Chip Washington just can’t seem to stray too far from a camera or microphone.
He’s a former television news reporter and anchor with stints in Meridian, Mississippi, Jackson, Mississippi, Jackson, Tennessee, and in Memphis at Fox13 and WMCTV. In total, he spent more than 20 years in front of a camera.
He moved from in front of the camera (but not far from them) as a public information officer, a sort of liaison between government agencies and the press, for the Jackson Mississippi Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. Since July 2020, Washington has been the media’s point person for the Shelby County Health Department’s COVID-19 Response Team.
But the draw to broadcast called to him again back in 2019 with the opportunity to do a radio talk show on WMQM 1600 AM. Washington’s voice got a boost last year when he was invited to bring his show to the newly opened airwaves of WYXR 91.7 FM.
Since then, Real Talk With Chip Washington has been a platform of on-air conversation for a variety of guests talking about a variety of issues like police matters, COVID-19, and the Memphis airport.
We caught up with Washington to talk about his job and his show. — Toby Sells
Memphis Flyer: For many of us out there, the pandemic kind of seems to be winding down. What’s it like doing your job now?
Chip Washington: The city is, basically, over the vaccines. Although, the health department will get it back at some point. It’s still busy. Obviously, things are winding down. You see some of the bigger [vaccine points of distribution] are starting to close down. The vaccination process, while it is ongoing, it is slowing down.
It’s always a challenge to be continually and perpetually putting out the message that COVID, while it’s drastically slower, is still among us. Variants out there are still affecting our young people and that’s why it’s important for the population of those 12 to 15 years old get vaccinated.
MF: I was scrolling through archive episodes of your show and you’ve had some high-profile people on there: Pat Halloran, former president and CEO of The Orpheum Theater; Bobby O’Jay, radio veteran; Mike Rallings, former director of the Memphis Police Department; Dr. Steve Threlkeld, infectious disease expert, and many more.
CW: I’m blessed for that. You just have to call and find out if they want to come on. They have to answer the phone and they have to say, “yes.”
I hope that, after the hour is up, people can say “man, that was a really informative show. I really learned some things. That’s my focus and what inspired me to get behind the microphone.
MF: Well, just looking at the archives and, given your background in journalism, the show is bound to be informative.
CW: I wanted to make it conversational and to make it interesting. I really wanted to showcase programs or businesses that, maybe, people hadn’t heard about but they’d done very good work. I’m all about trying to be uplifting and help our people. This is a platform to allow folks to come on and talk a few minutes to. … showcase what they do.
Real Talk With Chip Washington, Mondays 6 p.m.-7 p.m. WYXR 91.7 FM.