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WIRK - DAVE MICHAELS

B

B92

Guest
Anyone know what happened to Dave Michaels at WIRK?
Did he leave voluntarily? Is he working somewhere?
What's his radio history? How long was he at WIRK?
I used to listen all the time. They shut down his request show with the phone bits and he stuck around for awhile after that doing time/temp, but, eventually he vanished into the sunset quietly with no mention.
Like any personality, people like them and people hate them, but, this guy was special. Rare. A very unique talent. I once called the station and somebody said he went home to Missouri, but, had no details.
 
Dave Michaels was indeed a fixture at WIRK. He was at the station since at least the late '80s, if memory serves. I enjoyed his sense of humor, his interaction with callers, and his twangy Midwestern accent. I might be mistaken, but I believe Dave grew up with and worked in radio with Rush Limbaugh.

During the last couple of years of his show, Dave's bits became strange. He seemed to lack energy. It was a weird listen...
 
There was a "Dave Michaels" in St. Louis----he is now in Dallas and has been a Program Director since I knew him in the mid 90's in Jacksonville, Florida. However, i don't think it's the SAME Dave Michaels (keep in mind DJs tend to use "Generic names"--" (usually 2 first names--"Dave Michaels" indicate thier REAL names are probably "etnically-oriented" and not "sellable" for Radio)--so there tend to be multiple "Dave Michaels".

NLeibo
 
I believe his real name is Dave Hagedorn. He worked for me as a club dj before he started at WIRK. Great guy. HE spent some time at KGR and also started Tru 99 when they came on the air all prior to WIRK. Used to visit him regularly at all stations. The Rush story is correct and he was from Southern Missouri.

Nock
 
Thanks to everyone so far who responded. But, so far, nobody knows what happened to him and if he's working elsewhere these days?? Hope someone else responds.
Scott, regarding your comments:
I was a regular listener the last couple of years. I even rolled quite a bit of tape on him for myself. I think when you say his bits "changed" was part of a bigger problem of doing a big night show in this era.
Most people you'd want to be listening and call in are just doing other things besides listening to the radio. Top40 began when kids listened at night and mornings depended on great ratings at night from
the kids that would jump-start mornings for the station like the Today Show depends on Leno where you go to sleep and wake up on the same channel. Last few years, the calls were terrible and, of course,
his request thing didn't start till 9pm which is ridiculous. It should have started at 7pm. I think his frustration may have been with what he had to work with in the callers. Sort of, like the frustration you hear
from Neil Rogers in taking callers the last few years. The station itself, WIRK, seemed to change subtly, too, becoming more music intensive than it had ever been in middays and afternoons. It wasn't as
exciting and showbizzy as it was in the early part of the 2000s. He was like a lone wolf going in a different direction at 9pm at night. That was part of the problem and it reflected in the callers he got and
in an audience that was listening to a different radio station until 9pm that evening. It was an abrupt seg instead of a smooth transition. None of which were his fault. The station also did nothing to promote
this special programming at night, ever, either. Everything was always about the morning show, the station, and nothing else. Yet, you have this premiere talent burying his act till after 9pm. If anything,
he should have been moved to afternoon drive and scrap the night request show. He was a great solid jock and easily the best time/temp jock on the station. Even if it was just a matter of utilizing your
best talent, he should have been moved up to a daypart. There are guys that open the phones and take requests and then there are real genuine great individual unique personalities. This guy was unique.
He was not interchangeable. You can't replace a guy like that just by letting somebody else take requests and opening up the phones. He was a real personality and there are not many left in radio. It's a
real loss not to have him on the air. No, I'm not his cousin or uncle and he didn't pay me to write this and for all I know he may be an egomaniac and a bastard in person, but, nobody can take away the
fact that this was one of the best inidividual talents on the radio in south Florida and when he was doing it, he did apparently have the freedom to do his bits his way or at least put his stamp on the bits
which made for a most entertaining program that I surely miss. One of the best and most original talents I ever heard. Hope somebody knows what he's up to. Perhaps, it is a radio station that streams
and can be listened to.
 
I agree with much of what you wrote, B92. Ten years ago or so, Dave used to seemlessly interact with callers. He'd allow them to tell stories. He'd sarcastically pepper them.

In his last few years at WIRK, his interaction with callers would be limited, and his on-air segments would sometimes be downright weird. In other words, they'd make no sense.

My sense - without any proof - is not that Dave was frustrated with the quality of the callers. Up till the end, Dave enjoyed talking to the more rural, "countrified" callers. Dave's calls rarely came from Delray Beach or West Palm; they often came from Loxahatchee or even Belle Glade. The limited interaction with callers probbly came from the programmer, and Dave was probably upset by this. You mentioned that WIRK is now more music-intensive than ever. I agree; Dave's show was personality-driven. Perhaps he left, or was let go, in order for the station to be even more music-intensive. Perhaps his relatively high salary, due to his years of service, was another incentive to get rid of him.

