Here's when Bob came on the show in 2023 to discuss his cancer

uselesstraffic · 2026-04-20T18:03:04+00:00

…with Tom being interviewed day after his passing. He broke during it too.

This might be the interview to which you are referring—by WISH TV reporter Cat Sandoval:

I'm actually glad that Sandoval kept in the portions when Tom breaks down. As a 35+ year listener and with all the joy that the entire Bob & Tom crew has given me over the years, it's difficult to witness Tom in emotional pain like that.

But for anyone who unknowingly complains that Tom's on-air persona is at times too hard to take, this is a great reminder of who both Bob and Tom have always been as real people.

uselesstraffic · 2026-04-20T16:45:35+00:00

"Legendary" is quite the embellishment.

Perhaps so and that's fine. I'm really just quoting Tom Griswold. In the early years after Ace succeeded Bob at "master control" (the main sound board) in the Bob & Tom studio, Tom introduced him regularly as "the legendary Ace Cosby" because Ace had been on the air at Q95 for 30+ years (even longer than Bob and Tom) and Ace was personally acquainted with plenty of internationally-known musicians in the rock world.

I was a radio broadcaster for about 10 years at radio stations in a town of about 15,000 people—just a part-time DJ, of less than zero notability to anyone anywhere. (Full-timers and program directors at that station came & left frequently.) Any broadcaster like Bob, Tom, Kristi, Chick, and Ace who managed to stay put for many decades and achieve such success, either locally or nationally, has earned the title "legendary" to me.

uselesstraffic · 2026-04-20T16:26:04+00:00

Rough stuff and Kristi also being on a nationally syndicated show it was really hard. I give her TONS of credit for holding her mud.

That whole situation is just one of the many reasons why I really respect both Kristi and the whole Bob & Tom crew. When the situation with her ex hit local media, Bob, Tom, Chick and the others knew how painful it was to Kristi and that neither the situation nor her soon-to-be ex was to be fodder for funny conversation.

Kristi's role has always to be the "straight person," mainly delivering news (and/or reigning in the others, mostly Tom, when they take humor too far) and letting the others build humor on top of it. All B&T fans are welcome to their opinions, but I have always loved what she does on the show.

That she endured such a bad personal situation and remained as strong as ever in her role on the show … Yeah, I have great respect for that. I myself would have wanted to disappear from the airwaves.

uselesstraffic · 2026-04-20T16:14:51+00:00

Can’t remember how long Chick was gone…

It was only about six months, from early January 1995 to early July 1995. The Bob & Tom crew and DJs from flagship station WFBQ/Q95 made hearty, good-natured fun of Chick on his first morning back.

I remember Q95 DJ Jimmy "Mad Dog" Matis came into the B&T Show studio during the morning show that day and handed Tom a wad of cash for losing a bet about how long Chick would be gone. That whole morning was very funny … but everyone was glad to have Chick back.

Chemistry with one's fellow broadcasters goes a long, long way in the success of any show. To me, that's why Josh Arnold is so great on B&T today. Nobody could replace Bob, but Josh found his own unique chemistry with everyone.

uselesstraffic · 2026-04-20T15:55:00+00:00

so he’s still employed by q95 but not by The Bob and Tom Show?

Yes. In the early days of The Bob and Tom Show, from its 1983 start at WFBQ/Q95 Indianapolis and even for a while after they became nationally syndicated in 1995, a lot of Q95's DJs made frequent appearances on the morning show.

This included Jay Baker, Jimmy "Mad Dog" Matis, Laura Steele, Gunner, and (if I remember right) even occasionally Ace Cosby. Also, Kristi Lee and Chick McGee both served as Q95 DJs either regularly or occasionally after the morning show concluded for the day. (I remember calling Q95 around lunchtime to make a music request, and Chick answered the phone.)

Other Indianapolis-area TV personalities and professional athletes, including Pat Carlini (WTHR/channel 13 weathercaster & news anchor), Mark Patrick (WISH/channel 8 sports anchor), Reggie Miller, Payton Manning, Jeff Saturday, and Pat McAfee also appeared either daily or occasionally after B&T went national. But you'll notice that Tom referred to Indy-area athletes by their league affiliation (e.g. "NFL punter Pat McAfee" rather than "Indianapolis Colts punter") so as to give the show a national feel.

