Ed Wallace, who turned a local radio show about cars into a five-hour show on life, died Dec. 28 at his Fort Worth home. He was 72.
His show, Wheels With Ed Wallace, appeared every Saturday morning on KLIF 570 since its debut in 1993. He retired about a year ago.
Wheels With Ed Wallace was an audience favorite not only because of his vast knowledge of cars, but also because of his brilliant storytelling.
“I’m not that smart,” he liked to say. “I’m just a master of the obvious.”
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In between car talk, Wallace masterfully told stories about music, American history and the latest news. His telling caused driveway moments where listeners stayed in their parked cars to hear how his stories ended.
He also helped people see which cars they should buy based on their needs. Then he pointed them to his advertisers, car dealerships that Wallace said he personally trusted.
For callers in need of help dealing with frustrating repair problems, he diagnosed the problem and told callers what they needed and who could help them.
On his show, he sometimes veered off into politics. But his true strength was the development of his strong focus on consumer protection.
For example, Wallace broke the story of the biggest data breach in Texas history — stolen information about 27 million Texas driver’s license holders.
The state, at first, denied that it happened. But Wallace went ahead and reported that the breach was caused by a third-party vendor.
He deftly analyzed pet subjects like toll roads, steep insurance premiums and our state’s inefficient electricity system.
He played background music when he told his stories, which helped make them almost hypnotic.
His style was personable and friendly. Calls from around the country came in from people who listened to the show online.
Wallace also reviewed cars for many years on Fox 4.
In keeping with his wishes, no memorial service is planned.
His wife, Judi Smith, said, “He just wanted to fade into the sunset, you know?”
