The Jim Rome Show
Encyclopedia
The Jim Rome Show is a sport
s radio
talk show
hosted by Jim Rome
. It airs live for three hours each weekday from 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. The show is produced in Los Angeles, California
, syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks
, and can be heard on more than 200 affiliate
radio stations in the U.S. and Canada
, and for paid subscribers, over the Internet from Rome's official website.
as a local, five-hour program, running from 7 p.m. to midnight. In addition to this show, Rome frequently hosted a Saturday morning show which he today refers to as "Scrub Saturday." At a later time, the popularity of the nightly show prompted a shift to a four-hour daytime slot, running weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
In 1996, Premiere Radio Networks picked up the program for national syndication. Sometime after, the show was shortened by one hour and the broadcast location was shifted from XTRA Sports 690 to the Premiere Radio Networks studio complex in Sherman Oaks, California. In late 2006, as part of Rome's new contract, he was granted a new studio in the San Fernando Valley
, and the introduction was changed to describe the show as coming from "Southern California." In March 2007, the introduction reverted back to announcing the specific location as "Los Angeles".
" format.
(the "open") consisting of abbreviated takes on the topics he intends to cover during the show. As the show progresses, he will elaborate his take on each topic, adding in new material and also commenting on any phone calls and e-mails that add to or contradict his takes. If new topics are broached, Rome will usually give takes on them as well. Rome's takes are essentially spoken-word editorial columns, and as such are direct and to-the-point, opinionated, and critical and/or sarcastic, depending on the topic. This approach is one of the principal facets of his "smack talking" broadcast style, and is what helped him make a name for himself. However, it has also led to controversy, as both Rome and the show have been criticized for the pervasively negative and critical attitude displayed toward foolish behavior from athletes and celebrities. In response, Rome has stated that the moment that people stop doing stupid things is the moment he will stop talking about people doing stupid things.
There are a large number of takes which have gained notoriety on the show and which are frequently "reset" (brought back up) if they are relevant to the day's discussion, or if Rome wants to re-introduce the topics to new listeners.
) personalities. Most interviews are done over the telephone; however, he will sometimes have an in-studio guest, who usually stays for several segments.
Rather than having prescheduled guests for interviews, Rome relies on Stewart to contact potential interviewees, and sometimes does not know who will be on the show until the day before their appearance. This approach sometimes leads to guests not showing up, or losing their calls in the middle of an interview. If an interviewee is expected to call in during a given segment, Rome notifies the Clones that the prospective guest is "on the clock," a reference to a phrase often uttered during the NFL Draft
.
All interviews are recorded and saved.
on consecutive shows. Rome claims that he did not recognize it as a "streak" until he received a text message after announcing an upcoming interview with the third Rex (Rex Hudler) that notified him of the unintentional streak. After that, he and his producers tried to continue the streak by bringing notable Rexes onto the show.
On March 11, 2009, Rome decided to end the streak with Rex Walheim and dubbed him "King of the Rexes".
Rome responds to greetings, questions, and compliments, but otherwise offers callers free rein to give their takes. If he especially enjoys a call, he will announce that the call be "racked"; this is a signal to the engineer to save the recording of the call. On the other hand, he will also "run" callers who perform especially poorly. These calls are interrupted with a loud buzzer and immediately ceased; the caller will often be ridiculed by Rome and the Clones.
Callers frequently include highly derogatory smack directed at other Clones in their calls, rather than at other public figures. Rome refers to this practice as "Clone-on-Clone crime" and does not encourage it, as it detracts from time that could be used for sports takes, although he does not discourage it.
. If content in the show’s last segment runs over the time needed to play the Huge Call, it will be played in part or not at all.
Sometimes Rome will award Huge Call winners with a prize, typically provided by a show sponsor. These prizes have included the Slingbox
, gift cards from J.C. Penney
, and cases of Snickers
brand "Charged" energy bars.
s and SMS text messages on-air, usually around ad breaks.Some emails are simple statements of satisfaction about the show or comments on interviews. However, many emailers write their messages in the voice of athletes, public figures, or even the aforementioned "infamous callers," responding with a comment that reflects one of that person's most embarrassing public moments. These particular emails almost always relate to whatever topics were just discussed on the show, usually in a sarcastic and/or ironic fashion. These signed emails are generally supposed to be ironic
, rather than an actual attempt to imitate the figure themselves responding.
Rome will occasionally remark on the oddity of receiving email "signed" by someone strange; including himself, his family or the XR4Ti crew. Rome will always mention that it is funny when his "family" (such as "Rome's Dad") emails the show, yet do not know their own name or Rome's personal email address. Rome also mentions that it would be miraculous to receive an email from his father, who is deceased, or from himself without knowing he sent it. Occasionally a Clone will email him as a member of his crew, prompting Rome to wonder why Stewart or Delloro, on the other side of the glass, would email him and not speak to him directly. In addition to writing in the voice of a famous person, some emails are written in the voice of an inanimate object. The most creative and obscure personified items are the most popular, and are often read on-air.
Emailers frequently add postscripts, such as "war-" (see "War" reference above), smack about other emailers, or qualifications. Emailer Dave in St. Louis
began the custom of using qualifications with "non-hunter," a veiled reference to a press release by PETA
that suggested male hunters have small genitalia. Sexual preference, ethnicity, or marital status are also used as qualifications. Dave in St. Louis has also popularized the use of the expression "Make the world a better place, punch (an unpopular/undesired person or group of people) in the face", a sentiment that Rome often disagrees with. Another common postscript, "___ lives here" can be props or ridicule of a certain team, etc. It is in reference to a sign seen at the November 9, 2006 Rutgers
vs. Louisville
game which stated "Undefeated lives here." (Rutgers had started the season a surprising 9-0, but lost the very next week). One of the newest postscripts is "[name], U.S. American," in reference to Miss Teen South Carolina
Caitlin Upton
's convoluted response in the 2007 pageant
.
