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After Fred

Posted on | October 7, 2009 | 432 views |

Ann Fisher has her own course to chart on  WOSU 820 AM

By Adam King

Ann Fisher is not Fred Andrle, and she has no aspirations to be. Though Fisher was hired to follow in the well-regarded footsteps of Andrle and his 20-year career on WOSU 820 AM, she isn’t willing to bequeath who she is to try and mimic a local legend.

Fisher instead is eager to leave her own mark after Andrle cultivated a loyal following with his “Open Line” show and built the sort of career any novice would be proud to own. But she has tapped Andrle’s mind for his experiences and suggestions about her program, “All Sides with Ann Fisher,” which began airing Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. to noon and is rebroadcast at
7 p.m. And she’s eager to do so again.

“I had a million questions and he had an answer for every one of them,” said Fisher.

After a 24-year career in newspapers as a statehouse reporter at the Toledo Blade and writer, editor and columnist at the Columbus Dispatch, Fisher essentially fell into radio because her timing was impeccable. For 3-1/2 years Fisher wrote the metro column for the Dispatch, but the day the publisher ended it because of newsroom cutbacks was the day after Andrle announced his retirement.

“Fred Andrle had the best job in town, period, because he got to meet so many people,” Fisher said.

Apparently many other people had similar thoughts because there were 171 applicants seeking to replace Andrle. Fisher applied at the suggestion of a friend, had to do mock interviews and come up with her “dream week” of programming ideas to impress the search committee.

Fisher said her attention to the latter — coming up with ideas so outside the box of what would be expected for this type of show — is what paid off. And she expects to implement some of those ideas down the road, in particular a potential two-hour special from the North Market to discuss how to best buy and prepare locally grown food.

The transition from writer to radio has its challenges, but what didn’t change was the criticism, so in that sense Fisher felt prepared from day one.

“When you have a column like I wrote where you’re very opinionated and deal with very sensitive subjects, the readers are going to try to knock you down,” she said. “That’s the lesson you’re going to have to learn is you’re not going to please everybody. Early on one guy criticized my voice and told me it sounded like I had a sex change. What are you gonna do? It’s always going to be something.”

Fisher is in that phase of not always knowing what’s ahead or what to expect, so some nervousness remains. She tries to combat that by being as well researched as possible on the subjects she will be discussing in each show — “Every night is like cramming for two exams,” she said. But it’s also reminding herself to be herself.

“That’s actually scary,” Fisher said. “But the key is to just let go and fall and know that the parachute is going to open up, with the parachute being your brain and your personality.”

It’s Fisher’s personality that she figures will be what distinguishes her from Andrle. She describes herself as energetic with an ability to talk off the cuff. During her reporting days, she learned how to never be afraid to ask the “dumb question,” or in this case the obvious question that perhaps makes one look silly for asking.

“I also like to have a good time, to laugh and to joke around,” Fisher said. “That might be a turn-off to some people, but that’s my personality. I want to make my show accessible.”

If you listen…

“All Sides with Ann Fisher” airs Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon with a rebroadcast at 7 p.m. on WOSU Public Media’s 820 AM. Visit wosu.org/allsides for the weekly schedule, archives of previous shows and call-in guidelines.

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