''The Ron & Ron Show'' is an American
radio talk show
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 ...
that was nationally syndicated and hosted by
Ron Diaz Ron Diaz (born c. 1955) is an American radio talk show host on iHeartMedia, Inc.'s sports radio station WDAE (620 AM and 95.3 FM) in Tampa, Florida as the host of ''The Ron & Ian Show''.
Radio career
The Ron & Ron Show
In 1987, stand-up comedian ...
and
Ron Bennington
Ronald Lee Bennington (born December 31, 1958) is an American radio personality and comedian who is currently the co-host of '' Bennington'' and host of '' Unmasked''. Additionally, he has been a co-host of a number of radio shows, including '' T ...
.
History
In 1987, stand-up comedian Ron Bennington joined radio veteran Ron Diaz to create the radio program, ''The Ron & Ron Show'', at Tampa Bay's
WYNF-FM, known as 95YNF. The show had huge ratings success and Ron & Ron known as "Radio's Bad Boys" then partnered with their agent Ross Reback to form The Ron & Ron Radio Network to own and syndicate the programming.
[Radio Personality's Wife Has Aids]
/ref> The show's final broadcast for WYNF was on March 12, 1993. Reback became President and CEO of the newly formed network and quickly negotiated a deal to broadcast the show in Miami, FL, Orlando, FL, and Jacksonville, FL with another dozen markets soon following (including a new more lucrative deal in Tampa, FL).
''The Ron & Ron Show'' made national headlines after engaging in a screaming match with apparently inebriated actor Don Johnson
Donnie Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor, producer and singer. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series ''Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Em ...
(''Miami Vice
''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...
'', ''Nash Bridges
''Nash Bridges'' is an American police procedural television series created by Carlton Cuse. The show stars Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
The seri ...
,'' ''Blood & Oil
''Blood & Oil'' is an American prime time television soap opera created by Josh Pate and Rodes Fishburne, that premiered on ABC on September 27, 2015. The series follows a young couple that moves to fictitious Rock Springs, North Dakota, afte ...
''). ''The Ron & Ron Show'' made international headlines once again when cast regular "Flipper" formed a rock band to play at the upcoming Ron & Ron ''Live Gig'' in Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
and named his band ''The Dead German Tourists'' after two German tourists who had recently been murdered upon leaving the Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the greater Miami metropolitan area with over 1,000 daily flights to 167 domestic and international destinations, including most co ...
in a rental car. The band's name caused an uproar and Miami city officials held an emergency meeting and voted to prohibit ''The Ron & Ron Show'' from holding their ''Live Gig'' within Miami city limits. The Ron & Ron Radio Network considered the city council's vote a form of censorship, and undeterred, Reback moved the ''Live Gig'' to neighboring Hallandale, FL at the last minute. An estimated crowd of approximately 10,000 fans attended the show.
On December 21, 1994 Ron Diaz announced that his wife Debbie was diagnosed with AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
/ref> as Paxson prepared to relocate it from the network's studios in St. Petersburg, FL
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa, Florida, T ...
to one in Hollywood, FL
Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...
. Without Diaz, and under Paxson, the show soon floundered, and on September 29, 1997, after a successful 11-year run (the last few months of which featured several replacement hosts, all of whom took the name "Ron" in a failed attempted replacement of Diaz), the show was cancelled. Clear Channel Radio
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
purchased the radio division of rightsholder
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...
, Paxson Communications
Ion Media (formerly known as Paxson Communications Corporation and Ion Media Networks) was an American broadcasting company that owned and operated over 71 television stations in most major American markets (through its television stations group ...
, and opted not to continue the show.
Other ventures
The Ron & Ron Radio Network produced two full-length feature videos—''Ron & Ron: Let The Puppies Breathe'', and ''Ron & Ron's Pup Friction'' which contained video highlights from the radio show and the Live Gigs, along with specially produced material. Both videos were huge sellers to their loyal listener base, and pre-dated the Girls Gone Wild series, and MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
's Jackass. The term "let the puppies breathe" is a reference the show used to encourage women to expose their breasts; Ross Reback, Ron Diaz and Ron Bennington served as executive producers.
In addition to ''The Ron & Ron Show'', The Ron & Ron Radio Network also owned and produced the ''Hooters
Hooters is the registered trademark used by two American restaurant chains: Hooters, Inc., based in Clearwater, Florida, and Hooters of America, Inc. based in Atlanta, Georgia, and owned by the private investment firm Nord Bay Capital (with ...
-on-the-Radio Show'' which featured former Hooters Girls including the Original Hooters girl and 1986 Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
Playmate, Lynne Austin
Lynne Austin (born April 15, 1961, in Plant City, Florida) is an American model and actress. She was chosen as '' Playboy's'' Playmate of the Month in July, 1986 and has appeared in numerous ''Playboy'' videos. Austin was also selected as the 198 ...
, and also ''The Gary Spivey
Gary Spivey is a spiritual healer and psychic. He has made appearances on radio programs, TV shows, in live casino shows, and also conducts personal readings, seminars, workshops, and retreats.
Radio shows
Spivey regularly performs on morning ...
Show'', featuring the nationally known psychic.
Ross Reback and Ron Bennington together owned ''Ron Bennington's Comedy Scene'', a 200-seat premier comedy club located in Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, northwest of Tampa and St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census, the city had a populat ...
which featured nationally known comedians. The club was a launching pad for comedians such as Jim Breuer, Brian Regan, Billy Gardell, Tom Rhodes and many others.
Ron Bennington assembled a comedy troupe to tour to the markets where ''The Ron & Ron Show'' was syndicated. ''Ron Bennington's Disciples of Comedy'' included several comedians who had previously toured as part of ''Sam Kinison
Samuel Burl Kinison ( ; December 8, 1953 – April 10, 1992) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. A former Pentecostal preacher, he performed stand-up routines that were characterized by intense sudden tirades, punctuated with his distinc ...
's Outlaws of Comedy. The Disciples of Comedy were Ron Bennington, Carl LaBove, Jimmy Shubert
Jimmy Shubert (born ) is a stand-up comedian from Philadelphia now living in Los Angeles. He is known for being part of Sam Kinison's "Outlaws of Comedy," as a 2014 finalist on ''Last Comic Standing'', and for acting roles on shows such as ''The K ...
, Mitchell Walters, Dan Carlson, Lou Angelwolf, Jeff Apploff, Ralph Williams and Curtain Boy Warren Durso. The shows also included Fez Whatley and Fast Eddie Yarb. The tour was produced by Ross Reback and The Ron & Ron Radio Network. The comedy tour sold out theatres of 2,000 to 3,000 seats.
Ron & Ron Live Gigs
''The Ron and Ron Show'' famously hosted several live radio broadcasts/comedy shows known as Ron & Ron "Live Gigs" that were rather raucous and adult in nature. The "Live Gigs" were wildly popular and many of them would typically attract crowds estimated between 10,000 and 30,000 attendees.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ron and Ron Show, The
American comedy radio programs
1987 radio programme debuts
1997 radio programme endings
American talk radio programs