Bubba The Love Sponge

Those that are new to satellite radio may not be aware of this, but Bubba The Love Sponge used to be on XM. That’s right. Early on XM broadcast several shows from terrestrial radio giant Clear channel, and Bubba The Love Sponge was one of those shows. When Bubba got canned from Clear Channel, he lost his presence on XM.

With the arrival of BEST OF, long time XM subscribers have now been reunited with the Bubba the Love Sponge Show. I spoke with Bubba’s executive Producer, Brent Hatley today, and he said that they are getting a large influx of calls from XM subscribers. It seems that there is a reunion of sorts happening on satellite radio, and the early adopters have found a long lost show that they can once again listen to.

While numbers on the adoption rate of the BEST OF have not been made available, there are clues that the service is being adopted, and news such as what we are seeing on the Bubba The Love Sponge illustrate that there is indeed additional revenue coming through the doors with this programming option.

For Bubba, the news of Best of gives him a chance to reconnect with fans from yesteryear, and may even give some new spice and characters to the show for all to enjoy.

You can listen to The Bubba The Love Sponge Show on Howard 101 Monday-Thursday @ 3-7PM EST and Fridays @ 10AM-2PM.  For a glimpse into Bubba’s world be sure to check out BTLS.com

Position – Long SIRI

It seems like it was only a short time ago that Bubba The Love Sponge resigned with Sirius, but it was in fact in December of 2007, and was a one year term. This means that Bubba’s current deal, which also allows him to have a show on terrestrial radio is set to expire in just under two months.

In the past, contract time for Bubba has meant listeners had to endure rants and raves from him on how he is not getting respect, or not getting enough money. It was that type of ranting that led me to tune Bubba out last year. Core Bubba fans go along with the rants of Bubba, but to casual listeners, it had a turn-off and tune out effect. I had many readers indicate that they were just tired of listening to Bubba complain, and it seemed that Sirius was not thrilled with Bubba’s tactics either.

As contract time rolls around, it will be interesting to see exactly what Bubba does. We don’t want to hear about “iPod Willey”, or complaints about how much Mad Dog Russo is being paid. We want to hear the Bubba show without all of the contract drama. Can Bubba keep it real? Can he separate the contract from the show? That will be interesting to see.

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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.

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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.

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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