Four Inane Questions with KSHB 41 anchor Dia Wall

Dia Wall. // Courtesy Dia Wall

Over the last seven years, Dia Wall has covered everything from presidential visits to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win. It’s apropos she’d report on the NFL’s biggest day, given that the TV journalist got her on-air start as a host for the Dallas Cowboys. From there, she went on to become an anchor/reporter in Texas before heading to Kansas City.

Today, Wall helps helm KSHB 41’s 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. weekday newscasts. When she’s not at the anchor desk, Wall says she’s passionate about telling stories that uplift and empower our community, bringing equity to what is broadcast and empathy to how it is covered. “I’m all about connecting people through shared experiences and authenticity,” she says. 

We caught up with the newsie between shows and motherhood (her kiddos are five and three) to ask our series of dumb-and-dumber questions.

The Pitch: What’s the opening line/sentence of your upcoming tell-all memoir? 

Dia Wall: “Listen.” My hubs, Kevin, tells me when I want to make a major point, the first word I always say is “listen.” The wild thing is, I do talk quite a bit for a living—but, more than that, my job is to listen. 

If you think about the world we live in now, we’ve learned how to talk or post or comment a ton. My personal belief is that we could all benefit from spending more time listening to each other.  

What Thanksgiving dish can you cook better than anybody in your family? Full stop.  

Cornbread dressing. Period. I absolutely love to cook, and out of the women in my generation on both sides of my family, I’m the one who expressed any interest. 

True story, I started watching my grandmother standing on top of stacked phone books in her kitchen in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I’m telling you, I was a serious student. Here’s a tip for my cornbread dressing fans who want to take their dish up a notch and save some time: I lightly sauté my vegetables in a little butter with about a half teaspoon of salt. It enhances the flavor and helps it bake up faster. Enjoy. 

What’s a color (or pattern) you absolutely refuse to wear on the air?

KSHB 41’s Dia Wall. // Courtesy Dia Wall

Paisley. What’s funny is the guys love a good paisley moment. All the guys I work with own so many variations of paisley, but it’s too busy for me in a larger format. A tie is totally different from a top or a dress. 

Truthfully, in the earlier days of my career, I used to wear a lot more patterns and prints. Now, I just love the way solids look. They’re bold and clean and keep the focus more on the stories I’m telling than the clothes I’m wearing.  

Gary Lezak is retiring soon. What’s one funny, unique, or interesting behind-the-scenes story we positively must know about? 

It’s so tough to distill years of memories and experiences with Gary down to one, but I’ll try.

What I think makes him so unique is his deep authenticity. There’s no pretense with Gary. He absolutely loves this community. He is truly fascinated by the weather. He always wants to get it right and keep people safe.

My funny story? What a rabid Chiefs fan he is. The only time you ever see Gary seriously frustrated is when the game isn’t going the Chiefs’ way. I had the great fortune of being in the studio with him when the Chiefs won the Super Bowl. The unfiltered joy, pride, and energy he had was so beautiful. It’s going to be tough the day I look over to my right, and he’s not there. I just hope all your readers know that KC will forever be in his heart. 

Bonus 5th Question: Name one amusement park/carnival ride you’re guaranteed to go on—and one you’re guaranteed to skip. 

Oh boy, I just realized I haven’t been to an amusement park in a long time. Back in the day, I was a rollercoaster girl. The feeling of your nerves right before you get on the ride and the safety bar drops down is so unique. I also can feel my stomach dropping in that first big dip down.

I don’t know if I’d get on the biggest coaster today. The ride I will definitely skip? The Ferris wheel. I’ve seen so many of them get stuck, and I could see myself completely freaking out.