Like many hundreds of information technology workers in the area, Oakton resident Mimi Geerges got laid off from her successful career as an engineer for the telecommunications and wireless industries in late 2001. Despite the shock of losing her job, Geerges turned the event into an opportunity to live out her dream of becoming a radio talk-show host.
"I had nothing to give up," said Geerges, 34, who at the time was also pregnant with her daughter Sophia.
Now that Geerges has glimpsed the realization of her dream, she believes that returning to the information technology field is no longer what she wants to do. For over a year, Geerges has hosted an hour-long radio program on WEBR Radio on Fairfax County public access. The program, "Focal Point," started out initially as a dialogue on women's and international issues, but it increased its scope to include such eclectic topics as e-mail spam, the Sudanese conflict, and homelessness in America.
What Geerges aims to create is a radio show with two formats, an interview with an author or a panel discussion that provokes debate and insight among its listeners and guests.
"That's how I set myself apart. ... I can say that you're going to have a quality interview," Geerges said. "I want to go in depth. I want to go to the second layer beyond the sound byte."
Although the show is on public access, Geerges' determination has led to having national figures stop by and chat with her at the show's Merrifield studios. Past guests have included former president Jimmy Carter, Georgetown linguist and author Deborah Tannen, Whitewater figure Susan McDougal, New York real estate entrepreneur Barbara Corcoran and sitarist Anoushka Shankar.
"It shows that you can be a little radio show on public access and still be able to get the likes of the former president," Geerges said. "I think what I've learned from it is, don't assume someone is going to say no, just ask anyway."
Geerges' interest in radio grew in college when she started listening to National Public Radio. After graduating with an electrical engineering degree and a master’s in international affairs, Geerges worked full-time in the telecommunications industry. Despite the workload, Geerges managed also to intern for three years with "The Diane Rehm Show" on WAMU.
Through "The Diane Rehm Show," Geerges learned how to write scripts for the radio show, by reading the guest's book or studying his or her position on topics.
"That's how I learned how you put a show together," Geerges said.
At the end of 2001, Geerges was laid off and pregnant with her first child. Knowing that she wouldn't get another job anytime soon, Geerges began taking classes on producing a radio show through Fairfax County public access. In October 2002, she broadcast her first show, through the help of family, friends, and volunteers she had recruited through fliers posted on area college communication departments' boards.
"For me, with radio you can focus so much more on substance, as opposed to how you look," said Geerges. "The listener is forced to focus on substance.
"A lot of times I put myself in the position of, what do I really want to know about this subject?" Geerges said. "You read the book differently once you know you'll talk to the person who wrote it."
BOTH GEERGES and her show's staff have been surprised by the show's popularity, despite its limited availability through Cox Cable or the Internet. Because the show's Web site is linked to other sites, such as the Web site of author and former guest Toby Young, the Web site has gotten hits nationally and abroad.
"I think it's gotten infinitely better," said Phoebe Farag of Arlington, one of the show's producers. "I think we're getting interesting guests, interesting topics."
Another staffer for the radio show, Emi Wallace of Fairfax, agreed. Wallace runs the sound board for the show so Geerges can concentrate on interviewing.
"I think it's been going well," said Wallace, adding that the quality of the shows has improved since its first airing in 2002. "I think she's really smart, and really genuinely interested, and she wants to make the experience enjoyable ... . She wants to be as good as anybody else."
Eventually, Geerges would like to see "Focal Point" carried on other stations, perhaps small, public radio stations outside of the area. "I love it. I am so stimulated by it. I really feel that this is what I've always dreamt of," Geerges said. "There's something about putting yourself on a limb and risking failure that is really fulfilling."