10 Questions with ... Mary Walter

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I started my career at New Jersey 101.5 hosting a relationship show in the evening. After that, I landed at WCTC as Mary In The Morning. That show was a politics and local news show based in Somerset, NJ. I left WCTC to go back to New Jersey 101.5 to resurrect the relationship show for another five years.

When I left 101.5 for the second time, I was approached by Fox News Radio and Howard Stern. At the time Howard was in charge of programming 3 stations on Sirius and I would have continued the relationship show. Fox News had recently launched their radio network and was looking for fill-ins that they could use to eventually expand programming. I loved the vibe at Fox and thought it offered more opportunities, so I went there. About a year and a half after working at Fox News Radio, I started on the Fox News Channel as a commentator in addition to guest hosting on the radio side. Needless to say, THAT opened up a ton of doors for me and I expanded my guest hosting to stations across the country.

I did a brief one year stint on KOOL 98.3 out of Atlantic City with a revamp of a relationship/lifestyle show. Then I hosted on WHAS Louisville for one year. I maintained all my guest hosting also, so I was one busy gal.

Last year, Bill Hess approached me about replacing one of the co-hosts on the morning show, Larry O’Connor, on WMAL; O’Connor had moved to his own show in the afternoon and they were ready to take a chance on putting a woman in the co-host chair. I just started my second year!

1. You transitioned years ago from relationship talk (the "Passion Phones" -- yeah, I know, terrible name! -- on New Jersey 101.5) to political talk; was that something you planned from the beginning or did it evolve? What prompted the change?

When 101.5 let me go (the first time - LOL), WCTC in New Brunswick had an opening and the timing just fit. That show was still talk, but the morning show was local politics and news. Being at 101.5, I was attuned to the news and I'm an information junkie, so it was an easy transition. (and you're right - AWFUL name for a show!)

2. What is it like to host a morning show on the primary commercial talk station in the nation's capital? By that, I'm asking whether knowing that Congresspeople, Senators, White House staffers, and government officials are probably in your audience makes a difference in how you approach the job, or whether that's on your mind when you open the mic....

Oh, we know for a FACT that most of DC's politicians are listening; having the Vice President reference topics we've talked about was pretty surreal. But I don't usually think about that; I'm more concerned with getting 10,000 facts per show straight.

However, we HAVE been known to flat out say things and address them directly at the White House, a specific Senator, etc. On occasion a tweet will come out shortly after something we've said, so we know we're being listened to. Honestly, it's more cool than intimidating.

3. Without getting into the partisan aspects of the topic, how do you think President Trump has affected talk radio -- has his continual headline-making and tweeting been a net positive for talk radio as content and as a business? Do you think that effect will continue or will fatigue set in over time?

Trump has been FANTASTIC for talk radio! We are NEVER searching for something to talk about. The show is 4 hours with 20 "blocks", so we go through a lot of news, so I say "yes", President Trump has been a boon to talk radio! I don't see fatigue setting in, because the topics are so varied and the talk radio audience eats it up. Plus, if Trump tweets something of note out, we'll just go to it in the middle of a segment, so it adds an "up-to-the-minute" aspect. I know I'm not tired of it yet, and I consume this stuff for a living.

4. You co-host with Vince Coglianese -- how do you define your individual roles on the show? Is there a "first chair"? Do you bring different perspectives to the table? Is there a defined, pre-set "you do this, I do that" structure to your on-air relationship?

Vince pretty much just rides my coattails. LOL - Just kidding. We work SO well together, and I think it's because we genuinely like each other. We share taking the lead on various stories, and if he knows more about a particular story, he'll take that and I'll take something I'm more familiar with. When you're in your pre-show meeting at 4:15 in the morning, you had BETTER have a good relationship or you'll kill each other.

We definitely bring different perspectives to the table. Vince is at the leading edge of Millennials, so we grew up differently, and, because of that, we bring different perspectives to so many issues. But we also have a lot in common, so it's a really great mix.

