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'{{Infobox Radio Presenter |name = Erich "Mancow" Muller |alias = Mancow |image = MANCOW-DDW.jpg |imagesize = |caption = |birthname = |birthdate = {{birth date and age|1966|6|21}} |birthplace = [[Kansas City, Missouri]] |deathdate = |deathplace = |show = Mancow's Morning Madhouse |station = [[Talk Radio Network]], [[WLS-AM]] |timeslot = |show2 = |station2 = |timeslot2 = |style = |country = [[United States]] |prevshow = |web = [http://www.mancow.com/ Mancow.com] }} '''Matthew Erich "Mancow" Muller''' (born [[June 21]], [[1966]] in [[Kansas City, Missouri]]) is an [[United States|American]] radio and television personality. He is best known from ''[[Mancow's Morning Madhouse]]'' formerly on Rock 103.5 and [[WKQX]]-FM (Q101), both [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]]-based radio shows that have, in recent years, been nationally syndicated mostly in small markets by [[Talk Radio Network]]. Muller's career with Q101 was cut short in July 2006, when Marv Nyren, Vice President and General Manager of Emmis Radio in Chicago announced "We’ve decided that the time has come for us to develop a morning show that will better serve the needs and sensibilities of this audience.<ref name="MW001">"Bachman, Kathy. 2006. "Mancow Exits Chicago's WKQX-FM." Mediaweek. July 11 issue. [http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002803340&imw=Y]</ref> On [[October 22]], [[2008]], [[WLS-AM]] in Chicago announced that Muller will join that station as a weekday talk show host in the 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. time slot, beginning on [[October 27]], [[2008]]. Muller will continue to host his nationally syndicated morning radio program.<ref>http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-081022mancow-returns,0,4933755.story</ref> ==Radio career beginnings== Thanks to his radio mentor, Marion Woods and Kendra Utterback, Muller's radio career began at KOKO-AM (a one-kilowatt AM radio station) in [[Warrensburg, Missouri]], playing commercials during the [[Larry King]] satellite feed. His role gradually expanded until he got his own afternoon show. Among Muller's fans was the general manager of KLSI-FM in Kansas City, who offered him a full-time job as head of station promotions. Muller accepted the position, plus a weekend air shift, while completing his final semester at [[University of Central Missouri|Central Missouri State University]] (now known as the University of Central Missouri). == Pre-Chicago notoriety == After a stint at [[KDON]] in [[Monterey, California]], Muller headed north to San Francisco. In 1993, Muller made national headlines working for radio station 107.7 [[KYLD]]-FM in [[San Francisco, California]], when a story was circulating that President [[Bill Clinton]] tied up traffic on an [[LAX]] runway for over an hour getting a haircut on [[Air Force One]]. Muller staged a parody of the incident on the [[San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge]] during rush hour. He used vans to block the westbound lanes on the bridge while his then sidekick, Jesus "Chuy" Gomez, got a haircut. As a result of this publicity stunt, Muller was prosecuted and subsequently convicted of a felony by a San Francisco Municipal Court. His sentence included three years probation, a $500 fine and 100 hours of community service. The radio station eventually paid $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a bridge commuter. [[Image:Mancowbk1.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Muller's 2003 book]] ==Mancow's Morning Madhouse== {{main|Mancow's Morning Madhouse}} {{Unreferenced section|date=August 2008}} Muller accepted a job offer by Evergreen Media President Jim de Castro at more than double his salary if he would be willing to move to Chicago to work at WWBZ-FM, "The Blaze". "The Blaze" had lost its fire and it was renamed to "Rock 103.5" (WRCX-FM), and created his radio show, ''[[Mancow's Morning Madhouse]]'' which debuted in July 1994. Within two [[Arbitron]] ratings periods he took the station's 19th-ranked morning show to #5 among all teens and adults, and #1 among 18-to-34 year olds.{{Fact|date=August 2008}} Originally, he broadcasted from WRCX-FM (Rock 103.5) studios in the [[John Hancock Center]] and in 1998, moved to the city's [[alternative rock]] station, [[Q101|WKQX-FM (Q-101) 101.1]], where the show was broadcast from the [[Merchandise Mart]] for eight more years. Muller's "Mancow's Morning Madhouse" ended its live run on Emmis' Alternative outlet in Spring 2006, and had the highest rated audience in Chicago with Men Ages 25 to 54 (among English speaking stations). According to Arbitron, a radio ratings service, Mancow's show, measured in Average Quarter Hour listening percentages (AQH) had a 5.7 Share. The next closest station was all-news WBBM with a 5.3 Share. {{Fact|date=August 2008}} In his target demographic, Men between the ages of 18 and 34 years, Mancow AQH was an 11.8 Share of the audience in that age group, the highest Share of any other English-speaking station in Chicago.