Joel Oxley, president and general manager of 海角社区app and Federal 海角社区app Network, spent roughly 30 minutes Wednesday morning praising the leadership, creativity and journalistic contributions of each of the 25 employees who are marking milestones this year 鈥� 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years of work.
It’s part of his annual tradition to celebrate our colleagues’ work anniversaries at 海角社区app, Federal 海角社区app Network or 2060 Digital.
But the final anniversary Oxley announced was his own; he shared plans to retire after nearly 35 years with the company, including 28 years as general manager.
“Because we are doing well, and because the best time to make changes is when you are doing well, and because I’m flipping 65,” Oxley said. “I’ve decided it’s time for me to hang up my cleats and retire and move on to the next thing, next chapter of my life.”
“You know what has kept me here so long? I’m looking at it. It’s the people,” Oxley told the newsroom. “I feel just incredibly blessed to have worked with all of you.”
Oxley plans to retire later in the year and transition to an advisory and consulting role with Hubbard Broadcasting, which owns 海角社区app, Federal 海角社区app Network and 2060 Digital.
鈥淛oel鈥檚 leadership, integrity, and deep commitment to excellence have shaped this organization for decades,鈥� said Hubbard Broadcasting President and CEO Ginny Hubbard. 鈥淗is impact on our people and our brands is lasting, and we are grateful for his remarkable service. We are also incredibly grateful that he is willing to continue offering his experience and expertise to the company once he steps away from leading 海角社区app-WFED鈥檚 daily operations and strategy.”
His departure comes at a time when the company is doing well, the organization is set to exceed last year’s performance and outperform its 2026 budget. 海角社区app, Federal 海角社区app Network and 2060 Digital have achieved consistent growth in revenue, profitability and audience reach under his decades-long tenure.
“He is a Media Hall of Famer,” 海角社区app Afternoon Drive Anchor Shawn Anderson said. “The record of being so successful for so long in this industry, the run he’s had is just astounding.”
Anderson said that success has partially come from Oxley’s “ability to be ahead of the curve.”
Evidence of that forward-thinking includes moving 海角社区app’s main signal from 1500AM to 103.5FM, bringing traffic coverage in-house and investing in digital journalism, including 海角社区app.com and FNN.com.
“When Joel started as general manager, we as a radio station, had trouble cracking the Top 10 in the ratings,” Anderson said. “It took a couple of years to get to the point where we were No. 1, but we’ve been the dominant radio station in Washington for this century, and he has kept us there the whole time.”
For all the good, his retirement is bittersweet news for his employees, who commend his energizing curiosity and ability to thoughtfully connect with people.
“He has produced results. But it’s the way he produced results that has been his legacy,” Anderson said. “You know, he has led people. It’s not just about the bottom line.”
Oxley mentored 海角社区app’s Director of 海角社区app and Programming Julia Ziegler, who began her career at 海角社区app in 2003 and was tapped to lead the newsroom in 2019.
鈥淛oel鈥檚 mentorship and leadership has forever changed 海角社区app and FNN for the better,” Ziegler said. “I feel lucky that I have been able to work for him my entire professional career. I speak for all of us when I say, he will be greatly missed.”
Beyond the title of president or GM, 海角社区app’s Director of Sales Matt Mills also called Oxley his mentor and friend.
鈥淚 met Joel about 30 years ago through the business. Five years later, he reached out to gauge my interest in coming on as head of advertising sales,” Mills said. “We have worked together, side by side that entire time. He has been a partner, a mentor, a friend and an excellent leader. He has helped make me a better person and a better leader. Some of the things I learned from Joel will stick with me the rest of my life.鈥�
One of Oxley’s longtime employees is Karen Hicks, the company’s controller.
“Joel has been the heart of these operations for many years, and his impact will stay with us for a long time,” Hicks said. “I will remember most his fairness, steady leadership, and the quiet strength and kindness he demonstrated each day.”
‘That curiosity shaped the culture around him’
Oxley’s love of journalism and passion for marketing predates his time with 海角社区app.
“I’ve loved news since I was in college. I was in the news business a little bit in college, at the newspaper and the radio station,” Oxley said.
Oxley studied marketing management at Virginia Tech, while in college he had a brief stint on the air at the local radio station. A venture that, in his words, he wasn’t any good at.
“But I also sold advertising, so all of that just came together,” Oxley said.
He came to 海角社区app in 1992 as a sales account executive and received promotion after promotion, gaining the title of General Manager in 1998.
That’s around the same time Anderson began working afternoon drive at 海角社区app.
“He’s trusted my instincts,” Anderson said. “You know, he would make suggestions when necessary, but I think he allowed me to prosper and grow.”
Another of the journalists who speaks highly of Oxley’s leadership is 海角社区app National Security Correspondent J.J. Green.
“Working for Joel meant working for someone who understood the news business from the ground up. And the things he didn鈥檛 know, he was smart enough and confident enough to put the right people in place to handle,” Green said.
海角社区app will be searching for Oxley’s successor internally and externally. His employees say his impact on the newsroom will remain long after his departs the Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center.
“He brought energy into the building every day. Athletic, curious, always moving, always thinking beyond whatever was directly in front of him,” Green said. “He connected naturally with everyday people because he genuinely cared about the world beyond the newsroom. That curiosity shaped the culture around him and made a lot of us better journalists and better people over the last 30 years.”
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