After nearly two decades at WTOP, morning news anchor Michelle Basch is set to exit the Washington D.C. all-news radio station later this year.
Basch has been a fixture at WTOP since joining in 2006. She had previously worked at WMAL since 1999 before moving to the all-news station. She also spent time at 790 KABC in Los Angeles before moving to the nation’s capital.
In a memo to staffers, WTOP Director of News and Programming Julia Ziegler shared that Basch is moving full-time to Pennsylvania, and will be departing at the end of the calendar year.
“Michelle will be leaving WTOP after nearly two decades,” said Ziegler. “Michelle’s passion for news, commitment to excellence and drive to ‘first get it right, then get it first’ will be greatly missed in this newsroom.”
Michelle Basch has been teamed with John Aaron in morning drive since 2023. She joined the daypart after previously anchoring evenings alongside Dimitri Sotis. She and Aaron replaced Bruce Alan and Joan Jones, who exited the station in late 2022, accepting contract buyouts at the time.
Basch was the recipient of both a regional and national Edward R. Murrow Award for her work at WTOP during her tenure, among other awards.
Ziegler — who shared that Basch will work in a reporting role after leaving the anchor chair, before she and her husband are fully relocated to the Keystone State — concluded by noting that the all-news brand “will miss Michelle dearly.”
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
