It’s certainly the call no one ever wants to get. An employee of yours, the co-host of your afternoon show was in a fatal car accident. The staff at your station and frankly your cluster all know each other and it’s shocking. This isn’t fiction. This is real life.
Last week, Iowa sports radio host, Gantry “Wolfgang” Miller was killed after being struck by a semi trailer. Miller co-hosted The Drive with Wolfgang and Steen on 1700 The Champ in Des Moines. According to state police, Miller was stopped on the shoulder of Interstate 80 and was fatally hit by the passing semi-truck after exiting his 1996 Ford Explorer. Miller died at the scene of the accident which is still under investigation.
First, I want to tell you about Gantry “Wolfgang” Miller. He worked very hard to get to where he was. Cumulus/Des Moines Operations Manager Chad Taylor elaborates:
“He (Wolfgang) worked extremely hard to finally get his shot at his own show. He was always a guest on other sports talk radio shows, podcasts etc. He did a Saturday show first and then in December 2018 he got his shot to host his own show with Gary (Steen) Steenblock. Wolfgang was one of the most passionate people I’ve ever met. He was in love with sports talk radio and really worked hard to separate himself from the pack. He was funny, self-deprecating, original, loud, outspoken, real…all the things programmers dream of in a talent.”
Anyone who has been in radio knows someone like Wolfgang. Someone who works, works, works, including nights, weekends, holidays, whatever it takes to get a shot. In December of last year he finally got it – co-host of The Drive with Wolfgang and Steen on 1700 The Champ in Des Moines, Iowa.
I reached out to Cumulus/Des Moines Operations Manager Chad Taylor to gain some insight on how he handled the tragedy with his employees. I hope you never find yourself dealing with this type of situation, but if it were to happen inside your building, his management tips could be helpful.
Matt: As operations manager of the entire cluster, what did you see as your responsibilities when you heard the news?
Chad: To make sure the staff and most importantly his co-host heard the news from me (and not social media). It was also very important that we were respectful to his family and made sure to include them in any press releases/messaging on-air. I’m fiercely protective of the team here and wanted to ensure they had a safe outlet to grieve and honor Wolfgang in the way he deserved.
Matt: At what point do you focus on the difficult task of replacing him on your afternoon show?
Chad: We will start the search immediately and of course include the family every step of the way. Most importantly it will be Steen who will give us the best feedback on who should join the show in the future.
It’s crucial that we find somebody that has chemistry with Steen and understands the mission of the show. What made Wolfgang and Steen successful was they were polar opposites who weren’t afraid to live their lives on the air. They gave their opinions and held their ground with each other.
Matt: What advice would you give another PD/OM when dealing with a death in their radio family?
Chad: To make sure and be sensitive to the entire team. Not everybody deals with tragedy in the same way. Be open, transparent, honest, respectful and caring. This was so unexpected and it still doesn’t feel real to a lot of people in the building. Wolfgang was a bigger than life personality. It’s hard to lose somebody like that.
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After talking with Chad, I had a few questions for Wolfgang’s 1700 The Champ co-host Steen about the loss of his partner.
Matt: Where were you when you heard the news?
Steen: I was in the Dominican on spring break with my senior son and my wife when my wife received the phone call. She called me over to hear the news. It was devastating losing someone so young who I was enjoying working with so much.
Matt: Were you the one who had to tell the audience?
Steen: Luckily I was not the one who had to announce to the audience what had happened. It was probably a blessing I had a few days to grieve privately before I had to come back and figure out what to do next.
Matt: How are you holding up?
Steen: I’m doing much better. It was nice to get back and receiving the support that was coming from the community, my radio family, and my own family.
The most at ease that I had felt was when I finally got to see Wolfgang’s family and talk with them. We had the services yesterday and got to see all the love for him and listen to everyone tell stories about him.
Matt: At what point do you have to start looking for a new on-air partner and what challenges does that present?
Steen: We have to start looking for someone to come in and work ‘The Drive’ with me but I find it hard to believe we can ever duplicate or match what Wolfgang and I had. We hit it off the first day we met and never looked back. We had fun, fought like brothers on issues, had major disagreements but always brought it right back to the love and respect we had for each other.
He would want this show to go on and his family has made that clear to the station as well. I look forward to whoever we find knowing I will always have Wolfgang in my heart and on my mind. Local sports and Iowa teams will always be our main concern as well as talking music, movies, and the stories around us.
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I appreciate Chad and Steen talking with me during this very difficult time for the station and the entire Des Moines cluster. It’s something you never want to have to deal with, but if you are faced with a death in your radio family, you have some strong advice here on how to handle it.
Matt Fishman is a former columnist for BSM. The current PD of ESPN Cleveland has a lengthy resume in sports radio programming. His career stops include SiriusXM, 670 The Score in Chicago, and 610 Sports in Kansas City. You can follow him on Twitter @FatMishman20 or you can email him at FishmanSolutions@gmail.com.
