Radio face.

I worked in radio most of my adult life, and I wish I had a dollar for every time somebody told me I had a face for it.

I worked in TV news for about 4 years, long enough to verify that the radio face thing was true. And that was when my face was much younger.

It was always entertaining, if not somewhat unnerving, to meet listeners for the first time.

I never heard one of them say, “You look exactly as I pictured!”

A couple of years ago, just about the time I retired, a friend in another town told me his daughter listened to Denise and me every morning and when she found out her Dad knew me she asked if she could meet me. He asked me to surprise her one morning via Facetime, and I agreed.

Her shock and disappointment was palpable.

I tried to keep the brief conversation going with questions about her family and her school, but she wasn’t interested in continuing the conversation with her grandfather.

I guess I sounded younger.

And thinner.

And who knows what else.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her Denise wasn’t a blonde.

Because for some reason, that’s what everybody assumed.

Rodney Baylous is the midday host on The Bridge, and shortly after he started working with us he was going to do a remote broadcast at a location near Chincoteague, VA.

I ‘teased’ the appearance by giving all the details, welcoming Rodney to the team, and telling listeners to just look for the 6’, 2” blonde haired guy.

Rodney is 5’ something and maybe his hair was blonde when he had a head full of it.

When I worked at the TV station I was very self conscious when I’d be in public and people would stare at me.

I figured they were either thinking, “where do I know that guy from?”, or, “That’s the guy from the TV station that has a radio face.”

Or, “That poor soul. His zipper is down.”

Radio provided the anonymity that I enjoyed.

Nobody verbally judged my face.

After working in radio for decades, and meeting hundreds of other broadcasters, I think my face is fairly normal for the radio industry.

You could call it Stereo Typical.