He enjoyed a long and successful career in radio station management, including managing KZOK in Seattle for Adams Communications from 1989-1994 and, most recently, serving as VP of Sales for the four radio stations in Atlanta owned by the company today known as Audacy Corp.
That last job was in 2020, as this industry veteran for the last several months had been battling Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS. Over the weekend, Mike Fowler lost his battle against what many know as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”
News of Fowler’s passing was shared via Instagram by Jeff Dauler, the former WSTR “Star 94” morning co-host who today is the face behind podcast development company tentwentytwo.
“This weekend, my friend Mike lost his courageous battle against a terrible disease,” Dauler shared. “He was larger than life, full of energy, and taken from us far too soon. Mike was a beacon of kindness, wisdom, and experience, always selflessly sharing with others. He loved to laugh and told fantastic stories. He was the best boss I ever had, a trusted co-worker, and a loyal friend. Most who knew him would agree.”
Fowler was Dauler’s boss at Star 94, where he spent 3 1/2 years until exiting in May 2019. In fact, Fowler was VP/Market Manager from 2015-2018, and became VP/Sales for the Atlanta market following Entercom’s merger with CBS Radio. In that role, he was involved with Star 94 and WAOK-AM, WVEE “V103” and WZGC “92.9 The Game” as Rick Caffey held the role of SVP/Market Manager.
Fowler moved to Atlanta following Entercom’s acquisition of the former Lincoln Financial Media (and, before that, Jefferson-Pilot)-owned Star 94. From 2010-2015, he had managed the Chicago sales staff for WMVP “ESPN Radio 1000.” Fowler gained that post after serving as President/GM for WLS-AM & FM in Chicago under Citadel ownership, from 2008-2010.
From 2003-2007, Fowler was in Atlanta. And, he served as VP/Market Manager for Susquehanna, which owned WNNX “99X” and WWWQ “Q100.”
But, before that, he was in Chicago, and VP/GM of WJMK-FM, which CBS Radio operated as an Oldies station circa March 2002. From 1994-2000 Fowler was VP/GM of Evergreen Media in Chicago; there, he hired Mancow Muller for mornings at what was “Rock 103.5” (today, Top 40 KISS 103.5).
Fowler’s first management role, however, came at Classic Rock KZOK in Seattle under Adams Communications ownership. This was in March 1989, and saw Fowler depart WKQX “Q101” in Chicago as General Sales Manager after eight years in that position.
In what would become his final public Facebook post, Fowler on January 24 acknowledged his disease by acknowledging his daughter, Emily, a University of Kentucky Athletic Department intern as of October 2022.
“Life can throw you a curve ball and I’m so proud of how my daughter choose to handle this tough situation with this post,” he said of Emily Fowler’s Instagram post made two days earlier, in which she disclosed that he’d been fighting ALS since October. “Unfortunately his symptoms have been appearing quicker that we thought they would,” she wrote. This required a Mealtrain go-fund-me style appeal to help contribute to a meal delivery service or any other related medical expenses Fowler and his wife, Pam, now faced.
Mike Fowler resided with his wife in Alpharetta, Ga. An outpouring of support from locals pushed a $20,000 fundraising goal well toward $24,000. On January 25, Pam Fowler shared, “Words cannot explain how humbled we are by this outpouring of support. This has been a trying time for our family and we are so grateful for your kindness and generosity … we feel your friendship and love. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we appreciate everything including prayers, texts, DMs and calls. We are so blessed to have you in our life. Love, Mike and Pam.”
Funeral arrangements were pending as of this post date.
