Loveline

For other uses, seeLoveline (disambiguation).

Lovelineis asyndicated radiocall-inprogram in North America, offering medical and relationship advice to listeners, often with the assistance of guests, typically actors and musicians. Its host through most of its run wasDrew Pinskywho was paired with a radio personality.

Loveline

Genre	Talk Advice Comedy
Running time	Approximately 93 minutes (Two hours, including commercials)
Country of origin	United States
Home station	KROQ-FM(1983–2018, 2024–present) Channel Q(2018–2022)
TV adaptations	Loveline(1996–2000)
Hosted by	Jim Trenton(1983–1993) Drew Pinsky(1984–2016) "Swedish" Egil Aalvik (1983–1990) Scott Mason(1983–1987) Lee "Harvey" Alpert (1986–1989) Riki Rachtman(1993–1996) Adam Carolla(1995–2005) Stryker(2006–2009) Michael Catherwood(2010–2016) Simone Bienne (2011–2012) Amber Rose(2016–2018) Chris Donaghue(2016–present)
Created by	Scott Mason Jim Trenton
Produced by	Ann Wilkins-Ingold
Original release	1983
Website	lovelineshow

Lovelinewas broadcast live, Sundays through Thursdays from 10p.m.–midnightPT(Mondays through Fridays from 1–3a.m.ET).Itsflagship stationwasKROQ-FMinLos Angeles.Syndication was usually on rock, alternative, and adult talk radio stations.Lovelinecan also be heard online through the websites of affiliate stations.

The radio show was discontinued in April 2016. After a hiatus, the show was rebooted as a podcast withAmber Roseand clinical psychologist and sex therapist Chris Donaghue as hosts. The renewed podcast ran from September 8, 2016, until March 17, 2018.

On November 1, 2018,Lovelinewas revived onLGBTQnetworkChannel Qwith Dr. Chris Donaghue as the solo host, heard Monday through Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m.Eastern Time.Channel Q is owned byAudacy, Inc.and heard on thecompany's namesake streaming serviceand on theHD Radiosubchannels of about 20 FM stations inNew York City,Los Angeles,Chicagoand other largemedia markets.Though no cancellation or hiatus was formally announced until the next version of the show launched in 2024, no new episodes of the show were released after December 2022.

A third incarnation of the show debuted on KROQ on December 15, 2024, hosted by KROQ personality Kevan Kenny and Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, who has a doctoral degree in human communication.

During its peak of popularity,Lovelinealso doubled as a weekly live audience television program onMTV,also calledLoveline.It was presented by Pinsky, Adam Carolla and a third co-host.

History

Lovelinebegan in 1983 as a Sunday night dating and relationships segment onLos Angelesradio stationKROQ-FM,hosted byDJJim "Poorman" Trenton,DJ"Swedish" EgilAalvik, andScott Mason.

In 1984, Trenton added a segment called "Ask a Surgeon," hosted by his friendDrew Pinsky,who at the time, was a fourth-year medical student at theUniversity of Southern California.The medical segment was pre-dated by an occasional legal segment in which a lawyer, known as "Lawyer Lee" would be present to answer legal questions. AsLovelinedeveloped and increased its audience, Pinsky became a public figure in his own right, and the show began referring to him informally as "Dr. Drew".

After a traumatic break up, Mason announced that he would no longer be hosting the show. After they stopped doing the "Lawyer Lee" segment and "Swedish" Egil left the show, Trenton continued co-hosting the show with Dr. Drew. In February 1992, the show expanded from Sunday nights to five nights a week, Sunday through Thursday. In August 1993, Trenton was replaced by formerMTVVJRiki Rachtman.

Pinsky and Rachtman were joined byAdam Carollain October 1995, as the show was first being syndicated nationally. The trio hosted together for several months, but Carolla and Rachtman often competed for airtime, leading Rachtman to resign in January 1996.Carolla and Pinsky would go on to host the show together until Carolla's departure in November 2005.

The popularity and reach ofLovelineincreased dramatically in the ten years during which it was hosted by Pinsky and Carolla. The two had a natural chemistry, in which Carolla's jocular tone emphasized Pinsky's reasoned expertise. Together, they refined the format of the show, and capitalized on their growing popularity with speaking tours, a television show on MTV from 1996–2000 (also titledLoveline), a book, and cameo appearances on television series and movies. In November 2005, Carolla leftLovelineto prepare for a new morning radio show,The Adam Carolla Show,which began airing in January 2006.

After Carolla's departure, he was substituted on a temporary basis by numerous celebrity guests, some of whom announced their desire to take the job permanently. During his first appearance on Carolla's new morning show, Pinsky revealed that the shortlist of candidates includedCarson Daly,Joel McHale,Danny Bonaduce,Steve-OandDaniel Tosh.On July 23, 2006, KROQ-FM disc jockeyStrykerwas hired as Pinsky's co-host.

On April 22, 2009, Stryker announced that due to financial cutbacks at Westwood One, he would be leaving the show and it would be his last appearance that night. After Stryker's departure, a number of celebrities guest co-hosted opposite Drew. On March 11, 2010, it was announced thatMike "Psycho Mike" CatherwoodfromThe Kevin and Bean Showwould co-hostLovelinewith Dr. Drew.

After a long stint as a guest host, Simone Bienne was formally brought on as a co-host in December 2011. This followed Westwood One's merger with Dial Global. She was introduced to the show by Dr. Drew throughLifechangers,and is the first female co-host of the radio show.As of November 2012 she is no longer a host.

On December 7, 2012, Adam Carolla rejoined Dr. Drew for a Loveline-style "Reunion Tour" of the US to promote their new podcast,The Adam & Dr. Drew Show.