Speaking of former WIRK jocks, does anyone know where J.R. Jackson went? Does anyone remember when he first was on the air in West Palm? He did middays at Star 95.5 (before they went Country) as Tony Q. Fox.
 
Wow, Scott!! I'm so bored, I don't frequently listen anymore. Just went to their website. No names left except the morning show under Staff. I did hear that they replaced Mitch with a new program director and perhaps that has something to do with it. Infinity has also been cutting costs in many markets, lately, in an unprecedented way. Unthinkable cutbacks to live programming, etc. Wow! JR Jackson is gone, too.
You'd have to see a full rating book to really comment accurately, but, the published for the public 12+ ratings do show that in the last few years, the station has lost overrall audience and has not been anywhere
near as dominant as it was in the early part of the 21st century. Again, 12+ can have absolutely nothing to do with 25-54 audience and the music intensive approach may work there better. Hard to say, but, I
thought it was much more fun, several years ago, than it is, the last few years. I surrender to a lot of your observations and theories on Dave's show, as well, Scott. Still, I miss it. Now, if only somebody more
in the loop than us could answer our questions.
 
Dave is ALIVE and as well as can be expected after being dumped after 20 years and a Number 1 show at a leading south Florida broadcast radio station...
His show was, not for the faint of heart, but was also kind and respectful to those serving our nation and those in personal crisis. He was hard on those he knew were asses, and nurturing to those he felt needed support. Dave, at times, had no heart, other times he was ALL heart. It kept the listener on the edge of their seat. Those brave enough to call-in learned, sometimes, the hard way, they were dealing with a seasoned professional quick on his feet and sly like a fox. He worked alone much to the surprise of most people. He played the sound effects, etc like a virtuoso. All the things you bloggers say, good and bad, about him are mostly correct.
However, what lead to his being treated indifferently, unprofessionally, kept in the dark like a mushroom and slowly having one hand tied behind his back, then another, then his show taken away, then eventually the worst of all, his microphone shutdown and a cowardly involuntary dismissal was an ever increasing, so called, FCC regulations "gag order"-starting with the Janet Jackson "wardrope malfunction". Dave had, and has, too much class to trash his former employer. His former employer had no such respect for Dave, as #1 radio personality, employee or even as a human in the way they, torturously and slowly killed this south Florida radio icon over the final year of his employment. It was a sad, tragic, slow, agonizing and water torture-type DEATH. It was classless. The real reasons for Dave’s dismissal, in my personal opinion, are the greed of corporate America. Dave is in his early 50's and it cost more to pay quality and experienced talent than it does hotshots interns out of radio tech schools. Health insurance cost alone can make the corporate headquarters accountant justify urging management to make "cutbacks" when in fact; they are diluting the quality and individual uniqueness of regional radio. Corporate headquarters radio "experts" seem to want to have one station for the entire nation so they can reduce cost, as opposed to, giving the listeners what they want. It is corporate arrogance and bottom line mentality at its worse.
Dave had a job all locked up until, again, the greed of the corporate American banking, lending and investment banks that have caused this global economic meltdown cost him his new job the day before his first broadcast.
This not an obituary, Dave will be back, but hopefully this serves as a wake-up call for the entire broadcast radio family of DJ’s, staffers and even local management.
Happy New Year 2009 (Remember to hold your call-ins and big expenditures because this year economically and corparte cutbacks will get worse before it gets better...)
The TokyoWeatherGirl
 
Dave Michaels and JR Jackson were both the victims of budget cuts at CBS. Consultants began toying with programming as far back as 2 years, and it was consultants who were responsible for scrapping the request show. But the real big stuff happened after the firing of longtime GM Lee Strasser in November of 2007.

Of course WIRK is part of CBS Radio's West Palm Beach cluster which also includes Sunny 104.3, The Buzz 103.1, X102.3 and B106.3. Strasser had been in charge of the entire group off 45th street since the mid 90s, and WIRK since the mid 80s. But CBS did not replace him, per se. Instead they brought in what was referred to as a Group Director. With the help of the Group Comptroller this individual does indeed oversee day-to-day operations, though executive decisions are arrived at by respective department heads in New York or regional directors in the field.

As it later turned out the primary function of the new director was to divest the group, possibly in preparation for the open market. Following Viacom's exit in 2005, CBS has gradually taken the position that its small and mid-market stations should be spun off in order to focus on major market properties. Since these transactions often become mired in red tape while awaiting FCC approval, job one has become a systematic stripping away of expenses in all but those stations/groups CBS wishes to retain. Naturally, slashing payroll is the first order of business in any such case. For whatever reason WIRK and Sunny have suffered the most cuts so far, with The Buzz losing only its Sales Manager and the two Urban stations registering no dismissals at all!

Sometime in February of 2008 Dave Michaels got caught up in the first round of firings along with WIRK overnight host Tony Valentino, Sunny Production Director & overnight host Dick Anderson and one or two administrative staff members. Overnights immediately became automated on both stations (through the use of pre-recorded drops by remaining air staff) with former Metro Networks traffic reporter Dina B taking over the seven to midnight slot on WIRK. The second round saw longtime midday host Sunny Quinn and morning show producer Eric Due released from Sunny 104.3 along with the group's Chief Engineer and several part-timers from both stations. The third round included JR Jackson, Sunny afternoon drive host Clay Culver (who had just moved here from Austin, TX), The Buzz GSM and more sales & administrative staff. Dina B was subsequently moved to afternoon drive on WIRK and Sunny Quinn's replacement Christi Banks moved into the same slot at Sunny 104.3.

Then just before Christmas 2008, the two PDs were dealt harshly with. Mitch Mahan was fired and Rick Shockley demoted. Shockley remains as Sunny morning and midday host and Mahan's midday hosting duties have temporarily gone to part-timer Captain Tim while possible automation is considered. Meanwhile, Buzz PD John O'Connell appears to be programming all three stations, with his counterpart Mark McCray programming the two Urban formats.

According to sources both JR Jackson and Dave Michaels are still in the area. Jackson has effectively sworn off broadcasting as a career choice. And who can blame him? On-air positions that once paid as much as $70k per year to jocks of their caliber in this market, now go to relative newcomers with questionable talent for as little as $20k! Dave Michaels is presumably still in the hunt.
 
THANK YOU SO MUCH, TOKYO AND KNUCKLES, FOR RESPONDING TO THE INQUIRY.
IT'S GETTING SO BAD THAT I CANNOT LISTEN TO MUCH OF THE RADIO ANYMORE DOWN HERE.
I REALLY LOVED DAVE. I HAVE SEVERAL AIRCHECKS I MADE OF HIM AND I BRING THEM OUT
WHENEVER I NEED A LAUGH. YOU CAN LISTEN TO SOME OF THOSE BITS OVER AND OVER
AND, ARGUABLY, WHAT I AIRCHECKED WAS FROM THE TURBULENT END OF HIS RUN AND
NOT HIS BEST WORK. IT'S SO DISAPPOINTING WHAT YOU DESCRIBE. AND, WHEN YOU
THINK HOW SUNNY HAS GOT TO BE A CASH COW BEING THE #1 12+ STATION AND HOW
GOOD IT SOUNDED AT WHAT IT DID WHEN TIM BYRD DID AFTERNOONS AND JOE MARTELLE
WAS ON IN THE MORNING, ETC. TIM IS SUCH A GREAT TALENT, TOO, AND THE FORMAT OVER
AT KOOL DOES NOT ALLOW HIM TO SHOW IT LIKE WHEN HE WAS ON SUNNY AND AT WRMF.
SO DISAPPOINTING AND WHEN YOU THINK THAT WIRK AND SUNNY ARE SUCH SUCCESSFUL
STATIONS MAKING LOTS OF MONEY AND THEY GUT THEM, ANYWAY. IT'S OBSCENE.
 
I also thank all of the posters who contributed so much information to this post.

While the goings on at West Palm Beach's CBS cluster is horrible, it is not unique to this market. And it is not unique to CBS. Look what has happened at Wild 95.5.

With that said, the South Florida dial is still better than most. A chunk of that has to do with the fact that we have, arguably, the most talented talk host in the country in Neil Rogers. In addition, 93 Rock and 99 Jamz both sound better than they have in a long time.
 
To put an end to "Where In The World Is Dave Michaels", It is safe to say I am easily able to answer that question as I know him personally. He is my Dad.
Yes, believe it or not. I was sent this link, and have read all the posts, and want to thank everyone for their support and kind words. Setting the father title aside, he was (and still is) unarguably one of the best on-air talents radio of today has to offer. His quick wit, and way with fans and listeners kept us all tuned in, and lets face it, very entertained in various forms. He truly loved what he did, and held an overwhelming talent for making people smile, and keeping them entertained.
He raised the bar, and took risks, and with those risks came great rewards in the form of dedicated fans that would tune in nightly to see what antics he would pull out of his comedic bag of tricks. And yes, sometimes he was harsh, sometimes mean, and sometimes just plain outrageous, but that was the beauty of it. It wasn't just another carbon-copy "take your dull request, and play a slow song" format, It was truly original and unique. And like all great things, The All Request Show had to come to an abrupt end after so many years of laughs and great memories, and the rest of the story has been covered in other posts.
I grew up listening to my Dad on the air, and getting to sit in the studio many times as he'd take calls, play requests, and create ideas for the show, and that is something I'll always cherish. He may never know just how many people lives he touched just by making them laugh in a time they may have really needed it. Including me. So thanks for all the support and concern for his mysterious absence from the airwaves, and lets keep our fingers crossed we'll once again here that familiar... DAVES NOT HERE MAN!!!
 