If Rome dislikes an email's content, he will often heckle the author, then discard it by crumpling the printout in front of the microphone (or activating a paper-crumple sound effect
). In the case of a particularly offensive email, Rome also will chastise the author without reading the email on air, and/or chastises Brandt for bringing him the email. Allegedly to stave off floods of these kinds of emails, he will warn listeners of jokes and references that he does not want to see. Offensive emails can also earn the author criticism from other Clones. A prime example came on May 22, 2006, when Julian in D.C. suggested that Elmer's
and Alpo
were ready to welcome Barbaro
to work for them after breaking down in the Preakness Stakes
.
During the last half-hour of the show, Rome will announce the Huge Email Contest, in which he reads a handful of emails which were especially funny and/or interesting. Sometimes he will declare a winner, but this is not held to the same level of prestige as the Huge Call of the Day. More often than not, there will not be a contest, due to a lack of quality emails. On certain occasions, Rome will lose focus of the email contest if a topic of his dislike arises. This happened on February 22, 2008, when Rome received and email from Troy in Tampa in which he war-ed "bums stealing bread from ducks". This comment sent Rome into a nine minute sarcastic rant about the Clone's seeming infatuation with the homeless. Consequently, the email contest was not completed. On February 20, 2009, Rome stated during the email contest that he would ban any Clone who still war-ed bums during the show.
The emailing customs and rules evolved from the early days of the show, in which Rome accepted fax
es from the Clones and ran a Huge Fax Contest on the show. Similarly, in 2008, Rome began accepting SMS text messages with similar rules to email.
All email is screened and presented to Rome for on-air reading by Brandt. Former Producer Travis Rodgers (he left June 13, 2009 to pursue other interests) maintained a bulletin board
which featured the best or oddest emails which had been received on the show. Occasionally, Rome received an email which he felt merited inclusion on the bulletin board, and asked Rodgers if it was worth adding to the board. Rome also stated that Rodgers had a "list" of topics that he found funny, along with the word "unsavory"; any emailer who sent an email with one of the topics on the list had a better chance of getting it read on the air.
Like the Huge Call, on occasion, Rome will offer prizes to the Huge Email of the Day, particularly if the sponsor has a large number of prizes to distribute. Past prizes have included buckets of David's brand sunflower seeds, Planet of the Apes
DVD
box sets, and, more recently (and on extremely rare occasions), even a Slingbox. Those emails that do win such prizes are usually thought -out, prose-style missives, in contrast to the "quick-hits" that make up the vast majority of emails received and read on the show.
, or half-speed, for comedic effect.
or other large venues, and featuring sports-related guests, activities and surprises. A few times throughout the year, Rome will reward a syndication city with a Tour Stop. The tour stops are currently on an indefinite hiatus, as the last one was held in 2004.
week, Rome typically broadcasts live from Radio Row
on-location at the game's host city. Since there are many celebrities that peruse Radio Row, the show's format is more interview-oriented, allowing Rome to conduct many impromptu interviews with passers-by. As a result, no calls are taken and fewer emails are read. Sports topics, aside from the Super Bowl itself, usually take a backseat during this week, as the guests usually discuss their current ventures. Rome has on several occasions referred to Radio Row
as "Magpie Alley".
s (Christmas
, Thanksgiving, Independence Day
, Labor Day
, etc.), a pre-recorded Best of the Jim Rome Show is aired, previously hosted by producer Travis Rodgers.
called The Rome Report for affiliates to air daily. The Rome Report usually offers a brief synopsis of one of Rome's takes from that day's program. The reports serve as commercials for the program, and are often broadcast during afternoon drive time
.
during the 1998 NBA lockout). To ensure live content on days when Rome is absent, The Jim Rome Show is hosted by a rotating stable of guest hosts, including:
Former guest hosts of the show include:
. The show is, however, offered on streaming
and podcast
through the official web site. On May 6, 2003, Rome made a return to TV
with Rome Is Burning (later Jim Rome Is Burning
) on ESPN
, and occasionally hinted about switching the radio program to satellite, or abandoning the radio program altogether, in favor of television full-time.
Rome is often quite vocal about his frequent displeasures with affiliates, specifically those who do not carry the entire three hours, air the show on tape delay, or frequently pre-empt the broadcast. Rome has openly admitted that he is intrigued by the idea of satellite radio and broadcasting the program free of affiliates' interference. However, he is also aware of some listeners' problems with paying for satellite radio, and has received numerous phone calls and e-mails from terrestrial radio listeners who have said that the humor of the show has brought them through difficult times or keeps them entertained at work.
On April 27, 2006, Rome stated that he will keep the radio program going, but initially made no commitment to satellite or terrestrial. On July 11, 2006, Rome announced that he signed a multi-year deal with Premiere Radio Networks to keep the show on terrestrial radio. In addition, he stated that the show may be simulcast on satellite radio in the future. Clear Channel
provides content exclusively to XM Satellite Radio
, including the entire Fox Sports Radio
network.
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
s radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
talk show
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
hosted by Jim Rome
Jim Rome
Jim Rome is an American sports radio talk show host syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications....
. It airs live for three hours each weekday from 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. The show is produced in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
, and can be heard on more than 200 affiliate
Affiliate
An affiliate is a commercial entity with a relationship with a peer or a larger entity.- Corporate structure :A corporation may be referred to as an affiliate of another when it is related to it but not strictly controlled by it, as with a subsidiary relationship, or when it is desired to avoid...
radio stations in the U.S. and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and for paid subscribers, over the Internet from Rome's official website.
History of the show
The Jim Rome Show began on XTRA Sports 690 in San DiegoSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
as a local, five-hour program, running from 7 p.m. to midnight. In addition to this show, Rome frequently hosted a Saturday morning show which he today refers to as "Scrub Saturday." At a later time, the popularity of the nightly show prompted a shift to a four-hour daytime slot, running weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
In 1996, Premiere Radio Networks picked up the program for national syndication. Sometime after, the show was shortened by one hour and the broadcast location was shifted from XTRA Sports 690 to the Premiere Radio Networks studio complex in Sherman Oaks, California. In late 2006, as part of Rome's new contract, he was granted a new studio in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
, and the introduction was changed to describe the show as coming from "Southern California." In March 2007, the introduction reverted back to announcing the specific location as "Los Angeles".