On January 5, 2015, Catherwood and Pinsky launched a new program,Dr. Drew Midday Live with Mike CatherwoodonKABCin Los Angeles.

On March 16, 2016, Catherwood announced that he would be leaving the show to focus more on raising his daughter. His final episode was March 31, 2016.A month later, on April 21, Dr. Drew announcedLovelinewould wrap up the following week, after the April 28 episode.Adam Carolla re-joined him as co-host for the final show.

On September 8, 2016, the show was rebooted as a weekly podcast, withAmber Roseand Dr. Chris Donaghue serving as hosts. Ann Ingold was named producer.The final episode of the podcast was released on March 8, 2018.

On November 1, 2018,Lovelinewas once again rebooted, this time onLGBTQ+formatted talk radio networkChannel Q.It is hosted by Dr. Chris Donaghue, and airs Monday through Thursday from 7 to 9PM (Pacific).The Channel Q version of the show ceased releasing new episodes in December 2022 with no fanfare.

A third incarnation of the show debuted on December 15, 2024, hosted by KROQ personality Kevan Kenney and Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, who is not a medical doctor but has a PhD in human communication. The announcement of the new show confirmed that the Channel Q show had "ended" in 2022.

Format

Lovelinefollows the call-in question-and-answer model with the primary goal of helping youth and young adults withrelationship,sexuality,anddrug addictionproblems through the expertise of Pinsky, aninternistandaddiction medicinespecialist, and the humorous context and insight provided by a comedic host. Adam Carolla explained his role as a "sheep in wolf's clothing".Furthermore, the comedy is often necessary to keep spirits high, as the show frequently handles callers who are dealing with serious issues such as drug addiction,sexual abuse,anddomestic violence.

The show will occasionally answer calls of a general medical nature, especially on slow nights or if they seem peculiar. Also, listeners are encouraged to participate in Loveline's many games.

Personalities

Regular hosts

• Drew Pinsky(December 1984 – April 28, 2016)
• Jim "The Poorman" Trenton(1983 – August 1993)
• "Swedish" Egil Aalvik (1983–1990)
• Scott Mason(1983–1987)
• Attorney Lee "Harvey" Alpert (1986–1989)
• Riki Rachtman(August 1993 – January 17, 1996)
• Adam Carolla(October 1995 – November 3, 2005)
• Stryker(July 23, 2006 – April 22, 2009)
• Michael Catherwood(March 21, 2010 – March 31, 2016)
• Simone Bienne (December 6, 2011 – November 11, 2012)
• Amber Rose(September 8, 2016 – March 17, 2018)
• Chris Donaghue (November 1, 2018 – December 15, 2022)
• Kevan Kenney (December 15, 2024 – )
• Tara Suwinyattichaiporn aka "Dr. Tara" (December 15, 2024 – )

Recurring fill-ins

For Pinsky (in the case of medical physicians) or Psycho Mike (in the case of usual comedic co-host)

• Dr. Gary Alter:"Dr. Alter" ( "Dr. Whack 'n' Sack, Dr. Alter-men" )
• Nicole Alvarez: DJ on KROQ-FM
• David Alan Grier:a popular and frequent guest, sometimes referred to as the "Third Host" ofLovelineorDAG.
• Dr. Ohad Ben-Yehuda: "Dr. Ben" (OB/GYN, Infertility, High Risk Obstetrics)
• Dr. Marcel Daniels: "Dr. Marcel"
• Dr. Bruce Heischober:"Dr. Bruce" (Ichabod Bruce, Dr. Spaz)
• Dr. Bruce Hensel:"Dr. Bruce"
• Dr.Reef Karim:"Dr. Reef"
• Dr. Robert Rey:"Dr. 90210",a plastic surgeon fromBeverly Hills
• Trina Dolenz:former host of VH1's Tool Academy and couples therapist
• Emily Morse:"Sex with Emily"

Producers

• Ann Wilkins-Ingold (1988 – April 28, 2016)
• Lauren (Junior Producer) (2002 – December 20, 2007)

Radio engineers

The show has had many engineers throughout the years who have developed their own on-air presence. Whether it be conversations with hosts and guests or specific "radio drops" that they have produced usually from clips of previous shows.

• Mike Dooley (October 1995 – June 20, 1999) ( "Dooley," "The One-Nut Wonder," produced "The Drew Shuffle" and "The Drew Boogie" )
• Anderson Cowan (June 21, 1999 – April 28, 2016) ( "The Magic Fingered One," "The Liberace of the Potentiometers," produced "Millionaire", PAB, Co-Host of "The After Disaster" )
• Damion Stephens (2000–2002)
• Chris Perez (2003–2005)
• Michelle (2004 – November 2005) (left forThe Adam Carolla Show)

Timeline

Media tie-ins and cultural influence

ATVversion ofLoveline,also calledLoveline,ran on MTV from 1996 to 2000; it was produced by Stone Stanley Entertainment. It followed the same general format as the radio program but featured a live audience and a female co-host alongside Pinsky and Carolla. The female co-host role was filled over the course of the series by MTV VJIdalis,actressesKris McGaha,Catherine McCord,Diane Farrand comedianLaura Kightlinger.Loveline TVwas filmed atHollywood Center Studios.

The Dr. Drew and Adam Book: A Survival Guide to Life and Love,an advice book written in a tone similar to the radio show, was released in 1998.

The series has also spawned a number ofLoveline-inspired games that have been mentioned on the show.

A thinly-veiled reference toLovelinecan be seen in the 1988 filmHeathersin a scene featuring a radio call-in advice program calledHot Probshosted by Jim Trenton, the then-host ofLoveline.

External links

• Official website