He is best known as a radio satirist and the host of The Phil Hendrie Show, nationally syndicated radio show, heard on about 100 stations, that is driven by his cast of fictional characters, all of whom he created and plays on air. As host, Hendrie sets up a topic and discusses it with one of his characters who seamlessly takes the discussion beyond obvious social parameters. Feeding the circle of social satire are the callers who are real and genuinely passionate about what Hendrie’s “guest” is saying. Loyal fans enjoy being in on the ruse as Hendrie orchestrates a parody of his own profession – talk radio.
Hendrie was born in Pasadena, California and grew up in Arcadia, California. He was a disc jockey for 15 years before transitioning into talk radio. His first job as a disc jockey was at WBJW 1440 AM in Winter Park, Fla., a suburb of Orlando from 1973–1975. From 1976 to 1988, Hendrie was a DJ at various music stations in cities such as New Orleans, La., Utica, NY, Miami, Fl., and San Diego, CA.
In 1989, he moved to Los Angeles to make his debut in Talk radio as a weekend host at KFI-AM 640.
In 1990 he made the move to KVEN in Ventura, Calif., where he introduced his first fictional character on air – an Iraqi, Raj Feenan. The Gulf War was happening and Feenan vociferously defended Saddam Hussein. Thinking he was a real person, listeners went ballistic and the phones lit up. An entire cast of characters would evolve from that moment on, marking Hendrie’s place in radio history.
In October 1996 Hendrie went back to KFI AM 640 to host his new and innovative “The Phil Hendrie Show” daily.
Hendrie’s popularity resulted in the radio show going national in 1999 via Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications. In February 2005, Hendrie’s flag ship station, KFI AM 640, moved him to sister station XTRA Sports 570 AM, a sports talk radio station also based in Los Angeles. The show remained nationally syndicated on 100 radio stations until 2006.
On April 27, 2006, Hendrie announced he was leaving radio to pursue his acting career on a full-time basis. At the time, he was working as an actor on NBC’s sitcom “Teachers.” His acting resume already included film and television roles in Trey Parker’s and Matt Stone’s motion picture, Team America: World Police, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Richard Appel’s A.U.S.A., and Judd Apatow’s North Hollywood. He also starred in Steve Levitan’s Phil Hendrie and wrote, executive produced and starred in Phil at the Gate, as well as performing a myriad of character voices on several episodes of the animated television shows “King of the Hill” and “Futurama.”
The last live broadcast of “The Phil Hendrie Show” was June 23, 2006.
Hendrie continues to act and has since had roles on several television shows such as Giants of Radio, The Replacements, Three Strikes, Mike Birbiglia’s Secret Public Journal, David Mamet’s The Unit, Fox’s Napoleon Dynamite, ABC’s Modern Family and Fox’s New Girl. His recent motion picture work includes roles in Semi-pro and Last Call.
On June 4, 2007, it was announced that Phil Hendrie would return to radio June 25, 2007 from 10 PM to 1 AM PST via national syndicator, Talk Radio Network (TRN) with shows airing nationally Monday through Friday on 100 radio stations. It was a straight talk show he did until September 14, 2009, when he welcomed back his cast of characters, bringing back his original brand of radio theater that’s unmatched in the industry. “Radio needs alternative programming, like my show, now more than ever,” said Hendrie. “Having the advantage of communicating compelling and outrageous points of view through these characters is an opportunity no other host has.”
On Saturday, November 20, 2010, KFI AM 640 in Los Angeles announced that Phil Hendrie and his cast of voices were joining the station’s weekend line up. Heard Saturdays from 7-1pm, Hendrie did a local show for the station, while doing his national show Monday through Friday. His national show airs on KFI’s sister station, KTLK AM.
On February 23, 2012, Hendrie announced to his fans via Twitter and www.PhilHendrieShow.com that February 25, 2012 would be his last KFI/640 Los Angeles show. He continues his national show on more than 100 stations, including KTLK AM 1150 Los Angeles, via Talk Radio Network.
Hendrie said, “This was not an easy decision because I’m going to miss everyone at KFI big time. However, doing a show like mine six days a week is murder. With the acting work cranking up and my obligation to TRN, something had to give.”
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