Popular syndicated radio personality Delilah’s on-air persona is gentle and embracing, and it’s no act. There’s a reason the most listened-to woman on U.S. radio remains a compassionate companion to millions across 160 AC stations. Speaking with Inside Radio from her home and studio in Washington state, Delilah laughs raucously while discussing her family antics and in the next moment, her voice breaks while talking about the military families she interacts with on her show. The Premiere Networks' syndication mainstay for over 30 years also spoke of her show’s evolution, being the mother of 13 children and her life balance.

 

How has your syndicated show evolved in three decades on the air?

Being syndicated is very different from being on a single station. Now I have a couple hundred program directors. We have three audiences that we have to be mindful of—those that are very interactive and vocal and that write to me on Facebook and consider me their best friend; the audience that we never hear from but know are out there because of ratings—about 10 million of them every night; and then we’ve got the bosses: the program directors and our affiliates and our syndicators.

 

How do you appeal to all three and still be yourself?

It’s tough! It’s like being on a unicycle on a high-wire while you’re juggling. I’m an artist and in my humble belief system I should be able to do whatever the hell I want whenever I want to, because I’m creative and I like to paint outside the lines. The smart people I work with let me know that if I screw this up, I don’t have a platform to be creative—so color inside the lines! I have to have a lot of input from really smart people that keep me on the right path, but ultimately I always do my best by being true to who I am. That’s why this still works for everyone.

 

I’m guessing your audience has also changed over time.

It used to be that most of my interaction with listeners was on the phone, and though I still take hundreds of calls a week, I interact more immediately on social media. That’s a big shift. I would play a song or share a story and the next five phone calls would be relating to what they just heard. Now, with Instagram and Twitter or Facebook, 5,000 will respond.

 

Part of your mojo has always been about encouragement, particularly with military families. This continues to be an important calling card of your show.

I was on the air in Boston when Desert Storm happened and we melted down the phone lines in the Prudential Tower when we announced we were at war. And then 9/11 happened, where we took calls all night and played no music. Those two events really opened my heart and eyes to what a bridge the show can be for military people and for those serving. I don’t agree with the decisions our government and our leadership are making and the wars we’re engaged in and the places we are fighting, but I will respect our military men and women until the day I die. They are the best of the best of the human beings I have ever met.

 

You’re a mom of 13 children, 10 of whom are adopted. How do you balance radio diva and family?

(Laughs)My oldest is 36, my youngest is 6. I’m very blessed to have a studio in my house, so I get up, I get them dressed and fed in the morning, then I go downstairs and do pre-production… liners and weather forecasts for New York City or a report on a sports team that won in a market, and specific station dedications. Then I go back upstairs and I live my life and I go to schools and volunteer and pick my kids up and fix dinner….And then it’s back downstairs to the studio at night to do the show…while the kids do their homework. The older kids help get the younger ones’ teeth brushed and then we’re all off to bed.

What is your studio like?

It’s in my basement, very cozy, with my grandpa’s antique radio where I first heard radio, on the fireplace mantel. I’ve got four computer screens here at home, just like at our studio in Seattle. There’s a mixing board and two microphones for guests. I also have a wall with pics of the kids and some of my publicity pictures over the years.

Amid Pandora and Spotify and the rest, FM radio—as we know from so many recent reports—continues to be the dominant companion for so many.

People don’t listen to radio because of music. They listen to radio for companionship and they connect with radio as a friend. When companies think they can cut corners and save money by having a DJ cut 30 liners that they drop between songs, they’re shooting themselves in the foot. The reason that people listened to me in the ‘80s and the reason they listen to me today—seek me out, text me, email me, Facebook me—is because they consider me a friend. That’s because they know I care. If you listen to Elvis Duran in the morning, you know he cares passionately about his staff, his audience, when he interviews an artist…about everything he’s doing. That’s why people listen and why they will always listen.

I go to my kids’ schools and their friends run up to me and hug me and say, “I’ve been listening to you since I was born and my mom loves you.” These kids don’t have to listen to me; they were born with iPods. But they do listen. And the number of teen-agers that contact me on Facebook every day blows my mind.

That’s pretty amazing, because your core audience is 25-54 women…and you’re telling us that kids are not only listening to “Delilah,” but they’re listening to radio.

I think that’s a vital point, yes. The more interactive you can be with your audience, the more they will stay with radio. If you let people know you care, you become their companion and their friend. That’s the power of radio.

 

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