Frank Mottek Highlights Business Insights and Advocates For Homeless Population By Writer and Contributor Emily McGinn
You might not know his face, but you know his voice.
Longtime news radio host Frank Mottek has been bringing business news to the masses via the Los Angeles airwaves for decades. Currently, he hosts a daily show called “Mottek on Money,” which airs at 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, on 790 KABC, sharing economic and business news ranging from cryptocurrency to tariffs and trade.
Mottek got his start in his teenage years in Miami. When he was in high school, he did not plan on going into a broadcasting career. In fact, he was on a much different trajectory, serving as the president of his future doctors club. However, he took a speech class, and his teacher liked his voice and encouraged him to apply for doing the morning announcements at the school. From there, he started interning at a local Miami FM station.
“I really loved the environment. It was very upbeat, very fun and exciting,” Mottek says. “There’s a big difference between an emergency room hospital environment and a radio station, so my interest shifted in that direction.”
While at the station, he received the opportunity to start presenting the news on air when he was only 16 years old. Eventually, he was promoted to news director at the station, and he went on to do the morning news there.
Mottek eventually specialized in business news in Miami, working on shows like the Nightly Business Report on PBS when it was anchored by Paul Kangas.
On his current show “Mottek on Money,” Mottek aims to make business news accessible and straightforward, highlighting what is happening in the markets and what people can expect to see for their own money.
Over the years, Mottek has made a lot of connections with top minds across the business world through his reporting, many of whom now appear on “Mottek on Money” to provide insights into the markets and business sector. Right now, amid market uncertainty, Mottek believes providing insights about business news are especially valuable.
“Now, it's more important now than ever before to get this kind of information so that people can
move through this world, with hopefully great success,” Mottek says. “It’s very expensive to live here in Los Angeles, of course, so people are looking to save every nickel as well and try to expand their incomes in whatever way possible.”
Mottek incorporates local voices, including billionaire and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso; Lewis Horne, the Pacific Southwest president for CBRE; Stephen Cheung, the president and CEO of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation; Tracy Hernandez, the CEO of the Los Angeles County Business Federation; and Todd Johnson from the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce.
Other guests that Mottek has brought on include Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary of “Shark Tank” fame; economist and author Ben Stein (also known for appearances in movies such as “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”); Steve Forbes of Forbes Media; economist Dr. Mohamed El-Erian, who was formerly CEO of investment management firm PIMCO; and Jon Najarian, the co-founder of Market Rebellion.
“People [can] expect to hear from the sharpest minds in business and fortunately — I feel very blessed to be able to say this — having interacted with these giants over the years, they're eager to come on and share their insights and discuss the latest news,” Mottek says.
Mottek has had many memorable interviews over the years. He even interviewed President Donald Trump back in 2006 when he was doing his reality TV show “The Apprentice.”
“I had the chance to connect with him then, and of course, in those days, that was a big deal,” Mottek recalls. “I asked him, ‘Mr. Trump, am I hired?’ He said, ‘You're hired, Frank. There's no question in my mind about that one.’ So that was memorable for that reason.”
In addition to hosting “Mottek on Money” to cover breaking business news, Mottek partners with the Union Rescue Mission, which seeks to help those experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. In addition to his daily show on KABC, Mottek co-hosts a show called “Just Help 1” with Union Rescue Mission CEO Mark Hood to advocate for helping those facing homelessness and to share stories of those who have overcome homelessness. That show airs every Thursday evening at 6 p.m. on 790 KABC.
“The face of homelessness has changed dramatically, and we're seeing people with full-time jobs in cars who are homeless,” Mottek says. “One shocking thing we learned recently was about how many homeless students there are in the California university system, and
it's just unbelievable. People just cannot afford the rents here and and then, with the firestorm destroying so many homes and businesses, that's only making the situation worse.”
For Mottek, his work is far from finished in journalism. He is going “full steam ahead,” anticipating a growing need for business news amid challenging economic times. He views radio as evergreen and ideal for breaking news, and he plans to continue to provide quality journalism to the community.
“My goal is to present the best possible information in the most compelling and relevant way to the audience, and I look forward to doing that on radio and perhaps expanding on other platforms,” Mottek says. “I’m certainly active on social media and we have our podcast as well. Probably we'll be doing a video podcast at some point too, but I feel very strongly about what we're doing.
Bio:
Emily McGinn is a journalist based in the Los Angeles area. She enjoys reporting on and writing about a variety of topics from lifestyle to news, especially in her areas of specialty, environmental science and political science.