Exactly two years ago, WIAD canceled The Tommy Show. Now longtime DC broadcasters Kelly Collis and Tommy McFly have built something that resembles their own radio station.
They’ve rebranded their “Tommy Show” digital platform, which they launched independently to continue broadcasting their morning show last year as “Real. Fun. DC.,” and they’ve added five shows to their broadcast schedule, which is available via app, smart speakers, and podcast. The new shows include: Industry Night, hosted by longtime DC-area food influencer Nycci Nellis; Real. Fun. Sports. With Courtney Laughlin, the NBC Sports Washington analyst (Collis will co-host; “I believe is the first sports show anchored by two women in this area,” McFly says); Yes Another Podcast, hosted by former Tommy Show street team member Carlos Rice; Neeks at Night, a music show hosted by DJ Neekola; and Unplugged Alarm Clock, an early morning show that will feature acoustic and live tracks.
The Tommy Show will receive its own rebrand and be known as The Tommy + Kelly Show, a rebrand that McFly tells Washingtonian is “about damn time.”
Their idea, the two say, is to augment their morning broadcast with voices that represent “different experiences and different views,” McFly says. They’ll provide production services and coaching to the shows and split sponsorship revenue with them. Advertisers, Collis says, “are asking for more diversity and different points of view than what The Tommy Show could deliver.” The two plan to add staff to support the effort, and see events as another avenue to build audience as soon as the pandemic ends.
The pandemic, Collis says, allowed the pair to refine and execute their ambition to expand their platform this way. “It was like the stars aligned,” she says. “Tommy and I were a little less busy.” The crisis also helped other hosts realize they could operate completely digitally, McFly says. The pair say they’re “actively looking” for other shows to join their lineup.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
