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America's Trucking Network is a syndicated nightly radio broadcast heard across the United States. Targeted toward truckers, the variety program, hosted by Steve Sommers and Eric "Bubba Bo" Boulanger, covers numerous topics, mostly news and issues pertaining to truckers.
Topics discussed include weather, diesel fuel prices, traffic, auto racing, political and legal news affecting the trucking industry, and general trucker chat.
History
The show was launched in 1984 by Dale Sommers, under the name The Truckin' Bozo. The program had begun as a mix of country music and truck talk before switching to an all-talk format several years later. Due to health problems, Dale Sommers was forced to retire in 2003. His son, Steve Sommers, had been hosting the weekend edition of the program and was the natural successor to the weekday show. Dale Sommers would shortly thereafter take a daytime position at XM Satellite Radio, which had carried the program since 2001, taking the "Truckin' Bozo" title with him after several months of discussion with WLW. Since the switch of the show's host from father to son, some callers to the program have referred to Steve Sommers as "Baby Bo." However, this has happened with less frequency as time passes.
To fill in Steve Sommers's former weekend position, flagship station WLW-AM hired Eric Boulanger, more commonly known by his alias of "Bubba Bo."
Show information
America's Trucking Network airs five hours per night, live from 12 midnight to 5 AM Eastern Time. Steve Sommers hosts the show from early Monday through early Friday, while Bubba Bo hosts early Saturday and Sunday.
The show is currently heard on two AM broadcast affiliates and XM satellite radio. Both AM affiliates are 50,000 watt clear channel stations that give the show a combined terrestrial coverage area that covers most of the Eastern and Central United States.
- WLW 700, in Cincinnati, Ohio, is and has been the flagship of the network, and carries all five hours of the program, live, 7 days per week.
- KWKH 1130, in Shreveport, Louisiana, carries the last four hours of the program, live, 5 days per week.
- Extreme Talk XM channel 152, nationwide in the United States. Extreme carries all five hours of the program, live, 7 days per week.
The show can also be heard via the Internet feeds of both WLW and KWKH. The show's satellite channel numbering has changed several times. With the Sirius-XM merger, WLW was dropped from the lineup, but America's Trucking Network was retained, moving to Extreme Talk. It has always been carried in a live time slot.
Steve Sommers (with 2 Ms) is not to be confused with another late-night host, sports talk host Steve Somers (with 1 M) of WFAN in New York.
References
- Cincinnati Enquirer story on the Truckin' Bozo's departure