After nearly two decades at Hubbard News 103.5 WTOP Washington, Michelle Basch will depart the station at the end of the year to relocate to her cabin in Pennsylvania.
Basch joined WTOP in 2006 after previously spending a year in the market at 630 WMAL in 1999. The Ohio native has also worked in Charleston, Elyria OH, WWWE Cleveland, and KABC Los Angeles in her career.
In a memo to staff, WTOP Director of News and Programming Julia Ziegler said, “Anyone who knows Michelle Basch, knows how much she and her husband adore their cabin in Pennsylvania.
“Michelle and Mike have decided to move there full time in the Spring, which means Michelle will be leaving WTOP after nearly two decades. The good news? Michelle will continue to anchor AM Drive through the end of the year. She will then do some reporting for us until she and Mike are fully moved to PA. 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.”
“Since Michelle came to WTOP in 2006, she has put her all into every position she has taken on…whether that be reporting, anchoring, writing or podcasting. Michelle was a pioneer on that front – writing, producing and hosting one of our very first podcasts – “Going Under: The Story of Tangier Island.” This podcast earned her a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Innovation in 2019. Prior to that, she won a National Edward R. Murrow award for a piece on the DC Divas. Those are just a few of the many awards she has won over the years for her excellent journalism.”
“We will miss Michelle dearly…so I’m glad we get some more time with her before she and Mike head off to PA.”
WTOP is beginning its search for a new morning co-anchor to join John Aaron. Full details at Hubbard’s job posting.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com