Live from the Crystal Studio, Jeff Angelo and the team at 1040 WHO gave their listeners a front-row seat to not only hear but also watch their favorite iHeart anchors live on-air. “[The Iowa State Fair is] the biggest cultural event in the state every single year, and you’re right in the middle of it,” Angelo excitedly said.
“[Our Crystal Studio is] literally in the busiest location on the fairgrounds. So it’s an amazing experience,” the morning host excitedly noted of the 11-day event.
Folks from all over the Hawkeye State come to the fairgrounds in Des Moines to celebrate all that they love about being an Iowan. “Being in radio, most of the time, you’re sitting in a room with a microphone. That’s it. I don’t know of any other event I’ve ever been a part of where you have such exposure to the actual people who are listening to you,” Angelo said of the 1.2 million people who walked by and snuck a peek inside the studio.
Meeting the Man Behind the Microphone
It’s an interaction Angelo — a former Iowa state senator — believes is better than social media because “this is actually one-on-one, face-to-face, and so a lot of them do connect with you through social media, but they want to meet the person who’s behind all of that.”
And meet Jeff Angelo, they did. He participated in all the events the state fair had to offer, including an eating contest, where he placed fourth, and steer showing, where Angelo won a blue ribbon (first place) for the third year in a row.
To participate in steer showing, Angelo was connected with a farm family whose child has been showing the steer at county fairs and other competitions. Then, according to Angelo, “They come out in the ring with you, and you walk that steer around, and they’re coaching you on how to show a steer.”
He noted, “The biggest challenge is showing the steer properly to the judge. You have to hold the steer’s head up, but the steer does not want his head lifted up — the steer wants to duck his head. So your arm is killing you when the show is over, because you’re literally lifting that steer’s head, and it’s pulling against you.”
A Personal Interaction With the Host
No matter where listeners found Angelo, he was ready, willing, and able to interact with them; his joyful and humble demeanor made him extremely approachable. “They come away from meeting myself and the entire WHO team, and they’re going to be faithful listeners far into the future.”
He added, “What you’re doing is having in-depth conversations with listeners, and they tell you why they listen to you and what they’re listening for.”
The feedback and human interaction are a good reminder for Angelo about the role he plays in people’s lives every day. “You become part of their daily routine, and you get to interact with them. They want to meet you. They want to know you. And they know you through the radio. But now they really know you.”
He was also able to receive direct feedback about why Iowans choose Jeff Angelo in the morning: “There is a lot of personality involved, but also they want someone who is talking about the news of the day, and talking about it from the perspective of an Iowan.”
It’s more than just a great personality — which Angelo already has. The host noted his listeners want “someone who has an opinion on the stories of the day, somebody they can nod along with, or they can shake their head and say, no, that’s completely wrong. It’s engagement. It’s not passive radio.”
And lastly, his listeners are “looking to be emotionally moved in some way by what they hear. So, if I was to put it simply, you just can’t be boring. You have to be somebody they’re really interested in spending time with every day.”
The Biggest Issue on Iowans’ Minds
Every morning, Angelo gets to talk about the biggest issues affecting Iowans. More recently, it’s been the price of cattle.
“President Trump just announced that we’re going to import more beef to lower beef prices, which actually affects the profitability of cattle producers,” Angelo admitted.
It’s a story he has to cover from two different angles. “When you’ve got a story like that, you not only look at it from the consumer perspective — cheaper beef — but cattle producers are a very important part of our economy — lower profit.”
He has two questions he asks his listeners: “Do I want my ground beef cheaper at the counter? Yes. But do I want my cattle producers to thrive so my small towns can thrive? The answer to that, too, is yes. So it’s this balance. It’s really interesting to talk it over with listeners each day.”
A Responsibility Better Than Imagined
When we last spoke with Angelo in 2024, he had just started his “dream job.” Today, life is better than he could have ever imagined. Angelo is now dubbed “The Voice of Iowa,” and his morning show can be heard on three different stations across the Hawkeye State: WHO, WOC, and WMT.
“It’s been just an honor and a thrill that iHeart has had this vote of confidence, saying, look, you’re the voice of Iowa.” He added, “Listeners are going to come to you, and they’re going to trust you to be informed, to be entertained, to be talking about what you’re talking about later in the day. So, I’m exceeding my wildest dreams, and I just have the best job in the world.”
With all this trust comes a major responsibility. “I think that you have to be very thoughtful about what you’re saying every single day,” Angelo affirmed. “I think the responsibility is that you have to be sensitive and empathetic to everybody’s viewpoint — express your viewpoint in a responsible way, a thoughtful way that inspires thoughtful dialogue.”
“And I think people want somebody who, even if they disagree with them, is open to hearing and airing all the opinions. So I think there’s a great responsibility when you have the reach that I now have.”
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Krystina Alarcon Carroll contributes features and columns for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.