“How to be a Rainbow in Someone Else's Cloud”
Unscripted
By Keith Edmonds
Ink Spot Contributor
“Dr. DeShawn Moore, publisher of Moore Gospel and Start Healthy Magazines, digital interview host, actress, and beauty influencer, is one of the stars of Rhythm & Praise 94.1, which airs daily as Fort Wayne’s first Gospel radio station that covers the entire city and abroad. Launched in May of 2018, according to DeShawn, the station's leaders realized that the African American faith community in Fort Wayne needed access to gospel music 24/7, particularly to serve the city's South East side and that’s how Rhythm & Praise 94.1 was born…
In today’s UNSCRIPTED I had the pleasure to sit down with Dr. Moore to discuss the launch of this new radio station and how she intends to serve the Fort Wayne community through this venue.
FWIS: Good morning and thank you so much for agreeing to be a part of this piece.
DeShawn: “Good morning and thank you so much for this interview and for having me today!”
FWIS: So, let’s just jump right in. Tell me a little bit about who DeShawn Moore is and how this whole concept of bringing 94.1 came into fruition?
DeShawn: Okay let me start off by sharing this. I’m a very shy introverted person, who doesn’t like crowds and I do not like talking in front of people. It’s only by the grace of God that I’m able to feel comfortable enough to do what I do. Now with that being said, I came here from Birmingham, Alabama (by marriage) and have been here almost 20 years. I’ve always loved TV and Radio. I started off in this business at the age of 16 with my own youth talk show in Birmingham. From there I attended school at Taylor University and graduated with a degree in professional writing. So, when I arrived here radio was the furthest thing from my mind simply because I wanted to do TV and got a job at Channel 21, did some news reporting, and did some producing. I did this for about 6 years then my husband became ill, and I stepped away from it because my heart wasn’t in it. Fast forward to today, I never knew that this was God’s plan for me, someone left the station that I’m currently at, and people began asking me to apply for that open position. Please understand, I was in and out of Fort Wayne at the time pursuing my acting interests in Chicago, so I wasn’t even thinking about this position at all. Fortunately, the program director (Monique Moss) was looking for a radio announcer and they called me, but I still wasn’t interested because I’d worked in radio previously and didn’t want to take a step back. To make a long story short I interviewed for the position and got the job confident that this was God’s plan for me. Now I host Mornings with Lady Moore and I love it!”
FWIS: So, can you share with me what your Mission Statement is? What’s the purpose behind what God has called you to do?
DeShawn: “I feel that my purpose is 3-fold. To encourage, to enlighten, and to be transparent. I’m a pastor’s wife, and there are times that people put us in a “box” but what people don’t understand is that it doesn’t matter what our title is, every one of us has an assignment. I feel that my particular assignment is to “tell people my story.” All of my siblings are intelligent, beautiful, and articulate and I was the odd one out let’s say. I wasn’t as smart or as attractive as they were, and I was always the one being picked last for team games, so I developed this complex, virtually saying “Lord what about me, where do I fit in? So being that person growing up and to now be doing what I’m doing simply put, is nothing but God.”
FWIS: To close this piece, give me 3 things about DeShawn Moore that maybe people don’t know about you or would be considered surprising?
DeShawn: “ That I am a comedian! I love to laugh and make people smile and I’m also a passionate fighter. When there is an issue or something wrong, I will stand up and fight alongside you for what is right. If there is something that needs to be done personally for someone, maybe they need support in a legal case, or a mentor, it could also be yardwork or baby-sitting in church so they can hear the word of God, I’m going to be right there with you assisting in any way that I can. I can be afraid at times as well because this path that I’m on is scary. But my faith carries me, but you know what, if I could do anything else besides TV or Radio I would love going into the medical field because of my heart for people.”