The DSC Show, formerly The Dawn Patrol and The Dave, Shelly, and Chainsaw Show (DSC), also known simply as Dave and Chainsaw, was a long-running morning radio show in the San Diego, California, area. Broadcast on weekday mornings on San Diego's KGB-FM, the show is named for its main hosts: Dave Rickards and Cookie "Chainsaw" Randolph, known as the "Dean of American Sportscasters". The show debuted on April 1, 1990, with Shelly Dunn as a member of the trio; she retired from broadcasting in July 2018 and was replaced by Emily Jane Maguire, the show's then-producer.
The format of the show combined humor, parodies, news, and skits. The show's bawdy humor and irreverent attitude, described as "raucous and often hilarious", sometimes sparked controversy. That said, the show was marketed as "San Diego's most dependably hilarious morning radio show".
In addition to the radio programming, the show produced three comedic films starring Denver Dave, Shelly, and Chainsaw. The group also released 18 annual "Best of" CDs featuring the show's regular cast members. The proceeds from the CDs and DVDs, usually released around Christmas, supported the show's charity fund that assisted San Diego residents in need.
Programming history
The Dave, Shelly, and Chainsaw Show debuted in 1990, on KGB-FM as The Dawn Patrol. In 1992, the group moved to Rock 102 and changed the show's name to The Dave, Shelly, and Chainsaw Show, often referred to as simply DSC. In 1996, both radio stations were purchased by Jacor Broadcasting (which was later bought by Clear Channel). At that time, the show moved to 105.3 KIOZ (formerly KCBQ) . DSC returned to KGB in 1997.
In January 2010, Clear Channel abruptly canceled the show, with executives citing an "inability to reach an agreement" with the performers. The cast claimed that no agreement was even attempted. Fans of the show protested and staged rallies, to no avail. The last DSC broadcast was scheduled to air on December 16, 2022, but Rickards contracted coronavirus and stayed home that week; this pushed back the final broadcast date by a week, and on December 23, Dave Rickards and Cookie "Chainsaw" Randolph signed off for the final time. Former “DSC” cast members Sarah Beebe and Chris Boyer continued with their own show: KGB Mornings with Sarah and Boyer.
Podcast & Best Of
Since 2013, the show has produced a podcast recording of the live program, each day shortly after it goes off-air. Their "Best of..." CDs are also available in downloadable format, from the KFMB site store. The sale of these "Best Of" downloads go to the DSC Fund.