In the late 1950s, the station had a program by and for junior high school students and Raphael had the opportunity to read the news on the air.

Raphael studied acting under the tutelage of Sanford Meisner at New York City's noted Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.

[5] Following her graduation from the Columbia University on Morningside Heights in northwest Manhattan borough of New York City, she became a news correspondent, covering Central America because of her Puerto Rican heritage and connections for the two major competing American news-gathering syndicates of the time, Associated Press (A.P.)

After he was unfortunately fired, the two left Puerto Rico to work back on the continent in Miami, Florida (with its heavily bi-lingual Hispanic population).

While Raphael was on the air as a radio announcer in Miami, she met and became friends with veteran journalist and talk show host Larry King, who later became a nationally famous and legendary with his late night wide-ranging radio interview program on the Mutual Broadcasting System in late 1970s and early 1980s, and later on cable television as hosted nightlive TV talk show host Larry King Live on CNN (Cable News Network), which aired from 1985 to 2010.

[citation needed] Raphael's husband Karl Soderlund assumed the role of her manager, and was a partner in her two biggest successes.

According to David Richards of The Washington Post, Tunick had auditioned a number of potential hosts, but hadn't yet found the right one.

Tunick gave Raphael a one-hour trial run on NBC's Washington, D.C., affiliate, WRC, in August 1981.

Before going on the air, she decided that rather than doing a political show, she would give advice and discuss subjects she knew a lot about, such as relationship problems.

His encouragement led to a tryout on television, where producer Burt Dubrow gave her a chance to be a guest host on his talk show.

[citation needed] Raphael became known to television viewers for her oversized red-framed glasses, a trademark that began entirely by accident.

The show also aired on XM Satellite Radio's America's Talk channel from November 19, 2007, until its end eight months later.

Allison died at the age of 33 on February 2, 1992; her death was ruled an accidental overdose because of "combined effects of several prescribed drugs and over-the-counter medications.