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Bubba the Love Sponge
Bubba the Love Sponge Clem (born Todd Alan Clem, April 23, 1966) is an American radio personality who hosts The Bubba the Love Sponge Show on the radio station WWBA in Tampa, Florida, and the subscription service Bubba Army Radio. He can also be heard on Florida Man Radio.
Todd Alan Clem was born on April 23, 1966, in Warsaw, Indiana. His father, Doug Clem, was a factory worker and his mother, Jane Edmond, a schoolbus driver and Warsaw city department head; he has a sister, Tara. Clem's parents divorced when he was young. In 1984, Clem graduated from Warsaw Community High School. He attended Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana, with a plan to go into dentistry, but his best friend Larry Plummer told him he was better suited to a radio career, and he dropped out in his second year. Clem had a position at the campus radio station WISU, but before he became a full-time disc jockey, he worked at a van conversion shop, where he laid down carpets. He coached football at his former high school.
In 1986, Clem worked as a bouncer and driver at Jubilation nightclub, where he picked up radio DJ "Scary" Kerry Gray, of whom he was a fan, and took him to the club. Once there, Clem noticed people gravitating toward Gray. Gray gave Clem an on-air shift as an April Fool's Day joke on April 1, 1986, at WPFR-FM in Terre Haute as Rockin' Bubba Clem, a name someone else had suggested. Clem became Gray's intern, making studio visits, answering phone calls, and sitting in on the show. He accepted a position hosting weekends soon after, and began a part-time midday shift starting on Christmas Day in 1986. He became the station's managing director.[when?] At a fraternity party, Gray called Clem a "love sponge" after witnessing the female attention Clem received.
After WPFR, Clem had a stint at WGRD-FM in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was fired on December 21, 1988, after a 13-year-old girl called into his show and Clem made sexual remarks about her. In 1989, Clem landed a spot at KTFM in San Antonio, Texas, where he was encouraged to trademark his air name and borrowed $5,000 from his parents to file a federal trademark for "Bubba the Love Sponge". He worked evenings at WBBM-FM in Chicago, followed by a stint at WIOQ in Philadelphia from March to June 1990. The station let him go as management thought his style was not what they were looking for. Clem took legal action, and received $75,000 from WIOQ.
Clem worked nights at WXXL in Orlando, Florida, where he averaged 53,000 regular listeners. He left the station in May 1991. In August 1991, he returned to Chicago on WYTZ as the morning host, but the position lasted under three months before management rebranded the station. Clem then moved to WLUM-FM in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In September 1992, Clem started work from 7 to 11 p.m. at WFLZ-FM in Tampa, Florida, where his show gained popularity, particularly among teenagers. His first major contract signed during this time was worth $100,000 a year. Clem and WFLZ host Tom Steele were temporarily suspended to settle legal issues from their ongoing on-air feud.
Clem became involved in various business ventures. In December 1994, he invested $50,000 to open Sponges, an alcohol-free nightclub for teenagers in Largo, Florida. He opened a second Sponges in Spring Hill in 1995. He performed with his rap band Boyz Wit Da Bass there. Clem was involved in an endorsement deal with an Isuzu car dealership, the Bubba the Love Sponge Limousines service, a personalized paging service called the Air Bubba Beeping Network, and a premium-rate telephone line. In June 1995, Clem released an adult-oriented home video, Let Your Chia Run Wild, described as a "private collection of events documenting a lifestyle that some can only dream of" and featuring some nudity. Clem regretted his decision to release it, and WFLZ requested Clem cease its distribution. In April 1996, he opened Bubba's Beach Club, a dance club and nightspot in Ybor City. In September 1996, Clem quit WFLZ.
Clem decided to remain in Tampa, partly because he had other business ventures there. He started a morning show at WXTB in December 1996, and continued to host a pre-recorded show that was syndicated in six other cities, including Cincinnati, Toledo, Columbus, Louisville, Atlanta, and Jacksonville.
