The Snark Factor

Fingers Malloy

The Snark Factor is a weekly show that airs on WAAM Talk 1600AM, 92.7FM Ann Arbor. You'll hear unusual takes on the latest news and entertainment from host Fingers Malloy. Sarah Smith and The Snark Factor Players join in on this unique talk show.

  1. 22 MAR

    Lizard Fingers

    On this episode of The Snark Factor, Fingers Malloy and Sarah Smith take on a familiar theme: common sense in full retreat. They kick things off with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award going to Jerome Powell and “the people of the Twin Cities,” which leads to a sharp conversation about immigration enforcement, media narratives, political branding, and how the word courage now gets stretched so far it could snap. From there, they get into Trump’s joke about Japan and Pearl Harbor, Congress debating a bill tied to harming law enforcement animals, Denmark allegedly preparing for a possible U.S. move on Greenland, and why the federal government needs to get its grubby lizard fingers out of the student loan business. Then the show takes a turn from political absurdity to modern-life dread. Fingers and Sarah dig into the alarming rise in death rates among Gen X and elder millennials, which spins into a conversation about colorectal cancer, colonoscopies, processed food, fast food, stress, and whether a generation raised on pizza rolls and “just keep moving” is finally paying the bill. After that, they tackle a new experimental keto pill that promises the effects of dieting without giving up carbs, an AI-generated Val Kilmer appearing posthumously in a new film, and Tinder wanting deeper access to users’ photo libraries to build more “authentic” matches. In other words: health anxiety, artificial people, privacy collapse, and the future getting dumber by the minute. If you miss the live show on WAAM Talk Radio, you can catch The Snark Factor on your favorite podcast platform.

    50 min
  2. 1 MAR

    Political Theater, Desert Secrets, Dating Scams

    This week, Fingers Malloy and Sarah Smith run the national playlist: political theater, media stagecraft, and the strange new reality where everyone has an opinion—none of them come with solutions. They start with the State of the Union ratings (down to 32.6 million viewers) and why Trump’s real superpower isn’t policy… it’s production. Hockey players threading through media row. Perfect little digs. And yes—somebody should’ve fixed the hair. Then the conversation shifts to the kind of story that sticks in your ribs: Tucson missing-person cases that have gone cold for decades, and why some families get wall-to-wall coverage while others get a shrug and a “case pending.” Border proximity, cartel history, and the grim economics of trafficking all enter the chat. After the break, it’s kitchen chaos: dull knives, disgusting sponges, chipped plates, scratched pans, and why Fingers put dishwasher knives on the list of crimes that deserve a long, thoughtful stare. And finally: Ashley Madison is back, apparently rebranding from “affairs” to “discreet dating,” which is like calling arson “warm lighting.” They also detour into the celebrity-only dating app Raya, velvet-rope romance, and who exactly decides if you’re famous enough to swipe in peace. On this episode: State of the Union ratings + political theater fatigue Trump vs. the media: stagecraft, visuals, and “don’t stand” energy Tucson cold cases + why some disappearances get attention and others don’t Kitchen purge list: knives, sponges, chipped plates, scratched pans Ashley Madison “discreet dating” + what that even means Raya: the celebrity dating app with a membership committee (of course) More writing + the full show archive live at FingersMalloy.com.

    49 min
  3. 22 FEB

    Stop the Poop, Seize the Cash, Hate the Man

    If you missed it live on WAAM, the podcast is right here. This week, Fingers and Sarah start with an awkward little truth for Democrats: even with the “midterms are ours” confidence floating around… their own voters don’t seem thrilled with the party. An AP-NORC poll shows Democratic favorability among Democrats sliding from the high 80s/low 90s range down to about 70%—and the conversation turns into a bigger question: How long can a political movement run on pure Trump hatred… without offering anything else? From there, the show pivots into two stories that feel like they should be jokes… but unfortunately are not. TSA and the “$100 or more” shake-down A class action lawsuit aims to stop TSA from seizing travelers’ cash—sometimes without charges ever being filed. The episode breaks down how civil asset forfeiture turns “suspicion” into a business model… and why the amounts are often sized perfectly to make fighting back not worth it. Washington, D.C.: raw sewage into the Potomac… for a month Then we hit the D.C. water disaster: hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage flowing into the Potomac from burst pipes, while officials argue and the media shrugs—until Trump mentions it, and suddenly people are mad at the guy talking about it. And the cherry on top: the D.C. Water CEO is David Gaddis—a name tied to Flint-era water controversy—because in government, failure doesn’t end careers. It upgrades them. Also included: a Menards parking lot encounter that ends with a guy trying to sell candy bars to fund a motel room… which is a sentence that really captures the era. Give it a listen. Share it with a friend who still thinks “the system” is running smoothly. Follow Sarah on X: @MamaSwati Follow Fingers on X: @FingersMolloy More shows and podcasts: FingersMalloy.com

    50 min
  4. 8 FEB

    Adults in the Room, Money Gone Missing

    This week on The Snark Factor, Fingers Malloy and Sarah Smith take on a week where being the adult in the room somehow became a political crime. It starts with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — not in legal trouble, but in deep trouble with the activist wing of his own party — for committing the unforgivable sin of trying to keep the government funded. Fingers and Sarah dig into why shutdown politics have flipped, how immigration and ICE became the flashpoint, and why polling reality still refuses to cooperate with protest narratives. From there, the conversation widens into media blind spots, propaganda, and why public trust has eroded so badly that no investigation, no institution, and no authority is seen as legitimate anymore — which may be the point. The show then turns local, as Fingers contrasts wall-to-wall coverage of protests with the near silence surrounding a deadly crash in Indiana involving an illegal immigrant driver — and asks why some victims get national attention while others barely get a headline. In the second half, the focus shifts from politics to something that hits much closer to home: money. A disturbing story from Carol Roth details how a retiree’s six-figure savings account was quietly closed and sent to the state for “inactivity,” despite regular interest deposits — a cautionary tale for anyone who thinks their money is safe just because it’s sitting still. And because this is The Snark Factor, the episode wraps with lighter fare: Waffle House going full fine-dining for Valentine’s Day, regional pronunciation fights (“waffle”), Super Bowl party food politics, Velveeta defenders, and the eternal danger of the sad veggie tray. Smart, sharp, skeptical, and occasionally hungry — this is The Snark Factor.

    50 min

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About

The Snark Factor is a weekly show that airs on WAAM Talk 1600AM, 92.7FM Ann Arbor. You'll hear unusual takes on the latest news and entertainment from host Fingers Malloy. Sarah Smith and The Snark Factor Players join in on this unique talk show.

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