By Rick Kaempfer
XRT'S "ROOKIE" VETERAN
M
orning News Anchor Mary Dixon
has been an employee of WXRT (on
and off) since 1991, and that makes
her one of the new kids on the WXRT block.
"I'm still one of the rookies," she admits
with a laugh. "We had a party recently for
Terri Hemmert's 40th anniversary, and I
looked up and down the table and everyone
had been working here for such a long time, I
really was one of the new kids in the family."
And when an XRT employee refers to "the
family", they really mean it. "I think that
comes from (WXRT program director) Norm
Winer," Mary explains. "When they started
XRT, they were this weird hippy complex
with a mission to create a special radio station.
uses so many of my experiences?" she admits.
"I studied journalism, English lit, Russian and
politics in college and grad school. I was a DJ,
then a reporter. I love rock'n'roll. I tell people
what's going on, and every once in a while Lin
and I get to bring the Flaming Lips onstage. If
it weren't for the alarm clock going off
Monday through Friday, it would be perfect."
When she's asked about the moments in
their long partnership that come to mind right
away, she remembers the times that Brehmer's
quick thinking and adaptability saved the
day.
"He's the master of chaos," she explains.
"When we were back on Belmont in the '90s
(the WXRT studios were on Belmont Ave. for
WXRT's Mary Dixon
Norm really fostered that feeling of 'we're all
in this together – this is our baby – we have to
have each other's back.'"
That's a pretty unusual attitude in the cutthroat media
world. "Someone remarked to me when Terri
was inducted in the Radio Hall of Fame (2010)
that it was notable how all the XRTers seemed
happy for her. It struck me as kind of funny.
We all know that Terri's earned her honors,
and that recognition for one member of the
team reflects well on the rest of us. From
Norm on down, we all feel ownership in what
we've built together. That applies to the listeners, too, by the way. They celebrate our victories and scold us when they think we're
wrong. We see them at concerts and around
town. The fact that they care so much is just
amazing. And it brings us back around to how
we always try to do our best, every day, to
deserve it."
Mary works side by side with WXRT's
morning host Lin Brehmer every weekday.
They've been together now for so long they
have an effortless chemistry, but Dixon says it
was there from the very first moment they
met. "There was immediately a sense that I
could give this guy a lot of crap," she says,
"and he seemed to enjoy it. Now it's 22 years
later, and it's sort of like having a spare brother. We know each other's rhythms. We know
what will work with the other person. We
know what will annoy each other. There's definitely a comfort level there that is really nice
to have. I really do enjoy working with Lin.
He is such a nice guy, and he really does take
my abuse – and vice versa, by the way. It's
been a productive and happy partnership."
Dixon is more than just a news anchor on the
show. She is called on to contribute in many
different ways. "How cool is it to do a job that
20 illinoisentertainer.com march 2014
many years), the place was a dump, but it was
our dump, and we loved it. The heating and
air conditioning was always breaking down
or going on at the wrong time. One day, it was
the hottest day of the summer, the heat came
on, and it was like 100 degrees in the building.
Lin's response, rather than sitting in the corner whining like the rest of us, was to say 'OK,
we're going to do the show in the alley'. Our
producer at the time, Pete Crozier (who still
does Lin's Bin), was the guy stuck inside the
sweltering studio running th eboard, while
we enjoyed the relative cool of the 90-degree
pavement. We sat outside the back door, and
did the show for several hours from the alley.
Listeners came by in their cars to say hello.
Some brought us donuts. Some brought us
coffee. And it was just the funniest thing ever.
I was thinking it could have been a disaster,
but because of Lin, it was a funny show."
Brehmer and Dixon haven't just shared
memorable professional moments together.
They are good friends and have been there for
each other in good times and bad. "On the day
I was going to give birth to my oldest daughter Ruthie," Mary remembers, "I was on my
way to the doctor's office to possibly be
induced, and I was really freaked out. I had
already talked my husband's ear off (Chicago
Tribune's Mark Caro), so I called Lin on the
hotline, and said 'I'm freaking out here, please
tell me it's going to be OK.' Remember, Lin
was in the middle of his show, but he still