo.

In 2007, Zane asked for volunteers to join the A-T Army, which was the radio show’s team in the 2008 Walt Disney World Marathon. Each member was asked to raise money and take part in the A-T Children’s Project’s events that weekend. Over forty people signed up and raised almost $50,000. Zane recently participated in the 2009 half-marathon. While in Florida for the event, he presented the A-T Children's Project with a check for that amount. In 2009 Zane also participated in a triathlon for A-T, asking listeners to donate money for every minute he raced. Throughout the race Zane pulled/pushed a listener's daughter that suffers from A-T and the race was completed in just over 2 hours, raising nearly $75,000 for the charity.

Holiday Break-in

Each December, the show solicits the nomination by their listeners of needy families to be the recipients of the Holiday Break-in for those unable to buy holiday gifts. Once the recipients are selected, participating radio affiliates break-in to the houses of these families (with the assistance of the nominator, a locksmith, and local police) and bring the holidays where there would be none. They decorate and leave presents - in the past, the gifts have included toys for the children, gift cards, paid rent, appliances, and cars. A few of the break-ins occur on the air - most do not. No notification is left as to who the gifts came from; the recipients rarely determine who was responsible for the seemingly random act of charity.

Inspired by the work done by the show, in 2008 local high schools in West Michigan began conducting their own break-ins for needy families. In 2009, representatives of each school appeared on the show and shared stories about the recipients and how the break-ins went.

Awards

The Free Beer and Hot Wings Show won the Michigan Association of Broadcasters award for Best Morning Broadcast Personality/Radio Team in 2005 2006, and 2007.

Robot

Robot joined the show on November 10th 2010 during the great "Barry, berry, bury" debate between Producer Steve and Eric Zane. He quickly became a fan favorite after coming out and with his style of saying whatever comes to mind, similar to Eric Zane, and his Free Beer esque "word scrambles". He usually starts a statement with, "Hey everybody, Robot here...".

Affiliates

StationLocationNotes
WGRD-FM 97.9 GRD
WGRD-FM
WGRD-FM is an active rock radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The station is owned by Townsquare Media.WGRD-FM is the flagship station of The Free Beer and Hot Wings Show, a comedy/talk program, on weekday mornings...

 
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...

Flagship station
WBUZ-FM 102.9 The Buzz  Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

Replaced The Bob and Tom Show
WCHR-FM 105.7 The Hawk
WCHR-FM
WCHR-FM is a Manahawkin, New Jersey radio station broadcasting at 105.7 FM with a classic rock format...

 
Manahawkin, New Jersey
Manahawkin, New Jersey
Manahawkin is a census-designated place and unincorporated area contained within Stafford Township, in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. Manahawkin translates to 'land of good corn' although this has been disputed by recent scholars claiming that it translate to “fertile land sloping into...

First station to carry the show when it became syndicated
WLKZ-FM 104.9 The Hawk
WLKZ
WLKZ is an American licensed radio station in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, serving the Lakes Region. The station is owned by Nassau Broadcasting Partners and carries a classic rock format, under the "104.9 The Hawk" branding.-History:...

 
Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,269 at the 2010 census. A venerable resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls...

WEXP-FM 101.5 The Fox  Rutland, Vermont
WHXR 106.3 The Bone
WHXR
WXTP is an FM radio station licensed to North Windham, Maine, serving the Portland area from studios in Freeport.-History:The station signed on in 1996 as WVYH, and featured an adult standards format known as "The Jewel". The station was simulcast on sister stations WLAM in Gorham and WZOU in...

 
Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...

WQBK-FM 103.5 / 103.9 Q-103
WQBK-FM
WQBK-FM and WQBJ are Active Rock music formatted radio stations licensed to Rensselaer, New York and Cobleskill, New York respectively, and serving New York's Capital District and Mohawk Valley. The stations are owned by Townsquare Media...

 
Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

 
Replaced The Howard Stern Show
WQLZ-FM 92.7 The Rock Station
WQLZ
WQLZ is a radio station licensed to serve Taylorville, Illinois, serving the Springfield, Illinois area. The station plays an active rock format. Its current morning show is the syndicated "The Free Beer and Hot Wings Show". The station is built to appeal to the Springfield, Illinois market...

 
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...

 
Replaced Ray Lytle's Morning Disaster
WKZQ-FM 96.1 KZQ  Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the...

 
Swapped morning shows with WYAV-FM 104.1 Wave
WYAV
WYAV is a Classic rock radio station licensed to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and serves the Grand Strand area. The NextMedia outlet is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast at 104.1 MHz with an effective radiated power of 100 kW...

WWYY-FM 107.1 The Bone
WWYY
WWYY is a United States class A radio station broadcasting on 107.1 FM. The station is located in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, but is licensed to Belvidere, New Jersey and serves the Poconos and the Lehigh Valley. The station is currently owned by Nassau Broadcasting Partners...

 
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...

KZRV-FM REV 96.7
KZRV
KZRV is a radio station in St. Cloud, Minnesota KZRV (96.7 FM, "Rev 96-7") is a radio station in St. Cloud, Minnesota KZRV (96.7 FM, "Rev 96-7") is a radio station in St. Cloud, Minnesota (licensed to Sartell, Minnesota by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) airing an active rock format....

 
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...

WXKR-FM 94.5
WXKR
WXKR is a radio station in Port Clinton, Ohio, broadcasting on 94.5 MHz with a classic rock format. The station is known as 94.5 XKR, Toledo's Classic Rock Station.-WRWR:...

 
Toledo, OH
WWBN-FM Banana 101.5
WWBN
WWBN , is a radio station broadcasting rock music to Central Michigan and The Thumb areas of Michigan. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and is a member of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters...

