Morning radio is an evolving, funny business

Big changes for "The Bob & Tom Show" arrived in two jolts.

A surprise came in November when 65-year-old co-founder Bob Kevoian announced he would retire at the end of the year. A shock followed two months later when news director Kristi Lee left the show, saying she planned to pursue “new opportunities.”

Just like that, the National Radio Hall of Fame morning show fueled by funny banter, song parodies and guest comedians lost half of its cast. Co-founder Tom Griswold and sports director Chick McGee are left to beam "Bob & Tom" to more than 100 syndication affiliates from Indianapolis flagship station WFBQ-FM (94.7).

Radio's Bob Kevoian signs off; plans to be well-traveled retiree

Uncertainty now tempers the laughs on “The Bob & Tom Show” at a time when broadcast radio itself does what it can to weather external challenges. Morning radio shows are not merely competing against one another for listeners. Consumer options include streaming music from Pandora and Spotify, in-depth talk from podcasts, and nearly anything a listener could want from satellite radio and personalized smartphones.

Morning drive time is crucial in the quest to build audiences and court advertisers, but ad revenues are heading in the wrong direction. After rising earlier this decade, sales in recent years have dipped nationally and in Indianapolis.

WFBQ isn't the only Indianapolis station sorting out a new morning reality.

In the past year, two classic hip-hop stations and a country station launched here. New morning shows emerged at established stations WHHH-FM (96.3) and WNTR-FM (107.9). The hosts at WNOW-FM (100.9) are the same, but "Mornings with Kyle and Rachel" has been rebranded as "Wakin' Up."

Is the "morning zoo," the format that made Kevoian and Griswold rich and famous, on the way out? Are listeners turning to more music or more serious talk or the assortment of sports-themed stations in town?

After all, "Bob & Tom" is no longer the most popular Indianapolis show among the coveted demographic of 18- to 34-year-old listeners.

That title is held by a different show, and that show may herald a new era in Indianapolis morning radio. What are some of the secrets to its success? Well, funny banter and song parodies.

Early and important

To make a mark in the morning, playing the hits isn't enough.

"Music is everywhere; it's like air," said Tom Davis, co-host of "The Morning Mix" on WNTR. "The only way to set ourselves apart is to be relatable human beings who are in this community."

The program on a hot streak of listener relatability, and possibly "Bob & Tom's" heir apparent for ratings dominance, is the "Smiley Morning Show" at Top 40 station WZPL-FM (99.5).

Both shows follow a formula of strong on-air personalities who interact with listeners through phone calls and social media.

According to Nielsen Audio statistics for 6 to 10 a.m., "Smiley" ranked No. 1 among 18- to 34-year-old listeners during the second and third quarters of 2015. "Bob & Tom" placed first among 25- to 54-year-old listeners during the first and second quarters of 2015, with the third quarter being virtually a dead heat between "Bob & Tom" and "Smiley."

Similar to the traditional "Bob & Tom" lineup, the "Smiley Morning Show" features four on-air cast members: host Dave Smiley plus "producer" Will Pfaffenberger, "helper" Toni Williams and pop-culture expert Nikki Reed.

In contrast to "Bob & Tom" discontinuing tour appearances by Kevoian and Griswold in recent years as well as an annual listener trip to the Bahamas on Super Bowl weekend, the "Smiley" crew ramped up community connection.

The show presents an annual grown-up "Smiley Prom" and dating event "Smiley's Wheel of Men" (scheduled Feb. 12 at Broad Ripple's Vogue nightclub).

Smiley and Co. spend part of each December overseeing the Make-A-Wish Request-A-Thon, a 36-hour fundraising event for children battling life-threatening medical conditions.

WZPL's Top 40 format has helped Smiley attract a sizable audience of female listeners since he started his show in 2002. Breaking the "Bob & Tom" stranglehold on male listeners is the result of continued show refinement, Smiley said.

"We play Demi Lovato and Adele," he said. "If we're getting some of those guys that are listening, they obviously aren't listening for Adele. It means the conversations and content we provide are bringing those listeners in."

Smiley, a free spirit who grew up in Iowa, leaves the studio door open to the rest of the Entercom Communications offices when he is on the air from 5 to 10 a.m. weekdays. He said he has won the battle with program directors to play as many or as few songs as he wants per hour. And unlike old-school radio thinking, Smiley doesn't ask callers to say "99.5 WZPL" before awarding a prize. He asks them to name any other local station.

According to Sean Ross, vice president of music and programming for Edison Research, morning shows rely on fewer preprogrammed bits and fewer fake character voices than shows did 10 years ago.

Ross said hosts also are encouraged to reveal more about their off-air lives and to make "stars" of listeners.