Show personnel
In addition to Rome, the behind-the-scenes personnel are frequently included in the show's content, though rarely with speaking roles, as Rome detests the "morning zooMorning zoo
Morning zoo is a format of morning radio show common to English-language radio broadcasting. The name is derived from the "wackiness and zaniness" of the activities, bits, and overall personality of the show and its hosts...
" format.
| Name | Duties | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kyle Brandt Kyle Brandt Kyle Brandt is an actor best known for portraying Philip Kiriakis on the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives from 2003 until October 12, 2006. Kyle too pulled off the daring "Southern Sando" back in 2004, a feat which garners him great respect to this day... AKA "KB" AKA "Lyle Grant" |
Producer, Writer, E-mail screener |
Brandt appeared on MTV MTV MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs.... 's The Real World The Real World The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the... . He also had a role in Days of our Lives Days of our Lives Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around... from 2003-2006. Brandt screens the listeners text messages and is responsible for the "Unfunny, Uninspired, Unreadable Text of the Day," or the "Triple U." The "Triple U" is unofficially sponsored by something that Brandt hates. |
| Jason Stewart AKA "J-Stew" AKA "Mr. Automatic" AKA "Buffason Chewart" |
Talent coordinator, Call screener |
Outside the show, Stewart has appeared on the reality TV series Blind Date, According to Jim According to Jim According to Jim is an American sitcom television series starring Jim Belushi in the title role as a suburban father of three children. It originally ran on ABC from October 3, 2001 to June 2, 2009.-Synopsis:Jim is an abrasive but lovable suburban father... , commercials, and a small role in the USA Network USA Network USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various... TV movie Television movie A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to... Murder at the Presidio. Rome made his line from the movie "Heh heh, you always say that" popular with listeners (called Clones) so much so that a song was written about him by the band Three Day Weekend. Before he was the show's screener, Stewart was a caller to the show while he was a student at Cal State Fullerton California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton is a public university located in Fullerton, California. It is the largest institution in the CSU System by enrollment, it offers long-distance education and adult-degree programs... , and was known as "Jason in Fullerton." He participated in the Smack-Off Smack-Off The Smack-Off is an annual competition on The Jim Rome Show, in which select listeners are invited to provide their best "smack talk", with Rome and his show personnel determining the winner. It is held in mid-to-late spring and takes up the entire program on a Friday... in 1995 with a call that coined the phrase "walking the thin line of blasphemy," a line Rome says he does not understand. Rome openly considers Stewart's call one of the worst ever in the Smack-Off and frequently ridicules Stewart for it, as do the Clones. When Rome replays the call, he tends to note that "this is the man who is telling you your take is not good enough", followed by a replay of Stewart's call. Stewart is also frequently ridiculed for his facial moles and the fact that a caller once called in to report that he once saw Stewart watching pornography in his dorm room at Cal State Fullerton with several other guys. |
| Alvin Delloro AKA "Man's Game" AKA "Lil' Alvy" AKA "Melvin" |
Engineer Broadcast engineering Broadcast engineering is the field of electrical engineering, and now to some extent computer engineering and information technology, which deals with radio and television broadcasting... |
Delloro handles the technical aspects of the show and runs (hangs up on) bad calls, although Rome occasionally runs his own calls with a manual buzzer. Delloro is also known for "Alvin's Mix" (see below). At the beginning of his career he had a quick trigger-finger in regard to running calls, occasionally running calls that Rome would have deemed acceptable. Alvin now takes much chiding from the clones due to an interview, where his high-pitched voice provoked many comparisons to children. |
| The XR4Ti Crew | See above | Rome calls Stewart, Delloro and Brandt “The XR4Ti Crew," from the brand name of Rome's first car, a Merkur XR4Ti Merkur XR4Ti The Merkur XR4Ti was a short-lived United States and Canada-market version of the European Ford Sierra XR4i. It was the brainchild of then Ford Vice President Bob Lutz. It was sold in the US from 1985 to 1989. It was the first vehicle of Ford's Merkur range, followed in 1988 by the Merkur Scorpio... . |
Takes
The show's principal content consists of Rome's takes (opinions) on topical issues in sports and odd news stories. Rome begins each show with a monologueMonologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
(the "open") consisting of abbreviated takes on the topics he intends to cover during the show. As the show progresses, he will elaborate his take on each topic, adding in new material and also commenting on any phone calls and e-mails that add to or contradict his takes. If new topics are broached, Rome will usually give takes on them as well. Rome's takes are essentially spoken-word editorial columns, and as such are direct and to-the-point, opinionated, and critical and/or sarcastic, depending on the topic. This approach is one of the principal facets of his "smack talking" broadcast style, and is what helped him make a name for himself. However, it has also led to controversy, as both Rome and the show have been criticized for the pervasively negative and critical attitude displayed toward foolish behavior from athletes and celebrities. In response, Rome has stated that the moment that people stop doing stupid things is the moment he will stop talking about people doing stupid things.
There are a large number of takes which have gained notoriety on the show and which are frequently "reset" (brought back up) if they are relevant to the day's discussion, or if Rome wants to re-introduce the topics to new listeners.
Interviews
In addition to his takes, Rome conducts interviews with sports (and occasionally pop culturePopular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
) personalities. Most interviews are done over the telephone; however, he will sometimes have an in-studio guest, who usually stays for several segments.
Rather than having prescheduled guests for interviews, Rome relies on Stewart to contact potential interviewees, and sometimes does not know who will be on the show until the day before their appearance. This approach sometimes leads to guests not showing up, or losing their calls in the middle of an interview. If an interviewee is expected to call in during a given segment, Rome notifies the Clones that the prospective guest is "on the clock," a reference to a phrase often uttered during the NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
.
All interviews are recorded and saved.