I guess this thread is exhausted now, but, I can't let it end!!! Thanks, Dave Junior (hope that's okay to describe you here) for dropping in on the thread. Anyway, you ended your comments with, "Dave's Not Here, Man" which brings up one of the absolute original funniest bits I ever heard on radio when your dad conferenced in callers who wound up talking to each other and were waiting for Dave to come to the phone, but,
you kept hearing "Dave's Not Here, Man" and the callers just started talking to each other. I had to pull off the road when I heard this. Dave carried on this way for about an hour or so and it was one of the funniest things I ever heard anyone do. The other bit I remember was one of his last. He was talking to a caller about sports and she said she liked baseball and Dave told her that baseball was boring and then he proceeded to do play-by-play of a baseball game in a really slow half asleep voice. "Ball 1 and the pitcher stops to scratch his nose. Ball 2 and the batter leaves the batter box to take a few practice swings and so on. Again, I almost lost control of the vehicle hearing this. It was so damn funny and so accurate about how a lot of people feel about baseball games. Dave was the kind of guy that inspired you as a kid to get into radio. As you said, I'm sure he touched a lot of people. If you see this, Dave Junior, just wondering if Dave told you that he'd disown you if you go into radio and/or are you in radio? It's just so sad what has happened to the business. Best to everyone who contributed to this thread and thanks for answering this burning question that I've wondered about since Dave left which is quite awhile now. It's just amazing how radio just lets
some guys vanish into thin air and poof! they are gone pretending they were never there. I can only think of a few examples where this was not done. Retirements don't count like Rick Shaw. Down here, I can think
of one recent example, actually. When Hank Goldberg worked thru his contract to the last shift at WQAM and everyone knew it was not a positive parting and nobody pretended on air or off air. I think it was
better than just letting a guy vanish like he was never there and pretending nobody knows about it. Listeners need closure after long runs like Dave or Hank. Anyway, that's radio for ya.
 
I actually employed Dave as a club dj in a small club on Singer Island 1988 well before his success started. Back then he seemed frustrated with radio as we talked often about it. I have long left S Fla and always wondered how things went for him. Did visit him at WIRK when he first started. Nice to see he made it big!!

Nock
 
Dave's here man!

UNCLE MICK's In Jupiter, Fl. Club DJ. Come check him out!
 
This is an old thread. Anyone out there? I still have a few airchecks of Dave Michaels on WIRK. What happened to him? Is he still in radio somewhere to pick up a stream? What a talent. One of the most unique and awesome killer night jocks I ever heard. Nobody worked phones like he did. (including myself when I did it) Truly a great talent. So disappointing to think a bunch of "suits" could railroad his career like that. One of the last of the mohicans. I consider myself a student of radio and I never heard anyone like him before and there will never be another like him again. He didn't sound like anybody else. I listened to the whole show and was not even a big country music fan. One of the last great entertainers on the radio. My only regret is that I didn't make more airchecks of him than I have right now. I can listen to scoped material of him over and over and over and I don't grow tired of it. Dave, you were the best.
 
Dave Michaels on WIRK

Is Dave still doing club DJ in south Florida? He belongs on the radio! I still have a few airchecks of Dave Michaels on WIRK. What happened to him? Is he still in radio somewhere to pick up a stream? What a talent. One of the most unique and awesome killer night jocks I ever heard. Nobody worked phones like he did. (including myself when I did it) Truly a great talent. So disappointing to think a bunch of "suits" could railroad his career like that. One of the last of the mohicans. I consider myself a student of radio and I never heard anyone like him before and there will never be another like him again. He didn't sound like anybody else. I listened to the whole show and was not even a big country music fan. One of the last great entertainers on the radio. My only regret is that I didn't make more airchecks of him than I have right now. I can listen to scoped material of him over and over and over and I don't grow tired of it. Dave was the best! If he has airchecks of himself, I wish he'd post them somewhere. I've rolled the few snippets I have for radio pals and he is one of the best I've heard and other radio folk I know feel the same way.
 
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