Luis Segura has a new home — and it happens to sit at the center of the American political universe. The veteran radio programmer recently became Program Director of 105.9 WMAL in Washington, D.C., bringing with him more than a decade of experience shaping conservative talk radio on the West Coast.
Segura isn’t new to the format or the pressure that comes with it. He joined 790 KABC in Los Angeles in 2013 and worked his way up to Program Director there in 2023, eventually overseeing 810 KSFO in San Francisco as well. Now he takes the reins at WMAL from Bill Hess, who retired at the end of 2025 after a long tenure guiding one of the most politically influential stations in the country.
The transition puts Segura in charge of a lineup that includes some of the biggest names in news/talk radio — hosts who don’t just broadcast to the Beltway but help shape how the rest of the country thinks about what happens there. He recently sat down with Barrett Media to talk about the move, what drew him to WMAL, and what he sees as the station’s biggest opportunities going forward.
Jumping Into the Deep End
Garrett Searight: What makes now the right time for you to take over WMAL?
Luis Segura: KABC and KSFO are in good shape and in great hands, and with the high-wire political environment we are in, it’s been like the World Series every day in the news. It’s a perfect and exciting time to be here.
GS: What is it about the role that was attractive to you?
LS: WMAL is the most influential news/talk radio station in the country. An opportunity to contribute here and with this amazing team is one that I could not pass up.
GS: The lineup at WMAL is full of hosts originating nationally syndicated shows. How do you go about making sure they split the difference between national and local topics?
LS: Thankfully, national topics are local topics here in DC. Politics is America’s new pastime, and the nation’s capital is the epicenter of it… Larry O’Connor opens the morning show by saying that we’re waking up presidents, politicians, and parents, and that boils it down perfectly. But we also have a very talented and experienced WMAL news team; they do an incredible job of covering hyperlocal news that matters to our listeners.
Learning About WMAL
GS: Where are the biggest opportunities for WMAL?
LS: Our hosts, easily. They’re an all-star team. Larry O’Connor, Chris Plante, Vince Coglianese, and Derek Hunter. These are hosts who would be solo superstars in any market, but they’re all here, not just on-air at WMAL but where the WMAL audience lives. We recently held another sold-out Free Speech Forum. Watching all these talents come together like the Avengers and entertain a crowd that drove in from all parts of the DMV to see them. And stand in lines to take individual photos with them was so fun. That event just reinforced what I knew about this on-air crew: they are our biggest assets in opening new opportunities.
GS: How do you go about learning the area, what matters to listeners, etc?
LS: I’d already spent time here in the past, so I’d enjoyed D.C. But I will say that the things that matter to listeners in DC are the same things that matter to Americans anywhere else. They’re looking for answers as to why all their bills are going up, what their kids are learning in school and so on. At WMAL, the listeners know they are being heard by influential decision makers, so they have a big megaphone.
GS: What areas do you think you can provide the biggest help and be the biggest asset for WMAL?
LS: This Operations Manager role is a service position for me. I’m here to best serve our staff, hosts, listeners and clients by creating opportunities for increased listening and building partnerships. The WMAL audience counts on us as DC’s source for news and common-sense analysis.
Leaving California Behind
GS: How difficult was it for you to decide to leave KABC?
LS: It was tough! The staff at both KABC LA and KSFO SF weren’t just coworkers but they remain friends.
In terms of location, it was tough to leave California because that state is worth saving. And I loved being a part of the solution with KABC and KSFO. I know their new PD Art Webb will continue that work with them.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
