There never was a radio station under the letter 'H'
Now, in the long list of stations operated by Rogers Radio, there is an 'H' - for the new Humble and Fred.com show that is being carried online by several of the Rogers' stable of radio stations across the country.
In a unique and somewhat experimental move, Rogers has signed up the former terrestrial radio jocks, and it will become a distributor for their eponymous and self-produced podcasts and digital media programming.
Rogers calls it "one of the best radio shows not on the radio", and it has inked a deal to make Humble and Fred.com available to Canadian listeners through select radio websites and companion mobile devices, via the Rogers Radio app.
Julie Adam, VP of Programming for Rogers Radio, says "It's like having another Rogers radio station that lives solely in the digital space."
Humble and Fred say...
Well, what they say in some cases cannot be printed, published or broadcast!
That's one of the reason they launched their own podcast and program on the Internet (which began appearing regularly last October, following sporadic online initiatives and occasion content offerings).
Basically unemployed since 2006 (the pair has been on-air in separate and distinct roles) following more than ten years as a top morning show combo, the two are now creating their own shows each weekday, and there are plans for periodic live shows and video streaming.
What they can do in an Internet environment now is much different than what is allowed in a mainstream, regulated broadcast environment.
It's not just the four letter words, although they are there and in your face.
"What can we do now that we couldn't on terrestrial radio?" Humble asks rhetorically, setting up his own punchline: "Anything we want!"
"If we find it interesting, we can run with it," he explained, during a phone interview with Mediacaster and Broadcaster Magazines. "We now can have an hour-long conversation with someone, instead of a BS five minute interview."
Using as an example a recent program on which businessman, politician, civic leader and fellow broadcaster John Tory appeared, Humble described how they were able to go to some different places in their conversation, places that Tory himself later noted on his own show that he doesn't often visit or talk about.
There is some music on the show, not a lot, often based on a guest or topic of interest, or just something the guys have heard and they like.
That ability to steer and control the content opens up the show to some hidden talents the pair brings to their own table now. Interviewing skills, for one, skills that are not often required when only doing nine-second intros to song after song after song.
"This really is a revolution in the way we can think about radio," says Howard Glassman, the voice behind the radio persona Humble Howard. "It's an alternative radio experience now, featuring raw uncensored commentary, news, fresh music, exclusive special guests and just the right amount of fart jokes."
Well, that, uhh, delicate balance seems to have struck a chord among listeners - and distributors.
"We thought the show was a pretty good product three months ago," Fred Patterson says. "We thought we were better than basement show, and we had some success early on, but now this (deal with Rogers) takes down another avenue...we get instant credibility!"
Or, maybe reheated.
Humble and Fred have been part of the Canadian radio landscape for more than 30 years, after all.
Glassman started his career in his hometown, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, before moving to Vancouver, Montreal and then Toronto. Patterson has worked exclusively in Toronto.
The Humble and Fred Show became the morning show at 102.1 The Edge in 1989 where they were voted the best morning show in Canada four times by the Canadian Music Industry.
So the online program's early success should not be a surprise - in just its first week as a downloadable podcast only, more than 130,000 people hit the button to get the show.
That's still a hook now, as visitors to one of 19 different Rogers Radio websites can tune in and catch up with Humble and Fred "with a single button click".
Julie Adam says the selection of stations was much like a movie casting session - trying to find the right talent, for the right role, in the right context.
"There are lots of great actors, but certain roles are better and more appropriate for them than others," she elaborated. "Entertainment is made up of many different styles; doing it one way on one station doesn't mean you have to do it the same way on all stations, or on mobile or online.
"The key question is, 'Is it going to be entertaining to the audience? It's a fit and feel thing, and while some shows fit well at some stations, they might not at others. We went through our roster and 'cast' Humble and Fred where their style and content fit best."
Assessing where that best fit is will take some time, and that is fine with all concerned.
Gaining bigger audiences is certainly a goal for both Rogers and Humble and Fred, and with some app download, audio stream and website tracking numbers, that fit-and-feel match between content and audience - star and role - will be made more concrete.
Monetizing the content, and getting more sponsors and advertisers, is surely a goal, and while Patterson says "No one is being paid now, we hope that will change."
There's where mainstream and alternative media intersect.
Or one place, as Patterson described.
"I was listening to traffic reports on a terrestrial radio station, when up comes a spot for these guys doing a basement podcast show - us! Then, I'm at the Sportsnet website, and there's a banner ... for us!"
He adds that TV spots are being created, running when avails allow.
So the real intersection of old and new media -- of mainstream and alternative -- is right there, under the letter H, for the Humble and Fred.com show.