The Rex Streak
On February 11, 2009, Rome began a streak of interviewing guests with the given name RexRex (given name)
Rex, derived from the Latin word for king, is a male given name. It may refer to :* Rex Allen , an American actor and singer* Rex Allen, Jr...
on consecutive shows. Rome claims that he did not recognize it as a "streak" until he received a text message after announcing an upcoming interview with the third Rex (Rex Hudler) that notified him of the unintentional streak. After that, he and his producers tried to continue the streak by bringing notable Rexes onto the show.
- Wed. 2/11 - Rex ChapmanRex ChapmanRex Everett Chapman is a retired American professional basketball player. Chapman was a college standout at the University of Kentucky and went on to play for four NBA teams through his 12-year career in the league...
, Denver NuggetsDenver NuggetsThe Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
VP of player personnel, played 12 years in the NBA - Thu. 2/12 - Rex RyanRex RyanRex Ryan is an American football head coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League . After serving as an assistant coach for twenty-two years, Ryan attained his first head coaching job in the NFL with the Jets in 2009...
, New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
head coach - Fri. 2/13 - Rex HudlerRex HudlerRex Allen Hudler is a former Major League Baseball utility player. He played a total of thirteen seasons after being a first round draft pick of the New York Yankees in 1978.-Playing career:...
, played 13 years of Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, Down SyndromeDown syndromeDown syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
advocate - Tue. 2/17 - Rex WaltersRex Walters-External links:...
, former University of Kansas basketball player, current University of San FranciscoUniversity of San FranciscoThe University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
men's basketball coach - Wed. 2/18 - Rex LeeRex LeeRex Lee is an American actor. He is best known for his role on the HBO original series, Entourage, as Lloyd Lee.-Early life:Lee was born in Warren, Ohio...
, actor appearing on HBO's EntourageEntourage (TV series)Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons... - Thu. 2/19 - Rex Peters, UC-Davis head baseball coach
- Fri. 2/20 - Rex Hoggard, GolfChannel.com journalist
- Mon. 2/23 - Rex Kalamian, Sacramento KingsSacramento KingsThe Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
assistant coach - Tue. 2/24 - Rex Richards, MMAMixed martial artsMixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
fighter & former Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
guard - Wed. 2/25 - Rex TuckerRex Tucker (American football)Rex T. Tucker is a former professional American football offensive guard. He was selected 66th overall in the 1999 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears for whom he played six seasons . He also played a season with the St...
, former Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
guard - Thu. 2/26 - Rex Ecarma, University of LouisvilleUniversity of LouisvilleThe University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
men's tennis coach - Fri. 2/27 - Rex HadnotRex HadnotJonathan Rex Hadnot, Jr. is an American football guard for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
, Cleveland BrownsCleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
guard - Mon. 3/2 - Rex Morgan, high school basketball coach & former Boston CelticsBoston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
guard - Tue. 3/3 - Rex GrossmanRex GrossmanRex Daniel Grossman, III is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . Grossman played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he has played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Washington Redskins of...
, Houston TexansHouston TexansThe Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
quarterback - Wed. 3/4 - Rex HughesRex HughesRex Hughes is a former college and professional basketball coach. He coached men's basketball at Kent State University, and would later serve as an NBA head and assistant coach...
, Cerritos CollegeCerritos CollegeCerritos College is a public comprehensive community college founded in 1955 located in Norwalk, California. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a ranch that served prominently in the region in the 19th century...
assistant coach and former Kent State & Sacramento KingsSacramento KingsThe Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
head coach - Thu. 3/5 - Rex KernRex KernRex William Kern is a former American football player. He played quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1968 to 1970, and played professional football in the National Football League at defensive back for the Baltimore Colts and Buffalo Bills...
, former Ohio State & NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
quarterback, 2007 College Football Hall of FameCollege Football Hall of FameThe College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
inductee - Fri. 3/6 - Rex BrownRex BrownRex Robert Brown is an American heavy metal bassist. A former member of Down, he is most famous as the longtime bassist for the Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling band Pantera.-Pantera:...
, former PanteraPanteraPantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
bassist, currently with DownDown (band)Down is an American heavy metal supergroup that formed in 1991 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist Phil Anselmo, guitarist Pepper Keenan, guitarist Kirk Windstein, bassist Pat Bruders and drummer Jimmy Bower. Since their formation, Down has gone on hiatus twice... - Mon. 3/9 - Rex Norris, Toronto ArgonautsToronto ArgonautsThe Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
defensive line coach - Tue. 3/10 - Rex Kendle, Michigan State senior wrestler
- Wed. 3/11 - Rex Walheim, NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
astronaut
On March 11, 2009, Rome decided to end the streak with Rex Walheim and dubbed him "King of the Rexes".
Telephone calls
Rome encourages listeners to call the show, and frequently drops the show's telephone number, with the caveat that calls will be screened by Stewart for quality. Calls do not take priority over Rome's own takes and the scheduled interviews, so he only fields a handful of calls during any given broadcast, and has on occasion not taken any calls at all. Rome's general mantra is "more of me and less of you is better for the show." Rome frequently describes the segments in which interviews are not scheduled as "wide open" or "open phone," although there is no actual guarantee Rome will actually take any calls at all even in an open segment as he frequently prefers to air his own takes.Rome responds to greetings, questions, and compliments, but otherwise offers callers free rein to give their takes. If he especially enjoys a call, he will announce that the call be "racked"; this is a signal to the engineer to save the recording of the call. On the other hand, he will also "run" callers who perform especially poorly. These calls are interrupted with a loud buzzer and immediately ceased; the caller will often be ridiculed by Rome and the Clones.
Callers frequently include highly derogatory smack directed at other Clones in their calls, rather than at other public figures. Rome refers to this practice as "Clone-on-Clone crime" and does not encourage it, as it detracts from time that could be used for sports takes, although he does not discourage it.