"If there is some connection between the station and the listener, it's harder to write radio off as a utility," said Ross, editor of the Ross on Radio industry newsletter.

While naysayers have predicted the death of radio since television first arrived in homes, an array of listening alternatives surround the medium today.

Ross characterizes broadcast radio's overall health as "diminished, not demolished."

In December, national radio ad revenues decreased by 1 percent when compared with the same time last year, according to StandardMediaIndex.com. In 2015's third quarter, ad revenues declined 0.6 percent compared with the second quarter. In Indianapolis, ad revenues slipped 1.2 percent from 2014 to 2015.

Despite a flat perspective for radio advertising, people are listening.

For the first quarter of 2015, Nielsen reported that broadcast radio reached 93 percent of adults every week. That number topped TV (87 percent), smartphones (70 percent), personal computers (54 percent) and tablets (35 percent) in Nielsen's Total Audience Report.

"The usage is still there," said Tom Taylor, a New York-based journalist who writes a daily newsletter for the radio industry. "The revenue is more of a challenge."

Adding more commercials per hour seems like an unlikely strategy.

It's common for 12 minutes of ads to air per hour on broadcast radio, while the Pandora streaming service interrupts music with four minutes of ads in the same time period.

"It might make you say, 'That's why we need our personalities, and that's why we need our high-profile morning shows,' " Ross said.

Rick Green, the top Indianapolis executive for WFBQ owner iHeartRadio, said "The Bob & Tom Show" remains highly attractive to advertisers.

"It's sold out almost every week," Green said. "(Advertisers) book at least a month in advance."

Question is, will advertisers and affiliates remain loyal to the new-look "Bob & Tom"?

From Indiana to the world

Kevoian and Griswold made their WFBQ debut on March 7, 1983. At its peak popularity from the late '80s to mid-'90s, "The Bob & Tom Show" reached more than 20 percent of radio listeners in Indianapolis.

The show entered syndication in January 1995 and is heard on 104 stations plus the Armed Forces Radio Network.

Griswold, who declined to be interviewed for this report, is executive producer of "The Bob & Tom Show" and the owner of its content.

Guest hosts have been heard in Kevoian's former role since the show returned from holiday break, while previous "Bob & Tom" sidekick and WTHR-13 news anchor Pat Carlini fills Lee's role. (Lee, who declined to be interviewed for this report, plans to unveil a podcast series titled "Uninterrupted" on April 5 at DrWill.com.)

Kristi Lee exits 'The Bob & Tom Show'

"Someone mentioned that it's kind of like 'Saturday Night Live,' " Green said. "As long as you have Lorne Michaels — or Tom Griswold — at the helm, the cast of characters can change."

It's not unprecedented for a radio show to continue using the name of someone who is no longer part of the cast.

"The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show" carries the name of a host who died in 2013. Heard on more than 60 Top 40 stations, Dallas-based "Kraddick" is one of the high-profile "morning zoos" in syndication.

It's difficult to find a show with a bigger network of stations than "Bob & Tom."

"The Tom Joyner Morning Show" lists 98 affiliates on the show's website.

"The Rickey Smiley Morning Show," a new addition at Indianapolis hip-hop station WHHH-FM (96.3), has more than 50 affiliate stations.

"The Bobby Bones Show," a recent addition to Indianapolis iHeartRadio country station WUBG-FM (98.3), lists 85 affiliates.

Bones, a Nashville-based personality known for pushing Chris Janson's "Buy Me a Boat" and Love and Theft's "Whiskey on My Breath" toward mainstream success, adheres to a Top 40-influenced show pace that appeals to young listeners, Green said.

"Certain high-profile, multiplayer morning shows are doing very well," said industry observer Ross. "It's hard to develop a new one from scratch that's not a 30-year habit. But iHeartRadio has certainly tried to do that with Bobby Bones. They've put Bobby on enough stations to build a franchise."

Drive-time parties

About 25 broadcast radio stations battle for Indianapolis listeners, who have choices ranging from NPR to modern rock.

Smiley presents a goofy, step-slow persona on his WZPL show. On a recent episode, he expressed surprise that the Underground Railroad didn't consist of tracks and subterranean tunnels.

"I didn't know I was going to be a morning-show host," said Smiley, who left a radio job in San Diego to come to WZPL. "People said: 'You can't do it. You're dumb.' And that is true. I'm the dumbest DJ on the radio."

Perceived intelligence aside, Smiley's approach to radio is a smart moneymaker. He gives Pfaffenberger, founder of the Three Dollar Bill Comedy Co., room to write jokes and parody songs. Williams and Reed excel at banter when listeners phone in.

"We love putting calls on," Smiley said. "It sounds like a little party."

