When it comes to personality, it’s hard to outdo Heidi Glaus. She’s left her mark across St. Louis in a variety of ways. A broadcast professional with more than two decades of experience, she interviewed A-list celebrities with KSDK-TV before making the jump to talk radio.
How did it all start for you?
I grew up in a small town in southeast Missouri—3,000 people, one stoplight. All there was to do was play sports or get into a lot of trouble. Thankfully, I leaned into sports. I thought I would be a sports reporter. I had an internship at KSDK, but when I got there, I started freaking out. I couldn’t tell you how many home runs Babe Ruth had hit or anything like that. I realized I was more of a people person. They didn’t have an intern for Show Me St. Louis, so I transferred. I worked persistently behind the scenes, running teleprompters and getting coffee—I even spilled coffee on Linda Blair once. After a lot of begging and pleading, I went on air in 1998.
You don’t let a lot of grass grow under your feet. Has it always been that way?
I’ve always had goals set. I saw what I wanted, and luckily, I had the parents to help me get it. I was a pitcher. If I wanted to go out and throw a thousand pitches, my dad sat on a 10-gallon bucket and caught a thousand pitches. Early on, they taught me nothing is given to you—you’ve got to work.
After leaving T.V., did you know what you were going to do next?
I had a fantastic 22-year run at KSDK. I got to interview Jon Hamm, Ellen DeGeneres and Jennifer Lopez. I visited the sets of so many great shows and even got to make a cameo on Superstore, which was a dream come true. But T.V. was changing. I was going to have to shoot and edit my own stuff. Being a perfectionist, I knew I wasn’t going to be happy with the product. I wasn’t even finished at KSDK before KTRS called because Guy Phillips was looking for a sidekick.
How does TV differ from radio?
A lot of people think they’re the same thing. No, they are not. With T.V., you’ve got a time crunch, you’re reading things as they’re written, and you have to be out by a certain time. In radio, you can talk about one subject for 15 minutes if you want or take your time in interviews. Plus, you get to be you. One of the hardest things in T.V. for me was balancing the professional with showing just enough personality. With radio, the bandage is off. If you tune in, you’re getting the real deal.
Why St. Louis?
Growing up, this is where we came for vacation. We’d go to Cardinals games in the summer, and I knew exactly where to wait to get Ozzie Smith’s autograph. I just fell in love with everything about St. Louis. There are so many fantastic options for everyone with The Muny, Forest Park, The Fabulous Fox Theatre and all of the sports. My sister moved here 10 years after me, and then, my parents did as well. It’s really about family for me. You can do it anywhere, but there’s something special about doing it in St. Louis.