[5][6] The program enjoys extensive popularity and has frequently received recognition by the National Association of Broadcasters as an exemplar in American radio.

"[8] "Focusing on comedy and talk," The Bob & Tom Show describes itself as "a mash-up of news, sports, conversation, and interviews" and "America's leading media outlet for the best comedians, whether they are already household names or still paying their dues on the road.

"[9] Cumulus Media notes that the program delivers "an unpredictable blend of news, talk, sports, celebrity guests, in-studio musical performances, sketch comedy and topical, sometimes irreverent, humor.

There are frequent impromptu "calls" from numerous characters voiced primarily by Steve Salge, Ron Sexton, and Dean Metcalf.

Several guests usually join the primary cast each day in the studio or via phone, satellite, or video call, including numerous comedians who tour nationally.

The show has frequently featured up-and-coming comedians who went on to become household names, including Ellen DeGeneres, Drew Carey, Louis CK, Jim Gaffigan, Daniel Tosh, George Lopez, Brad Garrett, Ron White,[13] and Tim Allen.

[14] Professional athletes (including Joe Theismann, and, in past years, Pat McAfee, Peyton Manning, Jeff Saturday, Reggie Miller, and numerous INDYCAR drivers), musicians, and actors from television and movies are also frequent Bob & Tom guests.

Kevoian and Griswold originally teamed up in the early 1980s at Petoskey, Michigan station WJML[16] before being lured to WFBQ "Q95" Indianapolis in 1983 to host what was initially a music-heavy morning show.

After McGee (in 1986) and Lee (in 1988) joined the show, the primary cast that listeners would know for decades simply as "Bob, Tom, Chick, and Kristi" was set.

As the show became more popular and successful,[18] Mark Patrick, Dave Dugan, Whit Grayson, Steve Salge, and Ron Sexton joined the Bob & Tom staff to voice dozens of recurring fictional and parody characters.

Although Salge and Metcalf were active as voices of most of the show's fictional characters and callers through early 2024, their bits still air frequently on the 24/7 stream.

Subsequently, Gunner occasionally joined the cast, both to "run the board" (operate the broadcast studio's main audio mixing console, which Tom calls "master control") and to serve as an additional co-host.

Josh Arnold served as a frequent guest host during spring and early summer of 2016 before being named a regular cast member on August 1, 2016.

[32] On April 3, 2017, Bob made his first live on-air appearance[33] since his retirement for the show's annual Cincinnati Reds Opening Day broadcast.

"[42] On June 27, 2022, Kristi was named as a member of the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame Class of 2022,[43] and the induction ceremony took place on October 4, 2022.

This led to a few days of new broadcasts during which neither original hosts Bob or Tom were present in the studio, rare in the show's long history.

Many fictional characters and parodies of real-life people have sprung up during the show's history, some voiced by Bob Kevoian, Tom Griswold, Chick McGee, on-air producer Dean Metcalf, Steve Salge, and the late Ron Sexton.

On November 3, 2008, WGN America began airing an hour-long Bob and Tom TV show at midnight (later, 2 a.m.) Monday through Friday featuring clips from the day's four-hour radio broadcast.

[67] WISH-TV announced[68] that a new, 30-minute Bob and Tom television show would air weeknights and late Saturday nights beginning October 5, 2020, on MyIndy-TV 23 (WNDY-TV, Indianapolis), featuring clips from that morning's radio broadcast.

[69] The television program last aired on January 8, 2022, but a 20-minute version of Bob and Tom Tonight continues to be posted at 8 p.m. (Eastern Time) weekdays on YouTube and Facebook.

After the syndicated portion of their show ends at 10:00 a.m. Eastern they typically devote up to a half-hour to further interviews, often about local events, bands, and charities.