Radio Hosts Ralph Garman, Big Boy, Ellen K and Others Remember Their Morning Show Whiplash on 9/11

I still think quite a bit about listening to radio on the way to work on 9/11 and hearing Ralph Garman and Boyd R. Britton "Doq on the Roq" on KROQ; Big Boy on Power 106; Mark Wallengren on KOST; Ellen K on KIIS-FM and others as I scanned the dial that morning. For Variety I talked to them and NY's Elvis Duran Show about having to pivot from jokes to news on air that day:

Elvis Duran still recalls the phone-in topic on his morning radio show the day of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. “We were talking about whether you’re cheating on your significant other if you’re flirting with someone else in an online chat room,” Duran says. “And then playing a song.”

Back in 2001, Duran’s top 40 WHTZ-FM “Z100” was located in Jersey City — just across the Hudson River from Downtown Manhattan. The “Elvis Duran and the Morning Show” team had a direct view of the World Trade Center from their 40th floor studio, and it was their phone screener who first fielded reports of smoke from one of the towers.

“It started with rumors a helicopter hit it,” Duran recalls. “Around the time we found out it was a commercial airline plane that hit it, that’s when the second plane hit the other tower. And we immediately knew, this isn’t what we think it is, this is something that we don’t understand.”

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, morning hosts were just arriving to start their shifts. “We’re having our pre-meeting off air before we jump on air live,” remembers Big Boy, who was then based at hip-hop KPWR-FM “Power 106.” “One of my guys comes in and says, ‘Man, some fucking idiot just crashed his plane into the World Trade Center.’ So we go into our office. And as we’re sitting there watching it live, the second plane comes in, boom.”

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks kicked the nation’s TV and radio news organizations into high gear, as they quickly went live to cover the unfolding events. But also on air that day were drive-time radio personalities who suddenly had to drop the jokes, stop spinning records, and instead pivot to becoming somber lifelines as listeners looked for information and solace.

“We got on the air and started answering calls,” says Ellen K, who back then was Rick Dees’ partner on Los Angeles top 40 KIIS-FM. “I was over seven months pregnant, and my baby in my belly, my son — who’s now almost 20 — was kicking and punching wildly because of the stress reaction I was having. I remember I couldn’t breathe very well, so I had to sit down and calm myself while we’re answering these phone calls.”

K remembers no music being played that day on KIIS. “It was just constant calls, and we stayed on the air way past 10 a.m., when we would usually sign off. We were on until almost 2 p.m. People were taking turns, coming on, crying. We were also giving information as fast as we could get it. So we had our producers calling out, we were calling friends in New York City. We were also reaching out to everyone we knew to get on the air.”

At Los Angeles alternative KROQ-FM, the hosts of “Kevin & Bean” were on vacation, so the station was replaying “best of” clips from previous shows. Just a skeleton crew were in the offices: Sidekick Ralph Garman and news anchor Boyd R. Britton (known as “Doc on the Roq”), who were originally only there to contribute a few live segments in between the repeats.

“By the time I had gotten to the studio, the news had just broken that the second plane had hit the second tower,” Garman says. “And it was only then that it dawned on us that this was not an accident. And the station didn’t know what to do. I was in there, Doc was in there. We had a board op. But the decision eventually was made: We can’t ignore this; we have to go on the air with something. And here I am, this baby broadcaster. I had done voices and stuff for the show but I’d never really taken on a larger role than that. And they said we have to go live, so we just turned on the mics and started broadcasting.”

In an unconventional move, Britton and Garman — normally two contributors who never interacted on “Kevin & Bean” — were suddenly co-anchoring coverage on KROQ.

Read the full story here.