5. Time was that women hosting morning drive shows in any format (other than as "sidekicks" or "news anchors") was a rarity, and female hosts were assigned to middays or evenings if at all. As someone who's done mornings both solo (WCTC) and as an equal or lead (WMAL), do you think resistance to women in key drive time shifts is a thing of the past, or is there still resistance out there?

Oh, there is DEFINITELY resistance out there. When I was on WCTC, my producer John and I would play a game, and we would each make the same point. The listeners would disagree with me, but agree with John! It was hilarious!

I had been guest hosting on WMAL for YEARS and always got a positive response from the audience, so I was a little surprised by some of the reactions. What's interesting is that the majority of blowback comes from other women! Hearing a woman voice strong political opinions is just hard for some people. Talk radio audiences are used to hearing men, and when you bring a woman in to a role that has been held by a man for 50+ years on a station, you can expect a lot of whining and complaining.

Bottom line - hats off to Bill Hess for taking the chance and for fielding the angry emails and phone calls. I think that now, the complainers are starting to realize I'm not leaving and they are accepting me. I've even had a couple tell me that they didn't like me when I first arrived and now they love me! And to be fair, there was overwhelming support from the majority of the audience.

6. Who's been the most memorable on-air guest you've had?

Oooh... tough one. On the entertainment side, I'd have to go with Carson Kressley or John Edward. The audience LOVED them both. I was shocked to find out that Carson is crazy smart - I'm talking Mensa smart! And John is just the nicest, most down to earth guy.

On the political side... hmmm... that would have to be either Dr. Ben Carson or Vice President Pence. Both men were just so kind and sincere; I could have spoken to both of those men for hours. I'm sure as soon as I send this, I'm going to think of someone else....

7. Who, to date, have been your influences, inspirations, and/or mentors in the industry?

Well, Walter Sabo gave me my start, so he either gets the credit or the blame (depending on your point of view) for putting me on this road. John Kobylt was my guardian angel when I first started. I had come from corporate America, so radio was a total shock. He is the reason I didn't quit early on; he helped me navigate the looniness of this industry, and to this day was one of the kindest people to me in this business.

I can include a couple others in the "mentor" or "influential" category: Perry Michael Simon (not sucking up, just telling the truth); Heather Cohen; Mike Elder; Julie Talbott; Kelly Carls; Neil Larrimore; Sean Hannity; and Bill Hess. Again, I'm probably forgetting someone, so I'll just apologize now.

8. Up to now, of what are you most proud?

Being able to make a living in radio. As we all know, that ain't easy. This industry has chewed up and spit out far more talented people, so making it to the point where I get invited to broadcast from the White House is pretty sweet. I'll also say that making the jump from radio to TV for 6 years was something not a lot of us get to do and it was a lot of fun, too!

9. What's the most important lesson you've learned in your career?

Two things: I hate to say it, but I've learned to accept that this is one dysfunctional industry. So the most important lesson I've learned is to just roll with it. It's never going to change, and you'll just make yourself nuts trying to fight it. Radio isn't like anything else and you have to take it as a package. So I just love it for what it is.

Second - Radio is a VERY small world. EVERYONE knows EVERYONE else, so depending on how you navigate that world, how you treat others is either going to help or hurt you. I've seen quite a few people who were stepping on others on their way up, get kicked on their way down. So choose your words carefully, for one day you may have to eat them (or interview with someone you trashed).

10. Okay, can't resist: Prediction for Villanova in the NCAA men's basketball tournament? (Editor's Note: Mary is a Nova alum. Your editor is a Nova Law alum. Make of that what you will.)

HA HA!! I want to say Nova, but we both know that our Wildcats have an annoying tendency to choke at the most inconvenient times. They are a much better underdog team than a #1 team. All that being said, I'm keeping the faith, the Villanova flag is flying in front of our house - GO, CATS!!!