Remembering Joe Wade Formicola

I got to know Joe Wade Formicola – who passed away suddenly this week at the age of 69 – on a personal level during the past few years or so, but I certainly knew OF him for decades. Dating back to the late 80s and early 90s, he was a hugely popular morning personality on WWWW/Detroit, a major market radio station during a time when Country music was booming. The format was a big deal, and so was he. Nationally famous and recognized by the industry several times over, Formicola won Billboard Personality Of The Year Awards in the 70s and 80s, then the CMA Major Market Personality Of The Year trophy in 1988.

We had an ongoing Facebook Messenger dialogue for much of the past four years and talked on the phone occasionally, too. Formicola paid close attention to news about the radio industry, often expressing his take on the plight of iHeartMedia, Cumulus, and their respective financial challenges. He was highly opinionated, but wasn't dancing on their graves or happy to see the business in peril. Instead, he was concerned about its future and the overall state of radio as a medium. He had an ear to the ground, too, more than a few times sharing a tip that was reliable and helpful to us at All Access.

In my side hustle as the Chairman of the Country Radio Hall Of Fame Committee, I sometimes have the privilege of informing candidates of their selection to the Hall. Anybody who has ever done an airshift can relate to this: Telling someone who has been in radio their entire adult life that their body of work has been deemed Hall-Of Fame-Worthy is ten times more fun than giving away a house, a car, or $10,000. In January, when I told Joe Wade Formicola he'd been selected by a committee comprised of current Hall Of Famers, his first reaction was "Oh my God. Really?" Then he broke down and cried. That's how much the honor meant to him. Like so many others, I'm genuinely sad Formicola won't be physically present on Wednesday, June 21st in Nashville – when he's officially welcomed into the Hall – but I do feel happy knowing that he understood his work in radio was respected and recognized by his peers.

Formicola's sudden passing was an "oh-wow, oh-no" moment, especially for those who knew him. I had just interviewed him for our "10 Questions" feature that ran two weeks ago on All Access. In that piece and here, I've covered some things many of us knew about Formicola, but I thought it would be nice to share other stories about him, via some people who worked with him and really called him a longtime friend, realizing I've only scratched the surface of his large circle.

Tim Roberts, CBS Radio VP/Country and WYCD/Detroit PD:

I met Joe Wade Formicola back before he was even in Detroit. We were both PDs in Mann Media; he was at Country WKIX in Raleigh, and I was at WGLD/Greensboro. Joe had just won Billboard’s Air Personality Of The Year and had an all-star on-air staff, including Dale Van Horn; the station was on fire! The legend was that the famous episode of the award-winning TV show "WKRP In Cincinnati," when Les Nessman drops turkeys out of an airplane, was actually based on a bit they did at WKIX where they had a trained German Shepherd that parachuted out of an airplane. Funny stuff, but it kind of sums up the kind of cutting edge mentality Joe brought to the airwaves. The fact is that Joe was just very authentic and real with the audience – a true natural whom fans immediately bonded with, both in Raleigh and later in Detroit. He also cared about people and his co-workers. Linda Lee [the late WYCD personality and fellow 2017 CRHOF inductee] and I always talked about that quality he brought to the station.

Charlie Cook, Cumulus Media VP/Country and WSM-FM/Nashville PD:

Joe and I went to the same broadcast school at the same time. We started in radio at the same time and shared that for almost 45 years. I know this about Joey: He loved God; he loved his family; and he loved Detroit – particularly the Tigers and Red Wings – and we cheered and booed them many times throughout the year together. He loved radio, and he loved finally getting into the Country Radio Hall of Fame. Death is equal – everyone gets to experience it – but it is not fair. The timing on this situation is way beyond unfair. I am pleased that Joe knew that his peers appreciated his contribution to the business, but I am sorry that he was not able to bask in it.

Barry Mardit, Barry Mardit Media Consulting and Former WWW/Detroit PD

I met Joe at a Billboard convention sometime in the early 80s.I believe he was at WKIX/Raleigh, and I was at WWWW (W4)/Detroit. You could immediately tell that Joe was “in the room” and had an opinion. His audience hung on his words. I remember him saying something that he’d repeated over the years: “If you want something, ya gotta go for it; apply. Let them know you exist, that you want it, and you’re what they’re looking for. How do you know if you don’t try?"

Years later, he applied to me for mornings at W4. Remember, this was the mid-80s: cassette tapes, five inch reels in re-used spot agency boxes. Joe included a VHS video of himself on a remote, pumping gas for charity, and carrying on for his station in North Carolina, in his typical natural being himself/entertaining fashion. I shared the video (as this was unusual back then) with my GM, Phil Lamka.

When he came in for the interview, it was obvious that he knew so much about Detroit. This was HIS hometown! Hell, Phil was from Texas; I was from Brooklyn. Aside from the surface things like Tigers, Lions, and Redwings, Joe knew all the neighborhoods; [he knew] all about the produce market, [and] the Grosse Pointes. We hired Joe and launched a series of “teasers” that something special was coming – we used the sound of soda fizz and just the word “Formicola.”

On stage at our Annual Budweiser Downtown Hoedown, you knew Joe was in command when he’d bellow at the top of his lungs, “Hoe Down!”

I remember a St. Jude Radiothon, [where] in one day – one hour in morning drive – $100,000 [was] raised. Need we say more? It was Joe and his team that asked for the order, because we were running behind. The listeners and sponsors came through. He challenged all the car dealers, “Let's show ‘em we are Detroit.” That was one of his proudest moments. Joe, thanks for the memories. I know there will be more!

