''The Maxwell Show'' was a
hot talk
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
radio show which aired weekday afternoons on
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
rock station
WMMS
WMMS (100.7 FM) – branded ''100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard'' – is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Widely regarded as one of the most influential rock st ...
(100.7
FM). The show began in April 2004, and over the next five years, grew to become the Cleveland radio market's #1 afternoon program in several key demographics. However, relations between show host Maxwell (Pawley Bornstein) and WMMS owner
Clear Channel steadily grew strained, and in November 2009 the show was cancelled.
History
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
native Maxwell (Pawley Bornstein) was hired on for the
WMMS
WMMS (100.7 FM) – branded ''100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard'' – is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Widely regarded as one of the most influential rock st ...
afternoon drive in April 2004 following the departure of Slats (Tim Guinane) for rival station
WXTM.
An experienced on-air personality, Maxwell (aka Max Logan) had already worked for a number of rock stations before joining WMMS:
WEBN
WEBN (102.7 FM) – branded as 102-7 WEBN – is a commercial mainstream rock radio station licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio, serving Greater Cincinnati. Owned by iHeartMedia, WEBN serves as the FM flagship for the Cincinnati Bengals Radio ...
/
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
;
WDVE
WDVE (102.5 FM) is a classic rock music-formatted radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States at 102.5 MHz. It is often referred to by Pittsburghers as simply "DVE." WDVE's studios are located in Green Tree, while its transmitte ...
/ and
WXDX-FM
WXDX-FM (105.9 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania known as 105.9 The X. It airs an alternative rock radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia. The studios and offices are in Foster Plaza on Holiday Drive in Green Tree, ...
/
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
;
WXTB
WXTB (97.9 FM) is a commercial active rock radio station owned by iHeartMedia and licensed to Clearwater, Florida, serving the Tampa Bay Area. The WXTB studios are located in South Tampa, while the station transmitter resides in Holiday. In add ...
/
Tampa
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...
; and
WIYY
WIYY (97.9 FM, "98 Rock") is a commercial radio station in Baltimore, Maryland. It is owned by Hearst Communications and broadcasts a mainstream rock radio format. WIYY shares studios and offices with sister stations WBAL and WBAL-TV on Tele ...
/
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
.
[
* ] Joining Maxwell were: WMMS music director Dan Stansbury, representing the younger male audience; Krackerman (Dana Smith), who, until his firing in 2007, provided the show's
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
perspective; Chunk (Tiffany Peck), a young female phone screener whose role grew significantly following Krackerman's exit; WMMS program director Bo Matthews (Alex Gutierrez), known on the show as Captain Showbiz; Chuck Galeti (then of the local
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
affiliate
WOIO
WOIO (channel 19) is a television station licensed to Shaker Heights, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Telemundo affiliate WTCL-LD (channel 6) and Lorai ...
) who phoned in daily sports updates until 2008 when a heated on air confrontation with Maxwell drove him to quit; Andre Knott of WMMS sister station
WTAM
WTAM (1100 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, and carries a news/talk/sports format commonly known as "Newsradio WTAM 1100". Owned by iHeartMedia, WTAM serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio ...
, serving as Galeti's replacement for the duration of the show's run; and local comedian Ryan Dalton, a frequent guest.
''The Maxwell Show'' began as a
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
/
talk
Talk may refer to:
Communication
* Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people
* Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people
* Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct
...
hybrid, but gradually became all talk.
The show usually began with conversations regarding the day-to-day lives of the cast, and later moved on to more topical stories in the news and pop culture. Maxwell would occasionally interview guests over the phone and, to a lesser extent, in the studio.
Humor was always a major component of the show; jokes about Maxwell being
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
were known to generate controversy in the Cleveland Jewish community.
The cast also delved into serious issues, occasionally recounting some of the darker episodes from each of their personal histories. As children, both Maxwell and Stansbury were victims of
sexual abuse
Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...
, and Maxwell struggled with an
addiction
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...
to
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
before entering
rehab
Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to:
Health
* Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished
* Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...
in 2007.
Feuds
Often referred to by co-host Dan Stansbury as "the never ending
powder keg
A powder keg is a barrel of gunpowder. The powder keg was the primary method for storing and transporting large quantities of black powder until the 1870s and the adoption of the modern cased cartridge. The barrels had to be handled with care, sinc ...
of anger," Maxwell was known for having a number of feuds with other radio personalities over the years: Rover (Shane French) of ''
Rover's Morning Glory
''Rover's Morning Glory'' is a syndicated hot talk morning radio show originating from Cleveland rock station WMMS (100.7 FM). Hosted by radio personality Rover (Shane French), the show first began at cross-town rival WXTM (92.3 F ...
'' until his (Rover's) move from rival
WKRK-FM
WKRK-FM (92.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland Heights, Ohio, known as "Sports Radio 92.3 The Fan" and carrying a sports format. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WKRK-FM serves Greater Cleveland and surrounding Northeast Ohi ...
to WMMS in mid-March 2008 (Maxwell maintained he was "in the Rover business" during their mutual time at the station, though there were indications otherwise, such as Maxwell repeatedly voicing hopes that an
F5 tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
would rip through RoverFest 2009);
Opie and
Anthony
Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonia (gens), Antonii'', a ''gens'' (Roman naming conventions, Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were ...
and comedian
Jim Norton and fellow
Clear Channel host
Mike Trivisonno
Mike Trivisonno (September 20, 1947 – October 28, 2021) was an American radio broadcaster, known for hosting his own self-titled afternoon talk show on Cleveland radio station WTAM AM 1100. He was widely referred to simply as "Triv" by callers a ...
, airing directly opposite ''The Maxwell Show'' on
WTAM
WTAM (1100 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, and carries a news/talk/sports format commonly known as "Newsradio WTAM 1100". Owned by iHeartMedia, WTAM serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio ...
.
Metallica prank
On April 3, 2009, ''The Maxwell Show'' went on the air claiming (falsely) that
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
– in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
for the 2009
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
induction ceremony the very next day – was playing a free show in the WMMS parking lot that evening. Citing legal concerns, management immediately directed Maxwell to tell listeners that it was only a prank, and later placed him on probation for 90 days. Mutual discontent grew during contract renewal negotiations, and in November of that year, the show was cancelled.
After WMMS
On Wednesday, October 27, 2010,
WNCX
WNCX (98.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio, featuring a classic rock format known as "98.5 WNCX". Owned by Audacy, Inc., WNCX serves Greater Cleveland and much of surr ...
(98.5 FM) announced it had picked up ''The Maxwell Show'' for the station's morning shift. The move replaced former morning co-hosts Scott Miller and comedian Jeff Blanchard, and show producer Dave Jockers. Regarding their dismissal, Program Director Bill Louis commented that "sadly, this a bottom-line business." ''The Maxwell Show'' was the fourth program in five years to air weekday mornings on WNCX following
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, ''The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terre ...
's move to
satellite radio
Satellite radio is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s ITU Radio Regulations (RR) as a ''broadcasting-satellite service''. The satellite's signals are broadcast nationwide, across a much wider geographical area than ter ...
.
The show began airing on WNCX the following Monday, November 1, 2010;
officially, the show did not begin until 7:30 AM, though as a kind-of
stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery spec ...
, the station played the
Beatles' song "
Maxwell's Silver Hammer
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album ''Abbey Road''. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The song is about a student named Maxwell Edison ...
" on a constant loop in the hours leading up to the show's debut. Joining host Maxwell at WNCX were: Stansbury and Chunk, both from the show's initial run on
WMMS
WMMS (100.7 FM) – branded ''100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard'' – is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Widely regarded as one of the most influential rock st ...
; and a new addition, Ribz (Micah Manus), who began several months into the show's second run. ''
Cleveland Scene
The ''Cleveland Scene'' is an alternative weekly newspaper based in Cleveland, Ohio. The newspaper includes highlights of Cleveland-area arts, music, dining, and films, as well as classified advertising. The first edition of the newspaper was pub ...
'' described Maxwell's first week on the air as a "
scorched-earth
A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy that aims to destroy anything that might be useful to the enemy. Any assets that could be used by the enemy may be targeted, which usually includes obvious weapons, transport vehicles, communi ...
campaign" against his former station and its owner,
Clear Channel. Early metrics were "through the roof": visitors to the WNCX website increased tenfold, and online streaming tripled.
WNCX cancelled ''The Maxwell Show'' on August 25, 2011, less than ten months after the show's arrival at the station. ''Cleveland Scene'' speculated that, in addition to "flagging ratings," WNCX cancelled the show to make room for a new morning show at
sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement.
Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...
WKRK-FM
WKRK-FM (92.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland Heights, Ohio, known as "Sports Radio 92.3 The Fan" and carrying a sports format. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WKRK-FM serves Greater Cleveland and surrounding Northeast Ohi ...
as that station transitioned to a new
sports
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
format.
Following the show's cancellation at WNCX, Maxwell began work under the name Slater at alternative rock station
WKQX-LP/
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
. On July 30, 2012, Maxwell took over as the morning host on Chicago classic rock station
WLUP-FM
WCKL (97.9 FM) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, featuring a Christian contemporary format via the K-Love network. Owned and operated by Educational Media Foundation (EMF), WCKL serves the Chicago metro area w ...
; the station website describes the Chicago version of ''The Maxwell Show'' (also known as ''The Maxwell Morning Show'') as "a mix of news, sports, entertainment, everyday life and the best music ever made." Maxwell was joined by co-hosts Rob Hart and John Czahor.
On September 12, 2014, Maxwell and Czahor were released from WLUP-FM, as part of a station-wide revamping effort.
In November 2013, ''Maxwell Show'' cohost Dan Stansbury returned to Cleveland radio as the afternoon host at alternative rock station
WLFM-LP, remaining until January 1, 2014 when the station changed to a Spanish music format. In June 2014, he became the morning host at active rock station
WRQK-FM
WRQK-FM (106.9 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Canton, Ohio, featuring a mainstream rock format known as "Rock 106.9". Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves both the Canton and Akron metro areas and is the local affiliat ...
/
Canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ent ...
with co-host Matt Fantone.
Stansbury on WRQK - WRQK.com
/ref>
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell Show
2004 establishments in Ohio
2009 disestablishments in Ohio
American comedy radio programs
Radio in Cleveland