Deminski & Doyle
Encyclopedia
Deminski & Doyle is a popular and award-winning talk radio
program hosted by Jeff Deminski and Bill Doyle. The show began broadcasting at WKRK-FM on August 23, 1999 after several years at Trenton, New Jersey
station WKXW, where Deminski and Doyle began their on-air partnership in 1993. Two long-time associates of the show also often appeared on air. Rudy DeSantis, the show's call screener, was often the butt of the hosts' good-natured jokes (along with Nicole Salem, the show's traffic reporter). Rudy is also the lead singer for the Detroit-area rock band, MindCandy. Beaver (whose real name, Bill Tortoriello, was rarely mentioned) was the long-time Executive Producer of the show and often participated in wacky on-air stunts, such as getting drunk on the air or dressing up in costumes (a beaver costume stunt was the source of his nickname). Prior to working at WKRK, Beaver worked with Deminski & Doyle as a phone screener at WKXW in New Jersey.
The show previously aired weekdays from 3PM to 7PM on Live 97.1 Free FM (WKRK) in Detroit, Michigan
. Beginning at 3PM on October 1, 2007, 97.1 flipped to an all-sports format (save for D&D) and was rebranded as "Detroit's Sports Powerouse 97.1 FM & 1270 AM" [later rebranded as "97.1 The Ticket"] WKRK-FM changed to WXYT-FM; a simulcast of 1270-WXYT-AM was launched and "D&D" began airing between 6 AM and 10 AM during the morning drive, competing against rival station WRIF
's Drew and Mike
show. They were unable to come to terms with CBS Radio for a new contract during the following months, and after more than eight years in Detroit, they were not on the air in 2008.
On November 29, 2007 it was reported that their final show on WXYT would be on December 14, 2007 as they look to find "greener pastures." During the December 2, 2007 broadcast, Deminski and Doyle did not implicitly confirm their resignation, but they alluded to the fact that they might not be around forever and that they "had a good run." They denied the reports by their agent, Mike Novak, that they referred to CBS as "Cheap Beyond Suspicion," and that they decided to leave the station due to salary issues.
announced via their website that on January 5 Deminski and Doyle would join the WCSX lineup as the new morning show replacing the long time running "JJ and Lynne Show". They appeared at a New Year's Eve party and at midnight, the first second they could legally be on the air, began broadcasting.
As of January 1, 2009, Deminski and Doyle can be heard on 94.7, WCSX
in the Metro Detroit Area. Beaver is no longer with the show, however, along with Deminski and Doyle, Rudy and Nicole Salem have continued their tenures with the broadcast team while Jason Carr, a reporter from Fox 2 Detroit and a long-time friend of the show, joined the show as its sports reporter. The show originally aired from 6am-10am but the time slot was reduced to 6am-9am as of Monday, April 20, 2009.
Carr recently left the show to anchor an expanded morning news show on Fox 2 and was replaced by Jamie Samuelsen who was left hanging when Drew returned to the Drew and Mike Show on WRIF.
At 8:05 am on January 4, 2010, after one year, Deminski & Doyle announced that they would be leaving WCSX. Deminski stated that the station wanted to feature more music during the morning drive shift. Deminski and Doyle were given the option to play music, but decided that they were talk-show hosts and not disc jockeys and were not going to continue on WCSX.
During the month of March, 2010, the hosts have been periodically "filling in" with late-night shows on WPHT
, a conservative-leaning AM talk station out of Philadelphia. There has yet been no evidence that D&D are trying out for, seeking, or have been offered a permanent position on the WPHT lineup. Their shows on WPHT have been void of nearly all comedic elements and have been much more politically-oriented (as they often were in New Jersey), but despite the leanings of the station, their opinions have remained mostly non-partisan.
). Jeff Deminski describes his show as "a radio version of the corner bar, where guys will come in and B.S. with the two guys drinking beers at the end, who would be Bill and me. That's kinda the philosophy we've always had." Interviews are sometimes conducted with comedians, authors, and other individuals of interest to the hosts. Almost all interviews during the history of the show are done live, either in-studio or via telephone. The only pre-recorded interviews were done with Detroit Lions then-head coach Steve Mariucci
when, for a short time, Bill Doyle hosted a small, weekly Lions segment but was forced to tape the Mariucci interviews in advance.(a large number of the interviews on wcsx were recorded)
Listeners are heavily encouraged to call into the show, either during discussions or to play games with the hosts. During the final hour of every live Friday broadcast, various games were held and prizes were given away. Also, during the hockey season, Thursdays were known as "Red Wing Thursdays," and at some random point in the show, Detroit Red Wings
tickets were given away. Callers would have to identify a celebrity, based on a poorly-done impression recorded by Beaver.
cover band Dirty Deeds to the tune of "T.N.T.
