Steve Buckhantz is the TV play by play announcer for the Washington Wizards, but that’s only part of it. Buckhantz went to Washington-Lee High School, and he and Andy start off talking about other well-known alumni, the Old Oaken Bucket and broadcast. Most of Steve’s story is about making it in broadcast with staying power. Buckhantz is clearly not afraid of change or making tough decisions. Two different schools for undergrad and 4 cities/4 TV stations landed him back in Our Town. Channel 5, then Metromedia, was Steve’s 5th TV Station and from there the rest is history. Buckhantz clearly loves what he does today. Listen in to hear how in the late 70s with only one available job source, he managed to get hired on at a Chattanooga, TN TV station from a very small Harrisonburg, VA station. You’ll also hear what it was like for Steve while working at Fox Morning News – Channel 5 Sports, to scoop one the biggest news stories in Washington Football history and report it live. And, you will not want to miss his Michael Jordan anecdote! Andy and Steve’s conversation is threaded with names you will know, both broadcast and sports legends. Listening to their conversation is analogous to driving a car out West and seeing a new vista around every turn – an interesting and pleasant surprise each time. Enjoy! The entire transcript for this podcast episode can be found on our website here:

https://ourtowndc.com/steve-buckhantz-wizards/ A special thanks to Our Town sponsors GEICO, as well as Attorney Mike Collins, Tony & Joe's Seafood Restaurant and Nicks Riverside Grill, and Living Health Integrative Medicine Regenerative Medicine.

David Blair is an entrepreneur (following in his Dad’s footsteps), and a political activist. He ran in 2018 for Montgomery County, MD County Executive, which he describes as a life changing experience, and much more. Blair is a lifelong resident of Montgomery County. It’s in his blood. He felt he could make a positive impact on the community as County Executive. Blair has friends in high places and received a totally unexpected compliment from a former President. Andy O and Blair also discuss The Wedding Benefit, ChChChChanges, and The Wizards. You’ll have to listen in to find out the details, as well as who changed their party affiliation so they could vote for him in the primaries and the name of the President who delivered the compliment. Enjoy! The entire transcript for this podcast episode can be found on our website here:

https://ourtowndc.com/david-blair-political-activist/ A special thanks to Our Town sponsors GEICO, as well as Attorney Mike Collins, Tony & Joe's Seafood Restaurant and Nicks Riverside Grill, and Living Health Integrative Medicine Regenerative Medicine.

Hillary Howard is an award winning reporter, Co-anchor on WTOP, and host of “It’s Academic”, the longest running quiz show in the world according to Guinness World Records. Hillary’s career in broadcasting started in New York and ended up in Our Town after a brief stay in Virginia Beach. She is smart and has clearly taken advantage of opportunities to get to where she is today. She started out as a weather reporter on Channel 5, and the rest is history (and in this podcast interview). There’s a good story here for anyone who is interested in making it in broadcasting. Enjoy! The entire transcript for this podcast episode can be found on our website here:

https://ourtowndc.com/hillary-howard-wtop/ A special thanks to Our Town sponsors GEICO, as well as Attorney Mike Collins, Tony & Joe's Seafood Restaurant and Nicks Riverside Grill, and Living Health Integrative Medicine Regenerative Medicine.

Lew Strudler is Vice President, Global Partnerships, Monumental Sports and Entertainment. He started in July, 1982 after being recruited by Abe Pollin in an effort to save The Washington Capitals franchise in Our Town. Strudler created and ran the successful campaign called “Save The Washington Capitals”. The success of Save the Caps, together with brilliant strategic personnel moves turned the franchise around. Listen in to the details of how it all happened and how the organization grew under Abe Pollin and then Ted Leonsis who has taken it global. Lew also describes how he felt the moment he knew the Capitals were going to win the 2018 Stanley Cup. Take a listen, and let us know how you felt when you heard the great news! Enjoy! The entire transcript for this podcast episode can be found on our website here:

https://ourtowndc.com/lew-strudler-monumental-sports/ A special thanks to Our Town sponsors GEICO, as well as Attorney Mike Collins, Tony & Joe's Seafood Restaurant and Nicks Riverside Grill, and Living Health Integrative Medicine Regenerative Medicine.

Neal Augenstein, Reporter and Tech Editor for WTOP, is grateful that in 1997 then-news director Jim Farley made an investment in him so he could become a reporter. Host Andy Ockershausen calls Augenstein’s voice most memorable and the most enormous of his many talents. Augenstein describes what it is to be a reporter, and how he’s been involved with WTOP in meeting the technology changes in broadcast over the years. In fact, he does most of his field production on an iPhone! Despite that he is a traditionalist. Andy and Neal discuss the current crime wave in Our Town, and how it will take public involvement to get it under control. This is an easy and interesting interview. You will find the interesting nuggets about broadcast and a reporter’s life as you listen in. Enjoy! The entire transcript for this podcast episode can be found on our website here:

https://ourtowndc.com/neal-augenstein-wtop/ A special thanks to Our Town sponsors GEICO, as well as Attorney Mike Collins, Tony & Joe's Seafood Restaurant and Nicks Riverside Grill, and Living Health Integrative Medicine Regenerative Medicine.

