John and Ken - Format

Format

The show is generally broadcast directly from the studios of KFI, with guests usually appearing on the show via telephone. There are occasional remote broadcasts to the site of news or to various political rallies. Also, KFI news reporters come on the show and expand on stories aired in the newscasts. The 5 p.m. hour is the most listened to hour of the show and is sometimes themed. The Political Human Sacrifice Hour, Hour of O.J., Michael Jackson Hour, Tookie Must Die for Murdering Four Innocent People, Tax Revolt, Heads on a Stick, and Waiting for Jerry hour appeared in this time slot. Currently the 5 p.m. hour is themed as "Tax Revolt 2012."

Themes of the show include the destruction of California by public sector trade unions, illegal immigration, corruption by politicians, increased taxes, and the criminal justice system. Celebrity gossip and weird news stories are also used to fill up the hour. Unlike other programs where the hosts may contrast each other, they generally agree on most issues. Kobylt tends to be more bombastic while Chiampou passively feeds Kobylt's anger. In a profile in the Atlantic Monthly about fellow talk show host John Ziegler, David Foster Wallace called Kobylt's voice "consistently snarling, dyspeptic, fed-up quality—a perfect aural analogue to the way drivers' faces look in jammed traffic", and concluded that Kobylt's rage was a "demagoguery of the most classic and unabashed sort."

Recurring features of the show include Chiampou's Friday movie review, where he grades one movie released that week on a 1-10 scale, with 10 being highest; the "Moist Line", which plays edited listener comments on a voice mail line; and John and Ken's Semi-Regular News Quiz, where callers compete to answer questions related to the past week's programming to win a small prize.

One regular segment that does accept significant caller participation is The Hour of Rage, where callers rant either about a topic selected by the host or do freeform rants. However, it is common for an entire show to pass without a call being taken from a listener.

Some of their most outrageous antics have taken place during high-profile criminal trials. Targets of their bombast have included O.J. Simpson, Scott Peterson, Robert Blake, and Michael Jackson. John Kobylt became nationally known when he stood in front of Scott Peterson's house with a bullhorn, demanding that Peterson give an interview. For several months the pair ran a 5 p.m. show called the "Tookie Must Die for Murdering Four Innocent People Hour," culminating on December 12, 2005, when they broadcast live outside of San Quentin Prison before the execution of Stanley Tookie Williams.

Kobylt and Chiampou were active during the David Westerfield trial. One notable quote by Kobylt was: "Hey, Westerfield, are you in there? Did you kill Danielle ?". Kobylt also tossed broccoli at jurors whom they felt were not swiftly convicting Westerfield. They also interviewed Danielle’s parents, Damon and Brenda van Dam.

Every night at 6:15 and 6:40 pm, they did a regular segment called "Driving It Home with John and Ken". In this segment, they talk with KTLA's Micah Ohlman (or a different anchor if Ohlman's not present) about that day's hot topic or watercooler stories. The 6:15 pm version is live on TV only, while the 6:40 pm version is live on both radio and TV. These segments were discontinued after the Whitney Houston incident.

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