Lisa Baden – Traffic Reporter and Radio Personality

Lisa Baden on internal conflict of the overwhelming desire to be first to report, and the discipline to verify before: So I had to confirm it and I was like chomping at the bit. We're calling M Dot. We're calling Transportation. We're calling the police. Well finally we got confirmation. Yes. A tar truck just turned over and that was hours of cleanup. I mean hours but so although I would love to be first, I desire accuracy more. Lisa Baden, Traffic Reporter and Radio Personality, with host Andy Ockershausen in-studio interview Andy Ockershausen: This is Our Town. It's Andy Ockershausen and what an absolute treasure and pleasure it is for Janice and I to welcome a very, very famous person in our life and a life of broadcasting. Miss Lisa Baden. Lisa Baden: Aw. Thank you. Andy Ockershausen: Lisa, you know to see you in the flesh after all these years of watching you on camera, because I grew up in the business as you know and to see what you had you matured and all the good things you had done. I had the opportunity to hear I traffic reporter in Chicago and a policemen riding around in a helicopter. And I thought that would be a great idea. And it came back and with our program director we started, we got a policeman out of the DC police department, a sergeant, in the traffic division and put him in a helicopter. We paid for the helicopter. The city provided the cop and we did airborne traffic in like 1962 or 63 can you believe that? Lisa Baden: Really? Andy Ockershausen: That is many years ago. It's 55 years ago. We were doing it and it started the whole traffic war because after we did it, Captain Dan came along. Lisa Baden: That's right. Andy Ockershausen: You remember Captain... On Captain Dan Lisa Baden: Captain Dan. Sure. He landed his helicopter at my elementary school. And I'll never forget it. Andy Ockershausen: Was he great? Janice Iacona Ockershausen: That was the beginning of your career. You said that's what I want to be when I grow up. Andy Ockershausen: Well, he originally was in a helicopter and then we had him in a fixed wing, he had his own airplane. But we always believe Lisa, when we could afford it traffic and how important it is. And you've epitomized the importance. You did yours, your big stick here at WMAL WTOP. I mean, the call letters are magic. So Lisa, we're so happy to have you live and in color. Lisa Baden: Thank you. It's an honor to be here. Really is. Andy Ockershausen: Well, you grew up in the business and you've been at it a long time and the changes you have incurred are unbelievable to me. And I'm a native born raised or maybe you're not raised, but it's certainly a native. The city is exploded now. I hate to go out and traffic cause there's traffic everywhere. On Evolution of Traffic Reporting in Our Town Lisa Baden: Yes, it is everywhere. It's a matter of fact. The thing I hate the most about my job is what pays my mortgage. And that's the traffic. It's just crazy. Andy Ockershausen: And there's no drive time. We had a drive time in radio, it was between seven and nine when it was really...and no, no, now it's between five and 10 now. Lisa Baden: Right. Andy Ockershausen: Or more. And you've seen it. Lisa Baden: That's true. As a matter of fact, I was the first overnight traffic reporter in Washington, DC and that was for WMAL. Because they had the forethought. Thinking wait a minute we're missing the boat here. Because not everybody works nine to five. And there's a lot of people who work overnight shifts, in the government and everything. And it was amazing. So they started with overnight and I remember doing that for WMAL years and years... Andy Ockershausen: Was Bill Mayhugh still here? Was that what you were doing? Lisa Baden: Yes. Absolutely. Andy Ockershausen: Because when Bill first started, I found out through the grapevine, his popularity was with the military because there's so many people work all night in a greater Washington area.