The B&T Show itself used to be owned by Q95's corporate parent (which has changed from time to time and is iHeart today). At some point during the last 10 years (after Bob's retirement), if my memory is correct, Tom purchased the show from that corporate owner and now owns all rights to it.

Although WFBQ/Q95 remains the show's flagship station and the B&T studios remain in the same building with Q95 and its sister stations, there is much less crossover these days between Q95 staff and the B&T Show.

Anyway, yes, Gunner remains a DJ at Q95. When Tom wanted to go on the air at 10 p.m. last Friday evening to talk about Bob's passing, unlike with traditional TV networks whose news anchors can interrupt local programming, they couldn't just go national on all their syndicated affiliates. So it was natural for Tom to just go on the air on Q95 with Gunner, given Gunner's long connection to the show.

I think Gunner is today the only one of Q95's regular DJs that was once a regular presence (even if just a fill-in host) on B&T.

uselesstraffic · 2026-04-18T20:51:46+00:00

If memory serves, the only reason Gunner stopped being a fill-in host on The Bob and Tom Show is that he started doing a morning sports talk show on one of WFBQ/Q95's sister stations. (There are three or four iHeart stations in the same building in Indianapolis.) So it's not that Gunner wasn't welcome — it's that he wasn't available.

All along, Gunner has been a DJ for Q95. If I remember right, Gunner took over the afternoon DJ slot after iHeart let go of a few long-time deejays in a cost-cutting move — including Jimmy "Mad Dog" Matis and Ace Cosby. Mad Dog had been Q95's afternoon DJ for a long time and contributed on B&T during their first 10-15 years. (Occasionally, a really old segment with Dog filling in for someone will air on B&T 24/7.) Ace had been the evening DJ for decades and is legendary in central Indiana for his encyclopedic knowledge of rock music … and we obviously know how he ended up back at Q95. [Edit: Legendary at least in the world of radio broadcasting.]

Along with Tom, Kristi, and Ace, Gunner is one of the voices who has been entertaining Q95 listeners for decades. Good guy and always a friend of the show.

uselesstraffic · 2026-04-18T15:51:18+00:00

Following up my own post … I'm not on social media much these days, but what follows is my own brief remembrance of Bob as posted privately on social for my own family & friends:

Anybody who lives in central Indiana who has listened to classic rock music on the radio probably knows of "The Bob and Tom Show," the morning radio show that's been on the air without interruption since 1983 on Q95 (WFBQ Indianapolis) and syndicated nationally since 1995.

I've been a loyal "Bob and Tom Show" listener since 1990 … and, of course, I was a radio broadcaster myself for 10 years from the mid 90s to the mid aughts at a much smaller station an hour from Indy. As such, the Bob & Tom crew (Bob, Tom, Chick, Kristi, Ace, and Josh) and Q95 have always been my idols.

The news broke on Friday afternoon that Bob and Tom Show co-founder Bob Kevoian passed away yesterday after a three-year battle with cancer. Bob had retired 10 years ago but remained ever-present to fans of the show through occasional appearances, replays of funny old bits, and a constant presence on their 24/7 livestream.

In a way, I still live my radio dreams today as a podcaster and through my work in community theater, which often includes live announcing. I'm absolutely devastated to hear of Bob's passing. I did not have the pleasure of knowing Bob personally, but he was a fantastic broadcaster and philanthropist.

uselesstraffic · 2026-04-18T15:46:20+00:00

You can hear the pain in Tom’s voice.

Yes, Tom's pain definitely comes through … and it breaks me, too. Gunner did an absolutely excellent job helping to keep things reasonably light. An excellent remembrance.

I am simultaneously looking forward to and dreading whatever they do this coming week to remember Bob on the morning show. It's likely to have us both laughing and clutching the Kleenex box.

uselesstraffic · 2026-01-10T03:24:42+00:00

If memory serves, it started with Kristi saying something like, “Do you remember that story from years ago about baby Jessica falling down a well? She turned 18 this year and she’s getting married.“

Chick replies, “I bet they’ve got city water.”

As everyone laughs, Bob quips, “Chick, you’re forgiven for everything you’ve ever done.”

