In a corner office tucked away on the fourth floor of WIBC Radio in downtown Indianapolis, Jason Hammer is getting ready for another show alongside his partner Nigel Laskowski. Having experienced the feeling of being an outsider looking in, Hammer is familiar with the industry’s challenges but considers himself a student of the broadcasting game with a deep appreciation for the predecessors who paved the way.
Nearly seven years ago, Hammer joined the station as the Promotions Director and eventually ascended to become co-host of the highly-rated Hammer and Nigel.
Prior to his arrival, he had been laid off from his marketing job at a casino and was out of the business. The Hammer and Nigel Podcast, which was broadcast from a bar, was already attracting a sizable audience, and it provided both Hammer and Nigel with exposure and an outlet for their creative energies. They managed to secure a few advertisers, including a limousine company that could transport their guests to and from events while hanging out at a bar.
You must understand the immense effort Jason Hammer has put into reaching his current position. The broadcasting industry is notorious for its tendency to hire and fire employees, yet Hammer has faced numerous opportunities to abandon his passion for broadcasting.
Despite the challenges, he persevered and remained steadfast in pursuing his dreams. He could have easily opted for a career as a marketing executive, but he had unwavering faith in himself and his abilities. In a world where dishonesty is rampant, Hammer takes pride in his authenticity and staying true to who he is.
During a conversation with Barrett News Media, Hammer shares his observations on talent development trends in the industry. He also addresses whether he critiques other talk show hosts behind the scenes, explains how he’s built a dynamic on-air relationship with his partner Nigel Laskowski and reflects on how the untimely passing of comedian/radio talent Ron Sexton deeply affected him.
Ryan Hedrick: Before we get into your career, let’s discuss the untimely passing of Ron Sexton, a comedian known for portraying Donnie Baker on The Bob and Tom Show.
Jason Hammer: It’s heartbreaking because he was such a fun guy to be around. He coached baseball, he did stand-up comedy, and he was a great sports talk show host before making his way over to The Bob and Tom Show. Being that diverse is something that warrants the respect of the broadcast community.
He wasn’t just one-dimensional. He could easily be one-dimensional and be the “voices” guy on Bob and Tom, but that’s not who he was. He toured around the country; he coached kids’ baseball. That kind of stuff is awesome.
RH: How long have you been working at WIBC?
JH: I came to WIBC several years ago as the Promotions Director. I had been working at the casino in Shelbyville [Indiana] doing marketing, and they made some changes, so I got blown out. I was out of radio for a little bit, and so was my partner, Nigel [Laskowski], and we started this podcast because we still had this creative bug going. The podcast took off, and everybody loved it. We used that to get some momentum going and get back into the game.
From there, Nigel started doing some voice work, I became the promotions and marketing guy here at WIBC, and then from there, we got a weekend show, did some fill-in work on The Fan 93.5/107.5 FM, got a night show, and I think they were grooming us for what eventually became the afternoon show.
RH: How did you feel when you were announced as a full-time host, alongside your partner, for the afternoon show at WIBC?
JH: It was about six months after the Trump election, and we got the keys to the afternoon show. At the time, the station wasn’t having the success that it’s having now. Tony Katz was starting to get into his groove in the mornings, Greg Garrison, who had been an icon in the middays, was inching towards retirement, and The Chicks on the Right in the afternoon were doing their thing, but the station didn’t have the numbers and the revenue that it has right now.
We knew we had a big opportunity here, but we knew we were going to have to build and grow our own audience. The show we do is not your traditional news/talk show. It’s not your mom and dad’s news and talk show; in fact, we make fun of those types of shows.
Every city has an Aldi version of Rush [Limbaugh]. That’s not what we do. We try to be conversational, we try to be funny, and we try to mix in some bits and humor because that’s who we are. But we’re not giving you a lecture. We’re doing a show, and I think there’s a big difference there.
RH: Many talk show hosts often say things solely to keep or increase their audience. However, Hammer and Nigel are not like that. How long did it take for you and Nigel to develop your unique style?
JH: I think that was early on, like, as long as we’ve been in radio — because we didn’t come up ideally wanting to be political talk show hosts, we came up wanting to be great broadcasters and do a good show — so we’ve always said, ‘I don’t like any of these people.’
95 percent of politicians, I don’t want to be friends with. I really don’t. If given the opportunity of hanging out at a State Dinner for the Republicans or staying at home and gambling on sports, sign me up for gambling.
That’s important to who we are. We’re not bought, we’re not paid for, and we can be completely honest. I’ve been ripping the Republican nominee for Mayor here in Indy because he’s been acting like a Democrat. I don’t have to worry about hurting the feelings of my friends at the Indiana GOP because I don’t do my show for them. I do the show for the people listening that are in their car that need a mouthpiece that need somebody to say what they want to say out loud.
RH: Before transitioning to FM, WIBC was an AM station. What is your opinion on AM radio’s importance and potential preservation in the industry?
JH: News/talk radio, along with sports, will always have a place on the dial. Things like AI can take over music. I could totally see that. Now, when it comes to someone driving along in their car and wanting to hear a conversation, I think there will always be a place for news/talk radio and sports radio, assuming it’s done well.
I hated hearing that AM radio was going through all that. There’s some great programming on AM radio. You go around this country, and some of the best stations are on AM radio. Our friends in Cincinnati have a phenomenal station called “The Big One” 700 WLW.
The fact that you’ve got a Senate that’s led by Democrats and a lot of big names in the House that realize this is freedom of speech, this is men and women speaking their minds here, let’s get rid of it.
That’s kind of the playbook for the left. They don’t like to hear differing opinions. They don’t like to hear free speech. AM radio is doing something right if people want to get rid of it.
RH: Are there any talent development trends in the news/talk format that catch your attention, either positively or negatively?
JH: You’ve got people that want to be Rush. There’s only one Rush. The dude that put talk radio as it exists today on the map. You could take some of the things that he wanted to do, but you have to do that yourself. You can’t be dime store Aldi’s Rush.
The other thing is, I think with the success of Greg Gutfeld’s show on Fox News, you’ve got a group of unfunny people who have never been funny now trying to do comedy on news radio, and it’s painful. It’s like that one guy in Good Morning Vietnam, ‘In my heart, I know I’m funny’. You get that a lot. There’s nothing wrong with doing what you do. If you’re funny, be funny. If you’re a flamethrower, bring the heat.
RH: Do you often critique other talk show hosts, playing the role of a Monday Morning Quarterback?
JH: Yes, one hundred percent. I’m a total Monday Morning Quarterback. It’s not just all negative [if they do something well, I’ll go back and listen to it]. I take a lot of road trips. If I’m driving down to Tennessee, I want to hear what the Nashville guys are talking about. If they’ve got something that I think is cool, I’ll listen to that podcast later, but if it’s something that’s brutally bad, note to self, ‘Don’t be that guy.’
RH: What do you think is the reason behind your exceptional chemistry with your on-air partner Nigel Laskowski?
JH: We do the work, we prepare, we’ve got a good rapport, and we’re both family guys. We study the art of broadcasting. We’re like radio Money Ball, guys.
