Kevoian To Retire… Hall of Famers Imprint On Indy Radio Scene Branches Out To Other Stations
The Bob & Tom Show’s Bob Kevoian & Tom Griswold entered the Radio Hall of Fame last week on the strength of their on-air accomplishments.
Achievements are one thing. But Hall of Fame legacies are judged by the influence they have on others. Examples:
- Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame guitar legend B.B. King motivated a young Elvis Presley who’d come watch him play the blues at clubs on Memphis’ famed Beale Street; and “The King” so transformed music that John Lennon claims he’d have been a journalist if not for the inspiration he got from the crooner who shake, rattle & roll; and The Beatles then set the template for every rock back that followed for at least a generation.
- Hall of Fame basketball coach John Wooden won more “March Madness” championships (UCLA) than any coach before or since, and tutored an assistant coach Dean Smith (North Carolina) who went on to become for a time college hoops all-time winningest coach; who mentored one-time assistant Larry Brown who became the only coach in basketball history to win both an NCAA tourney title (Kansas ’88) and an NBA title (Pistons ’04); who had as an assistant Gregg Popovich who remains as the longest tenured active head coach (San Antonio Spurs) in not only the NBA but all of major US sports leagues.
And like these examples in music and sports, The Bob & Tom Show’s legend for Indianapolis radio can be measured in part by the success of other radio talent they directly or indirectly influenced. And the station best carrying out their legacy today isn’t Q95.
1070 – Trace The Branches Of The Bob & Tom Show “Tree”
Like how Lennon acknowledged Elvis’ influence on him, Dan Dakich gave credit directly to Bob & Tom as key influencers in his broadcasting success during an interview earlier this year.
And Big Joe Staysniak and JMV are actual descendants of The Bob & Tom Show!
Big Joe spent years as a sidekick for the mid-‘90s 1070-WIBC popular weekday afternoon show “The Dave Wilson Show”. Ditto JMV with the namesake & host of “Mark Patrick On Sports” on 1260-WNDE, Indy’s first all-sports weekday afternoon radio program that began in the late 1980s.
Both Wilson and Patrick had their careers blossom as key contributors on The Bob & Tom Show before branching out on their own shows and to different stations.
“My exposure with Bob and Tom led directly to getting opportunities,” Patrick said recently. After his sports radio show, he became a local TV sports anchor, host of the Hoosier Lottery’s weekly TV show and eventually a nationwide radio host for both Fox Sports Radio and The MLB Network.
“The most appealing element I took with me to my program,” Patrick said is “they (Bob & Tom) are supremely talented at recognizing the strength of sidekicks and guests and putting them in the best possible position to succeed.”
About chemistry he developed with JMV on his show, Patrick said “he is about 10 years younger than I, so things I didn’t particularly care about from the ‘80s or ‘90s, he would have under control. His ability to watch every sporting event that has taken place is somewhat otherworldly.”
And Patrick complimented how JMV carries on his, and indirectly Bob & Tom’s, legacy with quality broadcasts today. “JMV has a gift for being able to talk about any subject – sports or life – that may come up on his show.”
So the case can be made that without The Bob & Tom Show, 1070 THE FAN doesn’t reach the heights of being today’s #1 local station for men.
And as Bob Kevoian announced his retirement last week, it’s easy to draw a conclusion that THE FAN is now Indy’s torch-bearer to carry on radio excellence.