Nanci McGraw: A Voice of Belief

For thousands of radio listeners, Nanci McGraw’s voice had become as pleasantly familiar as the gentle breezes that float up the Sacramento River delta. She was afternoon drive-time anchor at KXOA-AM/FM in Sacramento. Then came an offer to be news director at KYXY-FM in San Diego. “My family urged me to accept the position,” she says, “especially my one-of-a-kind husband.” Along with being news director, she is morning news anchor and produces features of people involved in current issues.

Service in broadcasting and service in the Church are one and the same for Nanci. “I am trying to consecrate my talent to building the kingdom, whether I’m at the piano in Primary, with my three wonderful children and husband at home, or at the microphone giving my own view of events and issues,” she says.

Nanci is confident that she is doing what the Lord wants her to do in her choice of broadcasting. “My patriarchal blessing makes more than one reference that confirms my choice to serve the Lord this way,” she affirms.

She served a mission in Germany and has been a Relief Society president twice, a Primary president, and a ward organist.

Nanci has a degree in psychology, with minors in English and German, and has done postgraduate work in broadcast communications. She has been a high-school teacher and a retail business manager. Her broadcasting career dates back to high school, when she hosted a regular teen record show on the Armed Forces Network. She “retired” from radio to have children and live overseas, where her husband, Bob, was a symphony musician, then resumed interest in broadcasting after the family returned from living in Cape Town, South Africa.

Since then she has received more than two dozen national, state, and local awards both for her broadcasting skills and for community service. The greatest joy in her broadcast work, however, has been her regional calling, with Bob, as producer/host of “Moments of Reflection,” a weekly TV program that broadcasts uplifting, inspirational messages through word and musical selections performed by talented local LDS performers.

“The best part is working with so many talented people, members and nonmembers alike,” Nanci says.

She tells of a woman whose family problems kept her from sleeping, so she turned on the TV one Sunday morning and happened to watch “Moments of Reflection.” She became a fan of the show, and today the lady and her family are members of the Church.

“The Lord has guided me more than even I realize,” Nanci acknowledges. “I knew Bob for ten years before we married, and I corresponded with him. Most of that time we didn’t even live in the same state. He wasn’t a member of the Church, and I guess the Lord didn’t want me to give up on him.

“While I was on my mission, he decided to join the Church and also went on a mission. When he came home, we got together again and became engaged. It hasn’t all been easy. Life has its problems, which the Lord uses to humble us and teach us important lessons.

“One lesson I try to remember is that each person must set priorities. Your neighbor’s priorities may not be the same as yours, but they still may be just as correct for that person. The only truly important priorities are family and Church; if there is a career for a woman, it has to come after those priorities.”

No audience—and certainly no award—is as important to Nanci as her family. “The things I would want to be remembered for are that I was a good wife and mother and that I encouraged my children to set high goals and strive for them,” she says.