And their names mean...
NewsRadio creator Paul Simms was asked about the origins of each character's name. This was his response:
Dave Nelson: I named the character Dave because I wrote it with no one else but Dave Foley in mind. Nelson is my mother's maiden name. It wasn't until after we'd shot the pilot that someone -- many people, in fact -- pointed out that Dave Nelson was the name of a character on "Ozzie and Harriet" or something.
Bill McNeal: Like Dave, I wrote the part for Phil Hartman. I wanted something similar, but not identical to "Phil." "McNeal" is just something we came up with the first time we realized he needed a last name, and no two writers on the show spell it the same.
Lisa Miller: I just liked the name Lisa.
Jimmy James: Named after the first song on the Beastie Boys "Check Your Head" album.
Beth: After the KISS song. She has no last name, or at least that's what she tells people.
Catherine Duke: We wanted something regal-sounding.
Matthew Brock: This part, like Dave's and Bill's, was written for Andy Dick. I think my only reasoning with this name was that he seemed like the kind of guy who would insist on being called "Matthew" and not "Matt" -- much as he often calls Dave "David" on the show.
Joe Garrelli:
Before we cast Joe Rogan, the character was called "Rick," which was loosely based on Drake, which was the name of a writer I worked with on "Larry Sanders" -- and who now works here at NewsRadio. I think after we cast Rogan, he was "Ted" for a day or two of rehearsal, and then we just decided "Joe" was easier.
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