Talkback with Jerry Galvin

Talkback with Jerry Galvin (later called TalkTalk with Jerry Galvin) was a humorous radio talk show that aired on U.S. public radio stations in the mid-1980s.

Tonally, Talkback was a parody of ordinary talk shows. But unlike its spiritual TV sister Fernwood 2-Night, a mostly scripted show with a crew of writers, Talkback was unscripted and invited live audience participation, giving it the distinction of simultaneously being a spoof and an actual talk show. (Late Night with David Letterman, a real TV talk show which was finding its footing around the same time, had a similar parodical feel, but was somewhat reined in by its celebrity guest format.)

Host Galvin, by day a Cincinnati ad executive best known for creating the imaginary Plummet Mall for a campaign and getting the campaign's audience to believe it was real, broadcast the show live from Cincinnati on Sunday nights. The show was perhaps unique among talk shows in that it was underwritten by a company that made police radar detectors—a product specifically designed to help its users break the law.

The show's "cast" consisted of several dozen regular callers, many of whom would call in at least once a week and play along with whatever phony topic or riff Jerry set up. Other callers would hear the show and dial in without suspecting its parody nature, and would be mercilessly pranked by Jerry--and sometimes by the regular callers, who would be patched into the conversation. Thematically, the show would often be built around a scam (a made-up "issue" that sounded serious thanks to Jerry's deadpan voice), riffs on an elaborate pun, or vague and bogus themes such as "stuff." After the show developed a stable of regular callers, shows would sometimes be built around the regulars themselves interacting, such as on-air wedding ceremonies between them.

Tipping his hand and hinting at the show's parodical nature, Jerry often described his clothing as "the same each day: Hush Puppy knockoffs, argyle socks, bermuda shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and a pith helmet," frequently adding, "you have to be careful how you say that last one on the radio." He also described his screener, Lynn Wendell, as wearing leather S&M gear (in contrast to most radio talk shows whose official on-air policy was not to mention the screener at all)--a reference to her toughness and tendency to hang up on anyone who didn't have a funny enough idea to keep the show moving.

The name of the show was changed to "TalkTalk with Jerry Galvin" after another show named Talkback threatened a lawsuit, but the format remained unchanged throughout the show's run.