Bubba Sponge

Well, Bubba The Love Sponge is not called a shock jock because he makes friends with everyone. The Sirius Satellite Radio/Cox Communications radio host found himself on the short end of an upset Mark Lunsford, who’s daughter was abducted and murdered. The father, two years after the incident, has indicated that he is going to sue the Citrus County Sheriff’s Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for negligence in the death of his daughter.

Apparently the story is big news in the Tampa Florida area where Bubba hosts a morning show on terrestrial radio, and an afternoon show on Sirius. Bubba, likely trying to be topical and a bit controversial stated on his radio show that Lunsford was only suing to get money. Lunsford took exception and called Bubba to confront him.

In the confrontation Lunsford stated that the suit was not about the money, but instead about invoking a change in policy, and that any money he won would pay his lawyers with the balance donated to the Citrus County Children’s Advocacy Center, named Jessie’s Place, in memory of his daughter.

Well, if Lunsford is being forthright, and indeed the money (the most he can win is $100,000) is donated, Bubba owes the man an apology.

The issue is perhaps that Lunsford is not being above board in this whole issue. It is reported that he started a charity in his daughters name, seeking donations, and doing carnival rides for the charity. Meanwhile his lifestyle has changed, and he drives around in a brand new Hummer 2. People critical of him are calling for an audit of the charity. It is rumored that Bubba The Love Sponge, who was outspokenly critical of Lunsford, was getting ready to expose the whole circus on his radio show.

HMM. If Bubba is right, Lunsford should go crawl under a rock.

The kidnap and murder of Lunsford’s daughter was a terrible crime. The actions of the police department could have been better. How this story unfolds will be interesting to say the least.

Just another story in the unfolding saga of Bubba The Love Sponge.

[ Via Bay News 9 ] [ Call Audio ]

Position - Long Sirius.

A caller on the Bubba The Love Sponge Show called out Bubba on Valentines Day. Mary, the caller wasted no time in getting to her point:

BUBBA - Hello Mary? Mary?

MARY - YES

BUBBA - What can we do for ya honey?

MARY - Why are we listening to NASCAR? Why are we listening to repetitious Ned tell the same old damn stories? Why don’t you get on the ball you fat boy you? Why don’t you put on a good show? Don’t take all of Howard’s guests, get your own and put on a good show for us. You used to be funny. You used to do great things. And now you’re just sitting in a corner stuffing your face.

SPICEBOY - This chick’s all right

MARY - I don’t know why you don’t go marry whats-her-name….Oprah Junior up there…Robin. You got so much in common….you can’t read, you can’t play an instrument, you can’t sing. Why don’t you just get married and go run away.

BUBBA - Mary, wha…what’s…why are you so mad Mary?

MARY - I’m mad because you used to have a very good show, and now your show is nothing but repetition. (this being said as Bubba pumps in NASCAR talk over Mary speaking). Turn on channel 128 you big doufus and you can listen to NASCAR. And if you want to hear the news or politics there’s 20 different stations for that. I want to hear about your funny assed day and how you spend all your money making buildings and buying cars….oh yea we gotta hear about your mother and her new car and her kitty that made her sneeze

BUBBA CREW - (laughter)

BUBBA - Mary you’re the funniest thing we’ve put on the air all Fuc*in day

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The infamous shock jock on Howard 101 announced on his show today that he is in developmental works with his own reality show. Jason Hervey, better known as Fred Savage from the “Wonder Years,” is said to be shopping this idea around. Mr. Hervey is also the man responsible for such gems as Scott Baios “45 and Single” and “Rock of Love” with Brett Michaels. Which leads us to wonder will the new show be called “Bubba 41, fat, and on the radio?”

In all seriousness this sounds like an interesting and refreshing idea for reality television. If Bubba’s new show does garner a cult like following like other reality TV shows it will undoubtedly leave Sirius wishing that they locked up Bubba The Love Sponge exclusively for satellite radio.

Just hours after Bubba announced that he would be staying at Sirius for another year the St. Petersburg Times are reporting that Bubba will be broadcasting on Cox Radio stations in Tampa and Jacksonville in a deal valued at seven figures. This will mark Bubba’s first return to the airwaves since he was fined $775k and dumped by Clear Channel almost 4 years ago!

Starting Jan. 8, Bubba will take over morning drive slot on WHPT-102.5 FM (The Bone) in Tampa and WFYV-104.5 FM in Jacksonville, hosting a show from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. After which he will broadcast his show as normal on Howard 101 from 3-7PM Est.

“I want to do both (free radio and satellite), because I have a lot of unfinished business in the market,” said Clem, calling by cellphone this morning from New York City, where he celebrated his new deal with Sirius on boss Howard Stern’s radio show. “I never got to say goodbye to the fans. I was thrown off the air by Clear Channel — which hung me out to dry.”

I must say that I am truly shocked that Sirius is allowing this to happen. One has to wonder if Bubba will still be as good as he previously was after 4 hours on the terrestrial airwaves in the AM.

All of you marks can stop freaking out, threatening to cancel your subscriptions, and calling just to bug customer service as Bubba will continue hosting his popular weekday afternoon program on channel Howard 101.

Sirius announced today that they have in fact renewed their contract with Mr. Love Sponge, although, the terms of the deal are not yet clear at this point. EDIT: At this point we now know that this is a one year deal.

“We launched the radio revolution with Howard Stern, and I am grateful he brought me to Sirius,” said Bubba the Love Sponge. “We will continue to do uncensored, groundbreaking radio on Howard 101.”

“We are happy Bubba has renewed with Sirius,” said Scott Greenstein, Sirius’ President, Entertainment and Sports. “Bubba has steadily created an enthusiastic national fan base since he launched his show. That fan base will continue to expand on Sirius.”

Speculation about the fate of Sirius Satellite Radio afternoon Shock Jock Bubba The Love Sponge has been circulating for weeks. At times many, including Bubba The Love Sponge himself, have seemed to feel that the end of his presence on Howard 101 was nearing.

The tone of the show over the past couple of weeks has seemed to indicate that the sides are indeed talking, and that negotiations are ongoing. The subtle hints within the show illustrate that the stress level of Bubba and his crew is not as high as it once was. Talk about going “Pod-Cast-Wiily” has slowed down and is now spoken of in a more joking manner, and Bubba is now speaking of guests and happenings that carry out beyond what would be the last day of his contract.

It is my opinion that Bubba cut a deal with I-Tunes to test the waters of the podcast world. While this does give Bubba more exposure, I do not think that the podcast situation is as invigorating to Bubba as doing a live show with instantaneous fan interaction. Additionally, the podcast will not be as financially rewarding. Bubba is a good hearted person and feels a responsibility to his crew and staff. During the time when Bubba was off the airwaves, he funded the payroll for his closest show staff. This quality that Bubba possesses tells me that Bubba will feel compelled to make a deal that ensures that his team can stay together.

Bubba certainly has the fans worked up into a shoot over the issue, and while I would say that the deal to resign Bubba is complete, fans should not feel Bamboozled. The show is about entertainment, keeping fans engaged, and talking about Bubba and Sirius.

I look for an announcement that Bubba will be resigning with Sirius to happen by early next week at the latest. This allows the exposure and drama surrounding the issue to play out for a few more days while still getting the announcement in far enough in advance of Christmas, allowing loyal fans to get new subscriptions, or to tell their friends that Bubba will be remaining on Sirius.

Fans interested in Bubba The Love Sponge can visit his site an BTLS.com

Position - Long Sirius, Long XM

Feeling a little Bamboozled by the deal? All you need is a couple Blue Genies and man up on that Block Rocker! Let’s not Kayfabe this Mcgillicuty while the price is right. Huh? If you know what the heck I just said, then you must be a part of the Bubba Army.

Bubba The Love Sponge on Howard 101 and his cast of characters are a true talent. I have to give props to Bubba, Brent, Manson, Spiceboy, and Ned. I sit in traffic after work just cracking up listening to them. I guess you can say that Bubba and the gang is like a bad case of psoriasis. They just grow on you, and you just keep coming back for more.

Bubba is in the middle of contract negotiations with Sirius, and I am not sure if things are going well. On today’s show, he played songs such as Bye Bye Bye, Thanks For the Memories, and other songs with departing titles. Sounds like Bubba is getting a little bamboozled by the deal. I hope that Bubba and the gang stay on Sirius, as the showcase of free speech and unique content they provide on a daily basis is what defines Satellite radio.

If you have not yet heard, Bubba The Love Sponge’s contract is set to run out this December which has left his fans on the edge of their seats. Well fear not loyal fans, today on the Stern show a caller asked Howard what he though the chances of Bubba being re-signed with Sirius were and he said 85%.

More interestingly though, Howard said that he has spoken to management and stated that if Bubba were not to be re-signed, there would be no reason to keep both channels. It would be amazing to me if the powers that be did not listen to someone who knows radio as well as Mr. Stern does. They gave the guy an extra channel to program, he did just that and now they are not going to pay his chosen talent…I don’t think so.

As the merger between Sirius and XM heats up, Sirius has another hot button issue to deal with. Bubba The Love Sponge. The Shock jock can be found on Sirius’ 101 in the afternoon, and is one of the staples of the Howard Stern programming line-up. Bubba The Love Sponge is known for receiving the highest ever single FCC fine, and being blackballed from radio for almost two years.

Bubba is no stranger to satellite radio, having spent time on XM via a terrestrial radio feed prior to being pulled from the air as a result of indecency fines. Bubba came to Sirius via the Howard Stern deal which covered Stern himself, Sterns staff, studio construction, and a budget for programming and marketing.

The Stern channels have had many varied talents on the air, and Bubba is not the first to have contract disputes with Sirius. Although lesser known, Riley Martin, of alien visitation fame, has oft complained about his deal which has him on the air every Tuesday night at midnight. Stern has explained many times on his show that he suggests programming ideas for the channels, but ultimately, Martin, as well as Bubba have to work out their deal with Sirius.

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There will be a new show on the Howard Stern channels, and fans of Bubba The Love Sponge will be happy to know that it revolves around the supporting cast and crew of the afternoon shock jock. The Bubba Wrap-Up show is now being slated to air on Friday’s from 10-11:00 AM on Howard 101.

The format will be similar to the Wrap-Up show that follows Howard Sterns broadcasts on a regular basis. The concept has garnered a lot of fans in part, because it gives access to the supporting cast and offers additional insight to what doing a radio show is all about. The Bubba Wrap-Up show will not include Bubba The Love Sponge himself, but rather crew members such as Brent Hatley, Manson, Spice and Ned. This show is their time to shine, and the fans get a chance to talk to those that make the main show what it is.

One of the high points of the Stern channels is the variety of programming that they contain, and the ability to incorporate many flavors into what equates to 48 hours of air time each day. Program Director Tim Sabien has anchored the channels around three main talents, Stern, Bubba, and Ferrall, but he recognizes that there is true value in many of the second tier stars of the various shows, and in doing this, has created an even deeper palate for fans to enjoy. For Sabien, these channels likely represent both stability as well as the freedom to tinker, which compared to traditional broadcasts simply has to be a program directors dream come true.

Catch The Bubba Wrap-Up show on Friday mornings on the heals of the morning show.

Position – Long Sirius