The weekday routine used to be a lot different for both Eric Chiofalo & Zach Wolchuk. For instance, a random Thursday night probably meant both were hustling from their day jobs in the DFW Metroplex to the studios at 105.3 The Fan to host their night-time radio show The Nosebleed Seats from 7-11 p.m. Chiofalo would sell cars at Premiere Autos of Dallas and Wolchuk would manage a Chick-fil-A before coming together each weekday night to host a show.
The hours were long but it was a sacrifice the two were more than willing to make. If you understood the dynamic of the history Chiofalo and Wolchuk had together, you’d better understand why it was such a labor of love.
The two met in college at The University of North Texas. It was almost as if they were always meant to be friends, because one of the first things they bonded over is the same place where their biggest professional break happened. They’ve been radio and podcasting partners ever since.
“When I met Wolchuk, one of the things we immediately bonded over was that he was a TOLO (turn it on, leave it on) listener of the 105.3 The Fan,” said Chiofalo. “He even had an internship at the station the summer prior. He had a legit connection with the station. We just always wanted to be a part of it.”
The two decided over lunch one day in college they’d chase the dream together. The decision was easy and one they were quick to agree on. Someday, they would be show hosts at 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. Fast forward a handful of years from that conversation at UNT and Chiofalo and Wolchuk had kept their promise to each other. They were at the same station they strived to be at, but most importantly, they did it together. After hosting a podcast together that was wildly entertaining and had built a following, The Fan decided to elevate them to hosts in the night time slot.
“We knew immediately when that night-time slot opened up that we wanted it,” said Wolchuk.”We knew it was a great launching point at The Fan.”
The duo took their new show very seriously and the chemistry they had built back in college was shining over the air. It was evident they were destined for great things at The Fan and showed that consistently over the course of a few years.
Last February, Jeff Cavanaugh’s departure from GBag Nation in afternoons at The Fan put in motion an opportunity that Chiofalo and Wolchuk were highly interested in. The decision for management began with an in-house search. That meant both Chiofalo and Wolchuk were going to get a chance to try out for the opening with current hosts of GBag Nation, Gavin Dawson, Bryan Broaddus and Lucious Alexander.
The only potential issue was that the only person leaving the show was Cavanaugh. The two had been a duo their entire career. Would they hire just one of them and split them apart?
“They originally wanted it to be an individual thing,” said Chiofalo. “They wanted me to sit in with GBag Nation for a week and then Wolchuk, and then Kevin (Gray), and then Reggie (Adetula). But Wolchuk and I have been together since we met in college about six years ago and our vision was that we’d always been a tandem. We’re buddies and just love working together. Whenever we got approached for trying out for GBag Nation it was an honor, but we asked if we could try out together and if they’d possibly promote both of us together if it sounded good. The bosses decided they were down with it, as well as Gavin and Broaddus.”
There was an instant connection between Chiofalo, Wolchuk and the current hosts of GBag Nation. Granted it helped that the two had been at the station for a few years and developed a rapport with the current guys on the show, but the initial reaction was positive. There were more candidates to vet and try out, but Chiofalo and Wolchuk seemed like a natural fit into the show.
“We tried out the first week of March and it went really well,” said Chiofalo. “We had worked with those guys a bunch. The chemistry was strong and it turned out to be a really great week.”
The month of May rolled around and The Fan was ready to make their decision on who the new additions were to GBag Nation. Chiofalo and Wolchuk were obviously extremely hopeful, but also had the daily task of worrying about their daytime jobs and night time radio shows. But then came a text.
“We got a text from our boss Gavin Spittle,” said Wolchuk. “He texted Eric and myself and asked if we had time to talk. At the time we both had our day jobs. We were both waiting to find out, so we said, yeah, of course. He got us on a three-way call and said we’d like for you guys to be a part of the GBag Nation. It was a dream come true to get that phone call.”
It’s hard to imagine what those two felt at that moment. Meeting in college, deciding to become a duo, working towards being a host at The Fan, busting it daily to make ends meet so that it can happen, and then Spittle calls with the news. It’s a true feel-good sports radio story.
