Unprofessional. Dramatic. of darkness prodigious Inconvenience. Awkward Unfocused. All the words one could use to describe Rock 105.3′ The Mikey Show.
What are some good things about The Mikey Show, you ask? All the words written above, first of all.
On the face of it, professional radio can sound very polished, well-written, and well-produced, but it’s completely useless if it doesn’t entertain. Mikey’s show is unprofessional, and Mikey not only accepts it, but embraces it.
Mikey’s show, once a San Jose morning mainstay, moved to San Diego Rock 105.3 (A.K.A. KIOZ) in 2004 , where his show previously occupied night shift. Since then, it has grown from 5 members to 7 members, including Eddie the producer, Sky the news girl, Sean the sound man, Boston Rob the robust boy/phone screener, Ashlee the working assistant, and Zeth the grunt. And, as you might expect, the show tends to get a bit chaotic at times.
Drama often arises between this diverse crew regarding issues both on-air and off-air, and of course Mikey and the gang handle it as no self-proclaimed “professional” radio show on the air. The result? Immense entertainment. For example: Zeth once accused Ashlee of intentionally cutting herself into every promo that the show does, involving cuts. Eddie happily brought her up on the air, which Ashlee put on Zeth, and the drama continued, involving Rob, Sean, Sky, and former member Blunder Boy, who was visiting during the studio. football full of chaos. The result? Half an hour of some of the best radio I’ve ever heard in my life, and callers are bombarding the phone lines that tell Mikey. He said the segment makes his day, often talking through laughter while trying to top up his phone.
Is the nonprofessional equal? No way. The radio talent show is, to put it mildly, incredible. No woman in radio today is more entertaining, emotional, and opinionated than Sky or Ashlee, who with fiery personalities and multifaceted contributions to the show, feminist movement proud. Mikey is the voice of the legendary Phil Hendrie radio impersonator, and Eddie is not far behind him. Both have the gift of gab, both have been in the radio business for the better part of 20 years, and the chemistry between them is to be expected, considering they’ve been best friends for almost 24 years. Sean and Boston Rob are lightning rods when it comes to stories and news, and everything Zeth is doing is on the air and seems to cause hilarity.
Healthy results have been a staple of the “wild morning” format for years. Sean, however, takes it a whole step further with hundreds of drops, with many standing in the sky trying to spanish, heaven speaking words, or Ashlee saying something strange. The show often breaks new ground (celebrities getting caught saying awkward things, trying to drink with guys in Pacific Beach (saying the names of celebrities, football coaches screaming bloody murder after a bad loss) just to make Sean play more of a drop for a comic affect. There is even a game based around it (Sound Effects Theater) where two callers imitate Sean’s drops until one of them can’t come up with one, and a prize is given to the winner.
Another example of the oddball nature of this show: Guessing Games top charts I.E. Top 10 most decorated famous men, etc. The games very easily degenerate into jackass guesses (Jessica Tandy, anyone), and the guesses show the names of former staff members. It becomes madness after a while.
So call it what you will. Call it funny, call it fun, make it the number one show in San Diego. Don’t just call a radio professional. It’s too good.