End of an Era: Lisa May, "Doc on the Roq" Depart KROQ After More Than Two Decades

Radio isn't known for its longevity -- it's a tough business, particularly for on-air talent. Even the best ones frequently find themselves hopping from market to market. So it's all the more amazing that the Kevin & Bean Show is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

But change is in the air: After 24 years, longtime "Kevin & Bean" traffic reporter Lisa May (that's her, above with me at the KROQ studios in 2012) has left the show. Ditto Boyd R. Britton, a.k.a. "Doc on the Roq," who had been at KROQ for 27 years, and produced news capsules for the morning show. KROQ is doing away with both traffic and news in the morning, and more changes are to come.

Lisa May's past gigs include working as a DJ at a country station in the Valley, while Britton has been in the market for years, working for KKDJ, KIIS, KTNQ, KWST, KHTZ and KNWZ, according to LARadio.com.

Kevin & Bean announced the change this morning. The duo, plus Ralph Garman and Lisa also addressed it on Twitter:









Good luck to Lisa as she moves on to her next adventure!

UPDATE: Meanwhile, K&B has a new female voice: Former KTLA reporter Allie MacKay, who joined the show on Monday. Here's the report from All Access:

CBS RADIO Alternative KROQ/LOS ANGELES has added ALLIE MAC KAY to the cast of the KEVIN AND BEAN show. MAC KAY, who most recently appeared on the KTLA morning show for the last six years, started this morning.

The move comes on the heels of the departures of morning news anchor DOC ON THE ROQ (NET NEWS, 2/19) and traffic reporter LISA MAY (NET NEWS, 2/23) “DOC ON THE ROQ and LISA MAY have both been valuable and long-term members of the KEVIN AND BEAN cast and we appreciate all of their contributions, CBS RADIO VP/Programming and KROQ PD KEVIN WEATHERLY said. “As of today, we have added frequent guest and fill-in ALLIE MAC KAY as a full-time addition to the KEVIN AND BEAN show.”

“Today was my first day as part of the dysfunctional family that is "The KEVIN AND BEAN Show" on KROQ,” she wrote on her FACEBOOK post. “Growing up here in L.A., if you would have told me this was even a possibility, I wouldn't have believed it. At the same time, change isn't easy (for anyone involved) especially when you come after someone so beloved. I'm just there to do my best and hope it makes you happy (for some of you … that will hopefully come in time).”

COMIC-CON: On the Radio with Kevin & Bean in San Diego

Last Thursday was a bit crazy: I woke up around 5 in time for the Emmy nominations and had my X-Files reunion panel later that afternoon. But I still made time that morning to visit KROQ's Kevin & Bean Show, broadcasting live from the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego. It was the first time I met Kevin and Bean in person (only Ralph was in studio the time I was there), and they devoted two segments for us to talk about Comic-Con, the X-Files panel and the Emmy noms. Click to listen to the K&B podcast below!

Damn You, "Sharktopus" Ends Up on the Target Clearance Shelf

Remember Roger Corman's Syfy masterpiece "Sharktopus"? The 2010 movie, starring Eric Roberts, is about a scientifically engineered half-shark, half-octopus (natch) that escapes (also, natch). Fans of Kevin & Bean also remember Ralph Garman's turn on the film as "Captain Jack."

Well, sorry, film lovers: "Sharktopus" is now sitting in the bargain aisle of Target, for the low, low price of $2.56. Run!

Babbling the (Bleep) On with Ralph and Kevin in Hollywood

It's 10 p.m. on a Friday in Hollywood -- and it's time for Ralph Garman and Kevin Smith to "babble the f*** on."

As Garman and Smith lead another week of their live stage show/podcast hybrid Hollywood Babble-On, Garman informs Smith that the show is a sell-out.

Not bad for what's essentially two fanboys on stage reading emails, doing funny voices and making fun of pop culture. In less than a year in existence, "Hollywood Babble-On" has formed the cornerstone of a rapidly growing podcast empire overseen by Smith.

