Kate Ryan
Kate Ryan’s experience in journalism goes back to the first time she interviewed a clown.
No, that’s not an editorial comment—Ringling Bros. Circus had come to NYC and her father, Bill Ryan, a former NBC correspondent, put a mic in his 5th grade daughter’s hand and set her to work. He used to say of broadcasting, “It sure beats working!” Kate’s come to agree, though she’s still coming to terms with her coulrophobia (that fear of clowns thing.)
As a member of the award-winning WTOP News Team, Kate’s focused on state and local government from Rockville to Richmond. Her focus has always been on how decisions made in a council chamber or state house affect your house. She’s also covered breaking news ranging from the arrest of then-D.C. Mayor Marion Barry to the deadliest crash in Metro’s history to the 2010 hostage-taking at Discovery Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. Kate’s also chased hurricanes, tracked tornadoes, waded through the snow drifts of “Snowmageddon” and covered the many protracted power outages that have followed those storms.
Kate also worked as News Director and morning anchor at WTOP’s then-sister station, WASH-FM. She produced a weekly public affairs show and interviewed authors, politicians and Pulitzer prize-winners. Interviewees include David Simon, creator of HBO’s “The Wire,” two-time Pulitzer prize winner David McCullogh, and one of the central figures of the Iran Contra Affair, Lt. Colonel Oliver North.
Kate’s been recognized for her series and features: from the aggravation of trying to find a parking space in a crowded downtown “Can I Park Here?” to whether letter writing has become a lost art “Don’t Forget to Write.” Working with her colleague Darci Marchese, she won a regional Murrow Award for an examination of mental illness, “The Loneliest Disease.” Most recently, she produced a series on bullying “No Bully Left Behind.”
Kate’s also enjoyed the chance to produce features on people whose stories capture the imagination; a teenage violin virtuoso whose work was played at the Holocaust Memorial Museum, the street vendors known as the Arabbers of Baltimore, and veterans who take part in physical therapy using the horses of “The Old Guard”, the US Army’s Caisson platoon.
Kate has an MA in teaching from Johns Hopkins University. She’s taught U.S. History and AP Government to high school students in Montgomery County Maryland, one of the nation’s consistently top-rated school systems. She’s attended Street Law’s Supreme Court Summer Institute,which allowed her to sit in on oral arguments before the Supreme Court.
Thanks in part to WTOP’s support for creating a staff with depth and breadth, she was chosen as the 1000th fellow in the RTDNA/RIAS fellowship program in which journalists from the U.S. get a chance to explore issues of common interest in Berlin, Germany. While there she examined an issue of global and local importance: traffic.
Kate speaks Spanish, makes a good effort in French, and struggles in Dutch. Kate lives in Washington, D.C. and blogs about getting around by bike on her website: Lane Change, Kate Ryan Reports. Kate is honored to work in a newsroom with colleagues whose commitment to news is second to none.
You can email Kate at kryan@wtop.com or follow her on Twitter.
Latest Articles by Kate Ryan
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‘Front row seat to the greatest show on earth’: Outgoing Montgomery Co. police chief reflects on career
After 42 years in law enforcement, Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger will be leaving the department to take a new job but says his departure should not be seen as a reflection of changes in the county’s political landscape.
7 days ago -
No tax increases in Montgomery County proposed budget
It’s what residents don’t see in Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich’s proposed 2020 budget that might impress them the most: no tax increases.
1 week ago -
Montgomery Co. exec addresses New Zealand terror attack, announces safety measures
At his budget announcement Friday morning, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich abruptly shifted gears to talk about how the county would respond to the violence in New Zealand.
1 week ago -
Md. Gov. Hogan rips overrule of his Labor Day start for schools
On Wednesday, the Maryland House of Delegates voted to pass a bill that effectively does away with Gov. Larry Hogan’s 2016 Executive Order that mandated a post-Labor Day opening for Maryland public schools, which Hogan called “politics at its worst. “
1 week ago -
Montgomery County to hold community conversations on racial equity
In announcing a series of community conversations to be held through the spring and summer, Council President Nancy Navarro said, “When all of our residents have access to opportunities, then everybody benefits here in Montgomery County.”
2 weeks ago -
Md. lawmakers push prison immigration bill
Citing the case involving the I-270 crash that killed FBI agent Carlos Wolff and arson investigator Sander Cohen, Maryland lawmaker Kathy Szeliga says it’s time to require every state and local jail to hand over immigrants who are in the country illegally to federal officials.
2 weeks ago -
Chanting students ejected from meeting on private police for Johns Hopkins University
A group of students and community activists were ejected from a hearing room in the Maryland House Office Building in Annapolis where lawmakers were voting on bills to establish a private police force on the Johns Hopkins University campus in Baltimore.
2 weeks ago -
Maryland Gov. Hogan offers minimum wage compromise
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan proposed a compromise in the statewide debate over a $15 an hour minimum wage.
2 weeks ago -
Ex-Md. state board appointee physically removed from hearing
A former member of Maryland’s Handgun Permit Review Board was physically removed from a General Assembly hearing Friday in Annapolis after she refused requests to wrap up her testimony when her time at the witness table was up. See video.
2 weeks ago -
Montgomery Co. to tackle wage equity by targeting past pay stubs
Montgomery County council members are set to consider a bill that will prevent the county from asking prospective employees to provide pay stubs from their last job.
3 weeks ago -
Montgomery Co. Council bans outdoor smoking at most bars and restaurants
The ban on cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vaping would apply to patios and other outdoor areas attached to bars and restaurants. Exceptions, however, would apply to outdoor balconies and rooftop serving areas. It is expected to be signed into law.
3 weeks ago -
Calls for Maryland delegate to resign over use of racial slur persist after censure
The night after she faced censure by her colleagues in the Maryland House of Delegates, there was a growing chorus of voices calling for Del. Mary Ann Lisanti to resign.
3 weeks ago -
In unanimous vote, Maryland House censures delegate for using racial slur
Del. Mary Ann Lisanti, a Democrat who represents Harford County, Maryland, was disciplined by her colleagues days after it was reported that she referred to a legislative district in Prince George’s County as “a n— district.”
3 weeks ago -
Leaders and lawmakers react to Md. delegate’s use of racial slur
“I have known Mary Ann even before she ran,” the Harford County NAACP chair said. “I knew her mother. And I think her mother would be absolutely appalled by her actions.”
4 weeks ago -
Montgomery Co. Council to act on resolution on lead in water
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said there are no safe levels of lead in drinking water when it comes to children, but the Environmental Protection Agency permits up to 20 parts per billion.
4 weeks ago