Huge Call of the Day
At the end of the show, the best overall call taken is dubbed The Huge Call of the Day and replayed with much fanfare. Although this seems like a "contest" there is generally no prize and the competition is generally for bragging rights. There are no set criteria for what earns a call Huge Call status other than Rome personally enjoying the take. Most Huge Calls feature exceptionally insightful and/or pointed commentary, and/or a great deal of smack that is not only articulate but inventive and humorous. On rare occasions, an extremely odd call will be named as the Huge Call. Sometimes a Huge Call from a previous show or a notable Smack-Off call will be replayed if no calls get racked. Rome will also use segments of an interview as the Huge Call if he feels it is appropriate. Notable instances include interviews conducted during the broadcasts on Radio Row during the week before the Super Bowl (when Rome takes few if any calls) and a 2006 interview with Jeff GordonJeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
. If content in the show’s last segment runs over the time needed to play the Huge Call, it will be played in part or not at all.
Sometimes Rome will award Huge Call winners with a prize, typically provided by a show sponsor. These prizes have included the Slingbox
Slingbox
The Slingbox is a TV streaming media device made by Sling Media that encodes video into the VC-1 format for transmission over the Internet and provides an infrared blaster. The video encoding and IR blaster can both be operated remotely over the Internet...
, gift cards from J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is a chain of American mid-range department stores based in Plano, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. The company operates 1,107 department stores in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. JCPenney also operates catalog sales merchant offices nationwide in many...
, and cases of Snickers
Snickers
Snickers is a brand name chocolate bar made by Mars, Incorporated. It consists of peanut nougat topped with roasted peanuts and caramel, enrobed in milk chocolate. Snickers has annual global sales of $2 billion....
brand "Charged" energy bars.
E-mails
Rome frequently reads emailEmail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
s and SMS text messages on-air, usually around ad breaks.Some emails are simple statements of satisfaction about the show or comments on interviews. However, many emailers write their messages in the voice of athletes, public figures, or even the aforementioned "infamous callers," responding with a comment that reflects one of that person's most embarrassing public moments. These particular emails almost always relate to whatever topics were just discussed on the show, usually in a sarcastic and/or ironic fashion. These signed emails are generally supposed to be ironic
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
, rather than an actual attempt to imitate the figure themselves responding.
Rome will occasionally remark on the oddity of receiving email "signed" by someone strange; including himself, his family or the XR4Ti crew. Rome will always mention that it is funny when his "family" (such as "Rome's Dad") emails the show, yet do not know their own name or Rome's personal email address. Rome also mentions that it would be miraculous to receive an email from his father, who is deceased, or from himself without knowing he sent it. Occasionally a Clone will email him as a member of his crew, prompting Rome to wonder why Stewart or Delloro, on the other side of the glass, would email him and not speak to him directly. In addition to writing in the voice of a famous person, some emails are written in the voice of an inanimate object. The most creative and obscure personified items are the most popular, and are often read on-air.
Emailers frequently add postscripts, such as "war-" (see "War" reference above), smack about other emailers, or qualifications. Emailer Dave in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
began the custom of using qualifications with "non-hunter," a veiled reference to a press release by PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...
that suggested male hunters have small genitalia. Sexual preference, ethnicity, or marital status are also used as qualifications. Dave in St. Louis has also popularized the use of the expression "Make the world a better place, punch (an unpopular/undesired person or group of people) in the face", a sentiment that Rome often disagrees with. Another common postscript, "___ lives here" can be props or ridicule of a certain team, etc. It is in reference to a sign seen at the November 9, 2006 Rutgers
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the athletic teams that represent Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey...
vs. Louisville
Louisville Cardinals
The Louisville Cardinals are the athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. A member of the Big East Conference since 2005, they are known nationally as traditional powers in men's basketball, women's volleyball, and dance team...
game which stated "Undefeated lives here." (Rutgers had started the season a surprising 9-0, but lost the very next week). One of the newest postscripts is "[name], U.S. American," in reference to Miss Teen South Carolina
Miss South Carolina Teen USA
The Miss South Carolina Teen USA pageant is the competition that selects the representativies for the stat of South Carolina in the Miss Teen USA pageant. The pageant has been directed by RPM Productions since its inception....
Caitlin Upton
Caitlin Upton
Lauren Caitlin Upton , also credited as Caite Upton, is an American fashion model and a beauty queen from Lexington, South Carolina. While Miss South Carolina Teen USA, Upton became an Internet meme for her nonsensical response to a pageant question.-Career:Upton became Miss South Carolina Teen...
's convoluted response in the 2007 pageant
Miss Teen USA 2007
Miss Teen USA 2007, the 25th Miss Teen USA pageant, was held on August 24, 2007 in Pasadena, California. At the conclusion of the final night of the competition Hilary Cruz of Colorado was crowned Miss Teen USA 2007 by outgoing titleholder Katie Blair of Montana.This was the first time the pageant...
.
If Rome dislikes an email's content, he will often heckle the author, then discard it by crumpling the printout in front of the microphone (or activating a paper-crumple sound effect
Sound effect
For the album by The Jam, see Sound Affects.Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media...
). In the case of a particularly offensive email, Rome also will chastise the author without reading the email on air, and/or chastises Brandt for bringing him the email. Allegedly to stave off floods of these kinds of emails, he will warn listeners of jokes and references that he does not want to see. Offensive emails can also earn the author criticism from other Clones. A prime example came on May 22, 2006, when Julian in D.C. suggested that Elmer's
Animal glue
An animal glue is an adhesive that is created by prolonged boiling of animal connective tissue.These protein colloid glues are formed through hydrolysis of the collagen from skins, bones, tendons, and other tissues, similar to gelatin. The word "collagen" itself derives from Greek κόλλα kolla, glue...
and Alpo
Alpo (pet food)
Alpo is an American brand of dog food marketed and manufactured by the Nestlé Purina Petcare subsidiary of Nestlé. The brand is offered as a canned or packaged soft food, as well as in dry kibbles.-History:...
were ready to welcome Barbaro
Barbaro
Barbaro was an American thoroughbred who decisively won the 2006 Kentucky Derby, but shattered his leg two weeks later in the 2006 Preakness Stakes, ending his racing career and eventually leading to his death....
to work for them after breaking down in the Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
.