" which contained the line "...just ask the FCC") and the overall tone of the show was made more family-friendly afterwards.
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...
program hosted by Jeff Deminski and Bill Doyle. The show began broadcasting at WKRK-FM on August 23, 1999 after several years at Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
station WKXW, where Deminski and Doyle began their on-air partnership in 1993. Two long-time associates of the show also often appeared on air. Rudy DeSantis, the show's call screener, was often the butt of the hosts' good-natured jokes (along with Nicole Salem, the show's traffic reporter). Rudy is also the lead singer for the Detroit-area rock band, MindCandy. Beaver (whose real name, Bill Tortoriello, was rarely mentioned) was the long-time Executive Producer of the show and often participated in wacky on-air stunts, such as getting drunk on the air or dressing up in costumes (a beaver costume stunt was the source of his nickname). Prior to working at WKRK, Beaver worked with Deminski & Doyle as a phone screener at WKXW in New Jersey.
The show previously aired weekdays from 3PM to 7PM on Live 97.1 Free FM (WKRK) in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. Beginning at 3PM on October 1, 2007, 97.1 flipped to an all-sports format (save for D&D) and was rebranded as "Detroit's Sports Powerouse 97.1 FM & 1270 AM" [later rebranded as "97.1 The Ticket"] WKRK-FM changed to WXYT-FM; a simulcast of 1270-WXYT-AM was launched and "D&D" began airing between 6 AM and 10 AM during the morning drive, competing against rival station WRIF
WRIF
WRIF — branded 101 WRIF: The RIFF — is a commercial active rock radio station licensed by the FCC to operate in Detroit, Michigan serving surrounding Metro Detroit. The station is currently owned by Greater Boston Radio, Inc. WRIF is a grandfathered Class B station with a signal equivalent to...
's Drew and Mike
Drew and Mike
Drew and Mike is a weekday morning drive radio show hosted by Drew Lane and Mike Clark on WRIF, 101.1 FM in Southfield, near Detroit, Michigan. The show was regularly the top rated show in the Detroit market for over 10 years until Drew Lane's departure, easily winning the time slot. The show had...
show. They were unable to come to terms with CBS Radio for a new contract during the following months, and after more than eight years in Detroit, they were not on the air in 2008.
On November 29, 2007 it was reported that their final show on WXYT would be on December 14, 2007 as they look to find "greener pastures." During the December 2, 2007 broadcast, Deminski and Doyle did not implicitly confirm their resignation, but they alluded to the fact that they might not be around forever and that they "had a good run." They denied the reports by their agent, Mike Novak, that they referred to CBS as "Cheap Beyond Suspicion," and that they decided to leave the station due to salary issues.
Departure from WXYT
The last live broadcast of D&D was on December 7, 2007; their show was put into repeats ("Best-Of") starting on December 10, 2007, a week earlier than the hosts had planned. In a blog interview on December 13, 2007 with former WKRK personality Gregg Henson, Deminski implied that the show will not be returning to WXYT in 2008. On December 18, 2007, Mike Novak, the agent for Deminski and Doyle, reported that "officially, Deminski and Doyle has left the station and they will not be back on the air on CBS in Detroit." All references to Deminski and Doyle have been removed from the WXYT website, including the removal of Bill Doyle's name as a co-host to his weekend video game-themed show, Pwned Radio.WCSX
On November 17, 2008, WCSXWCSX
WCSX is a Detroit-based FM radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. WCSX's transmitter is located in suburban Oakland County in Royal Oak Township near the intersection of 8 Mile Rd. and Wyoming Avenue. WCSX transmits its signal from an antenna 951 feet in height with an effective radiated...
announced via their website that on January 5 Deminski and Doyle would join the WCSX lineup as the new morning show replacing the long time running "JJ and Lynne Show". They appeared at a New Year's Eve party and at midnight, the first second they could legally be on the air, began broadcasting.
