CAMARILLO : Listener to Host Talk Show Program

Nothing special qualifies Tom Walling, a longtime Camarillo resident and accountant by profession, to host his own radio talk show.

In fact, the 36-year-old CPA says he has a terrible radio voice and absolutely no experience behind a mike. Yet tonight at 7 p.m., Walling will take over as host of “Ventura Talk,” doling out advice on the county’s best eateries on KCLU 88.3 FM, Ventura County’s only public radio station.

The program, an hour of open phone lines on problems affecting the county, is normally hosted by radio veteran Jonathan O’Brien.

But in a fit of capriciousness during a membership drive earlier this month, the host offered up his program slot in return for a $45 pledge from any listener.

“It was kind of a slow night,” O’Brien explained. About five listeners called his bluff, but Walling was the first.

Without so much as a practice session, the self-proclaimed food and wine connoisseur will speak tonight on the county’s top banquet facilities, romantic getaways for Valentine’s Day and the best New Year’s Eve parties.

“I thought it would be fun,” said Walling. “But who knows, I may pass out at the mike.”

But station officials aren’t underestimating Walling’s potential. They point out that some radio stars, such as the brothers who host the popular National Public Radio program “Car Talk,” got their start in much the same way.

“You never know,” said Mary Olson, the station’s marketing director. “What if he is great? He might be the next [restaurant] reviewer for Ventura County.”