During the last half-hour of the show, Rome will announce the Huge Email Contest, in which he reads a handful of emails which were especially funny and/or interesting. Sometimes he will declare a winner, but this is not held to the same level of prestige as the Huge Call of the Day. More often than not, there will not be a contest, due to a lack of quality emails. On certain occasions, Rome will lose focus of the email contest if a topic of his dislike arises. This happened on February 22, 2008, when Rome received and email from Troy in Tampa in which he war-ed "bums stealing bread from ducks". This comment sent Rome into a nine minute sarcastic rant about the Clone's seeming infatuation with the homeless. Consequently, the email contest was not completed. On February 20, 2009, Rome stated during the email contest that he would ban any Clone who still war-ed bums during the show.
The emailing customs and rules evolved from the early days of the show, in which Rome accepted fax
Fax
Fax , sometimes called telecopying, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material , normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device...
es from the Clones and ran a Huge Fax Contest on the show. Similarly, in 2008, Rome began accepting SMS text messages with similar rules to email.
All email is screened and presented to Rome for on-air reading by Brandt. Former Producer Travis Rodgers (he left June 13, 2009 to pursue other interests) maintained a bulletin board
Bulletin board
A bulletin board is a surface intended for the posting of public messages, for example, to advertise things to buy or sell, announce events, or provide information...
which featured the best or oddest emails which had been received on the show. Occasionally, Rome received an email which he felt merited inclusion on the bulletin board, and asked Rodgers if it was worth adding to the board. Rome also stated that Rodgers had a "list" of topics that he found funny, along with the word "unsavory"; any emailer who sent an email with one of the topics on the list had a better chance of getting it read on the air.
Like the Huge Call, on occasion, Rome will offer prizes to the Huge Email of the Day, particularly if the sponsor has a large number of prizes to distribute. Past prizes have included buckets of David's brand sunflower seeds, Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes (1968 film)
Planet of the Apes is a 1968 American science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des singes by Pierre Boulle. The film stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and Linda Harrison...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
box sets, and, more recently (and on extremely rare occasions), even a Slingbox. Those emails that do win such prizes are usually thought -out, prose-style missives, in contrast to the "quick-hits" that make up the vast majority of emails received and read on the show.
Soundbites
Rome has a large archive of soundbites from celebrities and regular people who said or did something embarrassing or unusual within range of a microphone, and he enjoys mining this archive for on-air ridicule. A clip is usually only played when a take, either from Rome or a caller, makes reference to it. In July 2006, in the wake of the Manual Buzzer take (see below), show engineer Delloro created a medley called "Alvin's Mix," consisting of pieces of dozens of classic soundbites used since the show's inception. Alvin continues to add more soundbites to the mix, and it was last updated on October 18, 2007. Rome has described "Alvin's Mix" as sixteen years of radio rolled into a little over five minutes. Alvin occasionally plays the mix in double-speed, backwardsBackmasking
Backmasking is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward on to a track that is meant to be played forward...
, or half-speed, for comedic effect.
Smack-off
The Smack-Off is an annual invitation-only competition, held in mid-to-late spring and which takes up the entire program on a Friday. The contest is a way to recognize the best callers to the show, as well as a means of determining the best caller of the year. Rome refers to the Smack-Off as the most important show of the entire year.Year in review
In late December, Rome holds a special program called the "Year in Review." Going month by month, he recounts the good, the bad, and the ugly of the year that was in sports. He also mixes in the best of the off-beat news stories that were featured on the show, as well as highlights of noteworthy interviews. For this show, Rome schedules no guests and takes far fewer phone calls, preferring e-mail responses.Tour stops
A Tour Stop is a limited access show, often held in an arenaArena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
or other large venues, and featuring sports-related guests, activities and surprises. A few times throughout the year, Rome will reward a syndication city with a Tour Stop. The tour stops are currently on an indefinite hiatus, as the last one was held in 2004.
Radio row
During Super BowlSuper Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
week, Rome typically broadcasts live from Radio Row
Radio Row
Radio Row is a nickname for an urban street or district specializing in the sale of radio and electronic equipment and parts. Radio Rows arose in many cities with the 1920s rise of broadcasting and declined after mid century.-New York:...
on-location at the game's host city. Since there are many celebrities that peruse Radio Row, the show's format is more interview-oriented, allowing Rome to conduct many impromptu interviews with passers-by. As a result, no calls are taken and fewer emails are read. Sports topics, aside from the Super Bowl itself, usually take a backseat during this week, as the guests usually discuss their current ventures. Rome has on several occasions referred to Radio Row
Radio Row
Radio Row is a nickname for an urban street or district specializing in the sale of radio and electronic equipment and parts. Radio Rows arose in many cities with the 1920s rise of broadcasting and declined after mid century.-New York:...
as "Magpie Alley".
Holidays
On holidayHoliday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
s (Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, Thanksgiving, Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
, Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
, etc.), a pre-recorded Best of the Jim Rome Show is aired, previously hosted by producer Travis Rodgers.
Rome reports
The Jim Rome Show offers a 60-second teaserTeaser trailer
A teaser campaign is an advertising campaign which typically consists of a series of small, cryptic, challenging advertisements that anticipate a larger, full-blown campaign for a product launch or otherwise important event. These advertisements are called "teasers" or "teaser ads"...
called The Rome Report for affiliates to air daily. The Rome Report usually offers a brief synopsis of one of Rome's takes from that day's program. The reports serve as commercials for the program, and are often broadcast during afternoon drive time
Drive time
Drive time is the daypart analog to prime time for radio broadcasting. It consists of the morning hours when listeners wake up, get ready, and/or head to work or school, and the afternoon hours when they are heading home and before their evening meal. These are the periods where the number of...
.
Guest hosts
Rome's contract with Premiere Radio Networks stipulates copious paid vacation time, six weeks in addition to national holidays. At length he announces when he is going to be "in the basement" (on vacation) and for how long. He justifies his frequent absences to the Clones by proclaiming, "I take a lot of vacation because I get a lot of vacation" (a parody of a comment made by Patrick EwingPatrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and current assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He played most of his career with the NBA's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle...
during the 1998 NBA lockout). To ensure live content on days when Rome is absent, The Jim Rome Show is hosted by a rotating stable of guest hosts, including:
- KLACKLAC (AM)KLAC AM 570 is a radio station serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area. KLAC is one of eight Los Angeles radio stations owned by San Antonio-based Clear Channel Communications...
