Lex and Terry

Lex and Terry is a syndicated morning radio program hosted by Lex Staley and Terry Jaymes. Based in Dallas, Texas, the show is distributed by United Stations Radio Networks. It is heard during weekdays on 17 radio stations in the U.S.

In 2008, Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel described Lex and Terry as "testosterone-ladened humor that's often sexual in nature, often crude and sometimes demeaning to women. But, unlike many hosts, they don't seem to take themselves too seriously. They're pretty laid back. Their advice to callers is sometimes amusing (if occasionally cringe-worthy). And I like the fact that they seem to actually pay attention to what’s going on in the real world, even if they downplay that aspect."

Peter Welpton, syndication director of the show from 1997 to 2010, as well as a news personality, said after leaving the show to work for the Dallas Morning News that it was "one of the first to stream, podcast, develop its own iPhone app and broadcast via USTREAM."

History

Prior to the show, Jaymes worked as a professional basketballer in Australia and as an actor on Santa Barbara. Staley was the music director and midday host at WFYV-FM "Rock 105" in Jacksonville, Florida, where Jaymes went to work in 1992. Staley had met Jaymes in California earlier and promised if he was ever in charge of a radio station, Jaymes could have a job as his morning host.

On December 16, 1992, Staley and Jaymes began collaborating in the morning on WFYV. The first show included a "who would you do" feature. Staley planned to co-host the show until a new co-host could be found, but the two have worked together ever since.

The show took a while to succeed; some people didn't like the "two punks in a locker room" attitude. Eventually, Lex and Terry had the number one morning show in Jacksonville, with a mix of frank relationship talk, sports (including Sam Kouvaris of WJXT), news from "total news babe" Andrea Pilcher, and sometimes music from such artists as AC/DC and Danzig. WFYV general manager Mark Schwartz said, "Unlike a lot of other morning shows that rely on tired bits and material that's stolen from other radio stations, these guys are 100 percent unique. They don't rely on joke services. They're extraordinarily topical."

In 1997, Lex and Terry first went into syndication, with the announcement being made during the National Association of Broadcasters Convention.

In May of that year, Lex and Terry began airing on KTXQ in Dallas, and the show began originating from Dallas as well. By the end of the year, Lex and Terry were also on WFXH in the Savannah, Georgia market. Promotion of the show included showing the duo with milk mustaches, a blonde stripper with large breasts between them, and the tagline "Got Milk?" Peter Welpton of KTXQ called Lex and Terry an "affordable major market radio show" which gave smaller markets the talent and advantages of a large-market show, along with promotion help, and breaks for news and local information. Celebrity guests included Howie Long, Alan Thicke, Denis Leary, David Lee Roth and porn actress and call-in host Juli Ashton.

Despite the show's positive impact on its ratings (after a drop not unlike what they experienced in Jacksonville), KTXQ changed formats as the result of the station's sale, and dropped Lex and Terry. On September 1, 1998, Lex and Terry moved their show back to Jacksonville, where it was the top morning show among rock radio stations. By this time, the show could also be heard in Key West and Bluefield, West Virginia. On September 11, Lex and Terry debuted in Augusta, Georgia. Gainesville, Florida and two other markets also planned to add the show, according to Schwartz. He also said the show would likely be added to other stations of WFYV owner Capstar Broadcasting.

In 2005, Lex and Terry was heard on 22 radio stations, with an XM channel added late in November. Kim McCafferty was the show's news director. Also that year, the show's contract with WFYV owner Cox Radio ended, and Staley and Jaymes signed with Clear Channel Communications, hoping to promote the show. A reason for the change was that Cox Radio would not allow the show to run on stations that competed with its stations while Clear Channel would. Despite being the number one morning show for years in the market the hosts called "Freakville", Lex and Terry was off WFYV and not heard in Jacksonville until February 2006, returning on Planet Radio 107.3. The show remained on Planet Radio until that station became Magic 107.3 in August 2010. They then went to WJXL in April 2011, leaving former show regular Kouvaris without an on-air slot as shuffling of personalities bumped Kouvaris' WJXL show. Staley and Jaymes wanted Kouvaris, who left the show in 2009, to return, but they couldn't afford him. WJXL dropped Lex and Terry six months later.

University of Florida radio station WRUF-FM stopped airing the show on Fridays in April 2005 because of a feature called "Drunk Bitch Friday". Cox Radio decided the station had violated its contract and dropped WRUF as an affiliate. Staley and Jaymes both disagreed with the university's decision, with Staley claiming this action violated The First Amendment. The Federal Communications Commission had never found the feature to be indecent but the university did not want to appear to condone drinking excessively. On Drunk Bitch Friday, "a female participant is chauffeured to the station, drinks to 'a state of inebriation that is entertaining,' and provides commentary and advice to callers." Welpton called the feature, a part of the show for two years at the time, a "good educational tool to demonstrate the effects of alcohol and why drinking responsibly is important." The announcement was made January 20, 2006 that the feature was being dropped. As a result, WRUF brought back the show. Although Lex and Terry held the number one position among men 18-34 for eight straight Arbitron ratings periods, WRUF changed to country music in October 2010, dropping the show, but active rock WHHZ picked it up on November 29, but dropped the show in mid 2015.

In the Dallas radio market, Lex and Terry moved from KDGE to KEGL on February 14, 2006. In January 2010, Clear Channel dropped Lex and Terry from KEGL, though the pair could still be heard online in Dallas until June 1, when the show moved to 105.3 The Fan. Later that year, United Stations Radio Networks replaced Clear Channel as the show's distributor. The show is now without a flagship station in Dallas.

Kim McCafferty served as news director from the time the show was in Jacksonville, but left in April 2007 to return to Florida. Scott Richards was producer of Lex and Terry until November 2008 when he decided to return to Florida. Jason Carr of WZZR in West Palm Beach became executive producer in 2008, eventually replacing Welpton as director of network operations in September 2010. At the end of 2010 he went back to Florida.

Ian Gleason, an actor and show regular with the Pub Quiz, was brought in from New York City in January 2012 to serve as news director following the departure of Welpton and Tyler "Taint" Baker the previous year.

External links

• Official website