Smith's loyal fan base (in spite of "Jersey Girl") helped stoke those fires. But in their home turf of L.A. (it's actually the Universal CityWalk, not quite Hollywood), the crowd is sending much of their love toward Garman. While the actor and impressionist is still virtually unknown in most of the country, Garman is a star in Los Angeles, thanks to his decade-plus tenure on KROQ's top-rated "Kevin & Bean" morning show.

Garman is no slouch, having hosted "The Joe Schmo Show," provided voices to Seth MacFarlane animated series like "Family Guy" and having even appeared in the campy Syfy original movie "Sharktopus." And "Kevin & Bean" is now nationally syndicated, beaming everything from his filthy take on Sean Connery to his hourly entertainment reports throughout the country.

But it's Garman's recent partnerships with cult fave movie director Smith that may have finally set him on a bigger path. As a frequent guest on "Kevin & Bean," Smith would sit in with Garman as the morning personality riffed on showbiz news. Eventually, the duo decided to take it on the road, and to Smith's "Smodcastle" performance space in West Hollywood.

They dubbed the show "Hollywood Babble-On" (essentially an R-rated version of KROQ's "Ralph Showbiz Beat") and posted it online as a podcast. Around the same time, Smith took his horror flick "Red State," which features a chilling performance by Garman -- out on the road. The podcast took off, and soon Smith began creating countless more (everything from a morning show to a "Saturday Night Live" retrospective with Jon Lovitz to a new show featuring comedian Jay Mohr).

Garman, meanwhile, had found a whole base of new fans worldwide who had never heard of the World Famous KROQ or his impersonations of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charlie Sheen or Justin Bieber.

"Hollywood Babble-On" eventually outgrew Smith's "Smodcastle" (which he is now moving out) and found a new home at the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club at Citywalk. And now Lovitz has even contracted the podcasting bug, opting to rename the venue the "Jon Lovitz Podcast Theater."

I've been a fan of "Kevin & Bean" for more than 15 years (before Garman even joined as "Ralph the New Guy"), as have my friends Paul and Diane. So we all met up last Friday to check out "Hollywood Babble-On" for the first time. We were asked to get there early, so we did -- but ended up waiting outside for a long time anyway.

But that was a small hiccup in what was otherwise an enjoyable evening. Smith and Garman were both in top form as they improvised gags and quipped about the week's events. They read emails from listeners and audience members. And they recognized Hollywood stars no longer with us. As always, the show ends on a series of jokes about one of Liam Neeson's more impressive features (and we're not talking "Schindler's List").

It's a fun, simple show, and definitely one worth checking out again. " Besides its CityWalk base, "Hollywood Babble-On" is heading to Comic-Con next week and will be producing a series of shows in Texas. More pics below:

Sad News for KROQ's Ralph

Our condolences to KROQ's "Kevin & Bean" co-star Ralph Garman.

Garman's wife, Kari, gave birth late last month to twins: A boy, Lincoln, and a girl, Olivia. The babies were two months premature -- and over the weekend, Lincoln didn't pull through.

KROQ relayed this message from Ralph on its Kevin & Bean page:

“To all the K & B listeners:

My wife and I want to thank you so much for the avalanche of e-mails we got when I made the announcement about our twins last week. Your messages were filled with so much love and support, and were so appreciated.

Sadly, our little son, Lincoln, was stricken with a horrible, sudden illness on Saturday, and passed away Sunday morning.

I’ve asked K & B to pass this news on to you because so many of you were so generous with your concern and kindness regarding our new family. We’ll try to honor Lincoln by giving his little sister, Olivia, all the love we can.

I’ll be back as soon as I am able.

All my thanks to you all,

Ralph”

Condolence emails can be sent to ralph@kroq.com, or donations can be sent to Cedars-Sinai's "Grateful Patient Program," in which money is used by the hospital to "make advances in biomedical research, educate tomorrow’s physicians, and continue serving the community for years to come." Go here for more info.

(P.S. Remember the time Ralph impersonated Jerry Lewis -- and managed to get the real French president Jacques Chirac on the phone?