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WOUB Employee Spotlight: Morning Edition Host Chris Riddle
< < Back toRiddle has worked at WOUB for 20 years
ATHENS, OH – While many people are socially distancing and working from home to slow the spread of COVID-19, WOUB FM Morning Edition Host Chris Riddle has become a voice they depend on hearing each morning.
“I hope that the people who are listening feel like they are being calmly informed and that even though these times are dark, it’s not all doom and gloom. I hope they always know that we’ll be there for them every time they tune us in,” said Riddle.
“I imagine that hearing a familiar voice like mine is just as important to our listeners as it is when I hear NPR hosts. I know how much I value the familiar voices of Ari Shapiro, Mary Louise Kelly and David Greene being there. It’s a bonus to have sensibly voiced people telling me what’s going on. It’s been interesting to have several listeners tell me how much they appreciate me telling them what day it is. We are holding fast.”
Riddle has been working at WOUB for 20 years. He grew up in nearby Vienna, West Virginia listening to WOUB. Being on the air at WOUB has been a surreal experience for Riddle.
“I used to listen to Rusty Smith spin jazz CDs on WOUB when I was in high school, so you can imagine how cool and intimidating it was the first time I got to fill in for him,” said Riddle.
Riddle started working at WOUB when he was a student at Ohio University. He took advantage of every opportunity that he was given to learn and grow.
“I started out as a student when the late Connie Stevens hired me for the summer break staff,” said Riddle. “That summer I hosted Morning Edition on AM, learned how to put together and host a daily news show, Afternoon Edition, and was a substitute host for our classical and jazz programming. I learned a great deal and was ready when a full-time position was available on the professional staff.”
During his time at WOUB, Riddle has had the opportunity to be involved in many different projects and station activities, but there a few things that stick out in his memory as favorites.
“The time I introduced David Sedaris at Memorial Auditorium, that was great. He is exactly how you’ve imagined,” said Riddle. “I have also loved anchoring election night specials. Getting to see our students get the numbers from local boards of elections and deliver their reports was always exciting to be a part of.”
Riddle thinks it is great that listeners feel like that know him because they listen to him every day, but he does laugh because sometimes they get it wrong.
“People seem to have this misconception that Chris Riddle knows a lot about beer,” said Riddle. “Chris Riddle actually knows very little about beer, although he does know what he likes.”