Film fans across the US keep tuning in to Fayetteville’s film review show

WORDS / SUMMER EL-SHAHAWY

PHOTO COURTESY OF BO COUNTS

The Drive-In Speaker Box is an iconic piece of Fayetteville. Originally started by Bo Counts in 2004 as a blog-turned-radio show on KXUA 88.3FM, the show is now completely web-based, recorded live every Monday night from their studio in Fayetteville, and has audiences all over the country and beyond.

The genesis of Drive-In Speaker Box was Counts’s love for film scores and filmmaking. He worked in a video store and went on to work in the film industry as a boom operator and field producer.

“I was able to take all of this experience as a film lover, filmmaker and entertainer [and] blend it all together into a fun and hopefully educational show to help people have a better appreciation of movies.”

While theaters were shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, the show reviewed older films and features on streaming networks. Their audience became more interactive, commenting live during the show, and they reshaped the show’s format.

“My favorite thing has been being able to connect with our audience in real time and have them become a part of the show,” Counts said. “It has become a fun little community of film fans that come for our humor and banter, but also for our encyclopedic knowledge of useless film facts!” 

The Drive-In Speaker Box can be found on your favorite podcatchers, and Counts can be found watching films at the movie theater.