Editing Ron and Fez (section)

===2000–2003: WNEW-FM New York===
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2015}}
The Ron and Fez show debuted on WNEW in New York City on February 21, 2000, and within one month their program was syndicated to Washington, D.C.'s WJFK.

New York's [[WNEW-FM]] was converted from a long-respected rock station to all-talk in 1999, with afternoon drive show ''[[Opie and Anthony]]'' as the focal point. Ron and Fez signed on to host an overnight talk show named ''Ron and Fez Dot Com'', beginning February 21, 2000 and broadcast from 11pm–3am. Ron and Fez eventually moved to evenings (7:00–11:00 pm), then to early afternoon (12:00–3:00pm) and later back to the evening timeslot. Buoyed by Opie and Anthony's lead-in ratings, the duo began to enjoy success.

During this period, several memorable characters joined their on-air team, including taciturn producer Hawk; Dumpy, Tasteless Ginny; and the call-in prankster Joe Poo. The show's web-based premise inspired the founding of several websites devoted to the show, including RFBabies.com (once a haven for the show's cadre of young female fans), and the unofficial site for the show. Though "Dot Com" was soon dropped from the show's title, Ron and Fez have garnered an admirable online following due to RonFez.net.

====Big ASS Cards====
Ron and Fez developed the "Big ASS Card" for those wanting to join their "All Secret Society." Aside from providing discounts at sponsors' establishments, the "Big ASS Card" identified cardholders with the show. Whenever "Big ASS Card" holders gave their card number at the beginning of the call, a sound clip was played of [[Al Pacino]] yelling [[Scent of a Woman (1992 film)|"HOO-AH!"]]. Though the promotion was discontinued, some callers still announce their "BAC" numbers, and the clip is usually played when producers are paying attention.
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===Ron and Fez Restroom Inspection Award===
Other promotional items included the "Ron and Fez Restroom Inspection Award" stickers, which were fraught with printing errors and postage delays, much to the annoyance of fans. Billy Staples and some listeners supposedly posted the stickers throughout New York City during April, 2002. In [[Hoboken, New Jersey|Hoboken]], [[New Jersey]] one sticker was placed on a statue, for which WNEW had to pay a fine. Unlike the still-relevant “Big ASS Card", the “Restroom Inspection Award” sticker bit played out on two shows and was rarely mentioned again, but did earn Billy Staples the nickname "MeatFist" for posting too many stickers.
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====September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks====
On the evening of September 11, the team stayed on the air taking calls from distressed listeners, some of whom were unsure if loved ones were still alive inside the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|Twin Towers]]. It is said that Hawk walked across the [[Queensboro Bridge]] against outpouring hordes of people to get to his job; Billy Staples hid in a [[Long Island Rail Road]] bathroom so he could return to work because only medical and rescue personnel were allowed into the city. Ron and Fez expressed heartfelt sympathy and related the feelings of many New Yorkers, and staged several "bar crawls" and other events under the motto "New York Forever," designed to encourage listeners to patronize businesses in lower [[Manhattan]]. "The 2001 Halloween Bar Crawl" was particularly memorable thanks to the heavy turnout and shenanigans that ensued. The bars most publicized included The Slaughtered Lamb and Karavas' Place.

====AFRO Shows====
''Ron and Fez'' enjoyed amicable relationships with WNEW's other personalities, particularly [[Gregg Hughes|Opie]] and [[Anthony Cumia|Anthony]] (O&A), who would sometimes sit in with the ''Ron and Fez'' show. These shows were known as "AFRO Shows" (AFRO being an acronym for '''A'''nthony, '''F'''ez, '''R'''on, '''O'''pie).