Fat Man After Dark

Fat Man After Dark was a radio talk show that aired Thursdays from 8-10pm on WCTN 950 AM in Montgomery County, Maryland. A repeat of the show was aired Saturdays at the same time. The show has switched to a podcast format.

History

Fat Man After Dark (FMAD) premiered on an internet-only radio station based in Silver Spring, Maryland in 2006 before moving to WGMU, the official radio station of George Mason University in 2007. After several technical issues including problems with broadcasting and the taking of phone calls, the show went off the air in the winter of 2007.

On August 6, 2009 the show returned to the airwaves at 950 AM WCTN, a terrestrial radio station that has Undergone many formats during its time in business. It would end in October 2009 when WCTN switched to a Spanish language format.

Format and topics

The show follows a stream of consciousness format with a mixture of phone calls and emails along with tangential monologues from the host, known only as the Fat Man. Segments of the show are broken up by music requested by listeners or selected by the Fat Man or his producer.

Topics run the gamut and no show is exactly the same as the previous ones though a number of correspondents check in at various times to discuss major areas including film, politics, and cooking. Sports is also a recurring theme but the Fat Man is always quick to point out that he doesn't consider his show sports talk radio.

A number of inside jokes have evolved over the course of the show's time on the air, poking fun at either FMAD listeners or celebrities. Whenever discussing New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, the Fat Man asks callers to refer to him as "Fredo", the dim-witted and less talented brother of Michael Corleone in The Godfather, a reference to Eli's more successful brother, Peyton.

Another sports figure who has remained a subject for FMAD is former Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin. Martin's name is mentioned particularly in reference to a long-time listener of the show who also attended the University of Tennessee. The domain teemartin.com is owned by a Fat Man After Dark associate and directly points to the FMAD website.

Controversy

On the August 27, 2009 show, food blogger the Thrifty DC Cook was making her first appearance on the show and cursed on the air. She had to be bleeped by a producer. The Fat Man said that it was the first person that had ever been bleeped since the show had previously been on internet radio, outside the purview of United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Contributors

There are a number of regular guests on the show that will either call in or appear in-studio. The current line-up includes:

• James Poulos (the Post Modern Conservative), Senior Political Correspondent (2007-Present)
• Black Man After Dark, host of the segment "Pie Down" which looks at things that were once great but have fallen on hard times (2007-Present)
• Thrifty DC Cook, Senior Food Correspondent (2009-Present)
• Raimius, Senior Movie Reviewer (2009-Present)