Radio host strives to make Catholicism relevant
Drew Mariani finds himself following in his father's steps
By Jeff Kurowski
Compass Assistant Editor
What constitutes a good radio show for Drew Mariani?
The day a trucker on I-94 phoned to tell him to worry about his own marriage during a segment on same sex marriage, and a Protestant pastor on another line praised his viewpoints on the subject, is an example.
"I love that," he said. "I love the diversity of the programs. It's an open forum where
we can dialogue in a spirit of love and charity, and come to a deeper understanding of the truth. After talking to the trucker, he ended up thanking me for giving him a better understanding."
Mariani hosts The Drew Mariani Show, a daily afternoon drive time Relevant Radio
program broadcast across the country. Locally, it airs from 3 to 6 p.m. on 1050 AM WJOK.
Mariani describes the format of the show as "looking at real life issues through a spiritual lens." It features guests and a call-in format.
"My philosophy towards radio, especially the Catholic evangelization, is a little different from what has maybe gone before us," said Mariani. "I believe that we all face challenges in life, every single one of us. Whether we want to stop having children, have
credit card debt or choose plastic surgery, how far is too far? When does it become sinful? I try to take an ecumenical approach and look at issues through a moral lens."
The Drew Mariani Show debuted on Relevant Radio on Aug. 2 to tackle current affairs, matters of faith, family, health issues, finance, pop culture and more. Mariani, an award-winning journalist with an extensive background in producing documentaries and television programs, never thought he would work in Catholic radio.
"My father was a broadcaster for CBS, coast to coast," he said. "He was also a compulsive gambler and an alcoholic, and he lost everything. When his life was at the lowest point and he finally hit rock bottom, he had an experience with our Lord and dedicated his life to him. He started a Catholic radio show. Watching him with his show, I thought there was no way I was ever going to do that. God sucked me in."
"I thought television was the way to go," he continued. "I've found with radio that people can listen to you while they're jogging, mowing the lawn, riding in their car. On the radio, we can take an issue and unpack it. Television is about sound bites. You have to compress information into five minutes, two minutes, one minute. On the radio, we can unpack it and look at it from many different angles."
Mariani, a Pennsylvania native, and his wife, Cathy, have relocated to Green Bay with their five children. His personal life provides insight for the radio show.
"There's perspective from being a married man, from being a father, from being kind of a guy's guy," said Mariani. "I'm not holy. I spend time in prayer. Prayer is the strength of the show. I try to put my finger on the pulse of what is happening in the culture. I look at my family, friends and neighbors. I know guys who smoke dope, drink too much, and sleep with a lot of women, and I have friends who go to Mass daily. I look at them all and consider if they would listen to the show. They are the barometer."
"I try to communicate the faith in a way that is easy to understand," he added. "My approach is to preach the truth. Preach the truth and the truth is like a seed. It gets planted in the hearts of those that hear it and God does the rest."
Mariani chooses topics for his show based on the calendar. For example, he has planned shows on the occult, possession and exorcism for the end of October. On Nov. 1, he will explore the Catholic vote.
"There is a moral lesson in everything," he said. "You need to inform and inspire. If you do those two things, people will tune in. Relevant Radio is not in competition with the
church. We only go into markets with permission from the bishop. I would never preach anything contrary to the belief or morals of the church."
Mariani is pleased with the response to his show. He jokes that if you haven't listened to it, give him a 13-week try.
"I did a show about a kiss between two women that was shown on the scoreboard at Dodger Stadium," he said. "The women were in a relationship. A lesbian from San Francisco called. She hated my show. She listened to it, but she hated it. Now she loves the show. She left the homosexual lifestyle and is looking to join a Dominican community. I had a priest tell me that he likes the show and finds it very inviting. That's good commentary. The reception has been more than warm. Hopefully we will continue to garner an audience."
"I'm a pilgrim on the same path as everyone else," he added. "I'm on the same journey. I'm learning as much as the audience."
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