Today, we’d like to introduce you to Joe Madigan.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I always wanted to be on the radio, so I joined the staff of WJCU 88.7-FM when I enrolled at John Carroll University in 2003. During that time, commercial radio started phasing out a lot of the music that I liked to hear on the radio, specifically music from the 60s. As I started to collect more records, I discovered a lot of great songs from that era that got no or very little airplay on the radio, so I started spinning those on my show. The response from the audience was tremendous, and that really fueled me to keep going. My first show was Retro Radio, a recreation of what radio sounded like in the 1960s when the music I liked was new. I hosted the show live at WJCU for 15 years. In 2019, I started my new show, “Jumpin’ Joe’s Basement Show,” which I record from my basement studio every week. The show airs every Saturday from 5-7 pm (eastern) on 88.7 WJCU and on a few internet and low-powered FM stations.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I joined WJCU in 2003, all the new DJs had to apprentice with an experienced DJ. After three months, all the new DJs could apply for their own show. Part of the application process included recording a live 30-minute broadcast. I wanted the recording to be perfect, so as a result I was a bit nervous on the air. When the updated program schedule came out to include the new DJs, I was the only one out of the class of about 10 or so who did not get a show. I was disappointed, but I refused to give up. I tried again in January of 2004 and was given the final time slot available: Sunday mornings from 5-7 am. I was thrilled to be on the air, so I gladly accepted.
Every year, WJCU holds its annual radiothon. Since WJCU is a non-profit, non-corporate, non-commercial radio station, we rely on financial support from the listeners to keep the station on the air. I raised $30 during my first radiothon. In the fall of 2004, I moved to Tuesday afternoons from 3-6 pm, and that’s when I really gained an audience. Over the years, I have grown and evolved into the DJ that I am today. Many of the listeners who were with me in 2004 are still listening today, and I have gained many more in recent years. The proof is in the radiothon results: In 2024, I raised over $13,000 for the radio station. No show in WJCU’s history has ever raised that much in a single radiothon. Since 2004, I estimate that I have helped raise over $80,000 for WJCU.
This is my greatest contribution to WJCU, and it allows me to give back so that a new generation of DJs can have the same opportunities I have had over the years.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I worked professionally in radio for three years. I spent that time as a studio engineer for the Cleveland Cavaliers Radio Network while continuing to volunteer as a DJ at WJCU.
I have been with WJCU for 20 years. What sets my show apart from other podcasts and radio shows is that many of them play the hits from the 60s, while I dig much deeper and play those lost and forgotten gems, especially from Cleveland bands. A lot of what I play is based on what was played in Cleveland on radio stations like WIXY 1260, WHK, WKYC Radio 11, and Windsor/Detroit’s CKLW. My passion and enthusiasm for radio and records are certainly on display during my show. There aren’t too many DJs that bring that kind of energy to their shows. I do.
I’m most proud of my contributions during the radiothon (as mentioned in the last question).
As time went on, my priorities changed when it came to my personal and professional life. I got married and had kids, and being the best husband and father became my number one priority. The broadcasting profession, especially in radio, is not very stable, so I went back to school to study accounting, and I am now a tax accountant for a small CPA firm in Cleveland. I am working on becoming a CPA. However, my passion for radio and records never went away, and I realized that there’s no radio station outside of WJCU that would allow me the freedom to be creative when it comes to my radio show. Nobody tells me what I can or cannot play. I still get excited to spin my records every week on WJCU from my basement studio.
What makes you happy?
When it comes to radio and records, what makes me happy is finding a great record that I’ve never heard before and never knew I needed. Finding new records (what many people call vinyl) is very thrilling. Even though I’ve been playing records on the radio for over 20 years, I’m still finding new stuff from the 60s that I’ve never heard before!
My wife and children make me happy as well, and it’s always a thrill to spin records for them. I can see the same wonder and awe that I have when they hear a great record for the very first time. They enjoy watching the record spin on the turntable, something that you can’t do with MP3s and Spotify.
Contact Info:
- Website: basementradioshow.com
- Instagram: @wjcubasement
- Facebook: facebook.com/wjcubasement