Across and between your car presets, it's easy to find stations trying to replicate Smiley's success.

Last March, Entercom shifted "Smiley" cast member Kari "KJ" Johll to WNTR — billed as "Indy's 10 in a Row Variety Station" — to create a new morning show. Featuring more music and a wider variety of songs than what's heard on "Smiley," "The Morning Mix" is built on brand recognition and an element of companionship.

"Our goal is to play songs that you know and that you enjoy," Johll said. "We want you to have fun listening to us."

Similar goals apply to "Wakin' Up," previously known as "Mornings with Kyle and Rachel" on Top 40 station WNOW.

Cast members Kyle Smelser, Rachel Bogle and Bryan Lord riff on pop-culture news that is as timely as possible.

"That's the show that's going to take ahold of everything that happened on social media and TV last night," said Brandon Satterfield, who became program director for WNOW and fellow Radio One station "Boom 102.9" on Jan. 4. "We're looking for growth at 'Wakin' Up.' There's a reason why there's re-branding. There's a reason you're looking at a new program director. Our efforts are to be a Top 5 morning show."

In a closely watched battle of classic hip-hop stations, "Boom 102.9" carries the syndicated "Ed Lover Show" on weekday mornings while "93.9 The Beat" counters with Indianapolis-based "JC in the Morning."

At Radio One's WHHH, stand-up comedian Rickey Smiley succeeds the "Russ Parr Morning Show." Parr's program no longer fit WHHH after Radio One shifted him from a hip-hop flagship station to an R&B base in Washington, D.C.

"Morning shows have a format they try to deliver," said Chuck Williams, the top Radio One executive in Indianapolis. "You deliver based on either your talent or a hole in the marketplace. There's a place for morning shows that are music intensive. There's a place for morning shows where you have one cowboy, all by himself or herself. And there's a place where you have teams or a 'zoo.' "

After Bob and Kristi

Industry historian Art Vuolo is known as "radio's best friend," and he may be the biggest fan of "The Bob & Tom Show."

Known for making videos of on-air personalities while they work, Vuolo traveled from his home in Michigan to Indianapolis year after year to capture footage of Kevoian, Griswold, Lee and McGee.

"Everyone's asking me, 'What's going to happen to the show?' I say, 'Nothing,' " Vuolo said.

Vuolo said Kevoian's decreased workload before his retirement (four days a week, six months per year) signaled the show can go on without him.

Griswold, who presents an erudite persona while also reveling in jokes based on cultural differences and sex in the news, is the "guts and glue of the show," Vuolo said.

In addition to Griswold's odd-couple friction with everyman McGee, "Bob & Tom" frequently showcases the developing comedic talents of Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee.

Chick McGee's podcast touches on 'Bob & Tom' changes

Chemistry is the key, Vuolo said.

"I compare it to love," he said. "You can't say, 'I'm going to love that person.' You either love that person or you don't. You can't force love, and you can't force chemistry."

Newsletter author Taylor compared the exits of Kevoian and Lee to an NBA team losing two veteran starters.

"You have to regroup and rebalance," Taylor said. "You have to find a new center of gravity. I think the industry will give them that chance, but it's certainly a new chapter for that show."

Call IndyStar reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.

Morning radio ratings

Below are Nielsen Audio audience rankings for 6 to 10 a.m. among Indianapolis radio listeners in the third quarter of 2015 (July through September).

25- to 54-year-old listeners

1. "The Bob & Tom Show," WFBQ-FM (94.7).

2. "Smiley Morning Show," WZPL-FM (99.5).

3. "Sean Copeland," WYXB-FM (105.7).

4. "Mornings with Dave O'Brien," WLHK-FM (97.1).

5. "Greg Browning," WJJK-FM (104.5).

18- to 34-year-old listeners

1. "Smiley Morning Show," WZPL-FM (99.5).

2. "Mornings with Dave O'Brien," WLHK-FM (97.1).

3. "Sean Copeland," WYXB-FM (105.7).

4. "Jim, Deb and Kevin in the Morning," WFMS-FM (95.5).

5. "The Bob & Tom Show," WFBQ-FM (94.7).

Listeners ages 6 and older

1. "Tony Katz and the Morning News," WIBC-FM (93.1).

2. "Smiley Morning Show," WZPL-FM (99.5).

3. "The Bob & Tom Show," WFBQ-FM (94.7), and "Sean Copeland," WYXB-FM (105.7).

5. "Greg Browning," WJJK-FM (104.5), and "Mornings with Dave O'Brien," WLHK-FM (97.1).

7. "Jim, Deb and Kevin in the Morning," WFMS-FM (95.5), and "The Morning Mix," WNTR-FM (107.9).