Radio From Hell is the title of a Salt Lake City, Utah based morning show broadcast on KXRK 96.3FM. The show features three locally born and raised hosts, Kerry Jackson, Bill Allred, and Gina Barberi.

Basic Format

The show begins each morning at 5:00 A.M. Mountain Time. From 5:00 A.M. until 6:00 A.M, the show plays "Best of..." moments from previous shows, woven with humorous sound clips from popular movies, DVDs, and television series. The live show begins at approximately 6:00 A.M. and ends near 10:00 A.M.

During the course of the show, the hosts relate anecdotes, mostly of a humorous nature, about events surrounding their families, friends, pets, eating habits, shopping trips, vacations and more. These stories are woven amongst common features including "Big Boy News and Opinuendo", "Punk's Movie Review and Junk Food Update", "Our Son Kyle", "Boners In The News", "Jeff Vice's Movie Reviews", "Bill Frost", "The X-Poll", "Margaret Ruth and the Painful Circle", and "Neglected News."

Hosts

Kerry Jackson

Kerry grew up in Salem, Utah. Kerry is a self-confessed "geek" and enjoys science-fiction movies and television series, most notably Star Trek. He owns a very large toy collection consisting of Batman, Star Trek, Star Wars, Marvel Comics characters, and more. His weekends are often spent in the company of numerous friends while enjoying "girlie" adult beverages. He currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his beautiful Korean-American wife, who does not appreciate his snoring while sleeping. Kerry is also an avid fan of The Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup. Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, The Oblongs, and Sealab 2021 are among his favorites. These shows comprise the majority of sources for clips that re-introduce the show from commercials. Besides being the unofficial cynic, Kerry operates the technical equipment in the studio during the show. Kerry and his wife have no children, but that does not stop him from giving helpful tips to kids. In a very tongue-in-cheek manner, Kerry offers child listeners to the show hints on how to become invisible, what lies parents tell, and why you should never set aerosol spray on fire, even though it appears very cool. Kerry also has a special talent for performing impressions of disabled celebrities like Larry Flynt, Roy Horn, Lou Ferrigno, and Owen Wilson.

Bill Allred

A proud native to Ogden, Utah, Bill Allred attended Ben Lomond High School. He graduated from the theater program at Weber State University, and did some graduate work at Penn State University. While at Penn State, Bill was attacked by squirrels and, therefore, no longer cares for the small animals. Bill fell into radio work by accident, starting with an overnight DJ shift. Bill tends to be the most intellectual of the three hosts, reading such magazines as The Economist, and frequently referring to “tuna salad” as “salad niçoise.” Bill also enjoys biking, camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities. He currently lives in downtown Salt Lake City with his wife, "Mrs. Bill", his son "Little Bill", and his daughter "Little Mrs. Bill." Bill is a fan of movies, having gone so far as to say that he would like to be able see every movie that is released, even the really bad movies. A large number of Bill's stories relate to raising his live-in family as well as a family from a previous marriage who still live in Ogden. He is often trying to discover educational outings for his intellectually curious son "Little Bill." One such adventure included a trip to a children's library to tour a giant colon model. Bill dislikes the broadcasts of Sean Hannity, so much so that, as of September 29, 2005, he has vowed never to mention his name on the radio again. That vow has been broken in outrage on a number of occasions.

Gina Barberi

Gina grew up in Roy, Utah, the daughter of famed Utah radio show host Tom Barberi and her frequent foil of a mother, "The Sainted Mary Claire." She currently has two children, "Festus" & "Jonesie". She was re-married in February 2005 to a considerate man by the name of "Joe Jones." Gina especially enjoys the celebrity news and all things related to gossip and rumor. To that end, she receives a Cosmopolitan Magazine subscription for each Christmas from Bill. A good deal of Gina's personal life has been made public on the air, such as her attempt to wear thong underwear, her breast enlargement surgery, her 800 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, her Hawaiian based wedding, and her elementary school aged son's penchant for AC/DC music. She is a fanatically picky eater refusing to eat such common staples as any kind of cheese, tomatoes, or seafood. When ordering a hamburger from either the Crown Burgers or Training Table restaurants, she insists on only having meat and bread. No lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, etc. Meat-and-bread is all that is acceptable. Her husband Joe has attempted, largely unsuccessfully, to broaden Gina's horizons. Gina is particularly fond of the movie 10 Things I Hate about You, so much so that she repeated the fact twice in a row during the review of another movie. Gina is in possession of several irrational fears including wind chimes, shower curtains, and sculptures depicting children. The first two have been explained by Gina's young exposure to horror movies. She feels that something "bad" is bound to happen after hearing wind chimes. The shower curtain is an obvious reference to the horror classic, Psycho. Her belief in horror movie realities also translates to the fact that she will pretend to talk on the phone while walking through a parking lot, keep her cellular phone under her pillow if Joe is not home, and turn on the TV so it sounds as if people are talking if she is home alone. short and crazy

Richie T.

