A look inside the “Stoney and Wojo Show.”
-By Mike Moore-
FAMRINGTON HILLS — For the moment, things are quiet.
On the second floor of the Clear Channel building in Farmington Hills, a small studio sits empty. Just three of the 16 overhead lights illuminate, shedding a faint but comforting glow on four computers, five microphones and a cast of empty chairs.
Only the faint sound of a commercial hums from the two large speakers hanging in the corner, by all appearances, this is a ghost room, left tidy, but unoccupied.
A minute after 3 p.m., however, that all changes.
As the only door into the studio swings open, in enters the man largely responsible for the existence of not only this show, but the entire station itself.
Known by many in the public as “Stoney,” he flips through a few papers, punches the keys on the computer in front of him and adjusts his headset.
A moment later, and not a moment too soon for that matter, his cohort, known best as “Wojo,” enters the same door. He sets up his laptop, gives the clock one last glance, organizes his notes, and waits.
At precisely 3:07 p.m., the song begins. It’s a tune so precise and accurate in describing what the next three hours will entail, “…humor and bits, opinion and wits…” it’s almost as if the show was designed around the words themselves.
“Yo yo yo yo yo,” Stoney screams into the microphone. With that, as it has for the past 14 years, the “Stoney and Wojo Show” begins.
—Quite a journey—
Both men, Mike Stone and Bob Wojnowski, can’t help but laugh when asked about the success of the show. As much as they are proud of the 14 years they’ve occupied the airwaves of Sports Radio 1130 WDFN, they are equally shocked at the longevity.
“Never, ever would’ve dreamed we’d get to this point,” says Wojnowski, 46, a Farmington Hills resident who is also an award-winning columnist with the Detroit News.
“To last as long as we have is pretty incredible, pretty surprising,” says Stone, 49, a West Bloomfield resident. “When we first started out, I don’t think there were too many people who felt we’d last very long.”
When the station first started in 1994, Stone and Wojnowski hosted a Sunday morning show together while Stone also worked afternoons with Rob Parker. But when Parker left, Wojnowski was the perfect afternoon fill in, and since May of 1995, the rest has been history.
—What you hear is what you get—
For many, the perception of talk radio includes talking heads with inflated egos and fake characters portrayed through a microphone. For Stone and Wojnowski, however, this couldn’t be any further from the truth.
“Pretty much, we are who we come across as on the radio,” Wojnowski says. “I may be slightly more exaggerated, but my radio personality is essentially who I am.”
“People that listen know how public I am about myself and about my life,” says Stone, who routinely brings his personal life stories to the air. “That’s just who I am, in real life and on the radio.”
There are no nerves present, before the show starts, or even as it gets going. A good amount of preparation and topic discussion happened earlier in the day, mostly through E-mails, but the only thing as relaxed as the two are dressed is the mentality they approach their time on the air with.
“There are no egos in here. There can’t be,” says Wojnowski, wearing a pair of jeans and a blue button-down shirt. “We like to poke fun at each other, and make jokes on the air, but when it comes down to it, this is a family of people working together.”
“That kind of makes us who we are,” Stone says of the overall lack of egos. He sits relaxed in his chair, khaki shorts and an orange polo shirt on with a stack of papers in front of him and four computer monitors at eye level.
“Wojo’s intelligent. I’m not. I’m more of a fan than he is. He’s more logical, where I tend to be more knee-jerk. We’re different in many senses of the word, but neither of us thinks we’re better than the other.”
—A history of success—
They came from different backgrounds.
Stone, born and raised in the Philadelphia area, graduated from American University with a Communications degree in 1980. Unable to get on the air right away, he followed friend and current WDIV Channel 4 sports anchor Bernie Smilovitz to Detroit and worked at Channel 4 before eventually catching on at WDFN.
Wojnowski, a 1983 grad of the University of Michigan (Communication degree), spent six years in Coco, Fla. working for a newspaper before moving back to the Detroit area.
Since taking to the air for the first time together in 1995, the pair has redefined sports talk in Detroit.
Aside from continuously rating as the top drive-time sports show, the two have provided metro Detroiters with a place to vent, listen, laugh, share stories and talk about everything from bad football teams, championship hockey squads or everyday life happenings.
“The secret to our success is we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Stone says with a smile. “You can’t break down and analyze every regular season game, so we’ve found ways to be entertaining talking about other things, aside from just sports.”
Their antics, games and even mishaps, in ways as famous as their sports opinions themselves, have provided WDFN listens with some memorable moments over the years.
“The best, without a doubt, was when Stoney accidentally gave out his cell phone number on the air,” Wojnowski says, unable to contain his laugh. “That was one of those moments that will go down in our station’s history.”
—Professionals at every turn—
As they sit in the studio, headsets fastened, eyes grazing over different papers, the two work back and forth, feeding off each other, almost effortlessly, many times without even looking up.
They’ve formed an unparalleled combination of wit, humor and opinions, much as their theme song suggests, but their contributions have gone well beyond talking about sports.
Asked about some of their most prideful moments over 14 years, both mentioned the annual 28-hour Radiothon the show does in an effort to raise money for cancer research.
“Last year we went over the $1 million mark in total money raised,” says Stone, who hosted the 2008 Radiothon July 24-25. “That’s pretty remarkable.”
“The relationship and trust we’ve built with the athletes and fans around here is pretty special,” says Wojnowski. “I remember after the Wings won their first Cup, Steve Yzerman called us from home the next day to tell us what was happening. … Some of the other things we’ve come up with, our bracket tournaments, our odd segments and so on, it’s pretty cool to think how much we’ve done in 14 years and still find ways to stay fresh and spontaneous.”
How many more years they occupy these seats remains to be seen. Stone says he’d love another 15-20 years on the air, while Wojnowski admits, “I take it one year at a time.”
It’s an approach that has worked thus far, afternoon after afternoon, for 14 years and counting.
This story was origanally published with C&G News August 6. To see that story please Click here.
Mike Moore can be reached at mjm12@albion.edu