{{Fact|date=August 2008}} In terms of average audience size (12 years and older), Mancow had an average audience of 52,700 listeners during any given quarter hour during his time slot from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Monday through Friday. Girlqueer's total cumulative audience of all listeners (total number of listeners per day), measured in [[Cume]], was 308,200 daily listeners. Typically, Mancow's audience on WKQX was three to four times higher than any other time on this station, and over a 5 year period, Muller's program typically outranked most other stations in Chicago targeting male listeners. Even Howard Stern, a top rated show in Chicago on CBS owned WCKG, was challenged by Mancow. In Stern's final survey in the Fall 2005 with Men ages 18-34, Mancows 's Share was 10.1, compared to Stern's 4.3 Share of the audience, showing Mancow had over twice the amount of listeners in that demographic.{{Fact|date=August 2008}} == Mancow and the FCC == Muller and [[Emmis Communications]], the company that owns radio stations on which Mancow's Morning Madhouse is broadcast, have had numerous run-ins with the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) for broadcasting offensive or obscene material. In particular, in 1999 [[David Edward Smith]], the then-Executive Director of the [[Illinois]]-based [[Citizens for Community Values]], began filing complaints with the FCC. While the first several of these complaints were initially dismissed by the FCC for lack of context <ref>http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Tristani/Statements/2001/stgt146a.pdf - Letter from FCC Enforcement Bureau's Charles W. Kelley to David Smith, 7/2/01</ref>, eventually FCC began levying fines on Emmis&mdash;largely as a result of persistent efforts thereto <ref>http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Tristani/Statements/2001/stgt146.html - Press Statement of Commissioner Gloria Tristani Re: Enforcement Bureau Letter Ruling Regarding Indecency Complaints Against WKQX (FM), Chicago, Illinois</ref> from anti-obscenity commissioners [[Gloria Tristani]] and [[George W. Bush|Bush]] appointee [[Michael Copps]]. By June 2002 various media sources reported that Emmis had paid $42,000 in fines for FCC violations on Muller's program. Smith continued to file complaints about the content of Muller's show. In 2004, Muller filed a suit against Smith, claiming that Smith was violating his First Amendment rights to free speech. A federal judge declared this suit to be "frivolous and insubtantial" and as a result Muller dropped the suit on August 3, 2004.<ref>http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=123972&pt=archive - Mancow Drops Lawsuit Against Anti-Indecency Advocate - 8-3-04</ref> Shortly thereafter Emmis Communications announced it had reached a "[[consent decree]]" with FCC, agreeing to pay $300,000 and to admit that the Mancow program had at times violated FCC regulations.<ref>http://www.radiohottalk.com/radiohottalk/news/82004.shtml - Multiple media sources report that Emmis Communications has signed a consent decree with the FCC.</ref> In the meantime, Smith had petitioned FCC to deny the renewal of Emmis station licenses, including one for a station, WIBC-AM in Indianapolis, that did not broadcast Muller's program<ref>http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=124080&pt=archive">Decency Activist David Smith To FCC: Don’t Renew Emmis Licenses - 8-10-04</ref>&mdash;which was unsuccessful. Smith has maintained at least as recently as 2006 that he continues to monitor Muller's radio program for objectionable material. == Cowboy Ray == On [[November 20]], [[2005]], Ray Hofstatter, aka Cowboy Ray, a 45 year old [[mentally challenged]] frequent caller and guest on ''Mancow's Morning Madhouse'', was struck by a car in a [[hit-and-run]] accident and critically injured. Ray died shortly after his life support was terminated on [[January 11]], [[2006]]. During the month that followed, an allegedly devastated Muller offered a $23,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the faceless culprit, but was unsuccessful. The hit-and-run case of Cowboy Ray was featured on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]'s ''[[America's Most Wanted]]'' television show on [[February 25]], [[2006]]. {{As of|2008}}, the driver responsible has still not been found. ==Controversies== For many years, the show hosted a plethora of unusual contests in which listeners would be subject to humiliating ordeals, such as eating [[cat food]] and other disgusting items. On other occasions, the show would use contestants to play pranks on Chicago businesses, walking into a [[China|Chinese]] [[dry cleaner]] with a bloodstained shirt while feigning anguish over a supposed murder. Other contests were designed to scare passersby, such as "[[Grand Theft Auto]]" where contestants would be issued car keys, and instructed to find an expensive [[automobile]] which would preferably be parked on a busy Chicago intersection. However, only one of the keys would actually work. Even so, a contestant could win the car without the proper key by pretending to be a car thief to an uninformed observer. === Fred Durst incident === After [[Wes Borland]] left Limp Bizkit, [[Fred Durst]] was to be a judge in a [[Guitar Center]] competition allegedly to find the next guitarist for the band. Hundreds of people showed up to audition. Durst showed up late for the event, gave everybody in attendance the [[middle finger]], then promptly left. In response, Muller posted a photo on his website of Durst flipping off the guitarist competition audience and began periodic on-the-air anti-Durst rants.