D-C Radio: The Tommy Show Returns...Online

The popular morning show on WIAD 94.7 FM, canceled in October by parent company Entercom, is returning in a new format. The Tommy Show 2.0, as they’ve taken to calling it, will be livestreaming out of a basement in Northwest D.C. beginning on Monday, February 25.

According to the DCist, the subterranean studio belongs to Kelly Collis who, along with the eponymous Tommy McFly, is coming back to co-host the show. The person who held the third microphone, Jen Richer, opted not to return. The morning show will stream live on the Tommy Show app, which will replay the show throughout the day, and has features like an “open mic,” which lets listeners send a voicemail to McFly and Collis. Since the announcement this morning, the two say they’ve gotten “tons” of these voicemails.

“We haven’t slept last night—it was like Christmas Eve,” says McFly. The two are heartened by the response they’ve gotten so far. More than 300 people were waiting for their Facebook Live announcement at 7 a.m. on a snow day. “The response has been nuts,” he says.

Kelly Collins and Tommy McFly

The two decided to strike out on their own about six weeks ago. Since going off the air, the show was honored by the D.C. Council for its “many contributions to civic and community life across the region,” and McFly says they had an offer to go to Dallas, “but that wouldn’t be for us, D.C. is our home.”

He said they talked to the “usual suspects” in the local radio scene, but that market has been tightening. In addition to changes at 94.7, contemporary radio station WRQX Mix 107.3 was sold this month to a Christian Educational Media Foundation.

While they considered creating a podcast, the duo opted for a live show like their previous one. That created some technical challenges. “There’s a pretty good reason why there’s not a lot of live shows that are streaming,” says Collis. “They are challenging to do.”

Not being a part of a corporate radio station means the Tommy Show is less beholden to strictly timed segments and will play fewer commercials. “That time is time we can give to people who have things to say,” says McFly. “You’re going to hear more voices—we look at this as a channel and can’t wait for the day we have other shows on it, too.” There’s a plan to expand to Smart Speakers this summer, too.