 
Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...

 
Replaced The Bob and Tom Show
WJZJ-FM Real Rock 95.5
WJZJ
WJZJ in Glen Arbor, Michigan is an American radio station, which airs a mainstream rock format branded as Real Rock 105.1/95.5...

 
Traverse City, MI 
WVIC-FM 94.1 The Edge
WVIC
WVIC is a radio station broadcasting a modern rock format. Licensed to Jackson, Michigan, it first began broadcasting on July 14, 1958 as WMKZ-FM simulcasting WIBM-AM. The station broadcasts from a tower near Springport, Michigan. The station can be heard from Kalamazoo to Ypsilanti, and from...

 
Lansing, MI 
WXBN-FM 105-5 The Bone  Winchester, Virginia
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...

WXCM-FM 97.1 97X
WXCM
WXCM is a radio station licensed to serve Whitesville, Kentucky. The station is owned by Cromwell Radio Group and licensed to WLME, Inc. It airs a Classic rock music format...

 
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...

WSCO-FM 95.3 The Score
WSCO
WSCO is a radio station broadcasting a Sports radio format. Licensed to Appleton, Wisconsin, USA, the station serves the Appleton-Oshkosh area. The station is currently owned by Woodward Communications, Inc. and features programing from Fox Sports Radio, Motor Racing Network and Sporting News...

 
Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is situated on the Fox River, 30 miles southwest of Green Bay and 100 miles north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the county seat of Outagamie County. The population was 78,086 at the 2010 census...

 
Replaced The Stephen A. Smith Show
The Stephen A. Smith Show
The Stephen A. Smith Show was a syndicated sports talk radio show hosted by Philadelphia Inquirer writer Stephen A. Smith. Smith had various co-hosts along the way, including Brandon Tierney, Gordon Damer, and Mike Missanelli....

KROG-FM 96.9 The Rogue
KROG
-External links:**...

 
Medford, Oregon
Medford, Oregon
Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the city had a total population of 74,907 and a metropolitan area population of 207,010, making the Medford MSA the 4th largest metro area in Oregon...

 
Replaced The Rogue Morning Show with Beefcake & Laura
KRWN-FM 92.9 KRWN The 4 Corners Rock Station
KRWN
KRWN, 92.9 FM, is a radio station with an active rock format. It is licensed to Farmington, New Mexico serving the Four Corners area.According to its website, it is the top-rated station in the area according to an audience survey taken in the fall of 2005....

 
Farmington, New Mexico
Farmington, New Mexico
Farmington is a city in San Juan County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 U.S. Census the city had a total population of 45,877 people. Farmington makes up one of the four Metropolitan Statistical Areas in New Mexico. The U.S...

WPXC-FM 102.9 PIXY 103
WPXC (FM)
WPXC is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Hyannis, Massachusetts, USA, the station serves the Cape Cod area. The station is currently owned by Nassau Broadcasting III, LLC.-External links:...

 
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
WNFZ-FM 94.3 The X
WNFZ
WNFZ is a commercial radio station licensed to Powell, Tennessee, broadcasting to the Knoxville, Tennessee area.WNFZ airs an active rock music format branded as "94.3 The X".-History:...

 
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...

Rock 94.7  Wausau, WI

Past affiliates

StationLocationReason
KMXN-FM X 92.9
KMXN
KMXN is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Osage City, Kansas, USA, the station serves the Topeka and Lawrence areas. The station is currently owned by Great Plains Media and broadcasts in HD Radio.-History:...

 
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...

 
Station changed format in 2009
WDRK-FM 99.9 The Carp  Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Eau Claire is a city located in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 65,883 as of the 2010 census, making it the largest municipality in the northwestern portion of the state, and the 9th largest in the state overall. It is the county seat of Eau Claire County,...

Station changed format in August 2009.
WXTT-FM eXtra 99.1  Champaign, Illinois
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...

WYAV-FM 104.1 Wave
WYAV
WYAV is a Classic rock radio station licensed to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and serves the Grand Strand area. The NextMedia outlet is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast at 104.1 MHz with an effective radiated power of 100 kW...

 
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the...

 
Swapped morning shows with WKZQ-FM 96.1 KZQ
WODE-FM 99.9 The Hawk  Allentown, PA
KERX-FM 95.3 The Rebel
KERX
KERX is a adult hits formatted radio station licensed to Paris, Arkansas, serving the Ft. Smith area. KERX is owned and operated by Pearson Broadcasting.-History:...

 
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...

WTHK-FM 97.5 The Hawk
WTHK
WTHK, known on-air as "The Hawk" was a radio station located at 97.5 FM which had a classic rock format. Although the station was originally licensed to Trenton, New Jersey, changing to Burlington, New Jersey in early 2006, The Hawk targeted the Philadelphia broadcasting area in addition to its own...

 
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...

 
Station changed format in November 2006
WEGE-FM 104.9 The Eagle  Lima, Ohio
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....

KBZZ-AM The Big Buzz 1270 AM
KBZZ
KBZZ is a radio station broadcasting a Talk/Personality format. Licensed to Sparks, Nevada, USA, the station serves the Reno area. The station is currently owned by Americom Las Vegas Limited Partnership and features programing from Westwood One....

 
Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...

WAVF-FM 96.1 WAVE FM
WAVF
WKZQ-FM is an Alternative rock radio station licensed to Forestbrook, South Carolina and serves the Grand Strand area. The NextMedia outlet is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast at 96.1 MHz with an effective radiated power of 8,500 watts...

 
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...


External links

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