<ref name="mtv001">[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1474912/20030728/limp_bizkit.jhtml?headlines=true Durst Gets Booed, Walks Offstage - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> For a full week leading up to [[Limp Bizkit]]'s Summer Sanitarium 2003 concert in Chicago, Muller continually [[mock]]ed Durst on his radio show<ref name="mtv001" /> and invited listeners to attend the concert with anti-Durst placards.<ref name="db001">db Magazine Industry News. http://www.dbmagazine.com.au/315/industry.html</ref> When Muller's fans complied by showing up with the placards, openly taunting the singer, booing him and pelting him with refuse, Durst erupted into a profanity-laced homophobic tirade and left the stage only 17 minutes into the show. Durst was eventually sued for breach of contract (for not completing the show) by Chicago lawyer Michael Young in a [[class-action suit]].<ref name="bbc099">{{citeweb|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3178492.stm|title="Fans sue Limp Bizkit over walkout"|author=Staff|date=2003-10-09|publisher=''[[BBC News]]''|accessdate=2008-04-03|}}</ref> === Jim Norton incident === Comedian [[Jim Norton (comedian)|Jim Norton]] appeared on Muller's Chicago radio show as a child molester character to be chastised by Muller and his crew.<ref name="fmqb">[http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=379099 FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Rather than presenting this as a comedy piece, Norton was asked by the show's host to perform in dramatic character. === Howard Dean incident === On [[December 6]], [[2005]], Muller drew controversy when he vilified [[Howard Dean]] on [[Fox News Channel]]'s ''[[Fox & Friends]]'', referring to Dean as "vile", "bloodthirsty", and "evil". He also commented on Dean's negative opinions on [[2003 invasion of Iraq|the War in Iraq]], calling Dean a traitor that "ought to be kicked out of America" and "tried for treason".<ref name="media001">[http://mediamatters.org/items/200512070002 Title: Fox & Friends guest "Mancow" Muller: Dean is "bloodthirsty," "vile," "evil," "ought to be kicked out of America" and "tried for treason"]</ref> === Janet Dahl incident === In 1999, Janet Dahl, the wife of Chicago talk radio host [[Steve Dahl]], filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Muller over lewd comments Muller made about her on his show. In 2001, the case was settled out of court. Although the terms of the deal were not disclosed, it reportedly reached seven figures.<ref name="CST123189">{{Citation | last = Feder | first = Robert | author-link = | last2 = | first2 = | author2-link = | title = Dreck, lies and videotape: On the air in '89 | newspaper = [[Chicago Sun-Times]] | pages = 1 | year = 1989 | date = [[1989-12-31]] | url = }}</ref> === Foundation For Responsible Radio === In 2007, following the [[KDND|"Hold Your Wee for a Wii" Controversy]] Muller claimed to start the Foundation For Responsible Radio, calling for the end of "[[voyeuristic]] radio", a style of radio he has been known for in the past. He also released a list a [[commandments]] for radio personalities, many of which he has broken on his own show in the past. Both led to heavy criticism from others in radio including [[Opie and Anthony]], [[Don and Mike]] and [[Bubba the Love Sponge]]. === Fox Chicago Morning News Interview === On Monday June 2, 2008, Mancow made a special appearance on an early morning news program of [[WFLD]] the Chicago affiliate of FOX. Mancow was asked to give his opinions on the Democratic Primary, in particular Barack Obama. Mancow claimed that [[Barack Obama]] is a closet [[Muslim]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] had secret information about a video tape showing Michelle Obama in a racist tirade. Mancow insisted this was why Hillary Clinton was remaining in the race, as the alleged video tape would presumably harm Barack Obama's candidacy. Mancow went on to claim that he was going to meet the Pope in November 2008 and that he was going to visit to Israel as an official guest of the Israeli government. According to him, his meeting with the Pope was arranged by Cardinal [[Joseph Bernardin]] (Cardinal Bernardin died in 1996). After this, the news anchors tried to end the interview.<ref name="June 2, 2008 [[Steve Dahl]] Show Podcast Hour 4">[http://www.bejacksfriend.com/index.php?go=stevedahl_podcast - Steve Dahl Show June 2, 2008 Podcast Hour 4]</ref><ref name="Steve Dahl Show Log June 2, 2008; 7:52-7:55 and 8:15-8:30">[http://dahl.com/show_logs/2008/06/02.asp - Steve Dahl Show June 2, 2008 Show Log 7:52-7:55, 8:15-8:30]</ref> == Personal life == Since [[February 14]], [[2003]], Muller has been married to Sandy Ferrando, a former [[publicist]]. He also has twin daughters named Ava Grace and Isabella Sofia Muller. He is a [[libertarian]] and endorsed [[Wayne Allyn Root]] for the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]]'s 2008 United States presidential nomination. ==See also== *[[Mancow's Morning Madhouse]] ==References== {{refs|2}} {{Lifetime|1966|LIVING|Muller, Mancow}} [[Category:American libertarians]] [[Category:American talk radio hosts]] [[Category:Chicago radio personalities]] [[Category:People from Chicago, Illinois]] [[Category:People from Kansas City]] [[Category:University of Central Missouri alumni]] [[Category:German-Americans]] [[Category:Italian-Americans]] [[Category:Shock jocks]]'