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Bubba the Love Sponge

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Bubba the Love Sponge Clem (born Todd Clem, he legally changed his name) is a Tampa, Florida radio talk show host who has had a colorful past. Beginning initially in college radio in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1984, Bubba made his professional debut on April 1, 1985. Initially going by the name of "Rockin' Bubba Clem" as his on-air moniker, a fellow DJ gave Bubba the name "Bubba The Love Sponge", and it stuck and became his radio name. Bubba has federally trademarked the name, and he legally changed his name to Bubba The Love Sponge Clem in 1999.

By the time he was 25 years old, Bubba was doing morning drive radio in Chicago, and he proved to be a radio phenom at an early age. He worked as a DJ in the CHR (Contemporary Hit Radio)/Top 40 field, earning multiple Billboard Magazine awards for DJ of the year. Bubba moved around a great deal in his early years, as many DJs have to do, working in markets like Grand Rapids, San Antonio, Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Orlando.

It was at WXXL in Orlando where Bubba began to develop an edgy, in-your-face style of radio. After Bubba's contract with WXXL was not renewed, he moved onto Tampa's WFLZ-FM, then known as The Power Pig 93.3 to work nights, and where he began to draw national attention for his controversial style. One of Clem's more popular on-air bits was "No Panties Thursday", a concept that has since been adopted by many other radio stations.

In December 1996, WXTB, known in Tampa as 98 Rock, hired Bubba to do morning drive. That was a departure for Bubba from his usual pop radio environment, but he welcomed the new challenge. Clem was paired with comedy writer Mike "Manson" Waters to write comedy "bits" for Clem's show. "The Bubba the Love Sponge Show" rose quickly in the ratings, with Clem becoming something of a pop culture icon in the Tampa Bay area.

Clem often criticized local politicians and national leaders on issues that he disagreed with their points of view on. Clem was also critical of a style of radio that he called "warm and fuzzy radio", which Clem claimed to be mind-numbing fluff.

Clem's brash style appealed primarily to blue-collar workers, a style of radio that is known as "trucker radio" due to the fact that a large portion of the audience is made up of long-haul truckers.

In 2000 Clem opened up "Planet Bubba," a nightclub in Clearwater, FL, though it closed in a matter of weeks due to poor attendance.

In January 2001, "The Bubba The Love Sponge Show" went into syndication. During its run in syndication, the show aired on stations in Jacksonville, Orlando, Hartford, West Palm Beach, Ft. Myers, Wichita, Shreveport and Macon. XM Satellite Radio carried the show as well, first on tape delay, and then live in east coast morning drive.

In 2002 and 2003, Radio & Records named Bubba the national Active Rock Personality/Show of the Year. Many stations, however, declined to carry Clem's show when offered syndication rights due to it's controversial nature.

The Federal Communications Commission issued a Notice of Apparent Liability (a precursor to a fine) of $755,000 against four stations owned by Clear Channel Communications on January 27, 2004 for complaints made by a single individual made for broadcasts that all took place in 2001. The fine consisted of the maximum of $27,500 for each of 26 airings of a segment the FCC alleged were "designed to pander to, titillate and shock listeners", plus $40,000 for record-keeping violations. .

The segment in question featured impersonations of Alvin and the Chipmunks, Scooby-Doo and George Jetson discussing various sexual encounters.

In 2000, Clem was arrested and prosecuted by Pinellas County officials on charges of animal cruelty after slaughtering a live pig on-air as a publicity stunt, though he was acquitted at trial in 2002.

The weekend following the release of the NAL, the Janet Jackson Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy happened, causing a wide-ranging criticism against "shock jocks" like Clem and Howard Stern.

Bubba's contract with Clear Channel was terminated on 24 February 2004, and his syndicated program was cancelled. Clear Channel later reached a settlement with the FCC rather than fight the validity of the claims issued in the NAL.

In 2004, Clem unsuccessfully ran as a Democrat for the office of sheriff of Pinellas County, Florida against Jim Coats, who was a 30+ veteran of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department. No Democrat has ever been elected Sheriff of Pinellas County.

Cast & Crew of the Bubba The Love Sponge® show

  • Bubba The Love Sponge®: Host
  • Mike "Manson" Waters: On-Air Talent, Bit Writer, Song Parody Writer, Celebrity Voice Impersonator
  • Brent Hatley: Executive Producer, On-Air Talent
  • Ned (aka Nedly Mandingo): On-Air Talent, Prank Call Expert, Song Parody Writer
  • Lou Pickney: Producer
  • Co-Co: Producer

See also

External links

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