Communiqué
Former Student Found Love of Broadcasting at WOUB
< < Back toWes Osborn became successful disc jockey and marketing researcher
ATHENS, OH – From the moment you talk with Wes Osborn, a 1973 radio and television graduate, you know he had a successful career as a radio broadcaster. His voice is one of those voices made for the airwaves. And Osborn says the minute he sat down behind the microphone; he knew it was meant to be.
“I was in the speech and theater program at Wright State for two years before I transferred to Ohio University,” said Osborn. “The first time I met with my advisor he told me that we had to get me a gig at WOUB. He liked my pipes and the experience I already had. It was exciting.”
Osborn says the real-world training he got at WOUB was second to none. He enjoyed his time at WOUB so much that he often stayed over the holidays, which didn’t always make his family happy.
“I stayed for Thanksgiving and filled in on the radio for the whole weekend,” said Osborn. “My mom was angry, but I wanted to stay to practice more and hone my skills.”
Osborn was a radio host on WOUB. At the time, the station had an adult contemporary format. He was also named music director.
“It was so much fun,” said Osborn. “I made lifelong friends there and got great experience. WOUB is the greatest training ground in the world because it is a real radio station with a very real audience. By the time you got out of there you were ready to go to work anywhere.”
After graduation, Osborn got his first job at a radio station in Mount Vernon, Ohio.
“I was only there a couple of months,” said Osborn. “I remember when I started one of the station managers told me he knew I wouldn’t be there very long.”
Osborn went on to work on the air in Richmond, Indiana and Columbus, Ohio before deciding to go to graduate school.
“Even though I loved being on the air, I knew it was time to try something new,” said Osborn. “I started working in marketing research and worked for a time as an assistant professor at Ohio University. I also did a lot of voice-over work on the side.”
Now retired in Florida, Osborn thinks about his days in broadcasting and at WOUB fondly.
“I miss broadcasting,” said Osborn. “I also miss WOUB, Ohio University and Athens. I loved that time in my life as I was learning and growing, and I love that part of Ohio. It’s so beautiful.”