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America's Trucking Network is a nightly terrestrial radio roadcast based in Cincinnati, Ohio that was formerly syndicated 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 (ones that would eventually lead to his death in 2012), Dale Sommers was forced to retire in 2003; he would return to WLW for a one-off episode in 2010. 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 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 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 WLW/700 in Cincinnati, a 50,000-watt clear channel station that covers much of the eastern half of the United States. It is also heard on XM Satellite Radio and WLW's Internet feed. All three sources carry the show in its entirety. 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, first moving to Extreme Talk-XM 152, then in April 2011 to America's Talk, XM 166. It has always been carried in a live time slot. Prior to the Truckin' Bozo's move to satellite, the show was also carried on approximately a dozen terrestrial stations across the United States, mostly 50,000-watt "clear channel" stations. Though most of the stations dropped ATN after the Bozo's move, two 50,000-watt stations, WWVA/1170 in Wheeling, West Virginia and KWKH in Shreveport, Louisiana, continued to carry the program through 2009. WWVA dropped the show that year in favor of Coast to Coast AM and KWKH switched to automated music.
Steve Sommers (with 2 M's) 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