Sep 10, 2002 4 min read

Radio personalities have a few advantages over most of the people in the media. They don’t have to be handsome or beautiful.

And they can broadcast a show while sitting behind the microphone in their underwear, if they choose.

The audience will never know the difference.

A handsome profile is not a requirement for those of us who labor on the print side of the media. The public doesn’t expect newspaper reporters to be beautiful or to be hunks.

The proliferation of television outlets, particularly the cable channels, is slowly bringing more of the radio/newspaper faces into the living rooms. The news channels are littered with a variety of talk shows, many of which feature people who write commentary for newspapers or news magazines.

If the trend is good enough for the Fox News Channel and CNN, it’s good enough for our area. With that in mind, we decided to bring along a videocamera from HSTV (Herald-Standard Television) during a visit with Uniontown’s WMBS radio show host Bob Foltz.

We can now verify, from personal experience, that Foltz does not host his “Let’s Talk” afternoon show dressed in his underwear.

A 60-minute program that reporter Paul Sunyak and I did as guests on Foltz’s show will be broadcast by tape delay on HSTV, channel 19, Charter Communications cable. Check out the daily TV pages in the Herald-Standard for the HSTV program listings to find the day and exact time of the broadcast.

Foltz usually has a guest on for an interview, and then he opens the phone lines to callers to ask questions or to make comments. From being on the receiving end of questions as a guest on his show, we can testify that there’s no way you can prepare in advance for people launching questions at you, some friendly and some not so friendly. The experience is not for the faint of heart.

As the host of “Let’s Talk,” Foltz has to know a little bit about a lot of different topics, ranging from the housing authority’s problems to politics. In that sense, he’s a typical reporter, conveying facts to the public.

Foltz’s voice has been heard by thousands in southwestern Pennsylvania for decades. He has done it all, from broadcasting football games to festivals.

With the advent of local cable television broadcasts, now the audience will get a chance to see him upclose and personal.

Many radio personalities have made the switch to video. One of the most well known is Larry King. He was the host of a late night radio show for many years before he made the switch to television.

Changes in radio station ownership, the merger and sale of hundreds of radio stations, have caused the demise of numerous local talk shows across the country. Audiences in our area used to be able to tune in to three or four talk shows per day. That number has been reduced to one.

Foltz has a radio style which reflects his personality — calm, cool, collected and courteous. Unlike some of the radio personalities on the Pittsburgh stations, he doesn’t shout at or insult those who call with questions or comments, even when a few of those callers become belligerent. That doesn’t mean, by the way, that he allows nonsense calls to go on forever.

He doesn’t hesitate to ask tough questions. He has a veteran reporter’s instinct when he presses an elected official for answers on issues involving the public’s money.

Foltz has restored old-fashioned, common sense, community radio to the area. He will tell you he has a “face made for radio,” meaning his voice sounds better than he looks. Now you will get the opportunity to see for yourself.

Mike Ellis is the editor of the Herald-Standard. His e-mail address is: mellis@heraldstandard.com