WMMR’s Preston & Steve Show Teams up with Local Company CheapCaribbean.com for the Trip of a Lifetime

On a typical Tuesday morning, you won’t see members of the WMMR’s popular program The Preston & Steve Show lounging around, sipping coffee, and leisurely discussing topics of the day. Instead, the tiny studio is a hotbed of activity, with interns, guests, and yes, the ever-popular cast squeezed into every corner, constantly moving from computer to control panel to soundboard to microphone. The first word that comes to mind: chaos.

But this isn’t a typical radio show; after all, it takes more than just the run-of-the-mill for Bassetts Ice Cream to develop a flavor specifically for you (Gadzooks!). 

There’s none of the posturing you may expect from two of the most well known names in the Delaware Valley. Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison are, well, just guys at work, having a few laughs, discussing anything and everything from sandwiches and beer to favorite TV shows (Lost), to more serious issues of the day. They’re affable, laid back and welcoming to callers and on-air guests alike, and genuinely happy to interact with their fans.

“What sets us apart from other programs is our listeners,” Elliot says. “The people who listen to our show aren’t listening for an agenda, they’re just people who enjoy having fun.”

Fun is the deciding factor in the Preston & Steve formula, but the program moves beyond pranks and stunts. Sure, the show features celebrities, strippers, tattoo artists and more than a few sound effects that could be dubbed by conservative listeners as questionable, but the team’s heart and soul moves beyond raunchy humor, quick wit and general mockery of the stars. As their fan-base has grown, so has their commitment to the community. The team regularly supports local causes, including direct support for local police and firefighters.

The show’s best-known charitable projects take place about six months apart. In late spring, Preston & Steve’s 1,000 Pint Blood Drive taps into the veins of the community, quite literally. In June 2007, 1,078 pints of blood were collected in just 11 hours. December of each year, the team kicks off the Camp Out for Hunger, collecting non-perishable food items on behalf of Philabundance. Last year, listeners contributed 232 tons of food, along with $27,427.27 in cash donations. With this dedication to service in mind, it only makes sense that the show has paired up with CheapCaribbean.com, a Doylestown-based company that donated more than 107,000 pounds of food to the Camp Out for Hunger last year alone.

CheapCaribbean.com

“Caribbean Jim” Hobbs is always in character. Snow or shine, you’re likely to see him in flip-flops and a Hawaiian-print shirt. He and his wife Marta founded CheapCaribbean.com as a part-time business in Manhattan. Little did they know, it would expand from a single laptop computer and cell phone to a bustling company with more than 100 full-time employees and offices opening across the nation.

Partners in life and in business, Jim and Marta founded CheapCaribbean.com for a simple reason. “I loved traveling to the Caribbean,” said Jim. “I learned everything and anything about travel at a previous job, and decided to branch out on my own.” The couple decided to move from New York City to Pennsylvania when Marta was pregnant with their second child.

“We wanted to buy a house, but not too close to the city,” Marta said. “So we decided to try Pennsylvania, without knowing too much about it. We made a few trips, just driving around areas like Allentown, but not finding what we were looking for. Then, on our last trip out here, discouraged, we hopped onto 202 and found Doylestown, this cute little town with flowers on the lampposts. We walked into the first real estate office we saw and said, ‘we want to buy a house here.’”

CheapCaribbean.com’s first office was in the couple’s spare bedroom. At the beginning, Marta continued to work at NBC, commuting to New York a few days a week. But soon, business began booming, and Jim asked Marta to come onboard full time.

“There was a point where we had six people working out of our house,” Marta laughs. “We had 26 phone lines going into our property. We had no idea it would take off the way it did.”

The company grew, and its founders looked for ways not only to bring the staff closer together, but to contribute to the less fortunate. Jim and Marta established CheapCaribbean Cares foundation in 2006, which supports such organizations as Children of Jamaica Outreach, Inc., Passionately Pink for the Cure, Habitat for Humanity and the American Cancer Society, among many others. Additionally, for the past two years, CheapCaribbean.com has provided the largest contributions to Preston & Steve’s Campout for Hunger. This distinction is more than fitting for a company that not only focuses on planning the perfect vacation for its customers, but also gives back to communities, both here and in paradise. It also brought CheapCaribbean.com into the Preston & Steve family.

The Mystery Trip

As a reward for contributing the greatest amount of food during the 2005 Camp Out for Hunger, Preston & Steve broadcast live from the CheapCaribbean.com offices in March 2006. It was during the this live show that Caribbean Jim surprised his 120 employees and the Preston & Steve show with a free trip to the islands for a Jimmy Buffet charity concert.

“It was from there we realized this was a great way to work together,” said Morrison, who had thought up the idea of taking a few lucky listeners on mystery vacation a few years earlier. “We charter a plane and take a long weekend to a resort where it’s just fun and time by the pool and food and drinks. The only catch: You have no idea where you’re going.”

Dates for the 2008 Mystery Trip were announced at the CheapCaribbean.com live broadcast in March. Limited tickets are available to be purchased by listeners at CheapCaribbean.com, and tickets are also available to win by listening to Preston & Steve. Trips are $1,199 per person, and include airfare, four days and three nights at a luxury hotel (April 24-27), meals and drinks. For details, visit CheapCaribbean.com, or call (800) 915-BEACH.

Susan Haine is editor of LifeStyle Magazine.