You’ve heard her voice. She plays your favorite songs. She also reads and writes the important news.

Catherine Remak, the morning host on K-LITE 101.7, Santa Barbara’s adult contemporary radio station, is one of the most familiar voices in town.

“There is something very special about the meaning of radio,” Remak said on the latest episode of Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina. “There’s kind of a magic in it in that people will say, ‘I can’t believe you played that song. That’s the song I just needed.'”

K-LITE plays 1980s, 1990s and 2000s songs. Remak plays the songs from artists some of us grew up with, including George Michael, Whitney Houston and Taylor Swift.

“It’s a feel-good station,” Remak said. “They feel good. There’s something about each song selected that makes you want to smile, makes you want to dance.”

Click on the YouTube link below to watch the episode.

She grew up locally, attending Montecito Union School and UC Santa Barbara. She sang in the choir in high school. She got her start in radio at KCSB. She wakes up at 4:30 a.m., her day begins at 5:30 a.m. and she works until about 10 a.m. It’s been her gig for more than 30 years.

Go behind the scenes of Remak’s life and career in this episode. Hear her also talk about her longtime on-air partner, Gary Fruin, who died earlier this year of cancer.

“He became my mentor,” she said. “I remember the first time he turned to me and said, ‘Why don’t you back announce the song when we come out of it?'”

Remak was only doing news reports at the time.

“He really brought me into that co-host position,” she said.

The two became family friends.

Earlier this year, Remak married Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch. She talks about their wedding at the end of the episode.

Remak is also a regular emcee at nonprofit events around town.

Joshua Molina is a journalist and college instructor who interviews a wide variety of people on the issues of education, housing, politics, culture and business. He is a former reporter at the San Jose Mercury News. He also teaches at a community college. Visit SantaBarbaraTalks.com to sign up for his newsletter and make a contribution to this individually owned podcast.