Ann B. Walker
Radio host Ann B. Walker began her extraordinary broadcast media journey as a journalist writing for the local newspaper and concluded with a White House appointment.
Ann Walker was born on November 1, 1923, in Columbus, Ohio. During her early career, she served as journalist, editor and columnist for the Ohio Sentinel and is best known for her column “Ann Walker’s Party Line.” In the 1960s, she joined Columbus radio station WVKO-AM and served as assistant news director, community services director and the on-air host of the “Ann Walker Show” and “Youth Speaks.”
From 1970 to 1991, Walker served as a member of the Columbus Consumer Protection Committee; became the on-air talent, producer and community services director for WLWC-TV, and would later emerge as the first female in broadcast management at the station.
In 1978, Walker was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame as the first woman broadcaster to report on the Ohio legislature. Her career accolades would continue beyond the boundaries of Ohio. President Jimmy Carter appointed Walker as special assistant to the director of The White House Public Affairs Office in 1980.
Walker has received numerous acknowledgments and recognition for her contributions to the local media industry and the community. She is among the “Who’s Who in Black Central Ohio” in 2000. Her work is archived in the Columbus Metropolitan Library African American history collection. Her name and image are among the honorees on the Long Street Cultural Wall in Columbus.
In 1991, Walker established her own company, Ann B. Walker and Associates. Then, in 2002, Walker wrote the introduction to A Piece of My Damn Mind! by Calvin H. Stillwell.
As a lifetime member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Walker served as the 24th Alpha Sigma Omega Chapter President in Columbus, Ohio. She also served as a ruling elder at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Columbus. In 2004, she helped established the Linwood P. Walker Scholarship, named in honor of her late husband.