Detroit radio’s “Appliance Doctor” has died, his longtime home station has announced.
Joe Gagnon, who could diagnose callers’ malfunctioning machines simply by listening to them over the phone, died Thursday, according to WJR-AM (760). He was 84. The station didn’t identify a cause of death.
During his nearly three decades on southeast Michigan’s airwaves, Gagnon turned his knack for practical advice and consumer advocacy into compelling radio.
“I have one thought in mind each week,” he told The Detroit News in 2016. “To help people save money, to help them feel pride in fixing their own appliances, and to create informed consumers.”
His show, a mix of fix-it advice and consumer information, launched on WJR in 1994. It started as an hour-long program that had ballooned to eight hours by the time his first stint there ended eight years later.
His approach was novel, diagnosing appliance problems by conversing with the owners and sometimes listening to the noises their machines were making.
He jumped to WXYT-AM (1270) in 2002. In 2016 he joined Ann Arbor’s WTKA-AM (1050), then went back to WJR in 2020, hosting a twice-weekly, two-hour show. In 2023, he signed off for good.
WJR said his “practical, often humorous advice that became his trademark” and his “nearly three-decade association with WJR made him one of the station’s most recognizable specialty-program hosts and a distinctive voice in Detroit radio.”
Gagnon (pronounced “Gannon”) grew up in northern Ontario, speaking French. Despite this, he was known to greet callers with “It’s a great day to be an American” or “How can I put a smile on your face today?”
Prior to hitting Detroit’s airwaves, he had worked as an appliance repair technician, learning the trade via a correspondence course he took at age 16.
His credentials as a repairman were notable. He literally wrote the entries for “washer,” “dryer” and “dishwasher” for the World Book Encyclopedia. He also helped states create laws banning plastic or vinyl vent lines for clothes dryers, which can increase risk of overheating and cause fires.
In addition to his radio work, Gagnon wrote newspaper columns and two books, as well as investigating fraud for Detroit Consumer Affairs and the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. In his youth, he had played minor league hockey and served in the Navy.
But like so many listeners, he thought of himself principally as a repairman.
“I’m a service man,” he told The News in 2016. “Nothing more and nothing less.”
Services for Gagnon will take place at Elton Black Funeral Home, 3295 Highland Road, Highland Township, Michigan, WJR reported. Visitation is 1:30-4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, with funeral services to follow at 4 p.m.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Joe Gagnon, Detroit radio’s ‘Appliance Doctor,’ dies at 84
Reporting by Max Reinhart, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Max Reinhart, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
