The Maxwell Show

The Maxwell Show

Genre	Hot talk/comedy
Running time	Varied Weekday mornings
Country	United States
Languages	English
Home station	WNCX Cleveland, Ohio
Starring	Maxwell (Benjamin Bornstein) Dan Stansbury Chunk (Tiffany Peck) Ribz (Micah Manus)
Creators	Maxwell (Benjamin Bornstein)
Exec. producers	Maxwell (Benjamin Bornstein)
Air dates	April 19, 2004 to November 20, 2009 (at WMMS) November 1, 2010 to August 25, 2011 (at WNCX)

The Maxwell Show was a hot talk radio show which aired weekday mornings on classic rock radio station WNCX (98.5 FM) in Cleveland, Ohio. The show first began in April 2004 on noted Cleveland rock station WMMS (100.7 FM, "The Buzzard"), and over the course of the next five years, grew to become the Cleveland radio market's #1 afternoon radio program in several key demographics. However, relations between show host Maxwell (Benjamin Bornstein) and WMMS owner Clear Channel turned sour in 2009, and by November of that year the show was cancelled.

Nearly one year later, on November 1, 2010, WMMS cross-town rival WNCX picked up The Maxwell Show for the station's morning shift. Less than ten months later, on August 25, 2011, the show was cancelled.

WMMS Cleveland

Ohio native Maxwell (Benjamin Bornstein) was hired on for the WMMS afternoon drive in April 2004 following the departure of Tim Slats for rival station WXTM.^[1] An experienced on air personality, Maxwell (aka Max Logan) had already worked for a number of rock stations before joining WMMS: WEBN in Cincinnati, Ohio; WDVE and WXDX-FM in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; WXTB in Tampa, Florida; and WIYY in Baltimore, Maryland.^[2][3][4] Joining Maxwell were: WMMS Music Director Dan Stansbury, representing the younger male audience; Krackerman (Dana Smith), who, until his firing in 2007, provided the show's black perspective; Chunk (Tiffany Peck), a young female phone screener whose role grew significantly following Krackerman's exit; Captain Showbiz (WMMS Program Director Bo Matthews); Chuck Galeti (then of the local CBS affiliate WOIO) who phoned in daily sports updates until 2008 when a heated on air confrontation with Maxwell drove him to quit; Andre Knott of WMMS sister station WTAM, serving as Galeti's replacement for the duration of the show's run; and local comedian Ryan Dalton, a frequent guest.^[5]

The Maxwell Show began as a kind-of rock/talk hybrid,^[6] but gradually became all talk. The show usually began with conversations regarding the day to day lives of the cast, and later moved on to more topical stories in the news and pop culture. Maxwell would occasionally interview guests over the phone and, to a lesser extent, in the studio.^[7] Humor was always a major component of the show; jokes about Maxwell being Jewish were known to generate controversy in the Cleveland Jewish community.^[8] The cast also delved into serious issues, occasionally recounting some of the darker episodes from each of their personal histories. As children, both Maxwell and Stansbury were victims of sexual abuse, and Maxwell struggled with an addiction to heroin before entering rehab in 2007.

The old WMMS show logo humorously emphasized Maxwell's volatile personality.

Feuds

Often referred to by co-host Stansbury as "the never ending powder keg of anger," Maxwell was known for having a number of feuds with other radio personalities over the years: Rover (Shane French) of Rover's Morning Glory until his (Rover's) move from rival WKRK-FM to WMMS in mid-March 2008 (Maxwell maintained he was "in the Rover business" during their mutual time at the station, though there were indications otherwise, such as Maxwell repeatedly voicing hopes that an F5 tornado would rip through RoverFest 2009); Opie and Anthony and comedian Jim Norton (Opie and Anthony originally aired tape delayed on WKRK-FM opposite Maxwell, revealing the origin of Maxwell's catch phrase "Good Morning!", or "Bordingk!", itself mocking the irony of O & A's morning show airing in the afternoon);^[9][10] and perhaps most notably, fellow Clear Channel host Mike Trivisonno, airing directly opposite The Maxwell Show on WTAM.^[10]

The Metallica Prank

On April 3, 2009, The Maxwell Show went on the air claiming (falsely) that Metallica — in Cleveland for the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony the very next day — was playing a free show in the WMMS parking lot that evening. Citing legal concerns, management immediately directed Maxwell to tell listeners that it was only a prank, and later placed him on probation for 90 days. Mutual discontent grew during contract renewal negotiations, and in November of that year the show was cancelled.^[11]

WNCX Cleveland

On Wednesday, October 27, 2010, WNCX (98.5 FM) announced it had picked up The Maxwell Show for the station's morning shift. The move replaced former morning co-hosts Scott Miller and comedian Jeff Blanchard, and show producer Dave Jockers. Regarding their dismissal, Program Director Bill Louis commented that "sadly, this a bottom-line business." The Maxwell Show was the fourth program in five years to air weekday mornings on WNCX following Howard Stern's move to satellite radio.^[12]

