Ron & Don Show
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox radio show
|show_name = Ron & Don Show
|image =
|imagesize =
|caption =
|other_names =
|format = Variety Talk Show
|runtime = 4 hours
|country = {{USA}}
|language = English
|home_station = FM 97.3 KIRO:
Puget Sound region, Washington
|syndicates =
|television =
|presenter = Ron Upshaw
Don O'Neill
|starring =
|announcer =
|creator = Ron Upshaw
Don O'Neill
|writer =
|director =
|senior_editor =
|editor =
|producer =
|exec_producer = Tina Nole
Jen Andrews
Carolyn Branson
Katie Sprenger
Janel Koval
Jason Stein
Libby Denkmann
|narrated =
|rec_location = 97.3 KIRO-FM Headquarters Seattle, Washington
{{coord|47|38|8|N|122|19|29|W|region:US-WA_type:landmark|name=KIRO studios}}
|first_aired = May 2006
|last_aired = January 2019
|num_series =
|num_episodes =
|audio_format = Monaural Sound (Mono)
|opentheme =
|othertheme =
|endtheme =
|website = [http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=110 www.mynorthwest.com]
|podcast =
}}
The Ron and Don Show was a talk radio show in Seattle, Washington. It aired on 97.3 KIRO FM from 3:00-7:00 pm (Pacific Time) weekdays. The show was hosted by Ron Upshaw and Don O'Neill. The show's cancellation was announced on January 11, 2019.
Hosts
=Ron Upshaw=
Ron Upshaw was born in Mount Vernon, Washington, and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He currently lives in Seattle.{{cite web |url=http://www.mynorthwest.com/?sid=64092&nid=154 |title=Meet Ron Upshaw of The Ron and Don Show |publisher=mynorthwest.com}} He enjoys beekeeping and has produced several instructional DVDs for beginning beekeepers.{{cite web |url=http://www.worldofbeekeeping.com/ |title=WorldOfBeekeeping.com |publisher=worldofbeekeeping.com}}
=Don O'Neill=
Don O'Neill was born outside Chicago and raised in New Mexico where he attended high school with Ron Upshaw. He lives in Seattle.{{cite web |url=http://www.mynorthwest.com/?sid=64096&nid=154 |title=Meet Don O'Neill of The Ron and Don Show |publisher= mynorthwest.com}}
Program
=History=
The show began as a weekend sports radio program on KJR-AM in 1995 before moving to San Francisco in 1997 where Upshaw and O'Neill hosted morning drive on KCTC.Susan Slusser, [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1997/07/04/SP12498.DTL&hw=DE+LA+HOYA+TICKET&sn=009&sc=172 "On the Air:`Ticket' Targets Gen X Market,"] San Francisco Chronicle, July 4, 1997.
While on the Flagship Station for the Oakland Raiders, Ron & Don hosted the Joe Bugel Show, The Tim Brown Show, and The Jon Gruden Show.
The show subsequently moved to Phoenix station KZZP-FM{{cite web |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2000/08/28/newscolumn3.html?page=2 |title=Channel 12 lands new morning show co-anchor |last1=Robertson |first1=Anne |date=August 27, 2000 |website=Phoenix Business Journal |publisher= |accessdate=May 8, 2013}} and then Dallas' KYNG-FM[http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=62269&pt=archive "KYNG Dallas Midday Team Fired During Charity Event,"] Radio Ink, October 8, 2001. In Dallas, Don O'Neill hosted the CBS Network shows on the Dallas Cowboy Radio Network with Drew Pearson and Charlie Waters for the 2001-2002 NFL season. Ron Upshaw hosted the pre and post-game shows at the first Dallas Cowboys home game after the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks.
