Bob & Tom's durability

November 17, 2009
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A quarter of a century into their show, Indianapolis radio personalities Tom Griswold and Bob Kevoian show no sign of slowing down.

Their value to long-time host WFBQ is only growing as the radio industry in general struggles to recover its voice in a world complicated by iPods and other options, IBJ reporter Anthony Schoettle wrote in this week’s paper. Click here for the story.

“The Bob & Tom Show” makes WFBQ the undisputed leader in the local market; take away the show and the station is just average.

“Bob & Tom” listeners are getting older. They’re mostly 35 to 54, though they still have money to spend, so the show remains attractive to advertisers.

Griswold and Kevoian for that matter are now in their 50s. How much longer will they be able to keep the show relevant to younger listeners? Any thoughts about the show?

 

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  • Evolution
    James T. CrahanNovember 17, 2009 2:11 PM
    They've been doing it for 25 years. What would make anybody think they don't have as much time as they want left in them?
    I'd love to listen to a show from 20 years ago and see the growth we take for granted.
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  • Bob n Tom
    BillNovember 17, 2009 2:14 PM
    I have been listening to these guys since the first week they were in Indy. Bob and Tom, along with there side kicks have come a long ways over the yrs. If they continue with just what there doing, people are going to listen.

    Something I think would be cool is to see them bring back as guest, are some of the people that used to be on the show like, Pat Carlenie (Bad spelling) Mark Patrick, there are a couple others I know but,the names just slipped off my mind.

    Keep up the good job guys,
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  • These guys are still around?
    Indy500FanNovember 17, 2009 2:28 PM
    Who knew it, I only hear a laugh track when I happen to turn on 94.7 in the mornings. Besides, there is only one morning show worth listening too and it isn't on terrestrial radio. You'll find it on Sirius radio, channel 100. That's right, The Howard Stern Show. Now that is truly funny radio. Repeat after me, Bob & Tom are NOT funny, never were.
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  • Bob Seger was once edgy too - that should also stop on Q95
    RealisticNovember 17, 2009 2:40 PM
    While Bob & Tom were edgy and fresh 20 yrs ago, their show is so predictable and stale, I cannot bear to hear the same prerecorded schtick they play daily. Pompous and out of touch know-it-alls along with their silent-except-when-cued-to-laugh-side-kicks just don't make for entertainment anymore. As they try to be topical and current on the coat tails of young commedians playing in town, they end up working the same double entendre jokes about the male member that any 3rd grader would think is tired and old. Ironically and sadly, tired and old pretty much sums up their show.
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    • HS
      BillNovember 17, 2009 2:43 PM
      Hey Indy500Fan, If I remember correctly, that idiot was on the radio in the Indy market some time back and Bob and Tom blew him away. Howard sterns was an idiot then and is more so now. You can not compare a Mercedes with a Vega. Get real
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    • Funny
      JohnNovember 17, 2009 2:49 PM
      I don't care what people say...Bob and Tom ARE funny. They put together a great show and they are great for Indianapolis. Not only do they keep alot of people laughing the mornings, they give back soo much to the community. That is enough to be thankful for.

      I do agree, if you haven't listened you will not get many of the things that are said. I have listened for a couple of years now and I love it. It makes my morning commute much more enjoyable.

      Bob and Tom...You Guys Rock!
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    • Something for Everyone
      SeriouslyNovember 17, 2009 3:04 PM
      As evidenced by previous posts, Bob and Tom don't need to worry about keeping things fresh. They will always have their diehard fans. Sure, these are probably the same folks who can never get enough of Bob Knight, John Mellencamp, et al. They're also still mad about having to change their clocks twice a year and will never give up the right to smoke up in public. Some things just shouldn't ever change! Right, Hoosiers?
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    • I disagree
      Not INovember 17, 2009 3:07 PM
      I will have to disagree with most people on this blog. I am not a fan, wasn't a fan when i was little, having to listen to it in the car with my father (early-1980's), not a fan in the 90's, and not a fan today.

      Something about the show seems predictable and laugh-tracked. I don't want to listen to continuous laughing while I am trying to hear the joke. I typically switch to 92.3 or X103 if I have the radio on, but that is rare. I typically keep the iPod plugged in on the way in and play music from there so I don't have to hear mindless jibber-jabber for an extended period of time (reguardless if it is Bob&Tom or Smiley or even someone else). Granted, I know people love these personalities, I am just not a fan and had a tough time getting into listening to them.
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    • Attn: Realistic
      BOB & TOM FAN FOR LIFENovember 17, 2009 3:37 PM
      I think it is very sad that you have such strong negative feelings toward Bob & Tom. I, like MOST people, find them hilarious, fresh and the perfect way to start my day. Now, 20 years ago, always. If you don't like them, don't listen to them! isn't that the great thing about technology? There is no need for you to be so angry.

