| Genre | Comedy radio |
|---|---|
| Home station | KTLK 1150 AM in Los Angeles, California |
| Syndicates | Air America Radio |
| Hosted by | Marc Maron Jim Earl |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | Brendan McDonald Bill Kollar |
| Original release | February 28 – July 13, 2006 |
The Marc Maron Show was a late night radio show produced in affiliation with the Air America Radio network and hosted by comedian Marc Maron. The show originated from KTLK 1150 AM in Los Angeles, California. The show was less politically focused and more comedic than the other weekday programs on Air America. It featured interviews (both political and showbusiness), live comedy, and extensive banter between Maron and Jim Earl, Maron's co-host, who provides humorous introductions after each commercial break and plays several of the recurring characters in the show's skits.
The content of the show was a wide mix. Political segments and interviews similar to those on other shows on Air America were a regular fixture, with a slight focus away from the "topics of the day" towards a more general feel for the political landscape, and especially environmental, health-related chemical issues and religion. Also featured were interviews with authors, directors and writers, often of political or satirical works, and appearances by comics. The website of the show described it as having "a laid-back performance and interview style reminiscent of the Late Show with David Letterman or Late Night with Conan O'Brien, with an emphasis on culture and comedy". Comedy skits were a regular feature, with a variety of re-occurring skits and occasional one-off bits.
The show's inception came about following the ending of Morning Sedition, Air America's original "morning drive" show. Maron's contract for the show was not renewed, so he moved back from New York to Los Angeles (where he lives). There KTLK set up The Marc Maron Show, since it had become evident following outcries to Air America by a small but committed fan base that there was an audience for his style of radio. As such, it shared many common characters and themes with Morning Sedition. In addition to Jim Earl also moving to Los Angeles to join the show and bringing all of his segments (Mort Mortensen's Weekly Remembrance, Cardinal Milf Milfington's Rapture Watch, War on Brains, etc.), the show also features Kent Jones's Lawton Smalls character occasionally. Maron's "Short Order News" is a similar vehicle for topical jokes to the "Morning Sedition Cliff Notes" from Morning Sedition.
The show launched on February 28, 2006, and was broadcast "Live" from the Marc Graue Voice Over Studios in Burbank, California, until July 13, 2006, originally aired live only on KTLK. From its beginning the show was part of Air America's paid podcasting service. The show was officially scheduled from 1AM - 3AM ET. Due to contractual issues at KTLK, the show was frequently delayed by Los Angeles Clippers broadcasts and postgame shows during the basketball season. As of April 10, 2006, the show moved to being pre-recorded between 5PM - 7PM PT. Syndication by Air America was scheduled to start on April 17, 2006, but changes in the AAR management team delayed that event. Talks between Maron and AAR management continued, according to Maron, and because the management team refused to syndicate the show, Maron chose to exercise an escape clause in his contract when the syndication clause was not honored.