I never had much taste for morning radio. Either my commute was short enough to encompass mostly commercial breaks (not that hard for an ad-filled stretch near the turn of the century) or the options left me wanting more. One of my favorite features while working in Braidwood, IL concerned the story of a young couple who won a contest, with the prize being a marriage officiated by "Mancow" Mueller. The lengths of their fandom showed what a morning personality could mean to a listener. Me? I chose playing my Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks tape to ease into the day.
The era of the podcast tore down the walls of territorial rights held by terrestrial radio. My brother listens to the Max Kellerman Show podcasts, which mixes national sports commentators like Rob Neyer with in-depth discussions on the New York Mets' corner outfielder situation for 2009. I picked up the "Adam Carolla Show" through a link, tempted by an appearance by ESPN's Sports Guy, Bill Simmons. Once accessed through iTunes, I came to find that the show provided a veritable buffet of segments from each day's show. So I tested out some interviews with comedians and stayed around for comedy bits like "Blah Blah Blog." And so my daily downloads began.
I loved the interactions among the on-air talent (Carolla was joined by co-host Teresa Strasser and "Bald" Bryan Bishop). They laughed in the face of the normal "morning zoo" conventions, and instead replaced it with quick wit and a focus well beyond the confines of their Los Angeles studio. And if I didn't like a recurring segment? Skip it! Sure, the idea of giving the show away online without commercials puzzled me in some sense, but for pure listening enjoyment, it couldn't be beat.
At least in an entertainment sense, that is. Corporate parent CBS radio cleared house at home station KLSX-FM (97.1) last week, sending the Carolla show and others off the air and replacing them with Katy Perry every hour, on the hour. As a sign of the show's broad, podcast-assisted reach, goodbye phone calls were placed across the globe as the hosts wistfully moved through the last few days on the job. Carolla, faced with almost 10 months on his contract and without a microphone, announced plans for a daily podcast emanating from his home. And after five episodes, I can safely say while missing some of the previous incarnation's best attributes, Carolla still manages to bring the funny for a strong 40 minutes a day.
Carolla was endearingly tentative in the first few minutes of his first show, as a talker on his own after many years bouncing ideas off Strasser and, before that, Dr. Drew on "Loveline." But after laying out his ideas for living better through podcasting, he veered off into a tangential rant and - for a few voice-raising seconds - things were the same as they ever were. There are some strong differences for people used to the radio show. Gone are the wake-and-bake callers and an amazing multitude of audio "drops" wielded by Bishop. And I don't think Carolla's kidding about the late-night recordings allowing him to have a few glasses of wine before setting down to the computer. Compared to his early-morning voice, he sometimes sounds like a weight has been attached to his tongue.
For the first week, though, the strength remained in a strong guest supporting cast setting up Carolla for easy baskets while filling their own statline. Friendly relationships with the likes of Strasser/Bishop, Dave Dameshek and Bill Simmons shine especially bright in the personal nature of the podcast. And, yes, escaping the confines of the FCC allows for the occasional (OK, frequent) swear word. But rather than titillate, the f-bombs make the remaining radio stations sound so square for requiring its shock jocks to use the term "eff-ing" to full effect.
So far, Carolla's audience has embraced the medium wholeheartedly. The site reported more than 250,000 daily downloads, sending it to the top of the iTunes podcast charts. (For comparison, Simmons' BS Report averages about 300,000 weekly downloads, according to ESPN.) And just about every show has digressed into big-picture thinking about the podcast itself, with Carolla seeing himself on the vanguard of the medium. One might argue that NPR and ESPN could lay claim to already having begun the vanguard, but a Carolla success story could reveal a tipping point for viability. Still, the actor/comedian isn't even allowed to try and monetize his content until 2010, which by all accounts is the true test for independent, professional, podcast-only content.
Sure, I miss the way "Bald" Bryan would softly say "C'mon!" after Carolla's particularly objectionable jokes. And any guy who doesn't fall for a witty, personable radio voice like Strasser doesn't have a pulse. But then I think of what the alternative might have been just a few years ago, and thank the medium for continuing Carolla's humorous mesage.
The Adam Carolla Show podcast is available at iTunes and at carollaradio.com.
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