Richard Steadman is the Radio From Hell show "fresh faced Mormon phone greeter." He is not a host, but does appear sporadically on the show with anecdotes of his own. He began as an intern on the show, and graduated to paid employee. Richie is a graduate of Southern Utah University, and was a DJ on the college station there. He also participated in the SUU show choir.

Mission statement

Often the mission statement is played before the show begins. The mission statement is read by Bill Allred with music in the background.

"It is our mission to embrace the idea that our show shall always strive to belittle the stupid and to play an occasional song. We shall also strive to take all of your requests, but to never, under any circumstances, play those requests. It is our mission to offend as many people as we can in the shortest time possible. We shall always remember that no matter how pointless and stupid the things we say are, we shall present them in such a way that they will be lessons that will last a lifetime. We shall strive always to do nothing and to be mean. We shall strive mightily to always be the number one morning show in Salt Lake or, if not that, the number two morning show or, at least somewhere in the top 15 or 20 morning shows. At least once a year we shall go to someone's home and we shall eat really good food and we'll make you wish that you could be there to share it with us. And finally, it is our mission to always remind the listeners that we never lie, and we're always right. So let it be written. So let it be done."

Recurring Features

Big Boy News and Opinuendo

Bill Allred reads the newspaper because he knows that 90% of the listeners won't, or such is his claim. Bill reads news stories from The Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret Morning News, USA Today, and various internet sites. The word, "opinuendo" is a constructed word from "opinion" and "innuendo." The word was added to the title in 2004 due to complaints about the show's political views. The hosts commonly give their opinion and views on various stories.

Punk's Movie Reviews and Junk Food Update

On alternating Tuesday's a character named "Punk" calls into the show to review B-Movie, mostly of the horror genre. Titles have included the elevator based The Shaft, the medieval Barbarian, the animated Li'l Pimp, and the futuristic Dream Warrior. Punk gives a summary of the cast list and plot, and then plays a very poor recording of a scene from the movie. Punk rates the movies on a scale of 1 to 4 Prozac pills as well a handful of supplemental medication like Wellbutrin or Claritin. Punk then recommends junk food to consume while watching the movie. Favorites include flapjacks and syrup, RC Cola, Star Wars Cereal, Ring Pops, Candy Necklaces, and a Zagnut Bar.

Our Son Kyle

On Tuesdays, opposite to Punk, the character of Kyle Brown calls in. Kyle's background and life are almost entirely fictional. According to the show, Kyle is just a little albino boy trying to make it in the big-wide world. Kyle is the son of either Kerry or Bill. Both of them knew, and were apparently intimate, with Kyle's mother. No DNA test has ever been performed at the request of Kerry and Bill as the potential fathers would prefer to keep the hope that they are not his father. Kerry and Bill are required by the state to contact their "son" on a bi-monthly basis. Kyle frequently starts new businesses in an attempt to better himself. Examples include Kyle's Home Botox Injections, Kyle's Carpet Munchers Carpet Cleaning, Kyle's Haunted Tomato Patch, and Meatyo's Cereal (dog food). Kyle has also attempted, on occasion, to imitate the magician David Blaine by locking himself in a cardboard box on the corner of State & Main in Salt Lake City, across from the Hardee's fast food restaurant (which has been a Carl's Jr. for years now). Kyle also moves from home to home; sometimes living with Kerry, or Bill, but most frequently, with Gina. Gina is usually unaware that Kyle is lurking somewhere in her home until he informs her during his call.

Boners In The News

Arguably the most popular feature on the show, Boners In The News is referred to as the "feature that won't go away." The feature presents three current event articles that display mean behavior, stupid behavior, or funny behavior. Bill re-titles and reads the three articles. After all three candidates are read, listeners to the program can call or e-mail in their votes. The story which receives the most votes is crowned "Boner of the Day." The term "boner" comes from the more traditional definition of "a mistake."

