The New Normal - The Return of Tom Leykis... Sort of

The New Normal - The Return of Tom Leykis... Sort of

Ever since going off the air earlier last year people have been wondering what he's up to or what he will do. Being that he's under CBS contract till 2012, so he can't do his show like he used to till another two years.

Well, that hasn't stopped Tom one bit. His very amazingly informative wine show "The Tasting Room", which every foodie or anyone interested in beer or wine should be listening to anyway airs on Thursday nights at 8 till 10 on AM 1260 which can also be streamed live and you can find a stream of the last episode on his latest venture.. The New Normal Network



Yes, that's right.. he created his own network.. What? Which currently has a countdown clock on it. It lead a lot to wonder what exactly is it count downing to? Here's the answer straight from Tom's own fingers..

The countdown has begun.

As you may know, I have created an audio content and radio syndication company called The New Normal.

Wednesday morning May 12th at 10 AM Pacific Time, The New Normal website goes live for the first time with the premiere of our first original production, and we would love for you to be a part of it.

Many listeners have been clamoring for me to make a return to hosting daily shows. That day will come.

In the meantime, we are proud to announce that our first daily podcast will be coming from two voices you know from our radio show.

Longtime producer and wingman, Gary Zabransky, and that tool of ignorance Dino DeMilio have reunited with me to bring you “The Gary & Dino Show”. These guys for years have been an integral part of “The Tom Leykis Show” and this daily podcast will be reflective of the sensibilities of our show from Gary & Dino’s own points of view.

“The Gary & Dino Show” launches with several episodes to get you started. Add it to your RSS feeds if you like. And be sure to give us your feedback!

The New Normal website is a perfect central location to learn about what we are doing next, to find ways to get and keep in touch, to let you know where we are on Facebook, Twitter, and our websites. You can go there beginning Wednesday morning at 10 AM Pacific time by clicking right here http://newnormalnetwork.com/ . When I come back, this is where you will hear about it first.

But that’s not all. The New Normal will be presenting all kinds of audio content. If what we currently present isn’t floating your boat, bookmark our site and keep checking back. Some content will be heard on radio as well as from our site. Some will be internet-only. Some of this stuff you will NEVER hear on radio (OR anywhere ELSE!).

If you own a small or medium size business, find out how to get in with us on the ground floor of this revolution. Details are on the newnormalnetwork.com website as well.

We are counting on you to help spread the word that we are open for business. Tell your friends to sign up for the mailing list. We are going to be breaking every rule of radio. We will do things you have always wanted us to do. There is no radio station or company in the way. You will communicate directly with us.

So are you ready? The old normal just isn’t working anymore. This is The New Normal!

Tom Leykis

The New Normal

Which makes a lot of sense considering how radio is starting to evolve to something you don't just listen to in your car... or aren't limited to what local stations you can listen to, according to this New York Times article.

THE Internet’s tentacles seem to have no limit, reaching out and strangling CDs, bookstores, newspapers and magazines. Now it has its sights set on the car radio.

Many people are already accustomed to plugging an iPod into the car to listen to their library of Arcade Fire tracks rather than CDs. But now there is a new movement that could really threaten traditional broadcast radio: Internet music services like Pandora, Slacker and Last.fm already popular with computer and smartphone owners, are being tailored by software developers, consumer electronics companies and even automakers to work more seamlessly with car stereo systems. So, while video didn’t end up killing the radio star, this time the Internet might just succeed.

The devices responsible for this trend are smartphones like Apple's iPhone, RIM’s line of BlackBerrys and phones using the Android software developed by Google. These handsets all have free applications that play customized music channels streamed over the Internet using the phone’s 3G wireless data connection. The services are generally free, although smartphone owners typically pay about $30 a month on top of regular voice service for unlimited data usage.

The attraction is that rather than being shackled to the same old hits from local radio stations, listeners can customize the music channel to suit their tastes. Pandora has about 750,000 songs and 40 million listeners. Put in the name of your favorite artist, say Chairlift, and Pandora creates a station that features Chairlift and similar groups, like Metric.

So pretty much if it streams, you can listen to it in your car. Hell, I stopped tuning around and since Tom has been off the air, I have limited myself to NPR news and rarely an instance of listening to some classic rock or kroq's "alternative" options.

So the idea that Tom Leykis' brand is reaching out and giving Dino and Gary Zabransky a show under his network is a clear sign that he's paving the way to a new and interesting future for the internet to reach your car and home listening options.



Not to toss another good example of a station format changing not limiting a show, Adam Corolla's podcast started almost as soon as the old station, 97.1FM which was home to both Tom Leykis and himself, changed format. He's been making huge waves. So Tom Leykis is nothing short of brilliant in striking while the iron is hot for this move to start an online/radio network.

I'm sure that other programs he backs up will have quality behind them that the possibly of radio stations getting it syndicated isn't out of the question, but to have the outlet in itself is a huge door opening in itself.

I know I'll be following these latest developments and listening in. Way to go Tom!