If Jeff Angelo ever called in to work to say he was stuck in traffic, his boss would have to call bullshit.
“We live only a mile and a half from the studio,” Angelo said. “My wife works at the judicial building one and a half miles away from home in one direction, and we live a mile and a half from the station in the other direction.”
Some guys have just got it goin’ on. Jeff Angelo has a certain je ne sais quoi.
Initially he was recruited into politics, and later was offered a chance to join the broadcasting world, which was something he’d always wanted and envisioned for himself.
“I was active in politics at the county level and at some point, I was asked if I would be interested in running for the state senate,” Angelo said. “Given my love for politics, I thought I’d love the opportunity. I thought it was a good fit. People knew who I was. I liked to campaign, and public speaking. I thought, why not?”
Need to Know with Jeff Angelo airs on Newsradio 1040 WHO, simulcast on 600 WMT in Cedar Rapids.
Angelo said his love was always radio but he was hijacked by politics and served as state senator of Iowa for three terms.
In his teens, Angelo was working an internship while attending Broadcast Center for a degree and was brought on as a local board operator for the radio program, The Sally Jessy Raphael Show before Raphael’s television show.
“Her husband would stand in the studio with her and me during the show. If he saw anything he felt was wrong, he’d let me know,” Angelo explained. “It was a great experience working with Raphael. We tend to forget about her now, but she was amazing. Sally was very talkative and conversational. She was very good to me. But when her television show debuted, she was different. More aggressive. I thought to myself, ‘That’s not her. For whatever reason, that’s not the woman I knew.’”
Angelo earned a degree from the Broadcast Center in St. Louis, put in an application at a radio station, and eventually an afternoon spot opened up at KSIB. Angelo started working there in 1992.
But Angelo’s other passion was politics, and his work in chairing the Union County Republicans opened up an opportunity in that realm. He seized it. Angelo resigned from KSIB when he launched a successful Iowa Senate campaign in 1996. He served this area through 2008.
Angelo served three terms as an Iowa State Senator in the 48th district, which gives him some amazing legislative experience behind the microphone.
“I guess radio executives like to find people who are good communicators. I put my radio career on hold. I won my first time out. There’s a running gag where people say I’ve never lost an election–and it’s true.”
After 12 years in office, Angelo decided it was time to hang it up. Largely because he didn’t have the heart to campaign again.
“It’s grueling,” he said. “People are also less civil than when I started. Back then if somebody stood up and made a joke out of themselves, yelling or screaming that the President was a liar, others from the same party in the room would have been embarrassed.
“I think it’s a key experience,” he said. “Having been active in Iowa politics, I’ve seen up close how it works. Angelo moved to St. Louis in 1991 and was elected to office in 1996.”
A fruit of that experience is the opportunity for Angelo to engage in
warm and affable conversations with legislators and politicians from both sides.
“I’ve gotten to know a lot of them,” Angelo said. “Many of them get along. It’s also a human institution where one person doesn’t like another person for whatever reason.”
Angelo said in today’s politics it’s much more theatrical and emotional than during his term.
“I think there is a lot of pent-up anger about issues which prevent legislation from going to a vote,” he explained. “I give people an insight they are not getting anywhere else. If the source isn’t going to be straight with me I won’t have them on my show.”
As a legislator, Angelo is used to debate, as long as it’s fair and positive.
“Everybody is treated the same way on my show, as long as they’re not being a jerk,” Angelo explained. “I ask probing questions I believe the listener has in their mind. I provide a safe place for conversations. I’m not a yeller. I’m a pretty mellow dude. I don’t go over the top with any issues.”
Questions are okay when the person you are interviewing doesn’t perceive you’re disrespecting them, Angelo explained. His guests expect him to be confrontational, but not for showmanships-sake.
“I think I’ve found my niche. I have an opinion. I’m a republican senator so don’t be shocked when I side with a particular issue.”
When he first entered politics, Angelo said he was a fire-bombing partisan advocate. After 12 years as a legislator, he was more interested in getting things done. He was searching for a middle ground with what the other person was saying.
In our discussion, Angelo and I talked about how both sides have party members who go over the top, like AOC, Gaetz, or MTG.
“Some politicians just love being media stars,” Angelo said. “The legislative stuff seems boring to them. There’s more of an ‘I’ve got to be on Fox News’ mentality. It became a natural outgrowth. On the other side of the spectrum, I’ve known legislators who have put their head down and worked hard doing their job.”
Angelo cited how he believes representative Randy Feenstra seems like an ‘old time legislator’ interested in getting things done. He said Iowa U.S. Senator Joni Ernst has a great media presence and sincerely works to get things done.
If you believe JFK Jr. is alive and going to be a Republican President, you may not dig Angelo’s show.
“We ask normal opinions in the world of craziness,” he said. “We get texts and calls from outliers who want to present crazy ideas in the mainstream, and I avoid that. People who tune in may not agree with me, but they know they’re dealing with a normal dude expressing his opinion. Just today I got a text from a listener who said he knew the train derailment was going to happen, and the government changed the chemicals onboard the train before it crashed. I’m not going to read that on the air.”
After his three terms, Angelo didn’t go immediately back to radio. He worked as a GM for Medicacomm, a local cable company, and worked at WHO part-time.
“In 2017, I was asked by WHO if I’d like to go full-time, and I did.”
Angelo credits his work ethic to his father. “He used to tell me if I was to be successful, I had to work hard and not complain. To understand it’s those kinds of behaviors that lead you to be a leader in your field.”
As a 10-12-year-old kid, Angelo listened to KMOX and other offerings like Johnny Rabbit, Bobby Day, and Radio Rich. He doesn’t find a lot of time to read for pleasure because of the reading required for show preparation.
“When I do it’s got to be entertaining like Louis L’Amour or Jack Reacher,” Angelo said.
The ex-legislator is also into 1980s ‘Hair bands.’
“I’m never happier than when the Iowa State Fair comes around. Four stages of bliss going on around the grounds.”
He said he’s otherwise engaged in some macho programming like Yellowstone and Tulsa King.
“When my wife comes home she puts on Love is Blind, or something like that. So, I’ve got to get my viewing in when I can.”
He’s happy. Life is good. As long as he hands over the remote to his wife.
Jim Cryns writes features for Barrett News Media. He has spent time in radio as a reporter for WTMJ, and has served as an author and former writer for the Milwaukee Brewers. To touch base or pick up a copy of his new book: Talk To Me – Profiles on News Talkers and Media Leaders From Top 50 Markets, log on to Amazon or shoot Jim an email at jimcryns3_zhd@indeedemail.com.
