The Third Shift
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (October 2008) |
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| Genre | Sports |
|---|---|
| Running time | 4 hrs. |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Hosted by | Ben Maller Karen Kay Greg Bergman "The Amazing" Vladimir |
| Created by | Fox Sports Radio |
| Produced by | Greg Bergman |
| Recording studio | Los Angeles, CA |
| Original release | 2004 – present |
| Audio format | Stereophonic |
The Third Shift was a nationally broadcast daily radio program on Fox Sports Radio held from 2-6 AM ET. The program was hosted by FSR's Ben Maller with Karen Kay doing updates. The show was produced by Greg Bergman. Maller, Kay and Bergman were laid off in January, 2009 in the wake of Clear Channel Communications laying off 7% of its workforce.
Hosts
- Ben Maller - host of show
- Karen Kay - anchor, updates
- Greg Bergman - producer/call screener
- "The Amazing" Vladimir - (2008 - ????)
Former Hosts
- Jorge Sedano - host on weekdays from 2004-2007
- Josh Gears "Lord of the Board" - (until 2008)
Segments
"The TWIST"
The TWIST (This Week In Sports Trivia) is a segment on the show run every Thursday Morning. Two contestants call in and compete in a trivia contest on the last week in sports. The first caller to five questions wins the competition. Show is currently not doing "The TWIST" segment.
"Coach, Player, or Entertainer"
Coach, Player, or Entertainer was a segment briefly ran in place of the TWIST in early 2007, and also for one week in September 2007. The format was nearly the same as the TWIST, but the trivia and scoring was slightly different. Ben first gave out a name of a coach, pro sports player, or an actor/musician. The player got 10 pts. for guessing the category right, and 5 bonus pts. for saying what team or TV show/movie/band the person was in. The caller with the most points at the end of the timed segment won.
"Ben Versus The Coin"
On Saturdays during the NFL season, Ben Maller will compete against a coin toss on picking the winners of each game that week. In 2006 Ben was outscored by the coin by almost 40 games. The segment has since been moved online and is also available on Itunes as a podcast.
"The Challenge Line"
This is a poor man's version of Jim Rome's "Smackoff". Topics can range from sports rants to personal gripes. It is always between two callers, and each is given two chances to each other. In the first round, each caller gets 30 seconds, one after the other. Then the crew briefly discusses it, and then second round begins. The second round is run in the same format, but only given 15 seconds. At the end of the second round the crew votes on who the winner is, and takes text/email votes from other callers and declares a winner.
"Password"
Is the "word game of the stars" held every Friday on the Third Shift on FSR. The game is based upon the American TV game show that has been airing periodically since 1961. The radio show it loosely based upon the TV show where live callers are teamed-up with the celebrity hosts and are asked to guess the password based upon one-word clues administered by the hosts of the show. Game play is alternated between the two teams.
"Sports Jeopardy!"
Tuesday Mornings, two callers compete in a sports themed contest similar to the game show Jeopardy!. The questions are usually written by one of the hosts or occasionally by one of the famous callers. Karen Kay acts as a life line for the contestants.
Famous Callers/Emailers
CrimsonTideCasey
The "Youngest Oldest Listener" and "worst" caller of all time. He stays up late against his parents will to pursue a dream of being a sports talk radio personality. He made his first ever phone call on May 21, 2008. Before his calling career began he was an avid "texter" to the show. Because of the extreme amount of texting, he is now banned from texting "The Third Shift". He also dated 7 supermodels prior to the 2006 NFL season.
Senator Arlo
He hails from the great state of Wyoming, He has a fierce rivalry with Lance The Bus Driver, he often rips Lance any chance he gets in his phone calls and on Ben Maller's Myspace Page.
Lance the Bus Driver
A daily caller who is often criticised by Ben and is usually introduced as "The Worst Bus Driver in North America". Lance is most well-known for his attempts to mention both "clowns" and "sandwiches" in every call. He is almost always kicked off the air before finishing his call, which usually does not include a lot of sports related opinions. Lance brags about giving his wife genital herpes in 1989.
The Singing Cowboy in Windsor,Ont.,Can.
This 55-year-old veteran caller to various radio talk formats since his pre-teen years in the mid-60's got his nickname because of his renditions of Country classics or modern hits.(Cowboy was born July 6,1953,in Windsor)
Also known as "The Braystreet Lad" because of his braying tenor voice,unusual for a black man,especially one Cowboy's size(at 5'9,212-224 lb.,Cowboy is built like a cross between a beefier 70's or 80's NFL running back and a beer-league softball player)and appearance,dress and attitudes which are about 15 to 20 years younger than his age.(Cowboy's summer attire is often a Budweiser-his favourite beer-or Detroit Tigers cap,a muscle shirt displaying his 18.5 biceps,running shoes and shorts,and a T-,Bud,Pistons or Tigers shirt and sneakers the rest of the year,and he's TOTALLY OBSESSED with big-haired,buxom babes between 24 and 34,particularly blondes,and finds curvy cowgirls irresistible. Also,when he was dating a voluptuous Irish lass in '05,the lady dubbed him "Brady," from the Gaelic "Breada",or "handsome,"a description a lot of Windsor and other ladies share of the bald,brawny,bearded,moustachioed black Windsor lad. An aspiring Country singer/songwriter,actor,author,screenwriter,Cowboy calls almost nightly with that day's historic and sports events,switches to his opinion of the salient sports topics and brays a portion of a Country hit before concluding his 90-second call.
Pete in Pittsburgh
A regular caller known to the audience for living in the basement of his mother's house doing nothing but enjoying the mind-altering effects of cannabis. Pete in Pittsburgh has long been known as Ben's most "shocking" and controversial caller. Pete vs. The World was a 2008 moment many will never forget. Pete went into the verbal octagon and took on callers from all across America. At the end of this segment only one man was standing and that was Pete! Pete single handily defeated 12 callers and was considered the king of the Challenge Line! You can also hear Pete on the Howard Stern Show.