Don Carpenter, Former WYCD Morning/Afternoon Personality:

Joe was one of those rare types who could own a room, whether it was a staff meeting, a client party, or swarms of fans at a concert. Everyone who met Joe was left with two feelings: 1) He's a big star; [and] 2) He's one of us. He was also a great networker, before networking became a verb. Joe took time to keep in touch. Every single person I've spoken with since his death says the same thing: “I just talked to him last week.” Who does that anymore? All who knew him knew he was a legend, and a great friend – and equally both.

In today's radio world, it's all about keeping it short, editing it down, moving along. Joe had that rare ability to take two minutes to say what could have been said in 30 seconds, but make it ten times more interesting in the process.

My favorite story involved a television commercial he and I did. It involved us telling lies about each other. As we did this, our noses grew. At the end of the commercial, we both sported long prosthetic noses and were dressed in drag. Still not sure whose idea the latter was, but no matter. Joe complained about the shoot every step of the way. From the makeup, to the dresses, to the wigs, to my acting. We all knew he didn't mean a word of it. In fact, the laughter he brought to the shoot caused it to run far longer than it could have. But, when it was over, it came out a much better product than had been envisioned. Just like his show, he managed to get more out of everyone involved without us knowing it.

Bill Plegue, Formicola's Producer at Talk WXYT-A/Detroit

We worked together doing talk radio. With Joe, whatever he did, he threw himself into, and he did it to the best of his ability. If it wasn’t what he liked, he did it again. He came across a bit pompous, and I always tell people he was like the elder uncle in the family that took a while to get to know, but once you knew him, you invited him to every family event that you had.

Joe was not just remembered for being a Country jock. I think Joe could have retired doing Talk radio, even though his love was still in Country music and race cars. He was as good a talk show host as I ever worked with; he was different, as all good talk show hosts are. If Joe were given some more time, he could’ve been very good because of his demeanor and approach to things.

Detroit is a very tough town; if they don’t like you right away, they’re not going to give you a couple days to warm up and get into the flow. You have to earn your stripes if I’m going to listen to you. People knew Joe here from W4, and he was real about it. He wasn’t a pseudo cowboy, and I don’t use cowboy in a negative turn. He liked the music and the lifestyle, and people could tell that right away. It was the same with Talk radio. People try to be Talk radio hosts, and if you’re not real and passionate about what you’re talking about – whether you’re right or wrong – they’ll give you that time to listen and see if you can entertain or inform me. He was fun to work with, and you couldn’t mail in any day. Joe had a way, without telling you, to make you come in and give it your best.

Keith Hill, The Unconsultant

Joe and I first connected when I was in Greensboro, and Joe was at 850 WKIX-A/Raleigh. I think Joe's great success in radio was that he was a real guy. He would ask me about movies, culture, and what made people tune in. In Detroit, Joe was at the top of his game. Perhaps little known was that guys like Dick Purtan, Alan Almond, and others at competing [Detroit] stations use to get together and bend an elbow together and share ideas on how to be better for the listeners.

Back in Raleigh as PD of WRAL, Joe and I got to work together again in putting on a Classic Country called “Genuine Country 99.9.” Every step of the way, Joe would constantly challenge the team to “make it just right for the listeners... not for us.”

The last several years, Joe was on Westwood One Country stations. Everywhere I went, he was a standout personality. He was real and told Seinfeld-like real stories. It was pure ear candy. Besides his big robust smile and deep laugh, I'll miss our weekly chats where he was all questions: “What do you think of Trump? Hey, do you like this Sam Hunt record? What are people saying about Keith and Carrie's record? Is it researching? Do women like it, or is it men?” Everything he did was simply prep for the next show. Joe was one of the very best to ever do a radio show.

Billy Dukes, Taste Of Country and Former WQDR/ Raleigh MD:

He just had great energy on air. I remember we did an hour on WPTF-A/Raleigh talking about Brad Paisley’s “Accidental Racist.” He brought in a bunch of well-known consultants… and me. Ha! He was clearly in his element, stirring it all up, and he loved it.

In many ways, he was a classic radio guy, but I think [he] embraced that for all the good and bad of it. For about a year, I called in weekly to his Westwood One show – and our bit took about one minute – but we’d talk about the Tigers for 30 minutes. Once, we went to a Keith Urban show together. Kind of an odd pairing, but it was great conversation.

I’m not sure if this is a nice thing to say or not, but I mean it nicely: He had an ego. I definitely have an ego. I think I saw in him that that was okay – that stars have egos, and once you just accept that, you’re better off. Humility is not my strong suit, nor was it his, I don’t think. Several times, he told me about people trying to get him into the Hall Of Fame. I know it meant a lot to him.

Also, what an F-n great voice!

Eddie Haskell, Former WYCD PD

Joe Wade was bigger than life. Loud, proud, and unapologetically opinionated. I think that's why he resonated with Detroit. To listeners, Joe seemed like a working stiff that got a great job on the radio; [he was] one of them.

Radio was his life. We weren't close friends when we worked together, but Joe always kept in touch. Toward the end, you'd think we'd been best friends forever. He would check in like clockwork, never letting two weeks pass without a Facebook message. Just checking to see how I was doing. As I'm typing this in Messenger, I see his last message is just three down in the list.

Thanks to all those above for sharing their memories of Joe Wade. If you want to share your stories about him, please feel free to do so in the comments here. Godspeed and RIP, Joe Wade Formicola; thanks for our many Facebook talks, and thanks for your contribution to Country radio. Neither will be forgotten.