Ariana Morgenstern

Producer, Morning Becomes Eclectic (MBE)

I love Ruth and looked up to her. I came to KCRW at a very young age and Ruth became my mentor, not sure if she knew it. Ruth was a woman in a male dominated world heading up a cultural entity—that took guts, fortitude, and a singular vision. Ruth had direction and purpose in her work and poured herself into it. 

Ruth gave me a lot of creative space at work but also had an eye on me. I'm not going to lie, our relationship wasn't easy but it ran deep for me. Ruth's approbation was important and I tried my best to please her. She gave me opportunities but didn't hold my hand; success or failure was up to me. 

She could be ferocious, calling me after-hours to yell at me for something I did that upset her, she did that several times until I told her that I worked long hours at the station and that if she wanted to yell, she could do that during working hours but not to call me at home anymore...I think that earned her respect because she never did it again after that. 

I'm kind of proud of that moment, it was defining for me, I didn't stand up for myself much before that, but it was pivotal in my personal development. Ruth refined my work ethic. We had a lot in common—both of us Jewish and growing up in the Bronx. 

I watched her be kind to people when life hit them hard and remember how she took me out to dinner when my father died suddenly. 

I can't truly express how much Ruth meant to me in my life. Like water or air, you just can't quantify how a person shapes you, but my love for her is profound. I am grateful.