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October 2001, probably during a WayvesMagazine Layout. Photo by DanielMacKay.
April 10, 1965 - January, 2025
Michael's passions were radio, the arts and the printed word, and very often the intersection.
He was a long time WayvesMagazine volunteer staff member: writer of dozens, perhaps hundreds of articles and editorials, on the editorial and layout team, and also sold ads which paid for the production of the magazine.
He was also involved with many of the early Halifax 2SLGBTQIA+ FilmFestivals.
Michael was one of CKDU’s early Station Managers and was a big part of the initiative of getting the station broadcasting in FM.1
In 2000, he was part of The Wilde Bunch celebrating in theatre the centeniary of Oscar Wilde's death.
Michael also worked at the Canadian history magazine The Beaver, Prairie books NOW, and a number of other magazines as advertising sales rep and was Secretary for the Ontario Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.2 and in the late '90s, Atlantic Books Today3. In 2000, he was the editor of the magazine h2omo. In 2008 he was moderator of the Word On The Street, Halifax's festival of the written word. In 1983, he archived a collection of records from the Dartmouth Players.4
I can tell you a snippet of Michael's interesting life. He came to me to ask if I would give him a try at selling advertising space in Atlantic Books Today. He must have been selling for another publication, but I can't remember what it was. This was probably in 1994. I didn't take him on because I already had someone so he "courted" me with coffee for a few months, and then the moment came.
He always seemed to be doing many different gigs all at once, and I understood this because so was I.
"I'll be in the office this morning," he would say at 9:30 a.m. Several hours later -- more like 1 pm he would appear with his briefcase so bulging with papers it wouldn't close, and a large Tim Horton's coffee, and he was in a rush. "Hi boss, sorry I'm late."
He always, always wore leather shoes, a shirt and a tie, although he never had the time or money it seemed to replace the shirts with the frayed cuffs and collar.
His radio voice, along with speaking in full sentences, opened the hearts of the most curmudgeonly customers in the book business. I marvelled at how many calls he could make consecutively without making a sale and never, never get discouraged. Meanwhile the publishers and booksellers would say to me, "Even when you say no to Michael, that you aren't going to buy space in this issue, his response is so charming you look forward to his next call, and you feel compelled to buy space you don't need."
Jane Kansas was guest editor one time when I had to go somewhere. I thought they thought that this was a good idea and they could work together. Many years later I learned that they nearly killed each other over some issue with timing and delivery of finished ad copy. They each loved to tell me their version of the story, over and over. Now they are both gone.
The small one-room office in the Roy Building had two desks, and we recognized that by alternating our hours we would have a long and fruitful professional relationship.
He coined the delightful phrase, "Don't go crispy Brit on me." I was born and raised in the UK, so he had a point. He always called me "Boss", to tease me.
Once we had a rip-roaring row while driving out to the printer in Bayers lake to check the proofs. He had sold the back page for half-price, I think. It was so spectacular, like fireworks. I can remember driving down Jubilee Road yelling at him and him yelling at me. The next day we laughed about that row, and continued to do so for years to come. That was Michael -- every day was a new day.
His skill and charm at ABT led him to selling space for the Montreal Review of Books and Prairie Books Now, and the Literary Review of Canada. The last one I think he stayed with for a very, very long time. He also did some other book related projects, but the details escape me. It may have been the APMA's spring and fall book promotion booklets. He had a talent, a real talent, but I have to say that many of my colleagues in the book biz did not treat him with much respect, and that still irks me.
I left ABT in 2001 in the hands of the Atlantic Publishers Association and he continued with them for many, many years.
He was working for Barbara Butler and the St Cecilia Concerts for most of that time. We spoke a lot about classical music, and concerts, and the arts.
I have many fond memories of Michael, and I think he was very brave in the face of some obstacles that I could never quite understand -- the same ones, perhaps, that stopped him from buying a new shirt, that made him late, and always a little vague about where he had been and where he was going.
It's sad to hear of Mike's passing. These thoughts come to mind:
His voice was the best on local radio, even though he smoked. Clear as a bell and clean-sounding. Every word easily understood. A perfect voice for reading the news, which he did on local commercial radio, and a comfortable armchair voice as he described his choices of classical music on CKDU, Sunday mornings.
Indeed, Michael had begun his love of radio at CKDU while a student. After the station began broadcasting in FM in 1985, he became the longest- serving show host at the station, and developed a warm friendship with Dr. Walter Kemp, the Chair of the Music Department at Dalhousie, who hosted the very long-running CKDU show Saturday Morning Musical Box, and was someone Mike greatly admired.
Mike's show was 'Sunday Morning Fugue' from 8 am, Sundays. CKDU began FM broadcasting on Fri Feb 1, 1985, so I presume he began FM hosting on the first Sunday after that, but was most likely already on-air before then, as CKDU was in-house. His show was classical and opera, and possibly had arts content also.
He would always carry a bag on his shoulder that seemed bulging with paper material of various sorts, invariably newspapers and other info to satisfy his curious and busy mind.
My time at CKDU never 'overlapped' with Mike's; although my show Touchstone has been on CKDU for nearly 40 years on Saturday mornings, I usually only saw him at programmer meetings.
At a campus/community radio station, it's unusual to have long- serving volunteers, because campus life is usually short-lived. However, such stations can also attract those who love radio from outside university life, as Mike did. He gave a lot of himself to CKDU, not only on-air but in other supporting roles, and in the process helped build what became a brash but respected local radio neighbour to private/public broadcasters.
CKDU was fortunate to have at hand and for so long, someone with his maturity and knowledge. Even after he left for Toronto and more career challenges, he remained in touch with CKDU.
Thanks Michael Wile for all you gave us. Sincerely, Bev Lamb, CKDU's Touchstone5 show host since 1985.