''Shredd and Ragan'' is a
talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
show based in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
. The show is hosted by the titular Ted Shredd and Tom Ragan and also features producer
Jim Jackass and assistant producer Evan James. The show broadcasts to
Buffalo,
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
and Southern Ontario and is heard weekday mornings from 6am to 10am.
The show has been a mainstay in Buffalo radio since
Tom Ragan and
Ted Shredd paired in 1994.
Shredd and Ragan have received national recognition from the former radio business magazine
Radio and Records
''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...
, as nominees for Alternative Rock Show of the Year for 2003, 2004 and 2005 and Active Rock Show of the Year in 2006. The show is a consistent winner o
Artvoice'sBest Radio Show in Buffalo award, as well.
Based at
WEDG
WEDG (103.3 MHz) is a commercial FM radio radio station in Buffalo, New York, serving Western New York. It is owned by Cumulus Media and calls itself "103.3 The Edge," broadcasting an alternative rock radio format. The studios and offices are ...
(103.3 The Edge) from its 1994 launch until August 2021, the duo were reassigned to
WGRF
WGRF (96.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Buffalo, New York, branded as "97 Rock". The station is owned by Cumulus Media and has a radio format playing classic rock, mostly from the 1970s and 1980s. WGRF competes for classic rock list ...
(96.9, 97 Rock) in 2021 after a controversy led to the firing of that station's morning show earlier in the year.
Format
The Shredd and Ragan Show is a four-hour comedy talk radio show that covers everything from politics to sports, music, movies, the internet and people making news. The show often deals with what's going on around Western New York including anything relating to the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres.
History
The show got its start in 1994 when Tom Ragan, then on
WGR
WGR (550 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Buffalo, New York. Owned by Audacy, Inc., its studios and offices are located on Corporate Parkway in Amherst, and the transmitter site—utilized by WGR and co-owned WWKB—is in Ham ...
as ''The Tom and Karen Show'' was paired with Ted Shredd, then on WUFX as ''Ted Shredd and Mr. Ed Show''. The show first made a name for itself by covering (and making fun of) the
Buffalo State College
The State University of New York College at Buffalo (colloquially referred to as Buffalo State College, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo State, or simply Buff State) is a public college in Buffalo, New York. It is part of the State University of New ...
Prostitute trial, and airing non-stop bits on the
O. J. Simpson
Orenthal James Simpson (born July 9, 1947), nicknamed "Juice", is an American former football running back, actor, and broadcaster who played for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Once a popular figur ...
trial, culminating in the "OJ Bronco Chase Parade" on Buffalo's
Kensington Expressway
New York State Route 33 (NY 33) is an east–west state highway in western New York in the United States. The route extends for just under from NY 5 in Buffalo in the west to NY 31 in Rochester in the east. It is, in fact ...
.
In 1995, WUFX changed formats and renamed as
WEDG
WEDG (103.3 MHz) is a commercial FM radio radio station in Buffalo, New York, serving Western New York. It is owned by Cumulus Media and calls itself "103.3 The Edge," broadcasting an alternative rock radio format. The studios and offices are ...
, keeping only Shredd and Ragan from the previous roster. In an often told on-air story, Shredd and Ragan explain how they went across the street to a staff meeting, looked around cluelessly, and then realized they were the only ones from the current airstaff sitting in the room. Shredd and Ragan were also the first to speak with football player Terrell Owens upon his arrival to the Buffalo Bills.
Move Back to Mornings
On January 4, 2012, it was announced that Shredd and Ragan would be moving back to mornings starting January 9, 2012.
[ ] When the
Opie and Anthony
''Opie and Anthony'' was an American radio show hosted by Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that aired from March 1995 to July 2014, with comedian Jim Norton serving as third mic from 2001. The show originated in 1994 when Cumia took part i ...
show came to WEDG in 2006, Shredd and Ragan were moved to afternoons 3-7pm, moving Bull Radio to 12-3p, and moving then jock Val Townsend (now at sister station
WHTT) to 9-12pm. When
Opie and
Anthony
Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, ...
were let go, Bull moved his show to the morning drive, simply renaming his show "Morning Bull." With S&R moving back to mornings, Bull will be going back to his previous time slot that he had before the 2006 switch to 3-7pm (Bull eventually replaced
Larry Norton
WGRF (96.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Buffalo, New York, branded as "97 Rock". The station is owned by Cumulus Media and has a radio format playing classic rock, mostly from the 1970s and 1980s. WGRF competes for classic rock list ...
as morning host at
WGRF
WGRF (96.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Buffalo, New York, branded as "97 Rock". The station is owned by Cumulus Media and has a radio format playing classic rock, mostly from the 1970s and 1980s. WGRF competes for classic rock list ...
).
Shredd and Ragan reached an agreement in July 2015 to continue their show at WEDG through 2019.
Members Of Show
* Ted Shredd - ''co-host''. Worked at KHTZ Lake Tahoe/ Reno, Nevada, in Buffalo produced the Taylor and Moore Show on WPHD and The Bearman Show at WUFX. Also on air at the Heavy Metal Rebel Radio 14X WXBX, and WGIR Manchester, NH. Then Returned to WUFX Buffalo.
* Tom Ragan - ''co-host''. Worked in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. at WARM, Freeland, Pa. at WQEQ and WXPX, Benton, Pa. at WBNE, Wheeling, WV. at WZMM, and State College, Pa. at WQWK and Buffalo afternoons as ''Tom and Karen'' on WGR Newsradio 55.
* Jim Jackass - ''producer''. Currently acts as show producer, traffic reporter, and overnight host at sister station
WHTT.
* Evan James - ''assistant producer -'' Also the station's imaging director and voicetracks the 7pm-midnight shift.
Assistant Producer Timeline
* 1994 - 1998 - ''Between these years SHREDD & RAGAN did not have an official Assistant Producer''
* 1998 - 2000 - ''Anne Marie''
* 2000 - December 2003 - ''Evil Jim''
* December 2003 - February 2004 - 'Suzy "Porn Chick' ''
* February 2004–September 2017- ''Josh Potter''
* October 2017 - Present - Evan James
Producer Timeline
* 1994 - 1996 - ''Between these years SHREDD & RAGAN did not have an official producer.''
* 1996 - 1997 - Frankie Moh.
* 1997 - 1998 - Darren McKee.
* 1998 - 2000 - Tim Switala.
* 2001 - 2003 - Ryan Patrick.
* December 2003 - 2006 - ''Evil Jim''.
* 2007–present - Jim Jackass.
Other characters
Called "the Barbarians" after a frequently-played clip of the late Sen. Robert Byrd's speech about Michael Vick and his use of the word "barbaric", the Barbarians are frequent contributors to the program and compete annually for the best-call award in the Barbaric Cup:
;Bradley Lama
Earned his nickname from call-ins during the
Dalai Lama's visit to
SUNY Buffalo
The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...
in September 2006. Bradley is a frequent participant in the show's "Your Turn" segment and (self-proclaimed) show historian.
;Jobless John
Unemployed Buffalonian who phones with wisecracks while sitting on his couch. Begins each call with, "Hey guys, thanks for keeping me entertained while I'm out of work".
;John from
Love Canal
Love Canal is a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, United States, infamous as the location of a landfill that became the site of an enormous environmental disaster in the 1970s. Decades of dumping toxic chemicals harmed the health of hun ...
From the most notorious neighborhood in
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...
, his claim that he does not glow is greeted with skepticism.
;Lismo
Ardent fan of the show; says he enjoys
Jägermeister
( , ; stylized Jägermeiſter) is a German digestif made with 56 herbs and spices. Developed in 1934 by Wilhelm and Curt Mast, it has an alcohol by volume of 35% ( 61 degrees proof, or US 70 proof). The recipe has not changed since its creation ...
so much, he had the bottle image tattooed on his leg (earning him a lifetime supply from
the company
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
).
