July 23, 2026
Provided Image/Lois Burak
Former radio host Lois Burak is the subject of a documentary about how she navigated life after her mother fatally shot her father in 1982. Above, Burak is interviewed alongside her brother, Jeff.
Although Lois Burak had long been told that her life story should be turned into a book or movie, she said she first got the idea to make a documentary after introducing herself to a new colleague at work.
"I started looking back at my own life again after having a conversation with a co-worker, because when you're getting to know your new co-worker, you share different aspects of your life," said Burak, 61. "I began just wondering how any of us really become who we are and how much of our actual identity comes from our parents, or even the communities that we grow up in."
The South Jersey resident grew up in Philadelphia as the daughter of a burlesque dancer, Cyndia, and a radio host, Marvin, who made a name for himself sharing his controversial views as a democratic socialist. For Burak, that meant that she was labeled a "communist" by classmates because of her father's show, even if she didn't always know what that meant.
Her life took a heavy turn as a teenager, when her mother fatally shot her father in January 1982. Burak, then 16, was also shot in the leg. Her mother was found not guilty of third-degree murder in 1984, as the courts ruled she had acted in self-defense.
As an adult, Burak has worn many hats. She owned a beauty salon for two decades and worked in automotive marketing. In the 2010s, she followed in her father's footsteps and started her own radio program, "The Lolo Show," which mixed comedy with discussions about sex, life and relationships.
"I just started like thinking about all that and I said, 'You know what, this could explore all those questions against a backdrop of media, free speech, family and going back to some of the articles that were written about 'The Lolo Show' from the beginning,'" Burak said.
The documentary, which will have the same name as her radio show, is in early production stages. Burak is working alongside Media Active Inc. and Fractured Atlas to conduct interviews and create a sizzle reel, which she expects will be completed in August. After that, she plans to start applying for grants and working along the festival scene. She and the crew are also accepting donations for the project.
The film itself will feature interviews with Burak and her brother, Jeff, as well as former Daily News columnist Chuck Darrow, WRNB radio's Michael Shawn and Tim Sabean, a former senior vice president for Howard Stern Channels. Burak is also pulling together old home videos, recordings and articles about her dad to feature in the documentary.
But while her parents' story will be present, Burak said it's also about how she moved through life after the tragedy.
"It's pretty much my journey to understand my own inheritance and find my people and kind of make sense of the life that I was born into," she said.