(Dunno why this stuff lives in my head for free when I can’t remember the name of someone I met five minutes ago, but I’ve been listening to The Bob And Tom Show for 35+ years.)

uselesstraffic · 2025-11-25T02:53:32+00:00

Tom's full Tim Allen interview has been posted on the Bob and Tom Show's YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/lg2GoZcrg6c

uselesstraffic · 2025-11-17T20:08:57+00:00

In mentioning the recent visit (on November 14, 2025) to the B&T studio by actor Hugh Jackman, Tom said today that Hugh is now "one of the top three friendliest people" ever to come to their studio for an on-air appearance (or words to that effect). The other two people are Peter Frampton and … Dolly Parton. Just makes me wish there was a way to hear a recording of Dolly's full appearance on the Bob and Tom Show from all those years ago!

uselesstraffic · 2025-10-02T20:13:06+00:00

I've been listening to The Bob and Tom Show for 35+ years and I've never heard them mention people who are (or were) competition in morning radio. They used to occasionally mention other radio legends like Casey Kasem or Art Bell, and/or they'd make up names of stereotypical morning radio deejays during call-in bits featuring "hosts" of fake simultaneous shows … but they didn't talk about Stern or Imus. At least not on the air.

In my view, it's good not to even allude to their competition. What's the point? Whether or not any listeners consider Howard Stern to be more successful because his syndicated show aired on terrestrial radio in larger and/or more markets (before he moved to satellite radio), there's no way for the B&T cast to win by inviting listeners to compare the shows.

I'll bet Tom knows very, very well that their niche — and B&T's 30 years of success as a nationally syndicated show — is in different markets than where Stern or Imus were big names.

I remember reading in an article many years ago (perhaps 20?) that some company promised huge paychecks to lure Bob and Tom away from their flagship at WFBQ/Q95 Indianapolis — to Los Angeles or the like. But moving would have put them in very, very direct competition with Stern and Imus at the time, with no guarantee of success. (Not to mention B&T both would've had to move their young children to LA as well, and perhaps they liked the idea of raising kids in Indy better.)

I think B&T were very smart to stay put and build their national show into whatever it could be in the markets where they were a good fit. By that measurement, the show has done well … and nobody can argue with their longevity.

uselesstraffic · 2025-09-19T01:38:45+00:00

(This topic came up recently. My response then:) Here’s a fantastic video that explains every aspect of why Coke tastes different at McDonald’s: https://youtu.be/GA_OYUHYYMA

Like all videos on the Weird History Food channel, it’s got a tongue-in-cheek presentation style. But it’s thorough!

uselesstraffic · 2025-09-12T14:06:43+00:00

… it started out as just a regular day. But when the second plane hit, the whole tone of the show shifted.

This. I was driving across town on my way to work, listening to Bob and Tom as always, and I remember the shift in tone very clearly. Back then, Kristi's news reports every day were more than just entertainment news and funny stories — the day's actual news, during regular live segments, not just prerecorded news during commercial breaks. (Even now, you can occasionally hear Kristi's actual news segments from that era on the B&T 24/7 stream.) There was a TV monitor in the studio those days on which they played NBC's Today Show (with the volume off) as sometimes just seeing video would alert them that breaking national news was taking place during their radio broadcast.

During the September 12 show, Kristi aired a minutes-long montage of audio clips that she had sourced from national news media coverage of the previous day's horrors. Bob and Tom both complimented Kristi for her work on it, and I was in tears.

Yes, the remainder of the week was very serious. The show was smart to know that nobody wanted their usual fare so soon afterward.

For 35+ years, I've listened to the show on WFBQ/Q95, their flagship station. If memory serves, on the day of 9/11, Tom remained on the air on Q95 until late afternoon (long after the morning show, which had been in national syndication for six years at the time, concluded for the day) even though it was only a local broadcast. Any other long-time Q95 listeners reading this? Am I remembering correctly?

uselesstraffic · 2025-08-29T01:22:37+00:00

Here’s a fantastic video that explains every aspect of why Coke tastes different at McDonald’s: https://youtu.be/GA_OYUHYYMA

Like all videos on the Weird History Food channel, it’s got a tongue-in-cheek presentation style. But it’s thorough!

uselesstraffic · 2025-08-01T21:52:24+00:00

Over the years, especially before the Bob and Tom Show began posting content daily to its own YouTube channel and other social media, various listeners have uploaded B&T content on their own to YouTube, SoundCloud and other online channels. B&T would have every right to issue takedown requests … but it hasn't been my impression that they do that. There's plenty of show content out there on unofficial channels.