How the announcement was made on The Fan was equally as cool. Dawson, who drives GBag Nation, decided to put some theatrics behind it. On the live video stream of the show stood two faces in the doorway of the studio. In front was Wolchuk and behind was Chiofalo.
“GBag Nation is getting back to being five-wide,” commented Dawson as he hyped the upcoming announcement.
The listeners immediately picked up on the hint. The show currently had three voices. They weren’t just bringing on one person, they were two coming to GBag Nation.
Dawson announced Wolchuk and he strolled into the studio with a bigger smile than Dallas. He hopped on his new show to talk about how excited he was about the new promotion. Just a few minutes after, Chiofalo was announced and he strolled in commenting how his phone was buzzing with excitement from others.
“That moment was absolutely awesome,” said Wolchuk. “That was all Gavin Dawson’s idea of how he wanted to set all that up. It was like he was announcing a starting lineup, because GBag Nation is back to being five-wide. It was a surreal moment and to have gone from being an intern with GBag Nation, to six years later being a part of the show. It was a pinch-yourself moment.”
Dawson immediately began reading texts of all the excited listeners. The moment was set-up and executed perfectly. Plus, GBag Nation was getting two really good hosts. But soon after, the focus turned to how the dynamic of the show was going to work. Granted, there was confidence it would, especially since the week-long tryout went so well, but working five voices into a show was going to have its transition period.
“It’s been an interesting challenge and it’s certainly a different dynamic than doing the show with just one other host,” said Chiofalo. “You just have to learn how to pick your spots. But the week of trying out for them was eye-opening to how open Gavin and Bryan were to our thoughts and style. It’s been smooth and nobody is a control freak. Gavin is a great quarterback for the show. They’ve really given us the floor to bring the content we want to bring. I think it was welcomed for them as well, because they’ve been doing a five-hour show for so many years.”
Chiofalo and Wolchuk had their own style when it came to prep work for The Nosebleed Seats, but now they were dealing with three other hosts that have ideas, too. When it was just the two of them hosting a show, they’d put together an email list of topic ideas and links to stories. Then, about an hour-and-a-half before the show, they’d collaborate on what the best content for the show would be.
“We’ve continued that with GBag Nation,” said Chiofalo. “We’ll send an email in the morning filled with all the topic ideas we have for that day. And then we’ll all get to the station an hour-and-a-half before the show and huddle up together and decide what we feel like is the most important stuff to hit on that day and what creative ideas we want to bring to set us apart. It’s a really collaborative effort.”
Five hours of radio is a beast of a day, regardless of how many voices are on the show. It’s just another natural transition that both Chiofalo and Wolchuk have had to make since joining GBag Nation.
“Five hours is definitely a long show,” said Chiofalo. “Fortunately for us, and since we have so many voices on the show, it makes for a situation where I don’t have to consistently be the talker for five-straight hours. There’s enough voices to go around. We also carry the Rangers so there’s several times where that programming cuts into our normal show. But with all the voices on the show it hasn’t been overtly strenuous to be honest.”
As great as the addition has been for GBag Nation and The Fan, overall, it did leave a hole at nights on the station. A precedent has now been set, that if you succeed in that time slot at The Fan, you’re almost bound to be promoted within the station, given the recent track record of previous hosts. So what was the station’s plan to replace Chiofalo or Wolchuk?
“Kevin Gray has been nothing but an extremely hard worker,” said Wolchuk. “What he brings in terms of Mavericks content is phenomenal. Reginald Adetula actually started around the same time as I did and was our initial producer with The Nosebleed Seats. We have a great relationship with him and we’re absolutely thrilled. It was a little bit of a weird dynamic, all of us trying out for GBag Nation, but we knew if Eric and I got that spot that Reg and KG would be able to slide into that night show. I think it sounds absolutely phenomenal. They’ll be able to carry on the legacy of great night shows at 105.3 The Fan.”
Tyler McComas is a columnist for BSM and a sports radio talk show host in Norman, OK where he hosts afternoon drive for SportsTalk 1400. You can find him on Twitter @Tyler_McComas or you can email him at TylerMcComas08@yahoo.com.