The Ron & Don Show returned to Seattle in 2002 where they broadcast the morning show on former Hot Talk station KQBZ-FM.{{cite web |url=http://radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=76678&pt=archive |title=Ron & Don Set To Waken Seattle On KQBZ-FM |publisher=Radio Ink |date=March 4, 2002 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715145051/http://radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=76678&pt=archive |archivedate=July 15, 2011 }} After a stop at WKLQ in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Ron & Don Show settled briefly at KKND-FM in New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina destroyed the KKND transmitter. An opportunity to fill-in for KIRO-AM host Dave Ross led to a permanent assignment from 9:00pm to 1:00am in Seattle. In May 2006 their time slot was changed to afternoon drive from 3:00pm to 6:00pm.{{cite web |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/tv/268077_radiobeat27.html |title=On Radio: Dave Ross reclaims the morning talk-show host duties at KIRO |publisher=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=April 27, 2006}}
The program was live on-air at the time of the Seattle Jewish Federation shooting in 2006; KIRO-AM won a 2007 Edward R. Murrow Award for Spot News for its coverage of this incident.{{cite web |title=2007 EDWARD R. MURROW REGIONAL AWARD WINNERS |url=https://rtdna.org/content/2007_regional_edward_r_murrow_award_winners |website=Radio Television Digital News Association |accessdate=13 January 2019}} The show also received attention for fundraising efforts in response to Hurricane Katrina, in conjunction with the Seattle Seahawks and the Preservation Resource Center, including a live show from the front porch of a rebuilt New Orleans home.{{cite web |author=Dave Walker |url=http://blog.nola.com/davewalker/2008/04/live_from_new_orleans_its_seat.html |title=Live from New Orleans: It's Seattle talk radio! |publisher=New Orleans Times-Picayune blog post |date=April 10, 2008}}
In 2008, following the cancellation of KIRO's short-lived long-form newscast - "The Big Story with Tony Miner" - the Ron & Don Show was extended by an hour to its current time slot of 3:00pm to 7:00pm. As of winter 2008 the program was designated as the top rated radio show in its time slot in the Seattle-Tacoma market but in summer 2009, Arbitron's introduction of PPM's (Personal People Meters) dropped the now FM-only KIRO along with "Ron and Don" to approximately 15th in the market.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}}
The show was cancelled abruptly by KIRO and Bonneville on January 10, 2019, which came as a surprise to both listeners and station employees.{{cite news |last=Lacitis |first=Erik |date=January 12, 2019 |title=Not even a goodbye: KIRO abruptly cancels ‘The Ron & Don Show’ |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/not-even-a-goodbye-kiro-abruptly-cancels-the-ron-don-show/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 13, 2019}}
On May 17, 2019, the return of Ron and Don was announced on various Social media platforms. "As the radio tower dies… we now rise." Ron & Don Radio returned on Radio.com on May 27, 2019.{{cite news |last=Upshaw |first=Ron |date=May 17, 2019 |title=As the radio tower dies… we now rise |url=http://ronanddonradio.com/ |work=Ron and Don Radio |accessdate=May 17, 2019}}
=Guests=
Since returning to Seattle, show guests included Sig Hansen and Keith Colburn of television program "Deadliest Catch". Famous guests have included Jimmy Carter, Arianna Huffington, Colin Hanks and Bill Maher.[http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=243 "The Ron & Don Show - Guests"] at mynorthwest.com.
=Topics=
The program was a variety talk show, dealing with a mixture of sports, entertainment and news topics.
Awards
- The Ron & Don Show was voted Best Local Radio Show by the readers of Seattle Weekly in 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/bestof/2008/award/readers-reveal-the-citys-best-476931/|title=Readers Reveal the City's Best|date=August 5, 2008|website=Seattle Weekly|accessdate=May 8, 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203025117/http://www.seattleweekly.com/bestof/2008/award/readers-reveal-the-citys-best-476931/|archivedate=February 3, 2013}}
- Presented with the Citizen's Award by the Seattle Police Guild. "The Seattle Police Guild honored the Ron and Don Nation with a citizens award Wednesday for the money raised with Armed Around Our Officers and for the phone tips that helped capture Christopher Monfort."{{cite web |url=http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=185&sid=277118 |title=Ron and Don Nation receive citizen award |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=mynorthwest.com |publisher= |accessdate=May 8, 2013}}