Another piece of the Nov. 9 Philly EDGE cover story on WMMR's Preston and Steve.- ED

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by Ryan Alan

You want brotherly love in Philly?
Then welcome to the Haunted Whore Ride!
Glance up the street. Here it comes, tooling its way toward you.
A flatbed truck filled with hay never looked this good. And, man, is it ready to rock!
It’s the Friday before Halloween and no horrors – and, truth be told, no whores either – are in sight.
The strippers, though, hired by the radio station for some on-air fun, are sitting pretty on top of the hay.
Rumor has it they have in mind lap dancing for some lucky listeners.
Is Howard Stern up to his old tricks again?
Try Preston & Steve, morning wake-up hosts at WMMR-FM, Philadelphia, and, according to some observers, the guys about to be THE TEAM in Philly when Stern gets serious with Sirius satellite radio in January.
Co-host Preston Elliot says he really is in no hurry to see the King of All Media go.
"We are confident and happy going into January," he says, as his partner Steve Morrison prepares a promo behind him in the studio.
"We are not changing anything. We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing because it’s working."
It’s an exciting time, he says.
"We’ve narrowed the gap to Stern, the closest to any show that’s ever been up against him in Philly. Our momentum could pass him in the 18-34 (male and female) demographic,” Elliot says.
"We will technically have a good portion of the fall (ratings) book when he is still around. If the momentum is right, we’ll take that spot before he leaves."
It certainly helps that his partner, Morrison, happens to be "the funniest person I’ve ever met," says Elliot. "We also have great interviewing skills, a great rapport with listeners and interesting things to talk about."
He believes they’ve put together a solid team.
"The radio station that supports us is amazing, and we have a good time every day on the air. We are having fun and that shows."
Elliot says he does not want to jinx anything, but he personally feels he is doing better than he’s ever done in his career. "The city seems to be responding to us. The listeners’ love has just been outpouring," he says.
Elliot says the feedback he is receiving is that he and Morrison are funny.
"That’s the bottom line," he says. "People enjoy listening to the show, they get a laugh and it kind of brightens their day a little bit. We are good people, not egomaniacs. People like listening to us. Somehow we became a real part of their lives, which is what I love. It’s what I’ve always wanted in my career, and now I’m achieving it."
The Preston & Steve Show is conversational, pop-culture driven, he says. We take a “Conan approach” as opposed to “Leno approach," he explains.
The tone of the show is "little bit edgy," he says.
That little matter of the Haunted Whore Ride is an example, and there was the occasion they had to reprimand an intern (male) with some hot sauce as he bent over in full naked mooning position.
That’s not something that happens every day, Elliot says. "When it does happen we make it count," he adds through laughter.
Preston and Steve don’t consider themselves necessarily any less tame that Stern.
Their topics of conversation can sometimes lead in an edgy and, he says, taboo direction. "But we’re not insanely blatant about it. We like to walk the line and use euphemisms instead of blatantly saying ‘fuck,’ which we can’t anyway. I don’t consider Howard as over the top edgy as some people make him out to be."
Elliot recognizes that the show, because of its rock format, tone and primary demographic, is seen, or rather has been viewed before WYSP’s format change to talk, as direct competition to Stern.
Stern, though, tends to draw an audience from many formats, he explains. "People might listen to Howard in the morning and return to the comfort of their smooth jazz or Top 40 station in the afternoon."
Elliot feels confident that WMMR has the support of rock music fans in Philly. "There’s a little bit of a hole that has opened now," he says. Less than a year ago, he adds, there were three choices for current-based rock music. Now two (WYSP and Y-100) are gone. "There were four when I started," he says.
He still finds Philadelphia a good competitive radio market. "It makes it interesting to come to work everyday," he says.
With Stern leaving, there is a potential to gain new fans, Elliot says. "We are hoping that happens."
He thinks people, simply out of human nature, will look around a little bit and see what’s going on in the market.
"They might like what they hear at ’YSP and stay there. I imagine the majority will do a little more punching of the dials and look around."
Stern had a very loyal audience, Elliot says, more loyal to Howard than the station.
Now it remains to be seen if those listeners choose to buy satellite radio to continue to follow him.
Elliot agrees that Stern’s impact has been "pretty amazing."
"When Infinity was trying to scramble for a replacement for Stern, I think they forgot how good he is. If their goal is to find someone to replace that and emulate the raunchier side of his show, they are in for a rude awakening. Howard is very funny, a great interviewer, a smart man who can talk about politics, world events, pop culture and isn’t just always doing, ‘Let me put my head between those boobs.’ Not everyone has his kind of talent."
Elliott says he doesn’t know if Infinity will be able to find one anchor show that will cover the entire country the way he did. "Unless they want Preston & Steve to do it," he adds, laughing.
Stern’s accomplishments are such that he could "stop right now and never do it again," Elliot suggests. "He is at a point in his career where he wants more freedom, he likes doing radio and it’s in his blood. Rather than stick around on terrestrial and feel like he is being held back, he can go spread his wings and do whatever."
The question of to what extent people will respond remains unanswered. "Will people go buy satellite by the millions? It could happen. But it may not. We don’t know," Elliot says.
There is a growing interest in the new medium, he acknowledges.
"I’m just happy terrestrial radio always will have a home, as long as people want to hear about what’s going on in their area, and local advertisers want to spend money to advertise their product. Local advertisers won’t advertise on a national scale. They can’t afford to spend the money and it doesn’t make sense."
Elliot says he has not spoken to anyone who is panicking yet. "We are already in a line of work where focus groups and ratings decide your fate quarterly. You’re already asking yourself, ‘Am I gonna have a job?’” He laughs.
"I just think growth in any way is a good thing and this could turn out to be a great thing for radio. Who knows, as far as expansion of satellite and things like that?"
Technology continues to make advancements on many fronts, he reminds.
The introduction of MP3s, for example, is forcing the recording industry to deal with new music delivery systems.
"The music industry is changing and it hasn’t had a change like this in a long time," he says. "All forms of media are having big changes. Digital video recording is changing television somewhat. You have to ride along. There will be casualties along the way. Hopefully, if you can keep your wits about you, you won’t be one of them."