Finding the Funny

Funny 1410 has been on air since the very end of last year.  If you recall, it’s a new format for a legendary (to me!) frequency here in London, where I worked the all-hit format many moons ago.  

The stand-up and sketch comedy bits are piped in via a service called 24/7 Comedy out of the US.  It amuses me that 1410 has come right out of the gate calling itself “Canada’s Number One Comedy Radio Station”.  Of course, it’s the ONLY one in Canada so far.   That’s how ratings and claims are manipulated in our business, though.  It would be a lot like a former radio announcer who would claim to, say, I don’t know – let me pull something out of the air. Perhaps he might say he has built six consecutive number one morning shows.   Hypothetically speaking, of course.  Those shows – they were number one in what?  Anyone can claim they’re number on in some way.   Free-FM’s very first ratings book, after we were on air 7 weeks, shows we are number one in the length of time spent listening.  So can WE call ourselves London’s Number One Radio Station but not say what we are number one in?

But I digress.

There is a ton of variety in the comedy format.  I’ve regularly heard all of the current biggies like Louis CK, Chris Rock, Patton Oswalt Dane Cook, Daniel Tosh…as well as classic bits and sketches by Monty Python, Bob Newhart and George Carlin.  There’s also a companion website that contains more bits and pieces. I find the pacing a little frenetic sometimes and that’s saying something for a person who was on the all-news radio wheel for so long.  But it must be an editor’s nightmare.  I’ve heard many routines I’m very familiar with and the curse words have been deftly edited out. Keeping it fresh has to be a big challenge. I’ve listened frequently and only heard a few repeats. It offers a very detached type of listening.  There’s nothing local but commercials.  Stuck in a blizzard?  Well, here are some more laughs but no forecast!  However, if they can get people to switch to AM they just might pick up an audience.

I do have a quibble though.  There’s a guy and a gal who are sort of “hosts” of the station.  The woman, Kelly Roman, is terrific. She’s funny and sounds spontaneous and friendly.  But the guy sounds like he is learning to read by sounding out words live on air. John Mulrooney. He illustrates that there’s a real talent to being able to read but not sound like you are reading. He makes me cringe.  Is it any coincidence that his name is so close to Ben Mulroney?!?

Funny 1410 has reintroduced me to a comic I enjoyed on an early season of the stand-up competition show, Last Comic Standing.  He was thrown out of the game for talking to his girlfriend on the phone despite a “no outside contact” rule but it hasn’t seemed to slow him down.  This is Gabriel Iglesias from his TV special called Hot and Fluffy!