      On another note, I am with "Seriously" - I am a Hoosier born and raised, love Bob & Tom, love Bob Knight, etc.
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    • Kristen
      Kristen ShingletonNovember 17, 2009 4:39 PM
      I first met Bob and Tom when they worked at WJML (Petoskey, Michigan) for my friend's Dad, Mac McDonald. Mac would be PROUD! They were funny then and still are today! You guys will NEVER be old to me. Please keep us laughing for years to come!
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    • Sure Bob
      indy500fanNovember 17, 2009 7:13 PM
      Whatever you say. That is why Stern had the largest nationally syndicated radio show of all time (and still has over 1.5 million listeners daily) and Bob and Tom can't break into any other market but Indy. I agree you can't compare a Mercedes (Stern) to a Vega (B&T). They are simply not relevant, I agree with Realistic they are tired and forced and this market seems to see them as edgy. You think they have a good show because you haven't heard anything better. They are not that good. Listen to Stern for a week and you will understand why he has been around for 30 years and only gets better. Because he stays relevant.

      There is nothing wrong with liking them, I am simply saying they are not the be all, end all that this market makes them out to be. Enjoy them, listen to them. But know that you are missing something better out there.
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      • Old and Tired
        HAHAHAH HAHAHANovember 17, 2009 7:19 PM
        These guys are old and tired with the same old fart and sex jokes. Griswold may be 58, but Bob is over 60 easy. Whenever someone puts them on the radio, I feel my IQ slowly dropping.... to their infantile level.
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      • Still Listen
        Morgan54November 18, 2009 7:36 AM
        I still listen to them every morning on my drive to work. I agree that they play the same stuff over and over which gets boring but I rarely tune my radio to anything else day or night except Q95. Once they get something new ie: Pants by The Mummies they wear it out. I am sure The Mummies have more than the 1 or 2 songs they play over and over.
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      • Are you being sarcastic?
        Fishers galNovember 19, 2009 2:36 PM
        Indy500, the Bob & Tom Show is syndicated in more than 85 markets across the country. Do yyou really not know that? I've tried to listen to Stern but he routinely offends me and I find him disturbing and wrong. He is still doing some of the things Bob & Tom outgrew years ago (strippers, etc.). I have been listening to them since 1984 and will likely continue to listen until they retire. I get tired of some of the songs they play repeatedly but I love hearing the comedians and they have some great live music in the studio. Brian Setzer was on last week and tore the roof off the place! Oh, and I'm fine with changing my clocks, detest Bob Knight and don't like John Mellencamp's politics. Don't think that you know everything.
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        • still listening
          indymoonNovember 20, 2009 1:04 PM
          I listen more than I did 20 years ago. Back then I wanted to hear music but now I prefer a good laugh in the am. I have often wondered if Bob & Tom need to add a younger voice to appeal to the next generation. But if the target remains 35-54 YO does that matter? Does anyone under 25 YO even listen to radio?
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        • Fishers gal needs a clue
          indy500fanNovember 23, 2009 1:54 PM
          I am well aware that they are syndicated, but their markets are not large markets and the large markets they do have they have a very poor showing. No, because they do great in St. Louis does not make them great. They fail in every large market they try to go into, check your facts on that one. Stern ruled terrestrial radio, the only reason he left is because of the FCC and their ridiculous fines (That and the half a Billion dollars he was paid). When he was on here (yes, I know he failed here) he was one of the best return on advertising dollars in the market. Just as good as B&T, unfortunately the heat that the religious right put on the radio station and advertisers was eventually too much. I guess the fact that Stern had on Dane Cook, Chevy Chase, Rosie O'Donnell, Train, Foreigner, Dr. Drew, Colin Quinn and Dustin Hoffman on (all in the past 3 weeks) doesn't count for anything. I guess he is stuck with "strippers" as you say. Your desription of Stern is just as typical as all of these people calling B&T hayseeds. It simply isn't true, you let perception lead you rather than reality. The reality is B&T are not that great of a radio show, they simply all we around here know. Sure they entertain, but unless you have heard better you don't know what you are missing.

          Enjoy B&T, but know that your life is unfufilled.

          Stern Rules, long live Beetlejuice!
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        • Put on the Old B&T
          Used2BinRadioDecember 23, 2009 4:27 PM
          B&T took 2 years to get their show off the ground and it was on the back of John Price. Price was a jerk and Tom treated him as such and many found it amusing and thus that attention broke them both into the foreground by '85. Many talents and sidekicks have come & gone since and I really used to like their humor as they grew on us.

          I'm sure many would like to re-live some of the earlier shows. Why not play the Best of B&T on Saturdays or all the time on their HD station to drive listeners there outside of their day part?

          I too have gone to MP3's, CD's and Talk radio since - but once B&T pull the plug - say goodbye to 94.7. Then THAT frequency will be irrelevant.
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