/Fox Sports RadioFox Sports RadioFox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
radio personalities Petros PapadakisPetros PapadakisPetros Papadakis is an American television personality and radio co-host of the Petros and Money Show on Fox Sports Radio. He is a former tailback and American football team captain for the University of Southern California Trojans football team. He is also known as "The P."Papadakis's family...
and Matt "Money" Smith. The pair, who host an afternoon show for the sports-talk radio station and Jim Rome Show affiliate, filled in for Rome on Presidents Day 2007 and during Fourth of JulyIndependence Day (United States)Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
week that same year. They now fill at least one day each time Rome takes a week of vacation. They have also appeared on Jim Rome Is Burning. - ComedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Jay MohrJay MohrJay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...
. Mohr also occasionally calls in to Rome's show. He participated in the 2007 Smack-Off and finished in 7th place. When he appears in The Jungle, Mohr is referred to as "Slam Man". As of 2010, Mohr has become the most frequent guest host. - Pop culturists Randy and Jason SklarRandy and Jason SklarRandy Sklar and Jason Sklar , professionally known as the Sklar Brothers, are American identical twin comedians and sportscasters. They formerly hosted the show Cheap Seats on ESPN Classic, which came to an end on November 19, 2006, after four seasons.-Biography:Randy and Jason grew up in suburban...
(of the ESPN ClassicESPN ClassicESPN Classic is a sports channel that features reruns of famous sporting events, sports documentaries, and sports themed movies. Such programs includes biographies of famous sports figures or a rerun of a famous World Series or Super Bowl, often with added commentary on the event...
program Cheap SeatsCheap SeatsCheap Seats without Ron Parker, commonly shortened to Cheap Seats, is a television program broadcast on ESPN Classic hosted by brothers Randy and Jason Sklar...
), whose subject matters are rather random. Randy is also a frequent panel guest on Rome's ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
program Jim Rome Is Burning. The Brothers Sklar often date themselves with their frequent discussions on 1980s athletes of professional tennis, professional wrestling and the St. Louis Cardinals. Bumper music when the Sklars host tends to be of the indie rockIndie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
variety. In 2010 the Sklars became more frequent guest hosts as they launched a podcastPodcastA podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
with a similar format to their hosting of the Jim Rome Show. They call clones who are fans of theirs "sklones". - AuthorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and columnistColumnistA columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
John FeinsteinJohn FeinsteinJohn Feinstein is an American sportswriter, author and sports commentator who wrote the top two best-selling non-fiction sports books in history, A Good Walk Spoiled and A Season on the Brink.-Early life:...
. Feinstein's appearances are usually low-key in tone and dominated by interviews. He also appears frequently on the show as the subject of a Rome interview. - Sportswriter Skip BaylessSkip BaylessSkip Bayless is an American journalist and television personality. Bayless regularly appears on ESPN2's ESPN First Take and its afternoon show 1st and 10. Bayless previously wrote regular columns for ESPN.com and its "Page 2" section.-Schooling and family:Bayless was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma...
. When Bayless hosts, the show generally has a recurring theme, typical examples being his belief that the Ohio StateOhio State UniversityThe Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
Buckeyes stole the 2003 BCSBowl Championship SeriesThe Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
Championship, his self-proclaimed addiction to Diet Mountain DewMountain DewMountain Dew is a citrus-flavored carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in the 1940s by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman and was first marketed in Marion, VA, Knoxville and Johnson City, Tennessee. A revised formula was...
, and his obsession with the beach volleyball scene in Top Gun (which Rome shares). Bayless also actively debates callers, as opposed to Rome, who rarely does so. Bayless is a polarizing and unpopular guest host, and many Clones call him "Skip Clueless." Rome, for his part, has no problem with Bayless and occasionally needles the Clones with the news that Bayless will be guest-hosting. Bayless has hosted the show on a less-frequent basis since joining the cast of Cold PizzaCold PizzaCold Pizza was a television sports morning talk show that aired weekdays on ESPN2. The show's style was more akin to Good Morning America than SportsCenters straight news and highlights format. It included daily sports news, interviews with sports journalists, athletes, and personalities, and an...
/ESPN First TakeESPN First TakeESPN First Take is an American morning sports talk program on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. The show was formerly known as Cold Pizza. The official switch was made on May 7, 2007. Two back-to-back two-hour episodes air each weekday from Monday through Friday, with the live episode airing from 10 a.m...
. - Former ESPN anchor and current NFL NetworkNFL NetworkNFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
personality Rich Eisen. Eisen once commented that he had always thought the show's email address was "rome@habitate.com" until he guest-hosted. (The actual address is rome@haveatake.com, but Rome tends to say "haveatake" quickly.) - Roger LodgeRoger LodgeRoger Lodge is an American game show host, sports radio host, and actor.-Life and career:Lodge was born as Rogelio Chavez in Fontana, California and raised in Cerritos, California. Lodge currently serves as Executive Producer and host of HDNET's "CELEBRIDATE", scheduled to debut in October of 2011...
, host of Blind DateBlind Date (US TV series)Blind Date is an American reality show that aired in syndication from September 1999 to September 2006. Hosted by Roger Lodge, the series was distributed by Universal Worldwide Television. It was later distributed by NBC Universal.-Synopsis:...
and a frequent interview guest on The Jim Rome Show. Lodge is also a frequent panel guest on Rome's ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
program Jim Rome Is Burning. On both of Jim's shows, Lodge has taken to making the guarantee to shave his head, should a specific outcome occur. This is a guarantee that Lodge has always failed to follow through on. - Former WDFNWDFNWDFN is a sports-talk radio station in the Detroit, Michigan, market. It broadcasts in the AM radio band at 1130 kHz. WDFN is owned by Clear Channel Communications, and until the end of the 2008-09 NBA season, was the flagship station for the Detroit Pistons....
radio personalities Mike "Stoney" StoneMike Stone (radio personality)Michael "Mike" Stone, is an on-air host for 97.1 The Ticket WXYT-FM. He is the former host of the Stoney and Wojo radio show on WDFN in Detroit, Michigan until it was canceled on January 20, 2009. He was a blogger and chat host on mlive.com until signing with 97.1 in December 2009...
and Bob "Wojo" WojnowskiBob WojnowskiBob "Wojo" Wojnowski is an American reporter and columnist for the Detroit News and former co-host of the Stoney and Wojo radio show on WDFN in Detroit, Michigan...