;Lortab Zombie
(Prematurely-) retired roofing contractor and user of
Lortab, who insists he is not an addict. Runner-up in the second annual Barbaric Cup (2009) to Brotha Pope. Winner in 2010, which entitles him to be known as King Lortab Zombie.
;Marty from
the Island The Island(s) may refer to:
Places
* Any of various islands around the world, see the list of islands
* The Island (Cache County, Utah), an island on the Bear River, Utah
* The Island, Chennai, a river island in India
* The Island, Chicago, a n ...
Forced to have his beer parties in the garage, because his wife will not allow his buddies in the house (to sully their immaculately-clean bathroom).
;Rehab Jerry
Good-hearted soul who calls from
rehab or a
halfway house
A halfway house is an institute for people with criminal backgrounds or substance use disorder problems to learn (or relearn) the necessary skills to re-integrate into society and better support and care for themselves.
As well as serving as a ...
. Known to fall off the wagon; once, he went to a wedding and disappeared for a month. Ends his calls with, "Barbaric!"
;Sean in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
Knows more about
wrestling
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
than
Vince McMahon, Sr. (founder of
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...
).
;"Sad Sean" Pulvirenti (Angola, New York)
Frequent caller who has entertained Shredd And Ragan, and their listeners for many years with his funny quotes, stores, life experiences, etc.
Past and present bits
* Missed Connections - Forget to catch the name of a recent encounter, S&R reads craiglist postings of people looking for someone, wanted or not, to connect back with.
* Shredd and Ragan Theater - recreations of current and past moments in history.
* Niagara Falls Police Blotter - unknown to tourists, the American side of the Falls is crawling with insane and unique crime. S&R read the best each week, especially good when one of the perpetrators calls to defend or explain "what really happened".
* OTF - Stands for Ohio, Texas, Florida, callers are presented with unique news reports from one of the three states then have to guess where the story originated.
* Balls of Steel Week and Embarrassing Childhood Memories Week - examples of themed weeks, in this case the show interviews people who live through amazing life experiences, war, bear attacks, etc., or they tell embarrassing stories of their childhood and listeners add theirs.
* New Music Tuesday - Hosts and callers rip on new music. Some music is good, some horrendous like Sigor Ros.
* Nate Gerbe Hemet Cam - A skit taken from the helmet-cam perspective of former Buffalo Sabres forward
Nathan Gerbe
Nathan David Gerbe (born July 24, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He last played for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played with Genève-Servette HC of the National League ( ...
, who, at 5'4", was notorious for his short physique. See the vide
here
* Know Your Bills - Various Buffalo Bills are asked bizarre questions and callers have to guess how they answered.
* Touchdown Throwndown - Listeners compete for
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...
season tickets. They've walked blindfolded into batting cages, taken slap shots in net from
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conf ...
and had various body parts pierced.
* Sammy Van Halen - An interesting fellow who lives with his mom, was born in Love Canal, wears sports jerseys with the name "Sammy Van Halen" over the original players name, drives sick sports cars - the most recent being the new Z06 Corvette, and going into various business establishments and raising a ruckus, along with picking up hot women and quoting assorted lines from different Van Halen songs into complete sentences. Lastly, Sammy Van Halen is "unreachable by telephone".
* Moo at the Canadians - simple and straightforward. They'd call a Canadian and moo at them. Listeners would call and guess if the Canadian would moo back. No one ever mooed back. Then they'd call someone in the US and they'd immediately moo back proving Canadians were not as stupid as Americans who thought cows were calling them.
References and notes
External links
S&R WEDG Page Twitter Facebook S&R Daily Podcast Page S&R Video Page Lortab Zombie Home Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shredd And Ragan
American comedy radio programs