Les is the ludicrously incompetent news director of WKRP and has been with the station since 1954. Knowing next to nothing about sports, he makes several glaring errors, for example mispronouncing golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez's name as "Chy Chy Rod-ri-gweeze" and calling a swimming event "breast stroking." A reference to Les Nessman is made by Eminem in the song "As the World Turns": Class clown freshman Dressed like Les Nessman Fuck the next lesson I'll pass that test guessin'