In 2011, West Virginia morning DJ Eric McGuire vanished from the airwaves. Soon afterward, rumors of his death began to swirl.

For decades, McGuire was the best–known morning radio host in West Virginia. From his early work in Elkins, McGuire wove himself into the fabric of West Virginia media and culture, building a nine-station network throughout the state. Over the course of his career, McGuire created an entire cast of fictional characters for his shows, discovering many real–life West Virginia characters along the way.

On this episode of Almost Heaven, we revisit McGuire’s career to see how a farmer from Barbour County became the funniest – and possibly the meanest – man on WV radio. (And is he alive or what?)