The Radio Show

Home

The Radio Show

The New KTLK Version (March 2007)

While still new and subject to change, Germain's new show is expanding to incorporate more traditional aspects of the talk radio format. These include: "News You Can't Use", unusual news stories told with light-hearted banter between Germain and Lisa Goich, (introducing her as his producer, sidekick, call screener and "women around town"); what many might consider more frivolous topics such as Tuseday's, March 6, 2007 hour-long topic - “Does Jesus love Osama Bin Laden” ; as well as more traditional interviews about topical news related events, such as he did the day of the Scooter Libby conviction.

Germain stated that his plan is to have at least one hour per day for his original Ask Mr. K - no guests, no topics, no screeners, format. Currently Ask Mr. K is the last hour of every program. He also stated that he hopes to have fellow radio personality/comedian April Winchell on with him twice a month. The fate of the Mr. K quiz is unknown at this point - Germain having said that he may bring it back in some form at a later date.

The "Historical" Version (1992 - 2007)

Marc Germain as "Mr. KABC"

Marc Germain as "Mr. KABC"

Germain’s (Mr. K) original format - since he started as an on-air personality in 1992 - is Ask Mr. K- - -, where callers to the program are directed to ask questions of the host. Mr. K slogan is "no guests, no topics, no screeners," to contrast his program from the standard talk radio format. His trademark response when asked by callers "how are you?," is "Better than most, not as good as some."

He does not answer sports related questions, explaining that he was "born without the sports gene." There are also three questions that Mr. K will not allow, presumably because they have been asked so many times that Mr. K fears his audience feels as weary of the three as he has grown to be. One of the forbidden questions is "what is a Sig Alert?"; another is "What is the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan?"; the third is "What are your views on the legalization of drugs?".[11]

Besides the current events and everyday questions he answers - just about anything is fair game - he has a marked interest in computer-technology, cars and motorcycles.

His stated goal is to have entertaining radio. Callers who sound unenergetic or asking uninteresting questions are quickly dispatched. Others are sometimes given 8, 10, even 12 minutes, even if what they say seems (to Germain) as ridiculous - as he says: “I enjoy giving them enough rope to hang themselves with”.

Notwithstanding his primary format, Mr. K sometimes does have guests. He used to regard such guests as merely "hanging" with Mr. K (not to break the format); nowadays he regards such sessions as brief hiatus from "Ask Mr. K": if in such a session he accepts questions or comments from callers at all, each must pertain to the subject of the guest. He hosted the last interview with Wolfman Jack and one of the last interviews with Milton Berle.

On May 15, 2006 in the 11:00pm hour, Mr. K made the following comment when the subject of Wikipedia came up:

Mr. K: "Any encyclopedia that anyone can add to has to have good information. It's a lot of fun; I love the Wikipedia... And the Wikipedia entry on me is about 90% correct... It's got a couple of little factual details that are not correct."