The Dave & Mahoney Show launched in 2009 in Las Vegas when CBS Radio disbanded the syndicated “Adam Carolla Show” on KXTE. Both Dave and Mahoney worked at the station and were given the opportunity to put together a show…with a catch. There was only one salary for the two to split.
“We decided to gamble on ourselves,” says Dave Farra. “With the help of some great program directors (looking at you, Ross Mahoney and Charese Fruge) and some not-so-great programmers (looking at you ‘guy’ that threatened to stab Mahoney with a pair of scissors), the show grew in ratings and was able to secure some amazing opportunities with great partners. Since then, we were lucky enough to add co-host Audrey Drake a little over five years ago and our longtime friend and colleague Chris Jackson as our Executive Producer.”
The Dave and Mahoney Morning Show now broadcasts from Phoenix, AZ at KSLX 100.7 FM. It broadcasts to over 50 markets across the country. The show averages about 7-8 songs per hour. “Working on a Classic Rock format, we all get to enjoy nothing but HITS and the great music we all grew up listening to,” says Farra. “Each member of the team has our strengths, and we know our roles. On-air, I play the host and driver. Mahoney is hilarious, and his perspectives are truly unique to ‘him.’ Audrey provides a totally different kind of color and humor to the conversation. Chris is a master of organization and is an audio ninja. With our genuine friendship and business acumen, we have been able to build something special through our collective team efforts.”
In the last few years, the show has been shuffled about considerably, new markets, new companies, new affiliates.
“It’s a pretty wild story, how we landed in Phoenix, working for Hubbard,” explains Farra. “We had just signed a new 5-year deal with Audacy in Las Vegas when we got an odd call from our GM, who referred to it as the ‘strangest call I’ve made in my 30 years in the business.’ We were being traded. Audacy agreed to a deal with Amazon to sell their property that the backup transmitter was on for $50 million dollars, as it was right in the middle of a campus Amazon was building in North Las Vegas. Turns out Beasley was leasing one of the backup towers for one of their translators, and there was a little clause in the contract that said that if Audacy sold that tower during the course of the lease that Beasley got to swap a station with Audacy from their portfolio.They chose our flagship KXTE, and they wanted the morning show to come along with it. So, off to Beasley we went, but this was right around the time Hubbard called as their longtime morning man was retiring from their monster classic rock station KSLX. With the transfer of the contract, we were able to engage with the Hubbard team. The deal made sense, and the chance to work with Hubbard, Greg Strassell, Trip Reeb, and David Moore was one we couldn’t pass up. Beasley was incredibly gracious throughout the whole process, and we were able to keep the show on KXTE in Las Vegas, where it continues to do very well in the ratings. It ended up working out as the ideal situation for all parties involved, and we are grateful for everyone seeing the bigger picture of what everyone was trying to accomplish. Hubbard, Beasley, and our internal team trusted the process, and it yielded strong dividends all the way around.”
“We are very passionate about serving our hometown community of Phoenix,” says Farra. “We work with St Mary’s Food Bank and have a couple of great events like ‘April Foods Day’ where we recruit volunteers to come help pack boxes at the local food bank. We are currently in the middle of Dave & Mahoney’s ‘Need To Feed,’ where we are aiming to raise more than $10,000 and 50,000 meals for those in need. We also launched ‘Socktober’ just last year, where we collect new socks for struggling veterans, unhoused individuals, and children in need. We are also a part of some fantastic KSLX events like ‘10k for the Troops,’ collecting greeting cards for our troops overseas during the holidays and ‘Cause For Paws,’ giving out booties to dogs across the valley during the hot summer months.”
“When it comes to our affiliates, we provide as much local content as they need! We are very humbled and honored to broadcast our show in so many markets, and we aim to help make our affiliates sound as connected to their market as we can. We cover lots of local content on our flagship station in Phoenix as well as Las Vegas where we were a staple for so many years. We still do local events with our listeners in Las Vegas as much as possible, and market visits are something that we love to experience with our partner stations.”
“And while the music formats do dictate the type of audience we have on each station, we base our show material around relatable content for everyone. Between me being a father of 4 and navigating through the chaos of having a big family, Mahoney being a gamer, glutton and the ‘Lazy Man’s Man’ and Audrey who is very tied into to pop culture being our fountain of youth, the show tries to cover all bases for anyone listening. Our show airs on Alternative, Active Rock, Classic Rock, and even Hot Talk formats across the country.”
As far as other talent across the country The Dave and Mahoney Show admire, “The list here is long,” says Farra. “But the work that Kevin and Bean were doing at KROQ as we were coming up in alternative radio was an inspiration. Dave Ryan and Mojo have such impressive bonds with their audiences. Sherman and Tingle put on a great show that is based on friendship. We could go on and on. We never try to emulate anyone, but we certainly draw inspiration from the people that move the needle of ratings, revenue, and most importantly, meaningful human connection.”
“We just recently got back from Morning Show Bootcamp in San Diego, and it’s always inspiring because we get to connect with the brightest, most driven shows and executives in the business. To see their vision and the way the talent is putting the boots on the ground to bring those visions to life is undeniable. Some great takeaways this year: making yourself invaluable from a revenue perspective, being irreplaceable in your listeners’ lives, and don’t get caught up in all the noise of complaining. The very core of this business is alive and well, with talented people that love it, and are working tirelessly to make sure that connection to listeners’ lives stays as pure as it’s always been.”
“As far as AI goes, it can be used as a tool in certain aspects of the show such as copywriting and production for different bits and segments we do. However, AI cannot replace talent. Our show is built off our individual personalities, and that’s something AI cannot duplicate. We are still firm believers in the shared human element of radio, and as much as AI creeps into our lives, it will never be able to live life with listeners in the truly connected and beautiful way that shows across this great country do every day.”
So, with the recent news about Steven Tyler’s voice, I had to ask, “Hypothetically, if Aerosmith were to continue to tour without Steven Tyler, is there someone out there that could actually pull off replacing him?” “No chance!” says Farra. “The flag of their legacy was so firmly anchored over their 50 incredible years of success if they tried to replace him, they would only be able to achieve being the best Aerosmith cover band. He is one of a kind!”
“What songs would you put on an Olympic Soundtrack?” “So many great anthems out there, but man, is there a better fight/competition song than Metallica’s Enter Sandman?” Farra asks. “On the other end of the rock spectrum, give me some more Killers tracks that you see exploding in popularity in college football stadiums across the country 20 years after their release.”
Long-term goals for the show: “Sky is the limit!” says Farra. “Every morning, we walk into the studio excited to do the show, and it is a labor of love. With that foundation, we believe we can continue to build this thing (with the help of our incredible syndication partners at Compass Media Networks) to be one of the biggest rock shows in the country. While the show is already heard coast to coast, we see bigger stations in influential markets reaching out and trusting us to be their morning show of choice. And we work hard to be good partners. We have decades of shows in front of us, and we could not be more excited about the future of the show, the business, and what we are building.”
“You can find us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitch at @daveandmahoney. You can listen weekdays from 6a-10a PST at kslx.com and check out our live video feed at Twitch.tv/DaveAndMahoney from 8-10a PT. The Dave & Mahoney Podcast is available at daveandmahonoey.com and on all podcast platforms.”
Charese Fruge’ is an award-winning Content, Broadcast, and Marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. As the owner of MC Media, she works with radio brands and individual talent, especially young women, helping them grow their brands and negotiate on their own behalf. She is also a Voice Actor and Voice Over Talent as well as a Freelance Writer for International Broadcast Outlets. Find her at @MCMediaOnline or www.mcmediaonline.com.
