Reverend Walter L. Shaw Jr., better known as Walt “Baby” Love, has been consistent in lending his unique blend of Christian faith, motivational and inspirational personal experiences to millions of listeners each week for over forty nine years.
Having been the host of four uplifting radio programs; The Countdown With Walt “Baby” Love aired for an unprecedented twenty nine years from August 1982 thru August 2011; Gospel Traxx With Walt “Baby” Love for twenty two years (and still going strong); The Urban AC Countdown for fifteen years and the short form vignette program African American Making It Happen for seven years. Walt has been heard on hundreds of radio stations around the world throughout his career and his “Brand” is associated with excellence.
Walt was raised in a small rural community of Creighton, Pennsylvania, in East-Deer Township. Once graduating from High School he enlisted in the United States Army and became a paratrooper. While on Active Duty in the Army, he achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant E-6, was a member of the famed 82nd AIRBORNE DIVISION, and served in Southeast Asia, based in Northeast Thailand before being Honorably Discharged in December, 1967. Also, while on Active Duty, he landed his first job as a part-time on-air personality at WWGO-AM and WWYN-FM radio in Erie, Pennsylvania. It was in the metropolis of Houston, Texas where he landed his big break at KYOK-AM radio. He went on to become the first Black On-Air Talent at KILT Radio (The Big 610), owned by Lin Broadcasting Corporation, which was the largest Broadcasting organization in the state of Texas, at that time.
Within four years of being in the broadcasting industry, Walt became the first Black On-Air talent at RKO radio; hosting programs at CKLW-AM radio in the Canadian Province of Windsor, Ontario, and WOR-FM located in New York City. During this span of his career, he also held on-air positions at WNBC-AM, WBLS-FM, WOR-FM/WXLO-FM (99X), New York City and 93 KHJ, KMPC AND KFI-AM, Los Angeles.
For twenty one years, Walt worked at Radio & Records Newspaper as the Urban Radio & Music Editor, while simultaneously starting his syndicated radio shows. In addition, he was an Operations Manager at Chicago’s WVON-AM and FM, worked in the same capacity at KGFJ/KKTT AND KUTE (102-FM) Los Angeles, all very popular radio stations.
In June 1997, Walt was Ordained in the ministry at the First House of Prayer in Chicago. Later, he because an Ordained Deacon and then Elder in The African Methodist Episcopal Church assigned to First African Methodist Church Los Angeles, better known as (FAME). In addition to these accomplishments, Walt’s Countdown, featuring Walt “Baby” Love premiered in August, 1982, receiving Billboard magazine’s Best R&B Syndicated Radio Show Award five times becoming the longest running Urban Syndicated radio show in history, which at that time, he had over thirty-five years of experience. His syndicated Gospel Traxx show has won one Billboard Magazine Best Syndicated show under the banner of the R&B/Urban category. In 2001, Walt won the Stellar Award for Best Gospel Radio Personality; in 2002 he was nominated for induction into the Radio Hall Of Fame and also won Radio Personality of the Year from the Black Broadcaster’s Alliance.
In 2003, he won the Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance from the U.S. Army, Fort Stewart, Georgia/Hunter Air Field Base home of the 3rd Infantry Division. Walt was also a two-time winner of the Community Activist Award at Fuller Theological Seminary; voted for Outstanding Achievement for the Praise and Worship Conference, and also won the Celebrated Leader in Gospel Music Award from the Gospel Heritage Foundation.
Walt received his Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California in 2005; he was once again nominated for induction into the Radio Hall of Fame, and was voted one of the 30 Most Influential African Americans in Radio by Radio Ink Magazine.
This highly motivated man of GOD started a Non-Profit (501 C-3) Organization entitled The Walt Love Lupus & Cancer Research Foundation, which has been functioning for the last 15 years. In 2012, he was honored by Kansas City, MO. 3rd District Councilman for his efforts, and in July 2013, he was once again honored by the Chattanooga, Tennessee City Council for the same benevolent efforts in their community. In congruence with this, Walt also does free Gospel Music Concerts as an outreach with local Churches all over the United States. Last, but not least, in 2007, Walt became a Published Author, when he authored the book, The Gospel According to Rev. Walt “Baby” Love: Inspirations and Meditations from the Gospel Radio Legend (Published by: Simon and Schuster) and, if that was not enough, in that same year he commemorated his 25th year of The Countdown with Walt “Baby” Love.
For the record, most recently in 2016, Walt once again was nominated for induction into the Radio Hall of Fame. He continues to believe his induction is in GOD’s timing and in GOD’S Hands.
Walt currently resides in Moorpark, California and continues to be a positive, well-known ministerial force within and without the walls of the Church nationally and internationally.