Bubba the Love Sponge
Bubba the Love Sponge Clem (born Todd Alan Clem, April 23, 1966) is an American radio personality who hosts The Bubba the Love Sponge Show on the radio station WWBA in Tampa, Florida, and the subscription service Bubba Army Radio. He can also be heard on Florida Man Radio.
Todd Alan Clem was born on April 23, 1966, in Warsaw, Indiana. His father, Doug Clem, was a factory worker and his mother, Jane Edmond, a schoolbus driver and Warsaw city department head; he has a sister, Tara. Clem's parents divorced when he was young. In 1984, Clem graduated from Warsaw Community High School. He attended Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana, with a plan to go into dentistry, but his best friend Larry Plummer told him he was better suited to a radio career, and he dropped out in his second year. Clem had a position at the campus radio station WISU, but before he became a full-time disc jockey, he worked at a van conversion shop, where he laid down carpets. He coached football at his former high school.
In 1986, Clem worked as a bouncer and driver at Jubilation nightclub, where he picked up radio DJ "Scary" Kerry Gray, of whom he was a fan, and took him to the club. Once there, Clem noticed people gravitating toward Gray. Gray gave Clem an on-air shift as an April Fool's Day joke on April 1, 1986, at WPFR-FM in Terre Haute as Rockin' Bubba Clem, a name someone else had suggested. Clem became Gray's intern, making studio visits, answering phone calls, and sitting in on the show. He accepted a position hosting weekends soon after, and began a part-time midday shift starting on Christmas Day in 1986. He became the station's managing director.[when?] At a fraternity party, Gray called Clem a "love sponge" after witnessing the female attention Clem received.
After WPFR, Clem had a stint at WGRD-FM in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was fired on December 21, 1988, after a 13-year-old girl called into his show and Clem made sexual remarks about her. In 1989, Clem landed a spot at KTFM in San Antonio, Texas, where he was encouraged to trademark his air name and borrowed $5,000 from his parents to file a federal trademark for "Bubba the Love Sponge". He worked evenings at WBBM-FM in Chicago, followed by a stint at WIOQ in Philadelphia from March to June 1990. The station let him go as management thought his style was not what they were looking for. Clem took legal action, and received $75,000 from WIOQ.
Clem worked nights at WXXL in Orlando, Florida, where he averaged 53,000 regular listeners. He left the station in May 1991. In August 1991, he returned to Chicago on WYTZ as the morning host, but the position lasted under three months before management rebranded the station. Clem then moved to WLUM-FM in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In September 1992, Clem started work from 7 to 11 p.m. at WFLZ-FM in Tampa, Florida, where his show gained popularity, particularly among teenagers. His first major contract signed during this time was worth $100,000 a year. Clem and WFLZ host Tom Steele were temporarily suspended to settle legal issues from their ongoing on-air feud.
Clem became involved in various business ventures. In December 1994, he invested $50,000 to open Sponges, an alcohol-free nightclub for teenagers in Largo, Florida. He opened a second Sponges in Spring Hill in 1995. He performed with his rap band Boyz Wit Da Bass there. Clem was involved in an endorsement deal with an Isuzu car dealership, the Bubba the Love Sponge Limousines service, a personalized paging service called the Air Bubba Beeping Network, and a premium-rate telephone line. In June 1995, Clem released an adult-oriented home video, Let Your Chia Run Wild, described as a "private collection of events documenting a lifestyle that some can only dream of" and featuring some nudity. Clem regretted his decision to release it, and WFLZ requested Clem cease its distribution. In April 1996, he opened Bubba's Beach Club, a dance club and nightspot in Ybor City. In September 1996, Clem quit WFLZ.
Clem decided to remain in Tampa, partly because he had other business ventures there. He started a morning show at WXTB in December 1996, and continued to host a pre-recorded show that was syndicated in six other cities, including Cincinnati, Toledo, Columbus, Louisville, Atlanta, and Jacksonville.