The Lex & Terry Radio Network serves markets in Springfield, Missouri; Fargo, North Dakota; Monroe, Louisiana; Jacksonville, Florida; Tallahassee, Florida; Walhalla, North Dakota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Pensacola, Florida; Panama City Beach, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; and the Huntington, West Virginia-Ashland, Kentucky-Ironton, Ohio area, as well as Lawton/Duncan, Oklahoma.
In addition to their traditional radio show, Lex and Terry also do a show podcast. Terry does two individual podcasts, and both have their own side hustles. Additional members of the show include Dee Reed, who is both on-air and Executive Producer of the show, Sara D. Morgan, and Tyler “Taint” Baker, their on-the-street guy. Both Sara and Dee also have their own individual podcasts.
“It’s a lot to keep track of and maintain focus. It continues to amaze me how seamlessly everyone’s thought patterns align when we engage with a certain piece of content; it seems like we all instinctively know what to do with it,” explains Lex. “The show has always stood out for being uninhibited and different from others due to its fearless approach while still trying to respect the boundaries of good taste that the FCC enforces. However, our subscription-based after show, ‘Sudden Death,’ knows no boundaries as we prepare to enter year 15. We were among the first to have such a platform, or to podcast, for that matter. Collectively (as a team), we handle all aspects of the show because we are our own business, so, between us all, it gets done, from show production, podcasting, streaming, content creation, affiliate relations, etc. I’m in between podcasts for the moment,” says Lex. “Terry has two great podcasts going right now. Sarah and Dee have their own, with Sarah having a thriving ‘Only Fans’ and Dee manning his own DJ company.”
Lex and Terry came together by accident, according to Terry. “Lex and I met at a party in Los Angeles. Lex was some bigwig at Album Network, and I had recently got out of radio to do standup and some acting. My old Program Director from my KTYD Santa Barbara days (Roger Mayer) thought Lex and I should meet. We hit it off at the party and stayed in touch. Lex left Album Network to get back into programming in Jacksonville. It turns out I was a horrible comedian/actor, and Lex was looking for a new morning host, so why not me? I took the job, and Lex filled in as co-host while we searched for one. The GM at WFYV in Jacksonville hated me and, after the first show, threatened to send me back to Los Angeles. Needless to say, the search for my co-host was off. While I was waiting to get fired, we started to get ratings, and here we are today.”
How did the additional characters on the show come about and develop? “Our theory has been to never force anything,” says Terry. “We know if we’re patient enough, each character of the show will develop over time. Only then will we exploit their vulnerabilities for financial gain. We have a much smaller crew now, but we feel that this is our best yet. Dee Reed does everything and has a huge on-air role. Sarah B. Morgan won a job as our phone screener and has turned that into a big on-air role, and Taint is our go-to guy for street segments.”
“As far as music goes on the show, most of our longtime affiliates, some of which have been around for over 20 years, are prominent rock music heritage stations that have chosen to continue airing all ‘Lex & Terry’ content in the morning,” says Lex. “With the people meter, we developed a music clock that programmers who want music can use with the show to customize to their preferences.”
“When it comes to politics, we made the decision many years ago to stay away from it,” adds Terry. “We’ve never been interested in that toxic world. Our show is all about our relationship with our audience, and we like them too much to watch them fight.”
“The fans of our show are truly a large part of it,” explains Lex. “They have complete access to us, including our new 24-hour hotline, where they can call in and express their thoughts on anything, even if it’s personal. We’ve never shied away from that. They resonate with the show’s content because they come from all walks of life, from society’s outcasts to doctors, lawyers, and those with master’s degrees and PhDs. Regardless of their backgrounds, they share a strong connection to what we do. What’s the secret behind that connection, you ask? We couldn’t tell you; it’s just always been there.”
“As far prepping for a national show, we’ve all prepared in different ways over the years, but it turns out that a 20-hour soft prep before the next show is what really makes a difference,” says Lex. “There’s a lot of texting among us to formulate the daily plan, and we move forward with it. I would say we’ve conditioned our audience over the years to accept a slightly rougher brand of radio than most provide during the morning drive. However, we’ve never seen it as rough—just real. We’ve never viewed our audience as national, just ours, and they appreciate the way we deliver content.”
“One of the things that move the needle for us the most is when we send Taint and Dee out for street shenanigans like ‘Spread My Mom,’ where Taint pretends to have the ashes from his recently deceased mother and asks to spread them at her favorite donut shop, car dealership, etc. Dee does the ‘Paging Game,’ where we do our best to get dirty-sounding names paged over the intercom. We also generate a lot of passion from our listeners with our everyday topics and our conflicting opinions on them.”
“One of our big passion projects for the show is happening in a month in Springfield, Missouri, where Q102 is hosting the eighth annual ‘Lex & Terry Subpar Golf Classic,’” says Lex. “It has just sold out for the eighth consecutive year, and it’s essentially a giant golf party. It’s one of those events where everyone wants to win, but at the end of the day, nobody really cares who won because we all enjoy a fantastic time together. Later this year, we’ll be in Pensacola with friends at TK 101, and we have a new soirée planned with Chef Panini Pete, who owns several restaurants in the area, one of which has been featured on the Food Channel with Guy Fieri. And in early 2025, we’ll be heading off to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic with friends and listeners for a party that was spearheaded by our producer, Dee Reed.”
“When it comes to staying relevant and engaging a younger audience, I believe we have been able to by just being ourselves,” says Terry. “Age doesn’t matter when you’re talking about embarrassing things that happened to you. Our relationship with our audience is something I’ve never experienced in this industry, and it will be the thing I miss the most when we decide we no longer want to do it. It’s very special, and we’ve earned their love and trust over the years. We are constantly getting calls from new listeners of all ages who buy-in for that very reason.” Terry adds, “We LOVE radio and the immediacy and the ability to connect with people in real-time. Yes, the industry changes so quickly now, but the most important parts are still the same.”
When the topic of AI use in the industry comes up, Lex and Terry have no issues with it. “We have what we call the fifth Beatle on the show,” explains Lex. “His name is Tyler Baker, but everyone who listens to the show knows him as Taint. He is musically talented and has been using his skills along with AI to create some pretty cool musical intros for segments that are done in an awesome way. AI definitely enhances his abilities, but he also enhances the AI, if that makes sense. Other than that, we believe AI would only polish up our show, which could ultimately lead to its downfall.”
It’s hard to imagine at this point that any topic from one of the team members completely blows everyone’s mind and changes the course of the show, but it happens. “What a great topic,” says Terry. “I say this because this is something we strive for every day. We all lead such different lives and are at different stages of life, so our daily experiences lead to so much humor on the show. Lately, it’s Sarah’s sex life. She’s newly single, and she’s out there in the streets enjoying her newfound freedom. The stories make Lex and I happy we’re not her father.”
As far as listening to other shows and talent, other than occasionally checking in on Howard, they really don’t, explains Lex. “Everything else is corporate and homogenized. I spend most of the day listening back to our Free App on iPhone and Google Play (shameless plug) but it’s true. I like to hear what we sound like compared to others. After all of these years, I still choose us.”
And the one song that completely describes the ‘Lex and Terry’ show, “It’s the same song I want played at my funeral,” says Terry. “The Pretender by Jackson Browne.”
Lex chimes in, “One other thing. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate our audience, our fine employees, Program Directors, Sales execs, and GMs that go out and sell this show with pride. We know we are something you have to sell with passion, and they do. In turn, we do anything they ask in the form of voicing promos, ads, and personal touch with clients. All of the aforementioned make this job extremely gratifying.”
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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.
