Off the Air: The Untold R & B Experience Ryan Greenwood & Greg Burgess

You do not want to miss this guest to kick off season two! Season one ended, but we head directly into season two for more off the air side stories and experiences. We still have Ryan Greenwood and Greg Burgess up front, behind the wheel, as we go back in time to get more untold Rick & Bubba stories.  In the first episode of season two, we wrangle in former program director Jeff Tyson, better known on the air as the local hypochondriac JT.  We learn a hunting secret the Coach Burgess shared with JT, what JT's original dream job was as a kid, and how he ended up in an ambulance after a softball game.  We discuss the gratitude that JT showed the late School Closing Tony after their first Rick & Bubba softball game together, how a radio consultant took credit for JT's discovery, and how JT ended up with the remote in his hand.  JT was not harmed or injured during the recording of this episode.

We roll on with episode seven and get behind the scenes to learn more untold Rick & Bubba adventures.  This episode we go back again with former salesman Robbie from Roebuck, aka Robbie McAlpine, from the Q104 days. We get to find out how Rick & Bubba got Robbie fired from his job, what the meaning of exactly puffs of air is, and how Robbie got lumped into the sales scum very quickly.  We learn about his unique sales technique that made him successful and what all happened to Robbie to make him late with the pizzas for Speedy's remote.  We get the details of the rare Rick & Bubba item that he still has in his possession from the early days and his favorite XFL moment.  Robbie confesses that he was the actual salesperson for a botched remote that Rick & Bubba still talk about until today.

We have made it to episode six and we still have Greg Burgess in tow to help go behind the scenes to get more untold Rick & Bubba stories. This time we get a chance to talk with former operations manager from Dick Broadcasting/Citadel Communications, Kerry Lambert.  He gives us the behind the scenes of exactly how their first big contract came to be, just how good were their ratings when they hit the Birmingham market, and what all did they have to do to appease all the personalities in the radio cluster.  Along with playing a role to help bring them to the Birmingham market, Kerry was also their first syndication manager and assisted with their venture into TV with TurnerSouth. From all the Rick & Bubba moments and meetings that he was a part of, he shares his most memorable moment, the details of the big meeting that him and Bubba had with Carl P, the impact and role the guys had on JT, and how they eventually lost the Rick & Bubba deal. Yes, we expect some calls that will need to be redirected to the legal team.

We still have this fun mobile rolling into episode five with the hard working, pole climbing, blue collar Greg Burgess.  We get a chance to go back to the early days to when the show was just beginning at the station where they cut their teeth, with Q104 sales manager Rob "Crazy Legs" Rosson. We find out what ruined the radio business for him, Rick's closing line that he used for his sales pitch, and how Pigskin Roundup almost didn't happen. We find out exactly how Rick & Bubba conduct business meetings, who won the big flag football game between Rick/Bubba vs Speedy/Rob, and what was the biggest mistake Rick made that caused the FCC to call the Hammer and put him in the doghouse. We learn more details about the mystery meat and concession stand of the week that was always featured on Pigskin Roundup.  Rob finally declares what he thinks is the funniest bit ever on the Rick & Bubba Show and also what was possibly the most lucrative part of the morning show.  Yes, we have the legal team on standby.      

We have arrived at episode four and we still have Greg Burgess in tow.  We get off the air with former HOF intern Blarin' Karen to get the behind the scenes of what really goes on with the interns.  From intern pranks, to Rick and Bubba trips gone bad, to disastrous moments that make it on air when running the board, she gives us the inside scoop.  We get the details of why she fired her band right before Fat Fest and what exactly is a "love" check. We discuss her favorite Rick & Bubba moment when she met her idol and her idol knew who she was.  We learn of the moment she thought she was going to get fired for sure, exactly what it is like to be the babysitter for Bubba, and the best way to remember lyrics for Fat Fest.  Once again, we have to make a quick call to the legal team for good measure.  We at least got this episode cleared for now. 

We have made it to episode three and we still have Greg Burgess riding shotgun. We get off the air with Brad Ryan from Three On A String to get the story of exactly how the Rick & Bubba theme song came to be and who gets the credit. We find out why Three On A String were playing with their pants down around their ankles. We learn if he has a plan to update the theme song or maybe write alternate version, stories from early childhood from the Rick & Greg show, what almost cost him his marriage to the lovely Jenny Leigh, Bubba's most requested song for Three On A String, and the controversy of what happened to his Rick & Bubba softball jersey. As always when discussing money issues, we danced with trouble to try to find out how much money he made off the theme song.