. The pair, who hosted an afternoon show for the Detroit sports-talk radio station and Jim Rome affiliate, filled in for Rome on July 13, 2007. Stone has also appeared occasionally as a subject of Rome interviews. - Kansas City Star sportswriter Jason WhitlockJason WhitlockJason Lee Whitlock is a sportswriter for Foxsports.com, as well as a former columnist at the Kansas City Star, AOL Sports writer, contributor to ESPN, and radio personality for WHB and KCSP sports stations in the Kansas City area.-College and sports:Whitlock was an all-state offensive lineman at...
, who has also appeared as a subject of Rome's interviews.
Former guest hosts of the show include:
- BoxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
/Olympic analyst Jim LampleyJim LampleyJames "Jim" Lampley is an American sportscaster, news anchor, movie producer, and restaurant owner. Lampley has anchored a record 14 Olympic Games U.S. television broadcasts, most recently the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China....
. Lampley has been known to blast emailers for poor grammar and overall stupidity. Rome sometimes resets a Lampley rant in which he ridiculed the "media-driven hype" surrounding the year 2000 and how it was erroneously referred to as the beginning of the new millennium3rd millenniumIn contemporary history, the third millennium is a period of time that commenced on January 1, 2001, and will end on December 31, 3000, of the Gregorian calendar. This is the third period of one thousand years in the Anno Domini...
. Lampley has not hosted the show since being arrested in January 2007. - Fox Sports RadioFox Sports RadioFox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
personality Andrew Siciliano (from Gametime Live). On May 12, 2006, while Siciliano was guest-hosting, a caller coined the term "teammateship" (referencing Barry Bonds as an example of bad "teammateship"). Andrew is referred to as "Van Whack", "Substitute Jim", or "Rome Junior" by many of the Clones, and as "Deep Dish" by Randy and Jason SklarRandy and Jason SklarRandy Sklar and Jason Sklar , professionally known as the Sklar Brothers, are American identical twin comedians and sportscasters. They formerly hosted the show Cheap Seats on ESPN Classic, which came to an end on November 19, 2006, after four seasons.-Biography:Randy and Jason grew up in suburban...
. Siciliano now hosts his own show with ex-Laker great Mychael Thompson on L.A's KSPN 710 (AM), which competes with the show, so he no longer has fill-in duty. However, Siciliano is a frequent panel guest on Rome's ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
program Jim Rome Is Burning. - Actors Jerry FerraraJerry FerraraJerry Ferrara is an American actor best known for his work as "Turtle" aka Sal on the HBO comedy series Entourage.-Biography:Born in Brooklyn, New York, Ferrara attended New Utrecht High School. Ferrara is of Italian descent....
and Kevin Connolly from HBO's EntourageEntourage (TV series)Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
hosted the show on August 15, 2007. The idea for Ferrara to host the show came about in an interview two weeks prior to Ferrara's guest-hosting, when Rome offered Ferrara a guest-host spot next time he goes on vacation, and Ferrara indicated his willingness to fill in as host. - Fox Sports Radio personality Steve CzabanSteve CzabanSteve Czaban is an American sports radio personality. Czaban hosts The Steve Czaban Show on Yahoo! Sports Radio weekday mornings from 6 to 10 a.m., and co-hosts The Sports Reporters with Andy Pollin on "ESPN 980" WTEM weekday afternoons from 4 to 7 p.m...
. He hosted several consecutive days in 2001 when Rome's son Jake was born, but no longer guest-hosts. - Former author, journalist, and columnist Ralph WileyRalph WileyRalph Wiley was a sports journalist who wrote for various publications such as Sports Illustrated and espn.com's Page 2 section....
also guest hosted shows for Rome before he died in 2004.
Future of the show
Since its inception, The Jim Rome Show has always been offered on terrestrial radio, and has not been offered on satellite radioSatellite radio
Satellite radio is an analogue or digital radio signal that is relayed through one or more satellites and thus can be received in a much wider geographical area than terrestrial FM radio stations...
. The show is, however, offered on streaming
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
and podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
through the official web site. On May 6, 2003, Rome made a return to TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
with Rome Is Burning (later Jim Rome Is Burning
Jim Rome is Burning
Jim Rome Is Burning, originally titled Rome Is Burning and often abbreviated as JRIB, is a sports conversation and opinion show hosted by Jim Rome. Debuting on May 6, 2003 as Rome Is Burning, it was originally a once a week show in primetime at 7:00 PM ET on Tuesday nights on ESPN...
) on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, and occasionally hinted about switching the radio program to satellite, or abandoning the radio program altogether, in favor of television full-time.
Rome is often quite vocal about his frequent displeasures with affiliates, specifically those who do not carry the entire three hours, air the show on tape delay, or frequently pre-empt the broadcast. Rome has openly admitted that he is intrigued by the idea of satellite radio and broadcasting the program free of affiliates' interference. However, he is also aware of some listeners' problems with paying for satellite radio, and has received numerous phone calls and e-mails from terrestrial radio listeners who have said that the humor of the show has brought them through difficult times or keeps them entertained at work.
On April 27, 2006, Rome stated that he will keep the radio program going, but initially made no commitment to satellite or terrestrial. On July 11, 2006, Rome announced that he signed a multi-year deal with Premiere Radio Networks to keep the show on terrestrial radio. In addition, he stated that the show may be simulcast on satellite radio in the future. Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
provides content exclusively to XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
, including the entire Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
network.
External links
- The Jim Rome Show — official site
- Jim Rome - Rome's page at Premiere Radio Networks' official website