Former WTOP Program Director Jim Farley has died after undergoing surgery to repair an aneurysm.
Farley led the Washington D.C. all-news station from 1996 until his retirement in 2013. During his tenure, he oversaw the brand’s move from it’s previous 1500 AM signal to 103.5 FM.
In addition to his time at WTOP, Jim Farley also worked at 1010 WINS, first at the copy desk before rising to news editor. He then joined NBC News Radio, where he ascended to the role of Vice President of Radio News. Additionally, he worked at ABC News Radio, where he ultimately served as Managing Editor and General Manager of News from 1988 until he joined WTOP.
In an internal memo from WTOP Senior Vice President and General Manager Joel Oxley, the executive shared that Farley’s tenure at the station was “legendary.”
“As PD of WTOP from 1996 until he retired in 2013 Jim took us to new heights. Most importantly, Jim was an absolutely fantastic person,” wrote Oxley. “Time and time and time again he would make me laugh when I went into his office. He was truly one of a kind. I miss him already. Jim was living the good life with his wife, Jo, in Florida. Condo President, working with charities and still posting about radio on a regular basis. I’ve passed our condolences along to Jo and his family.”
WTOP Capitol Hill Correspondent Mitchell Miller also paid respect to WTOP’s legendary program director. “All of us who worked for Jim Farley know what a great broadcast journalist he was, and as Joel said, what a fantastic person he was. Jim was an industry leader and top-notch newsroom leader. He always let his team take the helm with breaking news because he trained us all so well and trusted us to do the right thing.”
“For those of you who didn’t get the chance to meet Jim, he was a force of nature,” added WTOP reporter Kate Ryan. “He loved radio and radio people. He loved the process of putting good stuff on the air and crowing about it when we hit a home run. Everybody needs a hype man, and Jim was our Flavor Flav. He didn’t *wear* a clock, but he sure tweaked the WTOP clock to get the most out of every minute. When I’m pressing an interviewee, and I can tell they’re unhappy that I’m not just swallowing their content hook, line, and sinker, I always tell them “Look, I come from a newsroom where the mantra is, ‘If your mother says she loves you, check her story.’”
Many former colleagues also paid tribute to Farley on social media, and shared their sympathies for his family.
