The name of your program works just fine. It makes no sense to change the name to simply redefine the signifier that already makes sense to those who listen to your program. "Philosophy Talk" (as two words used together) is a brand that is as neutral as one can hope for when opening up the airwaves for the discussion of the human condition. Continue the excellent work and no matter what your program "name" turns into, I shall listen with continued wild abandon.

I may be a niche but I would never have tuned in to the show if "Philosophy" was not in the title. The "talk" part is important, too, because it implies a low-key, non-pompous approach to the subject. Suggest to these PD's that they stick to MTV and let others do their thinking for them.
Sincerely, Ed Healy

It's a Marketing Problem really. Program Directors are often a lazy and unimaginative lot. What you need to do is come up with a PD friendly name for the show like "Reality Radio", "Truth Talk", "Rappin' 'bout da deep shit," or "Food for Thought."
Then, you have advertisements for the show that are niche marketing. Like links from sites like this, from other intelligent radio shows, publications, etc. etc. That's all.
Oh, and if there is a show. Get rid of the PhD people. They are often just faux intellectuals with large vocabularies and lots of frilly papers on their walls, but lack the real ability to think and philosophise.

Hmmm here are a few suggestions:
"Thoughts", "Think Talk", "Thinkers Anonymous", "Pure Wisdom". But to really catch some attention "SEX or ideas", i'm assuming it's usually going to be the latter disjunct.

The "Car-Talk" model isn't bad actually. But, it is "Car" and not "Automobile" or "Internal Combustion Conveyance"-Talk. Ever considered consulting with the Magliozzi brothers on 'Philosophy is to --- as Automobile is to Car'?

Here are a few suggestions.
First, how about "Fixing Ideas"?
Another possibility, with a tip of the hat to Rawls and also with an eye to "sexing up" the name: "Original Positions"?
Finally, with apologies to Buddhism, how about "Clear Light"?
Ok, so it is hard. We've posted something on the Garden of Forking Paths (http://gfp.typepad.com) encouraging our readers to help in this project. Good luck. I love the show.

What about these?
'The Great Conversation'
'Small Talk, Big Ideas'
'Thought Experiments' (alla NYC's 'Radio Lab')
Hope these help!

"Think Tank"
"Wondering about the World"
"The Art of Asking"
"Questions"
"Brain Waves"
"Much Ado About Everything"

"Mental Masturbation"
"Problem of Problems"
"Wisdom Tuner"
"Philosophy Talk"

philosophy-a-go-go
down with philosophy
the fun fun philosophy fun show
philosophy 1-0-fun
philosophy is cool, dammit
philosophers a.w.o.l.
help, i'm trapped in a mind

Rational Public Radio ("This is RPR...")
Views from Nowhere

Ideas

But you guys are the Car Talk of Philosophy, which is why the name fits. But if you must revise the name, perhaps use the ad technique of name recognition combined with a slightly misleading catch:
Cookin' with Socrates.
You could even have an appetizer (the one-minute philosopher or roving philosopher), main course (guest and callers), and dessert (?). There'd presumably lots of other cheesy ways to use the premise. "Today we're cooking up a recipe for love [free will, knowledge, etc.]: what is love? what are it's ingredients? what does it take to make good love? etc. [Most of the credit for the above idea goes to my wife Cheryl.]

I like your name as it is. (I also like Drake's Philosophy 1-0-fun, as the show is fun, but the name seems a bit too cute). Another idea: Philosophy Matters. A nice little pun, no? and not a compromise.

I think it's essential that you keep "philosophy" in the title in some form. After all, isn't part of the idea to promote philosophy? And how can you do that if you don't call it philosophy? People might be listening without even knowing that they were listening to philosophy.
But "talk" seems less crucial.
So, my suggestion would be to keep "philosophy" but jettison "talk" -- it won't satisfy all of the radio stations, but it might help with some of them. What about, for example, "Philosophical Thoughts"? A lot of people seem to think that they have those. :-)

Program Directors (the gatekeepers) do have some power; they are the ones who decide who gets on the air and who doesn?t. But their power lies not in their sense of what is marketable, but in their awareness of what is already marketed. They survey the scene and find a conspicuous absence of philosophy shows; thus they conclude that such a show would be unmarketable because it is not already marketed. The trick is to demonstrate how the show could be marketable.
As a Gen X-er caught between the Baby-boomer leviathan and the Millennial behemoth, I recognize that philosophy is important ? maybe not so essential as the Boomers would have us believe, maybe not so trivial as the Millennials would have us think ? but valuable for survival, for making meaning, for changing our world. Boomer oriented marketing will be perceived as condescending, patronizing, even medicinal; and nobody likes the aftertaste of medicine. Millennial oriented marketing will be perceived as cynical, uncool in the attempt to be cool. Perhaps X-er oriented marketing could bridge the divide?
Ken and John are cool, but not in the more general sense of pop cultural ?wicked coolness.? They are academics; they shouldn?t pretend to be anything else; and they should continue to invite guests who are academics. Their mission, however, is to render their more sophisticated understanding of philosophy intelligible to a popular audience. To this end, they should tell good stories about philosophy, provide examples of philosophical thinking, and encourage engagement with philosophical problems.
Overall, I think they do a good job of this.
I teach introductory level undergraduate philosophy courses, and I require students to listen to select episodes of Philosophy Talk as supplemental learning exercises. The response among students is enthusiastic; they dig listening to ?professors? talk about philosophy in a conversational environment ? reflective and analytical, but also human, all too human. I dare to say that students are edified by the example, perhaps even inspired. They begin to conceive of alternative discourses, counter examples to the fare broadcast on radio and TV. They begin to imagine what intellectual conversation is like: no easy answers, few dominant personalities, a lot of intriguing questions.
To reach a larger audience, perhaps the following would be helpful:
? The Name of the Show ?
o ?A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.?
o ?Call me?.?
A name change would not be a big problem ? as long as the new name does not misrepresent the character of the show. To this end, I think keeping the term
?philosophy? in mix is vital. Philosophy is what the show is about: Don?t be embarrassed or ashamed of that fact. Proclaim that fact proudly. Well-earned pride is cool.
o Some names I like are ?Philosophy Jamz,? ?Philosophy in the Mix,? ?Do Ya Think? Philosophically?? ?Philosophy Mash-Up,? but these relatively contemporary plays would represent the show. To hear Ken and John ?talkin? ?bout bein? down wit dis and dat? just won?t work. Neither will suggestions referencing Buddhism or ?clear lights? or even ?rational.?
o One name that might work, however, is ?Philosophy Rocks!? The show already incorporates music that alludes to philosophy, so if the music were just ?updated? a bit to broaden the demographic, these musical elements could be used more discursively, while maintaining ornamental value.
?The Topics of the Show ?
The issue is how to broaden the demographic of the show (at least increasing younger listeners), and thus, the marketability of the show, without completely reformatting it. Some critics might argue for younger, non-academic hosts, but that change would fundamentally alter the show we?ve all come to know and love; moreover, this would diminish the originality of the show as a source of alternative programming.
o One way to broaden the audience would be to include more ?pop culture? philosophy topics: Simpsons and Philosophy, The Matrix and Philosophy, Poker and Philosophy, etc.
o Another way to broaden the show would be to ?pump up the volume,? so to speak in the reports from the roving philosophical reporter. I totally love what Polly does with this segment, but ?the kids? expect even more.
Anyway, I don?t pretend to have all ? or any ? of the answers, but I understand and sympathize with your predicament. Marketing conditions often limit programming options; but the opposite is also true: programming conditions often limit marketing options.
I just hope the show survives ? with integrity -- to evolve into something even more intriguing than it already is.

How about "Rational Exuberance"?

Flat out BS. "Philosophy Talk" is a good name. Dont change it! Or "bye" (between your ears)... thx

Why not apply the principle of parsimony
to appease the gatekeepers and attract new listeners?
Keep it simple (i.e. Ockham's Razor).
Narrow it down to one word, perhaps a verb.
If I had to translate the Delphic oracle
into twenty-first century lingo, it would
have to be "Think!"

How about "The talking Heads"

I like "Think Talk", also consider "Thought Lab"

The name, "Philosphy Talk", makes the program sound approachable and the topics perhaps understandable. I like names that tell me right off what a program is about.

Your title is fantastic, but I appreciate that your fears are connected with issues of American Radio Politics, which here, across the pond, we do not need understand. You have a good product (I know, because I am paying for it) and your product is global, existing not just in space but (I am sure) over time (until the heat death).
Cogito ergo poddo would not be a bad idea though.
Another one being "Show Formerly Known as Philosophy Talk".
But then they would abbreviate it to "Show Formerly Known" (but not any longer).
So perhaps "Cogito ergo poddo" with the sister blog "Cogitto ergo bloggo"
Or Cogito ergo poddo. Philosophy Talk
Marek Witkowski
Warsaw, Poland

Perhaps your own
THANK YOU FOR THINKING
would be a nice title

Well my friend, I live in the south and do not get to listen to your talk show. I do not believe that your current talk show name would appeal to me at all, but the contents of it would. I believe this would apply to a number of people. So to increase your audience just change the name to "BRAIN-CELL-STIMULATION"

*Philosophy Now!
*Question Everything
*Cogito or iThink ("i" is a pretty ubiquitous branding tool these days); or, some other Latin word that expresses thought/thinking.

"Doesn't Follow"
"Philosophy Hertz"
"Ps and Qs"
"Premise Keepers"

Philosophical ba-dunk-a-dunk
The Junk in your philosophical trunk
I'm an ask man, myself
Truth, justice and booty

The Think Zone

THOUGHT TALK

"Stoic Thoughts"
ENCARTA WORLD DICTIONARY: "Stoic" Ancient philosphy: a member of an ancient greek school of philosphy that asserted that happiness can only be achieved by accepting life's ups and downs as the products of unalterable destiny. School founded 308 BC by Zeno

I read all the other idea's "I WIN"!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"BIPEDAL MINDS"

I second "Talking'bout the deep shit" myself. PDs may not be happy about that title though.
These PDs are probably not right to assume that "Philosophy" in the title implies boring academic talk. Heilbroner's THE WORLDLY PHILOSOPHERS is a bestseller, even though it is not about philosophers, but rather about economists! Heilbroner took out "economist" from the title, and replaced it with "philosophers", because the publisher suggested to him that a title with "economist" in it won't sell. I think Heilbroner talks about this in the preface of his book, so just show it to the PDs and prove them wrong!
What's wrong with "...Talk"? It's a compliment to the "Car Talk" show. But if you have to replace it with something else, Holley's "Philosophy Matters" is a good suggestion.

Oh give me a break! Whatever you do, PLEASE don't change the name! After listening to Philosophy Talk for the last couple of years, any other name would just not feel the same.
The PDs are missing the point -- it is precisely the current title that makes this show appealing to general audiences. I have recommended the show to many philosophy-phobes, and have yet to receive a single complaint. To the contrary, people seem to love the name. This particular concern seems to me like nothing else but just another example of our typical American fascination with "looks over substance".
Ken and John, I hope you stand up to the corporate bullies. This show is YOUR creation, and is obviously quite successful. I say this since I purchased the archive AND the subscription. As the old saying goes: "If it ain't broken, don't fix it". My only suggestion -- to cover a wider audience of philosophy junkies as myself, at times DO make the discussion a bit more "academic"...

I am a Marketing Manager by profession. I have 12 years experience in advertising and marketing - and I say DO NOT CHANGE THE NAME.
- It is concise and gets to the point.
- Your core audience would never have come to your show had it not been for that.
- What some PDs don't get is that the program is what it is (or they do get it, and would love to pervert the content as well as the name). So if the name isn't representative of what listeners will get when they tune in, then you'll both lose the people who thought it was something else, and never attract the people who like philosophy in the first place (your core). Don't jump the shark.
- Don't expend the name recognition you've already built with the name.
- Yes, people might shy away from the word 'philosophy' but that is due to ignorance of what philosophy is really about and how integral it is to our lives. Part of your mandate is presumably to CHANGE that perception. PDs aren't interested in that effort or cause, and will always design their strategies to adapt to the ignorance for maximum effect. In other words, they will always suggest the path of least resistance. Although you can try to convince them based on overlap, always remember that their goals are not exactly the same as yours. Don't listen to them and stand by your principle and purpose. Be willing to accept a few difficulties because of the name, but that is the difficulty that is natural and appropriate to your cause.

How about "The Examined Life"?

I like 'Philosophy Matters.' So many of the other suggestions sound like Frosh Seminars or IHUM tracks.

Well, I'd hate to see you change the name, but how about "Skull Sessions (with John and Ken)"?

I agree with everyone else that your name speaks well to what the show is about. However, in the spirit of bowing to marketing, while at the same time pretending intelligence, I suggest an acronym that is simultaneously modern and esoteric. RAZ rationalizing the american zeitgeist. :)