One who would talk was Mike Rhyner of "The Ticket," KTCK-AM (1310). Mr. Rhyner's "Hardline" show runs in the same drive-time slot as The Russ Martin Show and competes for the same, primarily male, audience. A few years ago, the heated ratings battle between the two rivals took an unusual turn when Mr. Martin made a run at Mr. Rhyner's garbage.
"He thought it would be cool to hire some small-town, off-duty cops who had a side business as [private detectives], follow me around, go through my trash," Mr. Rhyner said.
Mr. Martin didn't stop there — he also targeted Mr. Rhyner's wife. "He had some people take pictures of my wife" as she was leaving gym, and he made comments about her on the air, Mr. Rhyner said.
"I'm not sure what he found in my trash," he said. "I don't think it was anything very useful."
The bit, he added, was "a very time-honored Howard Stern tactic. It's very derivative, very redundant. I'm sure to many, it was transparent that this is just another way in which he's trying to be just like Howard Stern."
Mr. Martin, and his attorney, Mr. Powers, could not be reached to did not comment on Mr. Rhyner's story.