66-Year-Old Radio Show Goes Digital with New Podcast

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Ann Williams and Art Lewis

WSGW-AM (790 Newsradio)/Saginaw's "Listen to the Mrs. Show," one of the longest running talk shows in Michigan, is making the transition to digital after 66 years on the air. The show started as an on-air kitchen-to-kitchen network sharing recipes and homemaker tips over the phone. Now, the Alpha Media station is debuting a podcast version of "Listen to the Mrs." with co-hosts Ann Williams and Art Lewis who are classified as "foodies." Williams is the station's News Director and Lewis is a talk host who has been on the show for over three decades.

Operations Manager Dave Maurer said, "While we still like to hear from people raving about a great dish they had and sharing the recipe, the days of listeners calling to ask if we have a meatloaf recipe have given way to the internet browser. Our new approach is sharing food trends, new cooking methods, and lifestyle information."

Williams, who loves to cook, is at the same time very willing to talk about how she lost over 100 pounds and the successful change in her lifestyle. Lewis has long wanted to take Listen to the Mrs. to a national broadcast but Maurer said "The cost of satellite time and finding affiliates was a daunting task. Now, through podcasting, we can go beyond a local and national audience and reach all over the world through the internet."

Williams and Lewis conduct four cooking competitions each year at the local Maytag Store Showroom, which has eight cooking stations. They have also served as judges for other culinary events. WSGW has published 11 limited edition cookbooks over the past 30 years. Only number 11 remains available.