Longtime WTAM afternoon radio host Mike Trivisonno dies at 74

Longtime WTAM afternoon radio host Mike Trivisonno, 74, was found dead earlier Thursday afternoon. Born in East Cleveland, Lyndhurst resident Trivisonno early in life worked as a landscaper, ceramic tile setter and golf course owner before parlaying his memorable calls to legendary talk show host Pete Franklin, who penned his nickname "Mr. Know-It-All," into a No. 1 afternoon talk show host. Trivisonno's first radio gig came in the morning on WNCX before joining WTAM in 1994. Trivisonno was voted "Best Talk Show Host" by Scene Magazine and The Achievement in Radio Awards. The Cleveland Plain Dealer named him the "Voice of Cleveland," Cleveland Magazine named him "One of Cleveland's Fifty Most Interesting People," and he was a 2003 NAB Marconi finalist for "Personality of the Year." "Although "The Voice of Cleveland" has been silenced, his impact on Cleveland will be felt and heard for years to come," said Jeff Zukauckas, vice president of marketing for iHeartMedia in Cleveland. He's survived by wife Tami, as well as three children from his first wife, Linda, who died from cancer in 2009. Here are snippets from a 2000 interview with Trivisonno: Q: What's the difference between on-air and off-air Mike Trivisonno? A: I would say there is a difference but not a big difference. It's show business and you have to understand it's show business and you better be able to put on a show. Off the air, it's not show business. It's reality and you have to deal with that. When they say he's just like that on the air when he's off the air, nobody is like that. Howard Stern is not like that. We all have things to deal with off the air and that makes us different from when we're on the air. You can't be the same. You're similar, but not the same. Q: One of your strongest traits is that you can relate to the common, blue-collar worker. Do you feel that's important? A: That's what it's all about. You get these guys on the air who just don't understand the business. They're college-educated and went to broadcasting school, pay attention to all of the ins and outs of broadcasting and they are as dry as a bone. They don't relate to most of the people out there, especially sports fans. I don't care what kind of money I make, I'm just a regular guy. And I think it comes across on the air. I have a lot of people who don't like me but I have way more that like me or I wouldn't be as successful in the ratings. I think that's all part of it. I speak my mind and most of the stuff I say is on your mind. We all have a family, all have bills and we all have the same headaches. I relate a lot of that to them. Q: Have you always been just one of the regular guys? A: I probably was always an above-average type of person with a below-average education. I learned most of what I know — people want to say on the streets, but I didn't grow up on the streets but we used that terminology — just being out in the real world. I was married at 18 and had children at 19. I experienced life at a very young age. Q: Finally, how would you describe your show? A: One word, credibility. It's a very credible, very honest show. Nothing is staged and what you see is what you get. Read the announcement of Trivisonno's death from iHeart Media. Contact John Benson at ndiffrence@att.net.