Hon. Joanne Alper is a retired judge and a certified mediator. Host Andy Ockershausen calls her a trailblazer for women in the legal profession. When she became a lawyer in 1976 for a law firm in Arlington, Virginia, there were only a few female lawyers, and because of that faced hostility from male lawyers. She has a few stories to tell about her experiences, and those of her mentor and friend, well-known divorce lawyer, Betty Thompson who started as a lawyer in the 1950s. Despite the challenges, and with plenty of hard work and professional affiliations, Joanne was elected in 1991 as the first female Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court judge in Arlington County, Virginia, and in 1998, the first female Circuit Court judge in Arlington County, Virginia. One gets the feeling that as a judge, especially in Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court, Joanne brought a sense of humanity to her courtroom. After retiring from the bench in 2012, she became a certified mediator, Supreme Court of Virginia, and finds the process much more humane than taking a case to court. Joanne tells Andy she has been very lucky during her career, and is happy to be where she is today. Listen in and let us know if you think her commitment and dedication to public service has anything to do with it.

Bill Lord retired from WUSA9 after 40 years of helping people share their stories in newsrooms across the country. Early on in his career, he reported from Beirut, Lebanon. Missing audience feedback on his reporting, Bill decided to come back stateside and landed in Our Town. After he and host Andy Ockershausen catch up on Our Town broadcast history, Bill discusses his newly released memoir "50 Years After Vietnam: Lessons and Letters Learned from the War I Hated Fighting”. It was an inevitable project destined to be written in retirement. He credits his wife for suggesting he use the many letters he wrote home from the war as the basis for his work, and says “It’s been kind of funny. . .women who read the book comment on the letters. Men who read the book comment on all the stories I tell.” Bill also talks about a series of world events that happened while he was away fighting a war he knew (even as a 19 year old “grunt”) was unconscionable. Those events drastically changed the “Leave It To Beaver” world he once knew – a world that no longer existed by the time he came home. He also remembers the persona non grata status attached to those soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War, and tells Andy how thrilled he is to see the level of honor veterans are receiving today. The entire transcript for this podcast episode can be found on our website here:

https://ourtowndc.com/bill-lord-author/ A special thanks to Our Town sponsors GEICO, as well as Attorney Mike Collins, Tony & Joe's Seafood Restaurant and Nicks Riverside Grill, and Living Health Integrative Medicine Regenerative Medicine.

Steven Portnoy is a CBS News Correspondent covering the White House. He also has a passion for radio broadcast history especially when it comes to his “alma mater” WMAL and Our Town. So don’t expect to hear anything about what Steven Portnoy does as a White House news correspondent. What you will learn is lots about WMAL and its impact on Our Town, past and present. From the minute the interview starts, Portnoy turns the tables and interviews Andy about his career and experiences at WMAL. Steven gets Andy to talk about decisions he made while running WMAL, right down to his philosophy on spending money! You’ll have to listen in to find out what Andy had to say about that! Steven is as prepared a guest, as he is a skillful interviewer. He regales Andy with WMAL jingles from the 60s and 70s, and anecdotes about former colleagues, in some cases getting to the bottom of whatever it was by asking “what exactly was that all about anyway?” You will enjoy this energetic and engaging episode of Our Town, and when your done listening, we’d love to hear your thoughts on how Andy O did from the passenger seat! The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here:

https://ourtowndc.com/steven-portnoy-cbs-news/ A special thanks to Our Town sponsors GEICO, as well as Attorney Mike Collins, Tony & Joe's Seafood Restaurant and Nicks Riverside Grill, and Living Health Integrative Medicine Regenerative Medicine.

Dave McConnell, Capitol Hill Reporter for WTOP, is one of the longest reigning reporters on The Hill. His experience reporting on Capitol Hill spans 55 years! He and Andy remember the past: Hill reporters such as Joe McGarry and Sam Donaldson and Congress members such as Tip O’Neill, Patrick Leahy and Robert Bird. Bringing it current, Dave mentions his colleague, Mitchell Miller, who he describes as a great reporter and wonderful to work with. Of the new group in Congress, Dave says “they're all interesting in their own way.” This is an easy exchange between friends. While listening, what you may find interesting about this interview are the stories: what it was like to grow up around the Capitol 50 or 60 years ago and how easy access even to the grounds has changed for security’s sake; how members of Congress handled working in DC before real estate got crazy expensive, and how they’ve adapted overtime; changes in news coverage of Congressional hearings then and now; and more. Enjoy! The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here:

https://ourtowndc.com/dave-mcconnell-wtop/ A special thanks to Our Town sponsors GEICO, as well as Attorney Mike Collins, Tony & Joe's Seafood Restaurant and Nicks Riverside Grill, and Living Health Integrative Medicine Regenerative Medicine.

The Reverend Monsignor Salvatore A. Criscuolo is St. Patrick's Catholic Church's Pastor and Chaplain to DC First Responders, for which he is grateful. St. Patrick’s has so much history in Our Town. Today it serves the spiritual needs of parishioners, and is a welcoming beacon for many visitors to Our Town. A visitor who attends Mass at St. Patrick’s each year when in town for a convention told Father Sal “It’s good to see a familiar face when I’m out of town.” Father Sal’s service extends to DC First Responders. He learned to ride a motorcycle, which gives him the opportunity to do “the parades and demonstrations, just to be out there with the men and women.” and get to know them. He tells Andy what he remembers most about them on 911. When you listen in, you’ll also hear the Monsignor discuss the Holy Father’s visit to St. Patrick’s and Catholic Charities during his 2015 visit to the United States. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here:

https://ourtowndc.com/monsignor-salvatore-criscuolo/ A special thanks to Our Town sponsors GEICO, as well as Attorney Mike Collins, Tony & Joe's Seafood Restaurant and Nicks Riverside Grill, and Living Health Integrative Medicine Regenerative Medicine.