If you're a regular listener to 89.7 WUWM-FM, you know the voice of Erin Toner. She's the local host of "All Things Considered," as well as a reporter and producer for the local NPR affiliate.
The St. Joseph's, Mich. native came to Milwaukee just two years ago, but she's actively taken it upon herself to learn more about the area's social issues -- and she thinks that getting more in touch with the community will make her a better reporter.
We caught up with Toner recently to talk about her job, getting her stories aired on "Morning Edition," and why she migrated from print to radio. Enjoy this latest Milwaukee Talks.
OnMilwaukee.com: You play a lot of roles at WUWM. What's your official job description?
Erin Toner: It's mainly reporter/producer. I'm going out and doing interviews and talking to people and putting stories together. That's my main function here, and I host "All Things Considered" every day from 3 to 6 p.m. I insert local news and weather and various other things during the national show.
OMC: What part of the job do you like better?
ET: I like being a reporter better, because that allows me a lot of creativity and opportunity to do new and different things. The hosting is fun and is a nice, different aspect of what I do. But it's the same thing every day.
OMC: Why did you gravitate toward public radio, instead of commercial radio?
ET: Well, commercial was never even an option. You don't get paid anything, and actually I did work for a few summers in college in commercial radio. There's no time to tell a story or to say anything. For me, it was a decision between newspaper reporting and public radio. I was working at the college newspaper at Michigan State for several years. I was there during the big riots when they banned alcohol on the (football) field.
My senior year, I did an internship with the statewide public radio network that covers the capital in Michigan. I got a taste of incorporating sound into reporting, and I thought, well, this is a lot more fun. You can do a lot more when you have sounds and audio to include into your reporting.
OMC: Have you had a lot of interaction with the national reporters and hosts at NPR? Do you know Robert Siegel?
ET: No, I don't know Robert Siegel. I actually just met Juan Williams upstairs, because he's here speaking to the Bar Association. He didn't know me, but I recognized him. I know who they are, but I don't know them. I don't interact with them. I interact with the regional editors, because a lot of times I file stories for the national network that appear on "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered."
OMC: Is that exciting?
ET: It's very exciting! It really throws you into a whole different realm of timeframes and editing. They tell you when they need the stuff and how it's going to be, and they edit you. It's stressful because there's so much at stake. The entire country is going to hear your story. It's exciting to hear Steve Inskeep introduce you and say your name. It's awesome.
ET: I am able to get out and cover the stuff that I want. The hosting that I do every day means that I'm not in the daily grind of what's the top story of the day. That's nice because it gives me flexibility to dig into different things that I'm interested in, on a different time schedule than everyone else.
OMC: What do you like to cover?
ET: Since coming to Milwaukee almost two years ago, I've gravitated toward education stories, and also social issues. I've been learning more about the foster care system, poverty, race and healthcare. There are a lot of families here that are dealing with all those issues, so I'm interested in learning more and reporting on those issues.
OMC: What brought you to Milwaukee from Michigan?
ET: My husband got into medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and where you get in you have to go. So that's why we came here, but he's from Marshfield. It's good because I was ready to move on from the station I was working at. For five years, I was working at the NPR affiliate in East Lansing.
OMC: And you went to Michigan State University, right?
ET: Yes. I graduated in '99 and worked two years in Kalamazoo at the NPR affiliate there, and went back to East Lansing.
OMC: From a career perspective, is Milwaukee a step up from East Lansing?
ET: I think, yes. It's a much bigger market.
OMC: So, what do you think of Milwaukee?
ET: I really like Milwaukee. It's not so different from East Lansing, in terms of a lot of the issues people here are facing. It's a changing community from what it used to be. There are lots of stories to tell here. I like that it's a diverse community and that you meet and see people of all different backgrounds. I feel that it's a fun place to live, even though I don't live in Milwaukee; I live in Wauwatosa.
OMC: What's your favorite restaurant in the area?
ET: We like the Milwaukee Ale House and Casablanca on Brady St. I like all the ethnic restaurants, Indian and Thai. I haven't done as much exploring of restaurants as I should.
OMC: Do you think you'll stay in this industry?
ET: If I'm lucky enough, yeah. With my husband's career, he'll be here for two more years, and then he'll have his residency somewhere. It could be here, but it might not be. We'll have to go wherever he goes. I hope wherever he has to go there will be an opportunity to do this. I would hate not to be in this field.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