The show began airing on WNCX the following Monday, November 1, 2010;^[13] officially, the show did not begin until 7:30 AM, though as a kind-of stunt, the station played the Beatles' song "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" on a constant loop in the hours leading up to the show's debut.^[14] Joining host Maxwell at WNCX were: Stansbury and Chunk, both from the show's initial run on WMMS; and a new addition, Ribz (Micah Manus), who began several months into the show's second run. Cleveland Scene described Maxwell's first week on the air as a "scorched-earth campaign" against his former station and its owner, Clear Channel. Early metrics were "through the roof": visitors to the WNCX website increased tenfold, and online streaming tripled.^[15]

WNCX cancelled The Maxwell Show on August 25, 2011, less than ten months after the show's arrival at the station. Local media speculated that, in addition to "flagging ratings," WNCX cancelled the show to make room for "a new, high-profile, multi-person morning show" at sister station WKRK-FM (92.3 FM) as that station transitioned to a new sports format.^[16][17]

References

1. ^ "Matthews Builds A Better Buzz". Billboard via Billboard.biz Archive. Prometheus Global Media. September 17, 2004. http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000632220. Retrieved May 17, 2010. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ Quayle, John (February 7, 1995). "Here's the Fallout from Fall Ratings". Observer-Reporter (Observer Publishing Company). 
   • "WAMO and X Play Hide-and-Seek with Listeners Today". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (John Robinson Block). April 10, 1996. 
3. ^ "WXTB - A History". RadioYears.com. RadioYears.com. 2011. http://www.radioyears.com/other/details.cfm?id=881. Retrieved June 26, 2011. 
4. ^ "Individual Bio - Maxwell". bordingk.com/maxwellshow.html. The Maxwell Show. 2010. http://bordingk.com/maxwellbio.html. Retrieved October 6, 2010. 
5. ^ Luttermoser, John (June 2, 2009). "Local comics Chad Zumock and Ryan Dalton have a CD release show June 10 at Brothers Lounge: Laugh Track for June 4–10". Cleveland.com - Going Out. Cleveland Live, Inc. http://www.cleveland.com/goingout/index.ssf/2009/06/_ladies_and_gentlemen_please_1.html. Retrieved May 20, 2010. 
   • "Local comedians release CDs at Funny Stop". BedfordTimesRegister.com. Record Publishing Co, LLC. August 27, 2009. http://www.bedfordtimesregister.com/news/article/4655338. Retrieved May 20, 2010. 
6. ^ "The OMW FM Talk Watch Inches Closer". Ohio Media Watch: Blogger.com. Google. October 27, 2006. http://ohiomediawatch.wordpress.com/2006/10/27/the-omw-fm-talk-watch-inches-closer/. Retrieved June 27, 2011. 
7. ^ "Slipknot Frontman Discusses Mushroomhead 'Feud' ". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. March 11, 2005. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?Mode=Archive&Date=3/11/2005&PageNum=2. Retrieved May 20, 2010. 
8. ^ Karfeld, Marilyn H. (January 25, 2007). "Jewish joke on radio not so funny to some". ClevelandJewishNews.com (Cleveland Jewish News). http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2007/01/25/news/local/bcover0125.txt. Retrieved June 27, 2011. 
9. ^ Norton, Jim (2008). I Hate Your Guts. New York, New York: Simon Spotlight Entertainment. pp. 229–240. ISBN 978-1-41658-785-9. 
10. ^ ^{a b} "Random Stuff Floating Around". Ohio Media Watch: Blogger.com. Google. January 17, 2007. http://ohiomediawatch.wordpress.com/2007/01/17/random-stuff-floating-around/. Retrieved June 27, 2011. 
11. ^ Lewis, Frank (November 25, 2009). "Maxwell out at 'MMS". CleveScene.com. Cleveland Scene. http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2009/11/25/maxwell-out-at-mms. Retrieved November 9, 2010. 
12. ^ Washington, Julie (October 28, 2010). "Ex-WMMS jock Maxwell to rock mornings at WNCX". Cleveland.com. Cleveland Live, Inc. http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2010/10/ex-wmms_jock_maxwell_to_rock_m.html. Retrieved November 4, 2010. 
13. ^ "In Brief". FMQB. Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Inc. and Mediaspan Online Services. October 27, 2010. http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=2000142. Retrieved June 30, 2011. 
14. ^ Radio broadcast of The Maxwell Show: 98.5 FM WNCX/Cleveland. 5:30 AM - 10:00 AM ET. November 1, 2010.
15. ^ Ferris, D.X. (November 15, 2010). "Maxwell Returns to Airwaves, Shakes Up WNCX Formula". CleveScene.com. Cleveland Scene. http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2010/11/15/maxwell-returns-to-airwaves-shakes-up-wncx-formula. Retrieved November 17, 2010. 
16. ^ Grzegorek, Vince (August 26, 2011). "Maxwell Out at 98.5 WNCX". CleveScene.com. Cleveland Scene. http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2011/08/26/maxwell-out-at-985-wncx. Retrieved August 26, 2011. 
17. ^ "Little Doubt: Maxwell Out". Ohio Media Watch. Ohio Media Watch. August 26, 2011. http://ohiomediawatch.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/little-doubt-maxwell-out/. Retrieved August 26, 2011. 

External links

• Bordingk.com
• MWLShow.com (archive)
• MaxwellShow.com (archive)
• TheMaxwellShow.blogspot.com