In hour 1 of The Mark Reardon Show, Mark is joined by Gregg Keller, Republican consultant and founder of Atlas Strategy Group, and Steve Butz, outgoing Missouri State Representative, for the Reardon Roundtable to break down top state, local, and national issues ahead of the midterm elections. The panel analyzes the competitive contest between Congresswoman Ann Wagner and Fred Wellman in Missouri's 2nd Congressional District, debates key Missouri ballot issues including Amendment 3 and Amendment 6, reviews national Senate battleground dynamics in Texas, Michigan, and Alaska, and addresses local St. Louis headlines including the $4.2 million Bar PM settlement and ongoing contract negotiations involving Police Chief Robert Tracy. In hour 2, Mark is joined by Ryan Wiggins, author and fellow 97.1 FM Talk host, to discuss the release of his new Gothic horror novel, The Swine Things: The First Journal of William Hope Hodgson. Wiggins explains his departure from comedy into the atmospheric realm of cosmic dread, shares how the real-life historical author William Hope Hodgson inspired the protagonist and narrative framing, breaks down the story of two British soldiers discovering a cursed Irish mansion, and reflects on the creative challenges of crafting suspense fiction. Sue then hosts, "Sue's News" where she discusses the latest trending entertainment news, this day in history, the random fact of the day and more. Mark is then joined by Paul Hall, film critic for Common Guy's Film Reviews at commonguy.com, to review the latest entertainment releases heading into Halloween weekend. Hall shares his thoughts on the independent theatrical release The Only Living Pickpocket in New York starring John Turturro, highlights the new Netflix comedy series Minimum Wage alongside Apple TV+ thriller Nocturne, touches on the series finale of Brothers, and breaks down how film critics navigate the busy fall movie awards screening season. He's later joined by Frank Cusumano, KSDK Sports Director, to preview a massive weekend in local and national sports. Cusumano breaks down the impact of running back Ahmad Hardy returning to the Mizzou lineup against Arkansas, updates the eligibility status of Robbie Avila for SLU basketball ahead of next week's matchup against Missouri, reflects on the Milwaukee Brewers capturing the World Series championship, analyzes the St. Louis Blues' improved power play following a win over Boston, and previews the Kansas City Chiefs' divisional clash with the Denver Broncos. In hour 3, Mark is joined by Tim Sommer, music journalist, former record executive, and contributor to Rock and Roll Globe, to discuss Aerosmith's unexpected and celebrated live return at the Hollywood Bowl alongside a star-studded lineup that included Dave Grohl, Johnny Depp, Guns N' Roses, and original drummer Joey Kramer. Sommer explores how these mini-residency tribute spectacles are establishing a sustainable new performance model for aging classic rock icons, reacts to Jay-Z headlining the upcoming Valentine's Day Super Bowl halftime show, examines Rolling Stone's contentious list of the top 200 rock songs of the 21st century, and touches on the complex band politics surrounding Mike Love and The Beach Boys. He wraps up the show with the Audio Cut of the Day.
