R.I.P.: Steve Finnegan, Longtime Winston-Salem Personality

Steve Finnegan, a fixture on Winston-Salem radio for more than 40 years, died Sunday of cancer at age 65.

The Journal reports Finnegan, also known as “The Finman,” was famous for his deep voice, extensive knowledge of music history and genial demeanor. He was most recently the morning DJ at WTOB 980 AM/96.7 FM, where he had been for the past five years.

Before that, he was an on-air personality, production manager, news director, music director, and other duties at such stations as WRQK, WSEZ, WKZL, WMAG, WTQR, WTHZ, and WZOO, among others.

Finnegan was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 7, 1958.

The Early Years

According to a biography from radio personality and historian Patrick W. Garrett, who worked with Finnegan at WROV in Roanoke, Virginia, Finnegan’s thirst for radio came in the seventh grade during a visit to the principal’s office, where he had been sent once again for not doing his homework.

After graduating from high school, Finnegan pursued a career in radio, starting out part-time on weekends at an easy listening station in Roanoke. He proceeded to work at other Virginia stations before moving to Greensboro station WRQK K-99 in August of 1980. He was eventually fired for “being more inane than we bargained for,” likely a line from The Finman himself.

He then moved over to WSEZ, once spending more than eight days on a station-owned billboard on the infamous Hawthorne Curve. He joined WKZL in 1987, where he gained another nickname, delivering traffic reports as “Captain Triad.”

In 1995, he joined the WMAG station family, where he had various duties, and in 1997 he became the show producer for Bill Flynn on WMAG.

“In a lot of ways, he was the ultimate utility radio guy,” Flynn said. “He could do a shift all by himself. If the traffic guy didn’t show up, he could do that. He could handle sports. He could handle the news. He was a true radio journeyman in that way.

“It’s hard to imagine him doing anything else. Radio, that was his passion and his love. The thing is, when he would go on the air he was always positive, always upbeat, always polished. That was the true mark of a professional, and Steve did that beautifully.”

At WMAG, he became an afternoon drive personality and hosted and produced a weekly program called “Saturday Night at the Seventies.”

“He wasn’t trapped in the ‘70s but he certainly did love it,” Flynn said. “He knew all the songs and all the stories and all the bands.”

From WMAG he then went to WTHZ in Lexington. His most recent gig before joining WTOB in August 2019 was at WZOO in Asheboro, where he worked for more than five years as program director and morning host.

Finnegan was a popular fixture at WTOB, but in recent months had been in declining health and had to miss some shows while undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments.