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Joe Madison

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For persons of a similar name, see Joseph Maddison (disambiguation).

Joe Madison
Madison in 2019
Born
Joseph Edward Madison

(1949-06-16)June 16, 1949
Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJanuary 31, 2024(2024-01-31) (aged 74)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
EducationWashington University, B.A., 1971 (sociology)
Occupation(s)Talk show host, commentator
OrganizationMember of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity
Board member of
SpouseSherry (m. in or before 1978)
ChildrenShawna, Jason, Monesha, Michelle
Parent(s)Nancy Stone and Felix Madison, Herman Haygood (biological)
Awards
  • Freedom of Speech Award, Talkers Magazine, April 2008
  • Americans Noteworthy Community Leaders, Jaycees, 1976-78
  • Man of the Year, Black American Women's Hall of Fame, 1980
  • Men to Watch in the 1980's, Detroit Monthly Magazine
  • Nation's 50 Leaders of the Future, Ebony Magazine
  • Top Ten Newsmaker, Crain's Detroit Business
  • Achievement in Radio Award for Best Non-Drive Time Radio Show
  • Best Spot News Bdcast
  • finalist, Best New Talent Award
  • honorary Kentucky colonel
WebsiteJoeMadison.com
Notes

Joseph Madison (June 16, 1949 – January 31, 2024), alternatively known as "The Black Eagle" or "Madison", was an American radio talk-show host and activist heard daily on SiriusXM Urban View.[6]

Early life and education

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Madison was a native of Dayton, Ohio and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1967. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 1971 with a degree in sociology, and also played football for their team. His alma mater also awarded him a WashU Arts & Sciences' Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017 and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2019.[6] After his death, his hometown of Dayton gave an honorary designation of "Joe Madison Way" to Cowart Avenue, the street he grew up on.[7]

Career

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Radio career

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Madison began his broadcasting career in 1980 at Detroit's WXYZ-AM radio station.

Joining an otherwise white lineup at WWRC-AM in the early 1990s, he developed a crossover appeal handling issues that included race but were aimed at the station's multiracial audience. He left in 1998, after the station fired its talent and changed format, to start an online chat show.[8]

WOL and XM Satellite Radio

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Madison also worked at WOL-AM, and was placed in syndication on the Radio One Talk Network and its XM satellite channel. He left WOL in 2013.[9]

Urban View on Sirius

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Madison was heard Mondays through Fridays from 6 am to 10 am on Urban View channel 126, SiriusXM.

On Feb. 25–27, 2015, Joe Madison hosted a record-breaking marathon whereby he talked for 52 hours on his SIRIUS XM talk show.[10] The broadcast is officially registered with the Guinness World Record Organization.[11]

Political activism

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Madison at a protest against police brutality in 1999

He publicized claims of CIA complicity in moving cocaine into the United States, sought evidence, and promoted legislation to declassify possibly related documents. On October 15, 1996, Madison, Dick Gregory, and John Newman launched a hunger strike to promote this legislation.[1]

A quarter century later, he announced another hunger strike: this time to press for voting rights legislation.[12]

Personal life

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Madison took a DNA test indicating he has ancestry in Sierra Leone and Mozambique.[13] Research done for Finding Your Roots revealed that his great-grandfather was a white man from South Carolina who fought for the Confederates during the American Civil War; and his biological grandfather was included in the Tuskegee syphilis experiment.[14]

Madison lived in Washington, D.C., with his wife Sharon (Sherry) and was a father and grandfather. He earned his bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis.[15]

Madison died of prostate cancer at his home in Washington, D.C. on January 31, 2024, at the age of 74.[16][17] He was originally diagnosed with cancer in 2009.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Joseph E. Madison". Contemporary Black Biography (fee, via Fairfax County Public Library). Vol. 17. Detroit: Gale. March 23, 1998. Gale Document Number: GALE|K1606000606. Retrieved August 31, 2013. Biography In Context. (subscription required)
  2. ^ "Joseph E(dward) Madison". Almanac of Famous People (fee, via Fairfax County Public Library). Gale. 2011. Gale Document Number: GALE|K1601048087. Retrieved August 31, 2013. Biography In Context. (subscription required)
  3. ^ "Joseph Edward Madison, Mr.". Who's Who Among African Americans (fee, via Fairfax County Public Library). Detroit: Gale. June 1, 2003. Gale Document Number: GALE|K1645513758. Retrieved August 31, 2013. Biography In Context. (subscription required)
  4. ^ "Red Cross Announces Four New Members of its Board of Governors" (fee, via Fairfax County Public Library). PR Newswire. June 5, 2013. Gale Document Number: GALE|A332502707. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Biography In Context. (subscription required)
  5. ^ "Joe Madison The Black Eagle - BIO". Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Staff (June 29, 2022). "Legendary radio host Joe Madison signs new multi-year deal with SiriusXM". chicagocrusader.com. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  7. ^ Dayton to designate road ‘Joe Madison Way’ after influential radio host
  8. ^ Hilpert, Mark (March 30, 1998). "NMP receives cash infusion from Columbia Capital". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved September 2, 2013. TALK SHOW HOST CHANGES MEDIA. Former WRC-AM talk show host Joe Madison, who was fired along with other WRC on-air personalities last month when the station switched formats and dial positions, is reaching out to a different audience -- Internet junkies. Madison's new show, "OnLineTalk.com with Madison," is scheduled to debut April 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. at http://www.oncon.com. That's the address for Online Connections Inc., a District-based ISP. The weekly show, which will run on Monday evenings, operates much like the radio version: Madison will interview guests, and Web users will be able to read the interview and submit their questions and comments. The program will cover a broad range of subjects, including politics, current events and entertainment.
  9. ^ Harris, Hamil (April 17, 2013). "Joe Madison leaves WOL". The Root DC Live. Washington Post. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  10. ^ "SiriusXM's Joe Madison Achieves Historic Goal of 52-Hour Marathon Broadcast Image". Afro. February 27, 2015.
  11. ^ "Joe Madison". National Consortium. May 25, 2020.
  12. ^ "Radio host says he is going on hunger strike until Congress passes voting rights bill". November 9, 2021.
  13. ^ Willing, Richard (February 1, 2006). "DNA rewrites history for African-Americans". USA Today. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
  14. ^ Stated on Finding Your Roots, January 5, 2016, PBS
  15. ^ "Joe Madison". Finding Your Roots. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  16. ^ Gabriel, Trip (February 2, 2024). "Joe Madison, Radio Host and Civil Rights Activist, Dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  17. ^ "Radio Remembers Joe Madison". Radio Insight. February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
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