The Catholic Guy
| Genre | Talk, religious, entertainment |
|---|---|
| Running time | 2 hours (5 p.m.–7 p.m. ET, Monday–Thursday; 11 a.m.–1 p.m. ET, Friday) |
| Country |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | The Catholic Channel (Sirius XM 129) |
| Starring | Lino Rulli Father Rob Keighron |
| Producer(s) | Father Rob Keighron Scott Shea |
| Air dates | since December 4, 2006 |
| Opening theme | "My Hero" by Foo Fighters |
| Website | The Catholic Guy |
| Podcast | The Catholic Guy Podcast |
The Catholic Guy is a radio talk show currently aired on The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM Radio, a subscription-based satellite radio service, since December 4, 2006. It is hosted by Lino Rulli (Emmy Award-winning Catholic personality) and Rob Keighron (Roman Catholic priest). The Catholic Guy show discusses life, religion, and theology in a humorous fashion through the eyes of an average Catholic guy (Lino Rulli).[1]
The show was recognized by The New York Times for its spontaneity and ability to sound like catechism class one minute and The Howard Stern Show the next.[2]
Contents |
History[edit]
It was first announced in May 2006 that The Catholic Channel would come to Sirius Satellite Radio later that year; the channel's purpose was to spread the word in a new way.[3] It then was announced that Emmy Award-winning television host Lino Rulli would host the afternoon drive show (4–7 PM Eastern) on the new channel.[4] The first broadcast of the show was on December 6, 2006 with Rulli alongside producer Maureen McMurray, technical director Lou Ruggieri, and phone screener Tom Falcone. Frequent appearances were also made by program director Ron Astorino. Father Jim Chern also began to appear frequently after his well reception from playing the game "Push-ups for Prayers".
In 2008 Falcone was the first of the original four crew members to depart from the show. Christine Stern/Lloyd became the new phone screener until 2009. McMurray left later that year to pursue a career with NPR. The show was then introduced to Rob Keighron, who first appeared as a guest but began making weekly appearances. Ryan Stewert briefly filled the producer void in 2008, followed by Jared Rizzi until he departed in 2009. McMurray went on to return to the show in September 2009. Rulli described the show as being back to "the way it was ever meant to be" with himself, Ruggieri, and McMurray broadcasting together until 2011.
In April 2011, Rulli announced that long-time assistant producer/technical director Lou Ruggieri would depart from the show. Ryan Grant was hired in May to work alongside McMurray as assistant producer. Less than a month after Grant was hired, McMurray again left the show. Rulli and Grant continued to broadcast each day with frequent appearances by Father Rob Keighron. It was announced in September 2011 that Keighron would join the show full-time and serve as co-host alongside Rulli as well as co-producer. Grant left the show in late 2011 and was replaced by current co-producer Scott Shea. In late 2012, the show moved to its current time slot, live Monday–Thursday from 5–7 PM Eastern, and Friday from 11 AM–1 PM Eastern.
Show content and format[edit]
The Catholic Guy consist of an average "Catholic guy" (Rulli) and an ordained Catholic priest (Keighron) discussing both current events and personal religious issues in a humorous (and sometimes off-color) light. The show generally begins with Rulli discussing something on his mind, followed by callers' input and opinions. This usually leads into many different segments, which can be caller input discussions, games in which callers can win religious prizes, or in-studio guests. The show has featured a relatively small number of guests during its six year run, with notable guests appearing once every few months on average.
Opening theme music[edit]
- "My Hero" by Foo Fighters (2011–present)
- "Soul Bossa Nova" by Quincy Jones (2006–2011)
Cast, crew and guests[edit]
Current crew members[edit]
- Lino Rulli – host (2006–present)
- Father Rob Keighron – weekly guest (2008–2011); co-host/co-producer (2011–present)
- Scott Shea – co-producer (2011–present)
Weekly and periodic guests[edit]
- Mark Hart (Catholic author, Executive Vice President of Life Teen, host of "Fired Up" on The Catholic Channel) – weekly guest (2007–present)
- Kayla Riley (host on Sirius XM's Octane, Ozzy's Boneyard & The Message Amped) – weekly guest (2007–present)
- Father Jim Chern ("America's Favorite College Campus Minister"/chaplain at Montclair State University) – periodic guest (2007–present)
- Father Jonathan Morris (program director) – periodic guest (2012–present)
Past crew members and guests[edit]
- Ryan Grant – co-producer (2011)
- Maureen McMurray – producer (2006–2008, 2009–2011)
- Lou Ruggieri – technical director (2006–2009); assistant producer (2009–2011)
- Krista D'Amore – intern (Summer 2010)
- Ron Astorino – program director (2006–2009)
- Jared Rizzi – producer (2008–2009)
- Christine Stern (aka Christine Lloyd) – phone screener (2008–2009)
- Tom "the Bird" Falcone – "Professional Phone Answerer" (2006–2008)
- Emily Dunning – intern (Summer 2008)
- Ryan Stewart – producer (2008)
- Josh – producer (2006)
Recurring segments[edit]
Notable guests[edit]
Although Rulli often states he does not like having guests on the show, below is a list of notable guests:
- John L. Allen, Jr. – journalist
- Kurt Angle – professional wrestler
- Mark Burnett – television producer
- Jim Caviezel – actor
- Tom Cotter – comedian
- Tom Coughlin – football coach
- Gary Dell'Abate – radio producer
- Roma Downey – actress/producer/singer
- Emilio Estevez – actor/director/writer
- Joe Eszterhas – screenwriter
- Kirk Franklin – singer/author
- Andy García – actor
- Newt Gingrich – former Speaker of the House
- Mark-Paul Gosselaar – actor
- Bear Grylls – television presenter/writer
- Vinny Guadagnino – television personailty/actor
- Derek Jeter – professional baseball player
- Sugar Ray Leonard – professional boxer
- Cheech Marin – comedian/actor/writer
- Ed McMahon – comedian
- Chazz Palminteri – actor/writer
- Vincent Pastore – actor
- Dennis Quaid – actor
- Al Roker – weatherman/actor/author
- Mike Rowe – reality television host
- John Schneider – actor/singer
- Paul Shaffer – musician/actor
- Martin Sheen – actor/political activist
- Joseph Simmons – rapper/reverend
- Tom Sizemore – actor/producer
- Mark Wahlberg – actor
- Nik Wallenda – daredevil
- George Wendt – actor
Special editions of The Catholic Guy[edit]
The Catholic Guy broadcast taped shows from Vatican Radio in Rome six times to date:
- December 3–7, 2007: celebrating the first anniversary of The Catholic Guy Show
- December 1–5, 2008: celebrating the second anniversary of The Catholic Guy Show
- July 19–23, 2010: week of broadcasts after the first listener pilgrimage (to Italy)
- April 29, 2011: celebrating the beatification of Pope John Paul II at the beginning of the second listener pilgrimage (to Greece and Turkey).
- October 24–27, 2011: week of broadcasts after the third listener pilgrimage
- February 16–17, 2012: a joint broadcast with The Busted Halo Show celebrating New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan's elevation to the College of Cardinals
- October 15–19, 2012: week of broadcasts during the sixth listener pilgrimage, with listeners in studio.
- March 18–22, 2013: week of broadcasts during the seventh listener pilgrimage, again with listeners in studio (these broadcasts also occurred just after the papal conclave).
The Catholic Guy also broadcast from these locations:
- March 31–April 2, 2008: live "Spring Break" broadcasts from the home studio of fellow Catholic Channel host Gus Lloyd in Tampa, Florida.
- October 2–3, 2009: live broadcasts from the campus of the University of Notre Dame in conjunction with The Catholic Channel's annual contest to win a trip to a Fighting Irish game.
- December 2–6, 2009: live broadcasts from the "Seven Deadly Sins Suite" at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to celebrate the show's third anniversary.
- February 15–17, 2010: live broadcasts from New Orleans to cover Mardi Gras celebrations leading up to Ash Wednesday.
- September 27–29, 2010: live broadcasts from Lino's parent's house in St. Paul, Minnesota to celebrate the official declaration of "Lino Rulli Day" in both St. Paul and Minneapolis.
- November 30–December 4, 2010: live broadcasts from the "Seven Deadly Sins Suite" at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to celebrate the show's fourth anniversary.
- August 16–19, 2011: taped one-hour shows from World Youth Day celebrations in Madrid, Spain
- December 1–2, 2011: live broadcasts from San Diego (12/1) and Los Angeles (12/2) to celebrate the show's fifth anniversary.
- March 5–7, 2012: live broadcasts from a lodge in Saskatchewan, Canada, where Lino was staying while participating in a retreat with priests from the Diocese of Saskatoon.
- April 27, 2012: live broadcast from a former convent in Missoula, Montana where Lino was speaking at events to raise funds for Catholic schools in the area.
- June 8, 2012: live two-hour broadcast with The Catholic Channel program director Father Jonathan Morris from Galway, Ireland.
- September 21–22, 2012: more live broadcasts from University of Notre Dame campus, this time covering the Notre Dame-Michigan football rivalry game (with Father Jonathan Morris).
- February 11–15, 2013: a week of live broadcasts from multiple locations in Texas for listener appreciation week.
Rulli has also occasionally hosted the show from other special events, such as Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United States in 2008 and the New York City Columbus Day Parades in 2009 and 2010.
The show was put on temporary hiatus in March 2013 for the papal conclave. Before and during the conclave, Rulli hosted a special show titled Holy Smokes: The Road to the Papacy from Vatican City with Father Dave Dwyer, fellow Catholic Channel host. Father Rob Keighron also hosted the Papal Election Show from New York City, recapping each day's conclave news alongside Tom Leopold (also a Catholic Channel host).
References[edit]
- ^ "Sirius Radio Catholic Channel Program Guide". Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ Vitello, Paul (13 July 2008). "For Catholics, an On-Air Mix of Sacred and Silly". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
- ^ Luo, Michael (16 May 2006). "Sirius to Begin a Catholic Channel". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ^ Colon, Alicia (10 October 2006). "Time To Praise, Not Backstab, Cardinal Egan". The New York Sun. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
