By Rick Kaempfer
MORNING DRIVE SQUAD
S
ometimes you don't even have to
change jobs to undergo a fairly dramatic change in your work environment.
Just ask WDRV morning news anchor Kathy
Voltmer. Just a few months ago, she shared
the morning airwaves on the Drive with
long-time morning man Steve Downes.
"Steve and I had a unique relationship,"
she says. "We were in a small room together
with no-one else around every morning for
14 years, and we really did become best
friends. We went through a lot together. We
were lucky enough to help build one of the
most novel radio stations from the ground
up. We were lucky that the listeners
embraced us as they did."
Downes and Voltmer experienced incredible stability in a business not known for it. "I
had a bit of a tumultuous time early in my
career," Kathy admits of her seven previous
there, so I felt comfortable in this role, but
you never know until it happens."
There have been a few surprises along the
way, but according to Voltmer, all of them
were positive. "What surprised me most
about Dan McNeil was his love of music. I
heard him talking about it on the radio
before, but he really lives and breathes music.
He has an encyclopedic knowledge of it.
Obviously that is still important to the Drive
audience, so it represents a great transition. I
also knew a lot about Pete McMurray, but I
had no idea what a hard worker he was.
Pete's work ethic is non-stop. He thinks about
the show every second of the day from the
moment he wakes up to the moment he goes
to sleep. Scott Miller is also an incredibly talented producer – really creative and able to
anticipate what the hosts need. I'm also pleasantly surprised at the chemistry we have. I
L to R: The Drive morning squad: Miller, Voltmer, McMurray, McNeil
radio stops in Chicago, "Which made me
appreciate it even more."
That all changed a few months ago, when
Downes surprised his listeners with a retirement announcement. Kathy knew that day
was coming, and supported her friend, but
she also confesses to having mixed emotions.
"I was so happy that he was able to leave as
he did – on his own terms. He got a wonderful send off from the station and I was proud
of him and the station about the way it
ended. Personally I was happy for him, but I
was also a little sad. I trusted (Hubbard
Broadcasting Programming Honcho) Greg
(Solk) to steer the station because he had
done such a great job with the Drive. I think
that Greg realized that there were a million
places for listeners to get our music now, and
that the audience might be ready for something a little different, and he delivered on
that. He turned to Pete McMurray and (former WSCR host) Dan McNeil, an admittedly
unlikely pairing. I trusted Greg, but I have to
admit I was a little concerned. I think most
people would have naturally felt that way.
Change is a hard thing to accept after such a
long time."
And this pairing with Dan and Pete was
essentially like starting from scratch. "I didn't
know either of them very well, but I have to
say this has been a great experience for me –
I love doing this show. It's so fun! Each of us
brings complimentary skills to the table."
It helped that this was not a complete culture shock for her. She had those personalityshow radio muscles already. She just hadn't
flexed them in a while."I have done similar
shows before at the AM Loop with Kevin
Matthews and Eddie Schwartz, and at
WXRT with Lin Brehmer, and at WMAQ
with that hybrid-talk format we were doing
18 illinoisentertainer.com october 2015
thought that would take a long time to develop, and it's happened very quickly."
One of the more intriguing parts of the
McNeil/McMurray pairing was the fact that
both had previously hosted high profile
shows. Industry watchers wondered if either
of them could take a back seat or complimentary role. Voltmer says that hasn't been a
problem. "There is no clashing of the egos in
the studio at all. When someone wants to
take command, the other lets him go. The
next time it will be reversed. And they've
always been very generous with me."
But tripling the amount of testosterone in
the room must have changed things quite a
bit. Does she feel a need to go off by herself
and light up some potpourri after the show?"
(Laughs) I do have my own office now so I
can get away from all the testosterone. Greg
Solk told me right after he hired them that he
wanted me to have my own space. They are
in my old office, and I have a new one now.
But that being said, it's not like I'm in a locker room during the show. All of them, believe
it or not, are actually liberated and progressive guys and they treat me with respect."
Which is a good thing, because getting up
at such an ungodly time every morning
would really grind if you didn't enjoy the