On Air  

     When you listen to Adams and Walker on the radio, you might think they were just sitting at a table, immersed in conversation. But there is so much more to this show that makes it the local favorite that it is. Most talent have a board operator -- someone who pushes all the right buttons to bring up commercials, open microphones for news, weather and traffic, and more. But Adams and Walker take turns doing this -- all the time watching monitors, and maintaining the continuum of conversation that engages thousands of listeners.

     "It's multi-tasking at its best," says Adams. She and Walker have spent nearly 15 years doing it, and it comes almost as naturally as their conversation.

     "Beth and I also have fantastic chemistry," says Walker, who says it's a crucial element to any duo's success. He recalls days when Adams wasn't with him in the studio.

     "Years ago, there was a woman filling in who was smart and engaging, but the chemistry just wasn't there," Walker says with his hands out stretched toward Beth. "It's just something you either have or you don't," he says, alluding to the incredible amount of chemistry he shares with Adams. And that speaks volumes. Their "click" has kept the morning news show in the top Rochester area ratings slot for more than a decade. For her part, Adams thinks of Walker almost as a brother, noting that they have that kind of relationship where they can easily finish each other's sentences. But Adams is also known for righting the ship when Walker or contributors Bob Lonsberry, Bill Lowe and others take things a bit too far off course. She has an almost maternal nature about her. She laughs at the suggestion that she would have made a good school teacher.

    "The kids would tie me up and lock me in the closet," Adams insists. But she does love children. She currently serves as Vice President of WHAM's Heart of Gold Children's Foundation, a group that is committed to helping children in need. Maybe growing up in a big family contributes to her ability to reign in the on-air group when necessary.

Local Talent

     Born and raised in Lancaster, a suburb of Buffalo, Adams is the youngest of five siblings: three sisters and one brother. She graduated in 1985 from Buffalo State College. While attending BSC, she was News Director of the campus radio station.

     After graduating from college, Adams landed a morning news job in Ithaca, and moved into an apartment with friend Ginny Ryan, (currently co-anchor at WHAM 13 TV in Rochester), and Leigh Ann Carlson, (former R-News anchor in Rochester). Ryan says she knew early on that Adams possessed skills that would take her places.

     "It's taken me years and I still don't come close to Beth's talents. In college, she was the one with the smooth, trained voice, stellar news judgment and the ability to lead others. We're all lucky to have someone of her caliber here."

     Carlson embraces another side of Adams, recalling their early days as roommates.

     "I walked in the door one day early on, and there was Beth, scrubbing the kitchen floor on her hands and knees. I knew this was going to be a good relationship," teases Carlson. Nearly 20 years later, their friendship remains deep.  

      In 1986-Adams headed back to Buffalo for a short stint as a news anchor before coming to Rochester in April, 1987.  

     "I was originally hired as morning news anchor at WBEE-FM when it first went country. I was there for nine short months before getting a call from WHAM," says Adams. She started at WHAM as a news anchor in January, 1988. After a brief departure for Florida in the early 90's, Adams resumed her morning host position with Walker in 1992. A photograph and poem in memory of former WHAM colleague Bill Klein hangs on Adam's wall in her home, a constant reminder of her deep friendship with him. (Klein died after suffering a heart attack in 2002). Despite heartbreaking losses, Adams, with Walker, has remained a staple for morning show listeners. Friend and colleague Dr. Cindy Devore, who has contributed to show segments, agrees.

   "In the past, when she limited her work in radio to news journalism, she was an essential community resource of information and calm especially during moments of crisis," says Devore. "I remember during the ice storm in 1991 when so many people were without electricity for over a week how everyone clung to radios awaiting Beth's calm, accurate, and reassuring news updates. There are people who are shut-ins for whom Beth is truly considered a life-line and a friend," says Devore. Even Adams acknowledges that-to the degree that she regularly receives birthday cards from fans-year after year-who consider her a close friend.

She's an Animal (Lover)

     Her desire to pet that bear is real. Adams has a profound respect and admiration for all animals. She has spent countless hours at the Seneca Park Zoo, contributing on many levels, including having served on the Zoobilation committee in the past. But it is her hands-on experiences with the "residents" that Adams most enjoys. She was particularly close to Lowell, the Bornean Orangutan who died earlier this year.

     "I asked if I could meet him. The staff hesitated and said it was an unusual request," Adams recalls. They told her she would need a tuberculosis test first, but ironically, she had just gotten one for some hospital volunteer work she was involved in.

     "I fed Lowell his dinner that night and visited almost weekly over the next five years of his life," Adams shares as we peruse her refrigerator photo gallery that includes a picture of her "gentle giant."

     "What I felt from Lowell as I do all my animal friends is unconditional love. Animals, you see, are experts at it. They don't know how to love any other way. We humans play at it. I strive to love like that. I think love is the only thing that is real in our world," Adams impresses. "All of the other stuff -- anger, jealousy, hate, misery -- are only illusion." For Adams, those feelings don't exist beyond this realm. She is emphatic in her convictions. Though her voice is soft, her blazing blue eyes are focused upon my embracing her sentiments. It all sounds so simple. Her love for animals has taken her from the zoo, to work at the Humane Society at Lollypop Farm and Pet Pride of New York.

Independence Say

     Anyone could attribute Adams' strong sense of independence to many factors -- raised by a single mom, sitting among the boys at the roundtable daily at WHAM, or just a strong sense of self and well-being. But the fact is, Adams admits that she feels independent almost to a fault.

     "My friends have taught me how to rely upon other people for certain things." Most might take that for granted, not Adams. "It is a gift that they have given me," she says. Relying upon a man in her life in the emotional capacity to which her friends speak, is a gift Adams is waiting patiently to open. She certainly has much to give in return.