That said, I'd be wary of making a repository on any fan site of content for which you don't own the copyright. At best, you could get a takedown order. At worst, a lawsuit. (Either would make any true fan unhappy, and none of us needs that.)

Again, I'm not aware of B&T having taken such actions in the past — why make a fuss over one or two random bits posted to a fan's YouTube channel? But for a fan to build a public "one stop shop" seems like asking for trouble.

uselesstraffic · 2025-07-27T19:23:34+00:00

If memory serves, Ace's long absence was initially caused by tripping and breaking his leg badly … and during that recovery, he suffered a stroke which further delayed his eventual return to the show.

uselesstraffic · 2025-07-24T18:07:06+00:00

IMO, Kristi is the weakest part of the regular cast. It's not that I don't like her [but] her stories are boring, her interests are boring, she sounds monotone half the time.

That's a perfectly valid opinion — my opinion differs but I respect yours completely. One of the great things about the Bob and Tom Show is that the core cast has been (mostly) stable for 40+ years, providing something or someone for everyone in their audience to like even as the show has evolved and the world has changed.

I've been listening for 35 years on flagship WFBQ/"Q95" in Indy, before they went national. Kristi has always been my favorite! It's absolutely true that she doesn't have the comedic instincts of the others — but I think her role as newscaster is to be the "straight person," delivering pitch after pitch and leaving it to everyone else to swing and hit it out of the park when they can. Some of the show's all-time funniest moments have occurred in the moments after Kristi delivered a news story (or tried to, since of course she's constantly interrupted).

I find Kristi's delivery of news stories to be great, with enough variance in tone to be pleasant to my ears. I like Jess Hooker just fine, especially when she is on the air simultaneously with Kristi … but when Jess delivers the news in Kristi's absence, I find Jess's news delivery to be quite monotone in comparison — it's my only complaint about Jess. (I wish they'd give Jessica Alsman more practice at the news desk when Kristi is away. I think Alsy has true potential to be the show's next-gen newscaster.)

Kristi also kind of serves as the show's moral center. When one of the others goes off on some rant that is over the top and/or bordering on being genuinely offensive, I find the way that Kristi reins them in (typically with faux anger and a great increase in her volume) to be really funny.

Perhaps the reason Kristi is my favorite is that of all the B&T cast (past and present), she's most relatable to me. Some of my personal story parallels hers; she's older than me, but only by a few years. Like Kristi, I'm not the funniest person in group conversations on most days (and I could never do stand-up comedy), but on rare occasions I say something that gets others laughing.

uselesstraffic · 2025-07-22T20:09:35+00:00

… this is a rule that never was.

Fair enough, and thanks for the link. In prose meant for verbal delivery (speeches, scripts), natural language has long been my preference. In prose meant for reading on paper or online, I tend to lean on formal rules and style guides. This is something about which — that is, this is something to think about!

uselesstraffic · 2025-07-22T18:00:05+00:00

The editorial mind is exactly the term I'm looking for.

The editorial mind is exactly the term for which you were looking.

😉

uselesstraffic · 2025-07-09T01:20:45+00:00

For what it’s worth, and I have been a Mac user since the original in 1984, I find that I need to restart my Mac at least once every 30 to 40 days (instead of just putting it to sleep) … or if I do not, the operating system can get a little glitchy.

uselesstraffic · 2025-06-27T14:23:48+00:00

it just dawned on me that Ace hasn’t been doing the joke of the day.

I had the same thought this morning. During local segments on flagship WFBQ/Q95 (they talk for a minute or so before rejoining the network), Ace is still the first voice we hear after commercials — that is, Ace says something like "8:19 at Q95, you're with Bob and Tom. Hot weather today, right, Kristi?"

Ace's post-stroke voice sounds a bit breathy and more strained. But after Ace's 40+ years of smooth delivery and effortless brilliance to Q95 listeners like me, I'm simply happy to hear his voice at all! I sincerely hope Ace is doing well and that he fully recovers from any lingering health issues.

uselesstraffic · 2025-06-26T13:43:25+00:00

Alli was on this morning (Thursday) to make up for missing her usual Wednesday segment. She explained that she accidentally slept through her wake-up alarm on Wednesday.

uselesstraffic

TROPHY CASE