Jim Trenton

In 2019, Trenton began hosting a morning drive-time radio program, Poorman’s Morning Rush, on KOCI-FM 101.5, a low-frequency station broadcasting from Costa Mesa, California.

In 2014, Trenton appeared on episode two of Frankenfood on Spike TV. His creation, the Nuclear Torpedo, also called a "Poor Man's Giant Garbage Burrito" was panned by all three judges. Host Tony Luke, Jr. bet $100 that a dog would not eat Trenton's giant burrito, and, in fact, the dog refused to eat Trenton's creation.

Trenton returned to KCAA twice more between 2012 and 2015, with neither show lasting more than nine months.

He appeared as an extra on the program Boardwalk Empire, which aired in October 2012.

On October 10, 2011, Trenton began his syndicated show, called Poorman's Nation. Despite originally being promoted as a live call-in show, Poorman's Nation instead consisted solely of taped interviews from Occupy Wall Street. The program was syndicated by the Genesis Communications Network, but had just one affiliate, KCAA, which carried his original Radio Invasion program earlier in the year. Trenton conducted his on-the-street interviews while wearing only a Depression-era-style barrel, which earned him some degree of media attention, including an appearance on The Young Turks. However, the show failed to pick up any additional affiliates or local sponsors, and was canceled by the syndicator on November 7, 2011.

Trenton canceled the program on January 17, 2011 to pursue other career opportunities in New York.

In late 2010, Trenton began one of various stints on the pay-your-own-way broadcast station KCAA, based out of San Bernardino, California. While most hosts on the station pay hourly to host their own vanity programs, Poorman was given a free air slot, and had an agreement with station ownership to split the revenue from any advertising sold. The show "Poorman's Radio Invasion", ended after about a year, at which point he moved to New York to prepare for his new syndicated program.

Later in 2001, Poorman joined the Rick Dees in the Morning Show on KIIS-FM Los Angeles as Rick's sidekick through 2004, until the Dees was replaced by Ryan Seacrest. Trenton became the only on-air talent in Los Angeles radio history to work at all three Los Angeles new music giants: KROQ, POWER 106, and KIIS.

In 1999, Trenton again returned to the television landscape, producing a program called Poorman's Bikini Beach. Like The Love Channel, Poorman owned and controlled the show, renting airtime from various television stations. It ran subsequent years, on various television stations including the Los Angeles station KJLA.

In 1994, Trenton sued KROQ, and demanded a piece of the revenues from Loveline. The court ruled against Trenton, citing that Loveline was created as part of Trenton's employment at KROQ, thereby making it their property. Trenton unsuccessfully appealed the decision.

From 1994 through 2004, Trenton worked at several Los Angeles-area radio stations. After departing KROQ, Trenton hosted shows on GrooveRadio (103.1), KIIS-FM (102.7), KPWR-FM (105.9), and twice at KYSR-FM (98.7).

On August 20, 1993, Trenton was a victim of a prank played by morning DJ Gene "Bean" Baxter, where Bean had an assistant walk into Trenton's unlocked house—while he was sleeping—to "celebrate" Trenton's 40th birthday. In response, Trenton organized approximately 500 listeners to gather on the front lawn of Bean's house at midnight, to have their own celebration. Bean complained to the station's management, which responded by terminating Trenton's employment. That month, he was replaced on Loveline by former MTV VJ Riki Rachtman.

Trenton has also appeared in four films, including the 1987 B movie North Shore as the opening surf contest announcer, the 1989 hit Heathers (as the 'Hot Probs' D.J.) and the 1990 film Men at Work (as the narrator).

James Trenton, nicknamed "the Poorman", is an American radio broadcaster. He is best known as the creator and host of Loveline on KROQ-FM in Los Angeles from 1983 to 1993.

Trenton created Loveline in 1983 as a Sunday night dating and relationships segment on Los Angeles radio station KROQ, hosted by Trenton, DJ Swedish Egil (Egil Aalvik), and Scott Mason. It began as a serious "public service" segment hosted by Mason, but Trenton revamped the format to a hybrid of advice and comedy. As Trenton found himself unable to answer serious medical questions related to sexual issues, he added a segment called "Ask a Surgeon," and later "On Call with Dr. Drew," hosted by his friend Drew Pinsky, who at the time, was a fourth-year medical student at the University of Southern California. This format became a fast hit for KROQ, catapulting Trenton and Drew to celebrity.

Under "The Poorman" moniker, Trenton wrote and self-published two guidebooks about dining in the Los Angeles area on a budget. In May 1981, Trenton broadcast his first of several reviews of inexpensive restaurants on KROQ.

While working at KROQ in the mid-1980s, local Orange County TV station KDOC had a program called Adventures with the Poorman hosted by Trenton.

In the late 1980s, Trenton hosted a show on KDOC called Request Video. This was a live show featuring videos of primarily rock and independent bands. In addition, Trenton took live phone calls and interviewed bands. His show was the first to interview the then-unknown Gwen Stefani and her band No Doubt. He quit after 15 months, complaining that the show did not pay him.