Margaret Juntwait, the former WNYC Radio announcer who became the first woman to host the Metropolitan Opera's Saturday Afternoon Radio Broadcasts, died on Wednesday of complications from ovarian cancer. She was 58.
Juntwait was only the third regular announcer of the Met's broadcast series, which launched in 1931, and the first woman to hold the job. Her last broadcast was on December 31, after which her health had begun to decline.
Juntwait came to WNYC in 1991 to work as an assistant on New Sounds, hosted by John Schaefer. "Once I got to WNYC, I stepped off the elevator on the 25th floor of the Municipal Building and I had a revelation that this was home," she said in a 2004 interview, referring to the station's former downtown location.
Over the following decade Juntwait gradually moved to on-air roles, becoming host of Midday Music, and later, Evening Music. In December 2004, she was hired by the Metropolitan Opera. That same year she was diagnosed with cancer but it had been under control for the better part of the past decade.
Juntwait grew up as one of four children in suburban New Jersey. A former lyric soprano and an aspiring actress, she received a bachelor's degree in voice from the Manhattan School of Music in 1980. After graduation, she worked office jobs and as a church musician before one day writing a "fan letter" to Schaefer. The host hired her immediately.
"With her singing and acting background, she knew how to use her 'instrument,'" Schaefer recalls. Soon she developed the production skills necessary to host an entire show.
Juntwait was known among WNYC colleagues for her unpretentious style, humor and encyclopedic musical knowledge. In a 2000 station profile, she described her role as presenting classical music in a way that is "friendly, engaging and decidedly unstuffy. Sure, I studied classical music, but spent most of my teenage years listening to Led Zeppelin," she said. Her musical exposure further widened when she married Jamie Katz, who was formerly the deputy editor of Vibe magazine.
Listen to Juntwait introducing a broadcast from the Frick Collection in 2003:
In her job at the Metropolitan Opera, Juntwait hosted 229 live Saturday broadcasts, as well as 898 live broadcasts on the company's SiriusXM channel. She began as the back-up announcer for veteran radio host Peter Allen, who retired from the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts in May 2004. She became a full-time employee at the Met in 2006 when the SiriusXM satellite broadcasts began. The Saturday radio broadcasts are aired nationally, and in Europe, South America and Asia.
"Even after she was unable to host live performances, Margaret retained her tremendous passion for the Met, and was in the building just a few weeks ago to pre-record content for future Sirius XM broadcasts," the company noted in a statement.
"Margaret Juntwait was an extraordinary woman with a deep passion for radio and music and a beautiful, engaging voice and personality," said Laura Walker, President and CEO of New York Public Radio. "Here at WNYC and then at the Metropolitan Opera, she was a warm and knowledgeable host who guided our musical experiences and made them richer. She was an iconic voice on the radio, a true and generous friend to so many of us and she will be deeply missed.”
Juntwait is survived by her husband Katz, mother Florence Grace, three sons from a previous marriage – Gregory, Bart and Steven Andreacchi – and a stepdaughter, Joanna Katz. Funeral plans are still being finalized.
In 2006, Juntwait spoke with WNYC host Amy Eddings after she announced she was leaving the station to work full-time at the Met. Here is the interview:
