| Simon Conway | |
| Birth Place: | London, England |
| Station: | WHO-AM |
| Timeslot: | 4–7pm |
| Country: | United States |
| Website: | Simon Conway |
Simon Conway is a London-born radio show host and public speaker who hosts a talk show on WHO-AM in Des Moines, Iowa.
Conway was born in London, England and raised in nearby Wellesden. There he got the journalism bug at a young age:[1]
Moving to Israel as a teenager, Conway began his professional career as a 16-year-old journalist at The Jerusalem Post (in 1976). From the age of 18, back in the U.K., he was "doing shifts" on the Sunday Mirror and News of the World. He went undercover to investigative "the awful Children of God sect" and "stuff for Panorama on the National Front" back.[2]
In the U.K. Conway was "doing almost daily hits" on BBC Radio 4 or Radio 5 Live. He had international media in his studio on a regular basis, while being "constantly interviewed" by U.S. media—with "multiple appearances" on C-Span, CNN, and Fox News. He ran a successful corporate communications company in the U.K.
He moved to Orlando, Florida, in 2001, entering the real estate business, which Conway discovered was highly competitive. “There are thousands of people selling real estate in Orlando, literally,” he said, which led Conway "to distinguish himself by buying time on the radio." When he got himself a one-hour weekend show he "fell in love with the medium."[3] “From the very first moment I was on the air, I did not talk about real estate,” Conway recalls. “It was like an epiphany. I had come home.”
Conway "fell into a career as a fill-in talk show host," travelling across the U.S. working at “major, major stations”.
In 2011, Conway took a radio show hosting position at WHO-AM in Des Moines, Iowa, replacing Steve Deace who left for a nationally-syndicated show — and adding his name to the station's "storied roster of hosts", including former president Ronald Reagan who "made a name for himself" as a WHO sportscaster in the 1930s. On taking the job, Conway says, “If you're serious about talk radio, this isn't a job you turn down.”
"It's a big country and the parties pick their candidates by asking the people in a series of primary elections or as in the case of Iowa, Caucuses. And Iowa is first in the nation to vote which can give a candidate the kind of momentum it takes to become President," Conway emphasizes.
About 65,000 people across Iowa tune in to WHO-AM during the afternoon drive time, the largest in Iowa for talk radio. And the audience skews toward the politically-attuned, conservative type that Republican candidates want to attract.[4]
Considered "the voice of Midwest conservatism," Conway reminds one journalist of "a bulldog when he interviews politicians."[5] His training in Britain[6] formed his aggressive approach on the air, he said. “I am an equal-opportunity hater. I treat people the same whether I agree with them or [they] don't agree with me. I will always challenge their positions." He adds, “There are [as many] Republicans who don't want to face those questions as there are Democrats. The likes of [Ohio governor] John Kasich haven't been in my studio because he knows it isn't going to end well.”
"Most important of all for me – no script," Conway admits. "I am very much a stream of consciousness person and that's why we deliver what we hope is compelling radio every single day." He arranges regular, unscientific online audience polls meant for entertainment on his show.[7]
Conway serves as a Trustee on the Board of Directors for the USS Iowa (BB-61). He has led regular tours to southern California to visit the retired ship, now opened as a museum. He annually sponsors a "BBQ sandwich giveaway" for the benefit of the Puppy Jake Foundation, which trains service dogs to be placed with "wounded warriors". Raising $4,000 in its first year, the event raised over $35,500 five years later in 2018. Generally a local supermarket donates the meat, more than 200 pounds of it, and a local barbecue grilling champion donates buns and sauce and does the cooking.[13]
Conway is Jewish and moved to Israel when he was 16. He has two daughters. He is a "very proud naturalized American citizen." For five years he coached both men's and women's high school tennis in Orlando, Florida.
After suffering two heart attacks during one week in 2017, Conway quit smoking and returned to the broadcast booth. Joel McCrea, general manager at WHO-AM, told the Des Moines Register the heart attacks were mild in nature.[14]
In 2008 Conway received American citizenship. He has said of his homeland, "I miss the curry. Friends. And the ability to go watch Chelsea play."