The List of Things That Must Go

On Wednesday's, Radio From Hell presents "Things That Must Go." Each host then presents a list of items that have been bothering them. The list has included Dr. Phil, The Buggles, "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep", Fake British Accents, and public bathroom stalls without a hook on the door. The list became so popular that, in recent years, every other Wednesday is the "Listener's List of Things That Must Go." Listener's are encouraged to send in e-mails detailing the things they feel "must go."

Jeff Vice's Movie Reviews

Jeff Vice is one of the movie reviewers from The Deseret Morning News. On Thursday mornings he visits the studio and presents his reviews of the current movies.

Bill Frost

Bill Frost is the TV columnist for the Salt Lake City Weekly newspaper. Monday mornings he enters the studio and informs the hosts and listeners of all the TV shows that are starting, ending, or doing something special.

The X-Poll

The X-Poll is an un-tallied and unscientific poll of the show's listeners. The hosts ask a question and listeners are allowed to call in or e-mail their answers to the poll question. Past polls have included, "Have you ever been in a natural disaster?", "What is guaranteed to make you cry?", "Is there anyone you trust 100% of the time?", "What would you take if you had to evacuate your home in 20 minutes?", and "What's your biggest case of buyer's remorse?"

Margaret Ruth

Friday mornings include a visit from the local psychic Margaret Ruth. Ostensibly, callers to the Radio From Hell show can ask Margaret Ruth a love-related question, to which she will apply her psychic advice and tarot cards. In reality, however, the segment consists, primarily, of the three hosts and Margaret Ruth belittling the caller in a polite manner referred to as The Painful Circle. Lesbian or gay friends of the program are usually elevated to the front of calling line as their calls are more intriguing to Kerry.

Neglected News

The neglected news consists primarily of celebrity related news. Bill, confessing frequently that he despises this feature, reads the news and intentionally mauls the names of celebrities into, often unrecognizable forms. For example, Jennifer Aniston becomes "Jamima Amadon," and Oprah Winfrey becomes "Orpha Whimpy", or "Orca Whimpy."

Discontinued Segments

A prominent part of Radio from Hell was dramatized radio skits. "Space Elders" was an epic series about two Mormon missionaries, Butch and Lehi, on a proselyting mission to outerspace. They would preach the gospel to aliens, and there would occationally be cameos by Star Wars characters, or other familiar space names. "Dingo Boy" followed the adventures of a Tarzan-like boy who had been raised by dingos. "The X96 Files" was a classic spoof of The X-Files, with agents Moldy and Scullface investigating the latest paranormal activities in the area. These sketches were written by a now severed "friend of the program" Who's given nomenclature was changed after a falling out with the morning radio hosts. Now known as that bastard J.D. Hill, during his tenure as writer he was affectionately known as Our friend J.D. Hill.

Controversy

Radio From Hell has occasionally stirred up controversy with their, generally speaking, pro-homosexual, pro-gun, pro-death penalty, pro-adult-living, anti-Iraq-war, and anti-authoritarian viewpoints.

One of the more publicized incidents involved a billboard advertising campaign. The original billboards featured the likeness of a typical, small-town Christian church in front of a rainbow. The caption read "Alternative Lifestyle? 'Til Death Do Us Part." During an election season in which Utah voters were ultimately faced with the question of passing an anti-gay marriage amendment, the billboards caused a great deal of discussion, argument, and even vandalism. The billboards did advertise a URL, but that site only duplicated the billboard's image and announced that additional information would be "coming soon." There were no indications that X96 or Radio From Hell were responsible for the campaign. After a certain period of time, the billboards were replaced by somewhat similar looking billboards that replaced the graphic of the church with a graphic featuring Bill in a wedding dress, Kerry in a tuxedo, and Gina in Catholic Priest garb with an advertisement for the show and radio station. The "Alternative Lifestyle" referred to was the station's alternative music playlist.

External links

• KSL News article regarding the billboard controversy.
• Kyle Brown’s website. The site also contains Punk's Movie Reviews.
• Radio From Hell Blog and Show Notes.
• Radio From Hell Homepage.
• Bill Frost's Blog.
• Psychic Margaret Ruth's website.
• X96 Documentary