The DC Metro Areas Best Sports Talk Radio Show: “The Junkies”

They call themselves “The Junkies” (FKA The Sports Junkies). A money local sports talk radio show, which started in 1996, consisting of four guys that all grew up together in the DC Metro area - Maryland to be exact.

They currently broadcast on 106.7 FM WJFK in DC, and 105.7 FM WHFS in Baltimore, from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., Monday thru Friday.

The thing I love about this show is the way the hosts interact. It’s almost like they are hanging out at a bar together, not just talking about sports, but their daily lives, along with many other entertaining topics.

They are just four real guys that knew each other growing up, having some fun. Since they grew up together, being able to find plenty of zings (as they call them) about each other isn’t hard.

Another great aspect of “The Junkies” is the interaction with their audience, not only during the show, but after. These guys do a lot of appearances. They are always out there at events, hanging out with their fans, getting them involved. They understand that if it wasn’t for the fans, they wouldn’t be where they are now.

Some of their most well known appearances include the Spring Break Party, which happened to be this past weekend, May 2, and Junkies Poker Open, their annual Texas Hold’em tournament at the Borgata in Atlantic City on May 21 (going on its 6th year!).

They’re also known for introducing their own interesting slang into the DC area. Words like pone, donkey, silly, rick, and hurting can all be heard on the show daily, as well as the local bars around this area.

I think this show has been so successful, and been on for as long as it has been, because they complement each other so well. They each have their own niche and bring their own style to the show.

Here’s a quick look at the four members of “The Junkies” and some fun facts about them.

John “Cakes” Auville

Cakes as the call him, or “Johnny Blanks” since having a vasectomy after his third child, is known best for being so silly with his wife Amy that they often have make-out sessions. He constantly gets jabbed at for being so affectionate towards her.

Who would have thought a married man could be so in love with his wife? Although Cakes had to leave his Manager job at Toy-R-Us to become a “Junkie”, he now at least gets to participate in cool dares like eating 15 hot dogs in 15 minutes, or staying in a coffin for two days (he won $2000 for that bet!).

This guys so addicted to caffeine, he often goes through 2 or 3 diet soda’s a show.

Eric “E.B.” Bickel

E.B. is probably best known as being the argumentative of the group. He’s always rick with someone, whether it’s about the Washington Redskins and how great of a team they will have this year if 15 different things happen, or something one of the other three “Junkies” said, like mainly John-Paul (“Don’t question me!!”).

He’s always up for a good fight, and that includes those unruly callers that don’t agree with him. Even know he had a stellar tennis career at DeMatha High School, he was never able to get to the next level, so he joined “The Junkies”.

He’s very passionate about the topics he discusses, and does his best to make sure you listen to his viewpoint, whether you like it or not.

Jason “Lurch” Bishop

They call him Lurch (from the show The Addams Family) because he’s 6’6”, but he’s known as the “King of Ashburn” because of all the deals he gets around town. This guy has more connections then Chuck Woolery (“we’ll be back in two and two”).

He went to Dematha High School with E.B., where he was apparently a stud basketball player, and eventually received a scholarship to play at the University of Richmond. But, even know he was tall, I guess being slow and white didn’t help him earn a spot on an NBA roster, so that’s when he became a “Junkie”.

His accomplishments include stealing money from women in college after he poned them, and attending more happy hours then a twenty-five year-old.

John-Paul “J.P.” Flaim

He goes by J.P. Sometimes I wonder if that stands for “Just Plain”. He seems to be the most normal out of the bunch, although he is a professional middleweight boxer. He’s currently 0-1, and ranked a hurting 991 out of 999, after losing his debut bout against Jay Watts.

Yeah, I’m not sure who he is either, but I do give J.P. props for entering a ring and boxing someone, even if it did earn him the nickname ‘Glass Joe”. J.P. grew up in the same neighborhood with Cakes, and right across the street from E.B. I guess that explains why he and E.B. get into it so much on the show.

These guys fight more than a Jerry Springer episode. After failing his bar exam in Maryland, which he revealed on-air, J.P. decided to stick with being a “Junkie”. He has since passed the bar exam, but loves arguing with E.B. some much, he stuck around.

I know ladies, I’m sure all of you are wondering how to get your hands on these four donkeys, but you can forget about it, because they are all happily married. Well, in Lurch’s case, I’ll just say married.

But, if you’re ever in the DC or Baltimore area, be sure to catch “The Junkies” show out. They will definitely entertain you, and put a new spin on the phrase “sports talk radio”.