About Variety Radio Online

History of Variety Radio Online (The V.R.O.)

The V.R.O. is currently one of the highest rated radio shows on the BlogTalkRadio network. When you look at their lineup of shows, their superstar interview archives, and the amazing number of shows they pump out with seeming effortlessness, you would think this was part of a multimillion dollar chain of entertainment shows. You’d be wrong. This extremely successful show was started by one person (Amy McCracken) who was a fan of a television show that was cancelled. Amy rallied a few more fans and the 3 original founders created Moonlight Radio in May 2008 to celebrate the show and give the fans out there, disappointed in the cancellation, a little something extra. They garnered interviews with the show’s creator and many of the shows cast members. Throughout that first summer in 2008, they gave the grieving fans a little more time to keep the show alive, and some closure.

While airing 2-3 shows a week that summer, the ladies decided to add to their lineup and start covering more shows and even movies. That September they added True Blood as a weekly segment, and in November of 2008 they added a show covering all things Twilight. When they decided to expand to more than just Moonlight, they all agreed a name change was in order. Since they were most focused on the paranormal genre at the time, they chose Vamp Radio. The show would keep this name for another year.

During this time, Vamp Radio was also expanding their staff. They added 2 new show hosts for the True Blood and Twilight shows, and by February 2009 they had increased by 2 more. There were now 7 permanent hosts. They had also expanded their show lineup as well, and had added a general entertainment and industry discussion show and a music show where they showcased mostly up and coming bands and musicians. Their interview archive was growing steadily as well, with several of the Twilight cast and True Blood cast added in early 2009.

During the spring of 2009 through the summer, the music show expanded, new shows were added to the lineup. By the fall of 2009, Vamp Radio had weekly shows for True Blood, Bands on the Rise, a Horror Night show, a show dedicated to authors and books, and had added a new show called Twilight Diaries, combining the current Twilight show with the debuting Vampire Diaries. The host count was up as well, numbering 9 permanent hosts. Their focus was widening too, and they were slowly adding more shows and expanding from paranormal to some mainstream television. In late 2009 the staff decided that Vamp Radio didn’t encompass everything that they envisioned the show to be, so another name change was in order. They became The V.R.O.

2010 was a big year for The V.R.O. Big Brother joined the shows, and they even had Lane and Enzo from Big Brother hosted their own variety radio show. In May they decided to dedicate an entire month of programming to The Vampire Diaries, thus crowning May 2010 as Vampire Diaries Month of May at The V.R.O. The month of May every year is dedicated to this tradition to this day. That was a turning point in The V.R.O.’s history. In that month, with the very popular and revealing interviews given by cast and writers, producers, and directors of The Vampire Diaries, The V.R.O. made a name for themselves in the entertainment world. They were even featured on MTV’s website for their interview with Julie Plec that year.

Summer and Fall 2010 brought some changes to The V.R.O. They added staff for the Vampire Diaries show, which split off from the Twilight show in Fall 2010 to become its own. They continued doing their signature shows, and added a few shows like Flashback Fridays, a show dedicated to bringing back memories of bygone era television. With the show now a name in entertainment radio, interviews continued to be plentiful.

In 2011 the show continued to boom with additions of Lost Girl, Being Human, Secret Circle, Once Upon a Time, Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story, Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and many more interviews. Sadly, like the television industry life cycle itself, some of their shows have gone the way of cancellation while they add fresh shows to their lineup. They said goodbye to Twilight Show, only to be seen on occasion. Secret Circle also finished its run. The music show went on hiatus, but will return with some changes in the summer of 2012. They added a new show just for the fans called This, That, and The Other. It is a show for fans to call into and decide what the discussion of the night will be. It has proven to be a popular show.

In 2012, The V.R.O. has grown to a full entertainment coverage machine, with 12 permanent hosts and 6 staff members. They celebrated their 4 year anniversary in May 2012 and plan to be on air for many more. They run on average 5 weekly recap shows and 4 interviews a week. In the Fall of 2012 they will expand again to 10 weekly shows plus interviews. They will be covering The Vampire Diaries, Once Upon a Time, True Blood, Lost Girl, Being Human, Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story, Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, The Lying Game, Pretty Little Liars, Switched at Birth, Big Brother, Music- both mainstream and Indie, Horror, Books, and our industry show Entertainment Madness. More additions to the lineup as network pickups are announced.

All of their interviews are posted on, www.thevro.com, and they have a show schedule so you can be sure to catch the broadcast recap of your favorite tv show. If you miss a show, you can even listen later on their player located on the front page of their website, or at their blogtalkradio.com page.

The V.R.O. is, at its heart, a group of dedicated people working to inform and entertain fans about the entertainment industry and television, movies, music, and books. They are also dedicated to helping others, supporting many charities throughout the year. Every year in the Spring/Early Summer, they hold a charity event and dedicate all the proceeds to a chosen charity. Giving back to the community is an important part of their philosophy.

From a tiny idea for a show, to the impressive production of shows and interviews they produce every week now, The V.R.O. has come a long way. And with their dedication and determination to bring the fans the best programming possible, they have only one way to go in the industry – up.