As of January 1, 2009, Deminski and Doyle can be heard on 94.7, WCSX
WCSX
WCSX is a Detroit-based FM radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. WCSX's transmitter is located in suburban Oakland County in Royal Oak Township near the intersection of 8 Mile Rd. and Wyoming Avenue. WCSX transmits its signal from an antenna 951 feet in height with an effective radiated...
in the Metro Detroit Area. Beaver is no longer with the show, however, along with Deminski and Doyle, Rudy and Nicole Salem have continued their tenures with the broadcast team while Jason Carr, a reporter from Fox 2 Detroit and a long-time friend of the show, joined the show as its sports reporter. The show originally aired from 6am-10am but the time slot was reduced to 6am-9am as of Monday, April 20, 2009.
Carr recently left the show to anchor an expanded morning news show on Fox 2 and was replaced by Jamie Samuelsen who was left hanging when Drew returned to the Drew and Mike Show on WRIF.
At 8:05 am on January 4, 2010, after one year, Deminski & Doyle announced that they would be leaving WCSX. Deminski stated that the station wanted to feature more music during the morning drive shift. Deminski and Doyle were given the option to play music, but decided that they were talk-show hosts and not disc jockeys and were not going to continue on WCSX.
During the month of March, 2010, the hosts have been periodically "filling in" with late-night shows on WPHT
WPHT
WPHT is a CBS Radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, broadcasting on 1210 kHz. A 50,000-watt clear-channel station, it broadcasts in an omnidirectional pattern that allows it to cover most of the eastern half of North America at night. It uses the nickname "Talk Radio 1210 WPHT." The...
, a conservative-leaning AM talk station out of Philadelphia. There has yet been no evidence that D&D are trying out for, seeking, or have been offered a permanent position on the WPHT lineup. Their shows on WPHT have been void of nearly all comedic elements and have been much more politically-oriented (as they often were in New Jersey), but despite the leanings of the station, their opinions have remained mostly non-partisan.
Return to WKXW
On June 24, 2011, Deminski announced that starting July 5, 2011, the pair would return to the New Jersey station 101.5 WKXW for the afternoon drive show from 2-7 PM on weekdays.Show content
The Deminski and Doyle show is a non-political, comedy-based talk show that airs during morning rush hour commutes. Topics vary from entertainment news, to local Detroit and Michigan issues, to other offbeat news topics (many of their offbeat discussions are based on stories found on FarkFark
Fark is a community website created by Drew Curtis that allows members to comment on a daily batch of news articles and other items from various websites. As of June 2009, the site boasts approximately four million unique visitors per month, which puts it among the top 100 English language websites...
). Jeff Deminski describes his show as "a radio version of the corner bar, where guys will come in and B.S. with the two guys drinking beers at the end, who would be Bill and me. That's kinda the philosophy we've always had." Interviews are sometimes conducted with comedians, authors, and other individuals of interest to the hosts. Almost all interviews during the history of the show are done live, either in-studio or via telephone. The only pre-recorded interviews were done with Detroit Lions then-head coach Steve Mariucci
Steve Mariucci
Stephen Ray "Steve" Mariucci is a former National Football League coach. He coached for the San Francisco 49ers and most recently for the Detroit Lions.-Early career:...
when, for a short time, Bill Doyle hosted a small, weekly Lions segment but was forced to tape the Mariucci interviews in advance.(a large number of the interviews on wcsx were recorded)
Listeners are heavily encouraged to call into the show, either during discussions or to play games with the hosts. During the final hour of every live Friday broadcast, various games were held and prizes were given away. Also, during the hockey season, Thursdays were known as "Red Wing Thursdays," and at some random point in the show, Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
tickets were given away. Callers would have to identify a celebrity, based on a poorly-done impression recorded by Beaver.
Controversy
The show (and the radio station) was the subject of an FCC fine in 2002. During the January 9, 2002 broadcast, a discussion of odd sexual practices was conducted, with listeners calling in with their own experiences. A transcript of the segment that resulted in the fine can be found on the FCC's website here. Future shows rarely discussed this incident (though a theme song was recorded for the show at one point by Detroit-based AC/DCAC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
cover band Dirty Deeds to the tune of "T.N.T.
T.N.T. (song)
"T.N.T." is a single recorded in 1975 by the hard rock band AC/DC, taken from their Australian album T.N.T. and the international version of High Voltage. The song was written by Bon Scott, Angus Young and Malcolm Young...
" which contained the line "...just ask the FCC") and the overall tone of the show was made more family-friendly afterwards.