In 1982, 12-year-old Marc Lotter walked into the television studio of a local station in his hometown — Fort Wayne, Indiana — while wearing his Little League baseball uniform. And in that moment, he knew he wanted to do television news. Despite some curves in the professional road, that ambition has led Lotter to Newsmax as co-host of its morning show.
Lotter’s father, a local police officer, led the Crime Stoppers program in Fort Wayne. Little did he know that having his son tag along for the interview would make a difference in his future.
“I remember seeing the lights come on, the cameras flying around, and I remember in that moment thinking, ‘I want to do television news when I grow up,'” Lotter reminisced. “I did it in high school, I interned at a local station, and I majored in it in college.”
Lotter found his first jobs in radio and television in the producer’s booth, despite a wish to work in front of the camera or microphone.
“That wasn’t my calling at the time. I kept getting promoted and won a couple of Emmys,” he shared. “I became an executive producer and acting news director. Then got out and went into government and politics. 20 years I’ve been doing that, which got me in front of the camera in a roundabout way.”
Lotter left the television news business after working at stations in Indianapolis. He joined the Indiana Republican Party as Communications Director before serving in the same capacity for Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN). He continued in the communications world working for Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and the Indiana State Board of Education before joining the Trump campaign as the press secretary and later working in the same role for Vice President Mike Pence.
He then worked as the Director of Strategic Communications for the Trump campaign in 2020, before joining the America First Policy Institute as its Chief Communications Officer.
It was those roles, not his long career in local television, that got Marc Lotter in front of the camera. During his time in the political and government worlds, he made numerous hits on cable news outlets, including Newsmax. And that familiarity with the space led him to join Sharla McBride as co-host of Wake Up America after Rob Finnerty joined the primetime lineup at the network.
“It’s really kind of a full circle, 43 years in the making, but a whole circle journey, and realizing something I wanted my entire life,” Lotter said. “It’s truly a blessing to be joining such a great team. Obviously, I spent a lot of time with Newsmax and Wake Up America in the run-up to the 2024 election. To be able to join full-time and become part of this group that people welcome into their home and help them get started on their day is truly an honor.”
Marc Lotter admitted that it was difficult to ever foresee a return to the television news business, especially at the level of a network like Newsmax, when he entered the political arena.
“I really didn’t, because once you cross over into politics, it’s oftentimes difficult to come back,” Lotter admitted.
But he says during the duration of his time in government, he kept the mindset of a journalist.
“I tried — maybe not always succeeded, but I always tried my best — to verify things that I might have seen on social media before I took to commenting on them or even posting them on social media,” he stated. “I tried to bring that journalism and training background to some of my work, even though I was a partisan — I’m not going to blur the line — but that’s always been a part of me.
“And now the opportunity to go back into that role, but with the knowledge of having in the life experience of having worked for a couple of governors, the mayor of a major city, the Vice President and President of the United States of America, and then a think tank filled with some of the smartest people I’ll ever know, it’s really kind of brought a whole roundabout experience that I don’t think I would have ever gotten had I just done a traditional path of coming into the network morning show.”
Marc Lotter joins Newsmax at a time when the company is experiencing growth. In recent months, the network has seen an increase in ratings, with some primetime shows besting those on CNN. And he believes his experience in the political realm will translate to his on-the-air work and keep the success going for Newsmax.
“I think it does offer a little bit of insight in terms of when I’m hearing folks talking about various policies or actions by the government, really being able to read between the lines, because I’ve been there,” said Lotter. “I’ve had those similar situations. Being able to offer an insight in what it’s like to be in the Situation Room, on Air Force One or Air Force Two, in the governor’s office, the State House, City Hall, having dealt with so many major events over the course of my career.
“So I think it does offer kind of a unique look at the other side. This also can help form the questions and understand what those government officials, what those elected leaders or those candidates are going through, what’s really happening behind the scenes, which I hope to be able to use to ask better questions and help better inform our viewers.”
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
