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Sharon Rae started her radio career in 1988 while a student at Michigan State University. Fortunately, a co-worker talked her into finishing college instead of taking the overnight jock job at a country station in Saginaw. Unfortunately, her inventory of radio station T-shirts really took a hit and she was forced to go out and buy real clothes for her remaining college years.

Her passion for radio began in 1978 as 10-year-old caller number 9 into a radio contest on WKZO in Kalamazoo, Mich., sponsored by ALPO, which was promoting its new "Solo" dog food line. Sharon successfully persuaded her schnauzer, Pepper Cohon, to howl on command, on the air, winning the Grand Super-Dooper Prize of 10 pounds of Solo Dog Food and a "My Dog Sings for Solo" T-shirt, which she still has and keeps in that special shoe box under the bed, with her rock and lint collection.

Sharon's worked as a news director, anchor, reporter, morning-show sidekick, announcer and gopher at WITL, WBHR and WXIK in Lansing, Mich., WRKR and WKZO in Kalamazoo, Mich., and WFLS in Fredericksburg, Va., before coming to WTOP, where she works as an editor, reporter, anchor and writer. She also occasionally fetches coffee for Nathan Hager.

She's not ashamed to say one of her duties as morning news anchor at the No. 1 radio station in Lansing was to shovel the mounds of snow from the front walk of the building at O'Dark-Thirty.

While living in Michigan, she started her own business, Rover News Services, and worked on a freelance basis for ABC Radio News, The Michigan News Network and IMAS Publishing Group.

She also served as the managing editor of Radio World Newspaper, a trade industry resource based in Falls Church, Va., from 1997-2003.

Sharon has won awards from The Associated Press and the Michigan Association of Broadcasters in the categories of Radio Feature, Radio Natural Sound, Radio Hard News, Radio Series and Radio Sports Feature.

She lives in Alexandria with her husband Pete, 4-year-old son Joshua and three dogs.

 

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