By Sophia Naughton
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Standing face-to-face with the camera lens, Mary Anne Perry clears her throat and begins to speak on the set of “People Are Talking.” She was just an intern, standing in for her public affairs director to deliver that day’s public service announcement. Afterwards, her only audience member, the cameraman, peeks around the camera and tells her she is a natural.
This was the moment that would ignite her career. Now, with over 30 years of experience, she is an accomplished voice over artist and traffic reporter for WBAL.
She would have never considered going into broadcast journalism if not for the cameraman’s encouragement. “I wish I knew who that guy was because that’s why I got into the business and I’ve been in the business for more than 30 years and have had the most amazing career,” said Perry.
At her house in Roland Park, Perry’s dangling silver earrings sparkle amidst her vibrant choppy bob. The lamp light behind her reflects the deep merlot tones in her hair. She walks around lighting candles and adjusting the pillows on an eclectic vintage golden armchair. The warm red walls draped with twinkling lights feel comforting in her foyer. Her loping yellow lab, Murray, follows at her heels.
“Murray’s my shadow,” said Perry, smiling down at him.
Perry began her career as the news director for WCEM radio station in Cambridge, Maryland. From there she has worn many hats: voice artist, news anchor, professor, and mother to her now 20-year-old son, Jack. Today, she is a traffic reporter for WBAL and 98 Rock, a news anchor for the Maryland News Network and a freelance voice-over artist. She began a new job as a traffic reporter for WBAL and 98 Rock last month.
“I started out in radio and didn’t really have an interest in TV,” Perry said. “I guess I just liked the anonymity of radio.”
A typical day there runs from 4 a.m. until about 12:30 p.m. She hasn’t worked this much at a radio station since the beginning of her career. Perry described her new fast-paced schedule as exhilarating.
“I get right out of bed at three o’clock in the morning and it’s because I am so eager to get to the station,” Perry said. “I love it, I love it, I love it.”
First thing at work, she says hi to everyone in the newsroom. Then, she turns on the computers in her traffic studio and checks the traffic map and the traffic incidents and reports page. Her first recording is a tease, which is a kind of introduction that all of the different departments record to introduce the day’s news.
Perry begins her traffic reports at 5:05 a.m. From there, she has seven or eight live reports an hour for both stations plus commercial spots to record until about 9 a.m. After a quick break, Perry records five to six reports an hour until she is done at 12:30 p.m. Perry says it is a busy schedule, but she loves her job.
“When she recently decided to move back to live radio she was over the moon and I can tell that broadcasting live is truly her dream,” said Jack Zenger, her son.
Perry then works from home recording her freelance audio and for the Maryland News Network. Her at-home recording studio resides in a linen closet. Perry said the blankets and sheets on the shelves make for the perfect natural sound proofing system in addition to the foam she installed on the walls. And it is the perfect size for her short stature.
“People are like ‘Oh, you’re in your home studio?’” Perry said. “If they ever really saw it, it’s not glamorous at all.”
A Baltimore City native, Perry grew up on Lake Avenue. Her neighborhood was close-knit with crab feasts and constant games in the back alley. Perry’s father held two jobs to put his children through private school. Her mother ran a daycare and they had a snowball stand in the backyard; it was a full-family effort.
“My mother was my hero when I was little,” Perry said. “My father was amazing.”
Here on Lake Avenue, Perry discovered her passion for performing. Her mother used to put on a Christmas pageant for relatives where Perry was the lead: the Virgin Mary. A makeshift stage curtain divided the living and dining room. From then on, Perry was always in school plays, ballet class or drama school.
“I love being on the air,” Perry said. “Why? I just love performing and being on the air is performing. It’s just who I am.”
Entering her thirties, Perry began experiencing random panic attacks when she would go on air. In the middle of doing a live commercial, she lost the ability to speak, experienced tunnel vision and had to stop recording. This caused her to doubt if she could continue pursuing a career in radio.
“It was debilitating and it took me a very long time to get over that,” Perry said. “I didn’t want my panic attacks to rule me and to ruin my career and thank the dear Lord it didn’t.”
To combat her anxiety, Perry returned to her love for performing and auditioned for a play. This not only helped her panic attacks, but she landed the lead role and continued to perform in theater for the next two years. She still wishes to be involved in theater again someday.
About 15 years into her career, Perry had her son. She at first thought it was a no-brainer to keep working, but once her son was born she never wanted to leave his side. She took a leap of faith and left her job at Baltimore’s 101.9 WLIF radio station where she had been for 12 years. She was able to continue her freelance commercial work and land a successful job doing national Toyota commercials for five years.
“When she was on Mix 106.5 and 101.9 Lite FM in the early 2000s, although I don’t remember, she wasn’t able to be around as much as she would’ve liked to be, as she tells me frequently,” Zenger said. “However, when she left live radio for voice-over work in commercials, her schedule was less set…and easier for her to care for and be with me. Both my parents, but especially my mom, did as much as humanly possible to make sure I was happy and knew how much I was loved.”
“I was only away from him for a few hours at a time and it was kind of perfect,” Perry said. “It was the best of both worlds. I was doing a job that I love and I was able to be with Jack. I feel really blessed and very fortunate that it all worked out.”
Perry holds a passion for creativity on and off the air. Her recent obsession is making paper beads from old magazines which she will later turn into decorative garlands. Perry hand rolls the magazine clippings into cylinders and douses them in one of her favorite things: glitter. They dry standing upright on wooden sticks. Although she loves making art, her favorite activity is spending time with her son.
“We have a very good relationship, we are very close,” Zenger said. “I most admire my mom’s sense of pure kindness to others, even total strangers.”
Behind the microphone, Perry is a loving mother and friend to those who know her. She has a passion for creation whether that be recording or making art. Her kind and vibrant personality goes beyond the voice you hear on the radio. The way she sounds like she’s smiling on air? She really is. Tune into WBAL 101.5 and 98 Rock for the morning traffic report to hear Perry in action or follow her on Twitter @MaryAnneWBAL