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Ron BenningtonAmerican radio host and comedian
Date of Birth: 31.12.1958
Country:  USA |
Content:
- American Radio Host and Comedian
- Ron and Ron (1987–1997)
- Ron and Fez (1997–2015)
- Bennington (2014–Present)
- Other Radio Ventures
- Disciples of Comedy
- Appearances
- Personal Life
American Radio Host and Comedian
Ron Bennington is an American radio host and comedian, currently co-hosting the "Bennington" show and hosting "Unmasked." He is also a former co-host of numerous radio shows, including "The Ron and Ron Show" and "The Ron and Fez Show with Fez Whatley."
Ron and Ron (1987–1997)
In 1986, Bennington opened Ron Bennington's Comedy Scene in Clearwater, Florida. He met Ron Diaz, whose radio show syndicated his club, and soon the two created the morning radio program "The Ron and Ron Show" on WYNF-FM in Tampa Bay, known as 95YNF. The show was a huge ratings success, and Ron and Ron, known as "The Bad Boys of Radio," partnered with their agent Ross Reback to form The Ron & Ron Radio Network to own and distribute the program. The show's final broadcast for WYNF was on March 12, 1993.
Reback became president and CEO of the newly formed network and quickly secured a deal for the show to broadcast in Miami, Orlando, and Jacksonville, with a dozen more markets soon following (including a new, more lucrative deal in Tampa). Ron Diaz announced his departure in early 1997, and on September 29, 1997, the show ended.
Ron and Fez (1997–2015)
Following the end of "The Ron and Ron Show," Bennington joined forces with Fez Whatley to create "The Ron and Fez Show." After stints in Daytona Beach, New York City, and Washington, D.C., the show aired from New York City (initially briefly titled "Ron and Fez dot com" as it featured discussions on websites) on 102.7 FM WNEW-FM from 2000–2003, and near the end of its run syndicated to additional FM stations until the station phased out its talk format, eventually moving to 106.7 FM WJFK-FM outside of Washington, D.C., where it aired live from 2003–2005, a station that had simulcast the show while based at WNEW since 2000.
Bennington and Whatley returned to New York and debuted on XM Satellite Radio on September 12, 2005. On April 1, 2015, Fez announced his retirement, with their final show airing on April 3.
Bennington (2014–Present)
In October 2014, he launched "Bennington" with his daughter Gail. The show initially aired on Opie with Jim Norton on Fridays from 7 to 10 AM while Opie and Norton were on vacation. In April 2015, following the retirement of Fez Whatley, "Bennington" began airing five days a week, in Ron and Fez's former time slot of 12 to 3 PM (as of April 2023, 12 to 2 PM), in addition to their Friday slot on Opie Radio.
Other Radio Ventures
"The Ron Bennington Interviews" is a weekend program on XM that replays various interviews conducted by Ron. The show airs on Sirius XM Indie.
In 2007, Bennington founded Unmasked, a one-on-one interview series that features comedy legends as well as established and up-and-coming comedic talent.
Disciples of Comedy
In the mid-1990s, Ron Bennington assembled a comedy troupe to tour the markets where "The Ron and Ron Show" aired. Ron Bennington's "Disciples of Comedy" featured several comedians who had previously toured as part of Sam Kinison's "Outlaws of Comedy." Disciples of Comedy included Ron Bennington, Carl LaBove, Jimmy Schubert, Mitchell Walters, Dan Carlson, Lou Angelwolf, Jeff Apploff, Ralph Williams, and Curtain Boy Warren Durso. The show also featured performances by Fez Whatley and Fast Eddie Yarber. The tour was produced by Jeff Apploff, Ross Rebeck, and The Ron & Ron Radio Network. The comedy tour sold out 2,000- to 3,000-seat theaters.
Along with Ross Reback, he co-owned Ron Bennington's Comedy Scene comedy club in Clearwater. One comic he is credited with "putting on the map" is Jim Breuer.
Appearances
Bennington is an avid cigar enthusiast and has also been featured in Cigar Magazine.
Bennington has a cupcake named after him at Molly's Cupcakes, described as a chocolate cupcake made with a combination of creamy peanut butter filling, chocolate ganache, and crushed Heath toffee bar topping. In 2008, it was Molly's top-selling cupcake.
In 2015, it was revealed at a Bennington show that an American racing greyhound had been named after Bennington and registered as "Ron Bennington." Owned by Melissa Scrivseth-Schmidt and Christopher Stracke, "Ron Bennington" began his racing career at Iowa Greyhound Park and ran his first official race at the Daytona Beach Kennel Club and Poker Room.
