Canadian radio talk-show pioneer John Michael died of heart failure
Wednesday at Greater Niagara General Hospital.

Michael was well-known as a long-time AM broadcaster for CJRN-710 in Niagara
Falls and St. Catharines' CKTB-610.

The 72-year-old, who had a Niagara radio career spanning four decades, is
being remembered for his intense love for his family and indomitable spirit.

He died Wednesday, after suffering a heart attack Friday while gardening at
his Chippawa home.

"He was our Rock of Gibraltar," said his Stevensville daughter Kim Cartmell.
"He was everything to everybody ... it's the hardest thing I've had to do,
to say goodbye to him.

"I know he was proud of his radio career and it was important, but his
family was everything in the world to him," she said. "He would drop
anything and everything for us."

In his native London, England, Michael was a champion diver who, as a
teenager, earned a spot on England's Olympic diving team.

For a time, he was a copy boy in the Reuters London office and eventually
ended up in Canada, working for a newspaper in Swift Current, Sask.

In 1964, after a few radio career moves, Michael started at CJRN-710 in
Niagara Falls, and settled in the city with his young family.

Cartmell said it was then that Michael's wife Maggy issued a friendly order
to her husband - no more relocations for radio jobs. "My mother literally
said, 'I'm not taking the kids in and out of school,' " Cartmell said.

The young broadcaster was soon hosting CJRN's John Michael Show. He was a
Canadian radio pioneer in an often rowdy format where topics of discussion
are introduced and listeners call in with their opinions.

Michael's on-air presence could be controversial.

On a few occasions, he was reprimanded by the Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission and the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council
for comments made about groups such as native peoples and French-Canadians.

In a September 2003 interview with The Standard, Michael said "there's just
certain people and certain groups in the world today that if they don't
agree with you, they want you fired."

Michael told the reporter he was actually shy and felt "hurt" when listeners
personally attacked him.

He said his gruff radio personality is part of an on-air "schtick" developed
over the years. His purpose was also to entertain, Michael said.

"He considered himself an entertainer," Cartmell said Thursday. "A lot of
times, people couldn't understand that his tongue was in his cheek."

His audience at CJRN grew through the 1970s, and Michael briefly had a stint
on TV with a syndicated show called Street Talk.

He moved to St. Catharines' CKTB in the 1980s, then returned for another
sojourn at CJRN before leaving in 1989 and eventually returning to CKTB.

In Sept. 5, 2003, he officially wrapped up his career in radio with a final
show on CKTB that was broadcast from a packed Dom's Pasta & Grill restaurant
in Thorold.

"It's a bit of a shock - he only retired five years ago," said St.
Catharines broadcaster Tim Denis, who worked with Michael for 10 years.
Denis first got to know Michael back in the 1980s when they were doing radio
in St. Catharines.

"John was devoted to his family," Denis said. "He was just one of those guys
for whom family was No. 1, first and foremost.

As for on-air controversy: "John loved it," said Denis. "By the time he was
doing open-line radio in Canada, controversial open-line radio (in Canada)
didn't exist.

"We weren't used to people arguing on the air, or having differing opinions
... John pretty well pioneered that kind of talk radio in the country."

Michael's retirement years were spent, in part, travelling with Maggy, his
wife of 48 years.

Other passions included gardening and restoring and driving his beloved
Jaguar. His family said he was also a compulsive amateur rock collector.

Michael is survived by his wife, daughter Kim, sons Marc and Gary and other
family members.

The family says there will be no funeral at Michael's request, but there
have been other private arrangements.

Copyright © 2008 St. Catharines Standard