JJ Riley in the Afternoon!

Right here in Yakima! I graduated from West Valley and my family’s small business has been operating in the Yakima Valley for over 50 years.

I remember being 10 years old and using a cassette player to record my favorite radio station. Except I wasn’t recording the songs, I was taping the DJs and the promotional imaging between the songs. Then I would go back and re-record myself over the real DJs. Eventually, I worked my way into a local radio station where I started learning how everything operated. The station manager saw how hard I was working and the passion I had for radio, and he put me on the air for my own show on my 13th BIRTHDAY! I then went on to become a regularly featured personality and one of the youngest radio DJs in the country. In fact, the name “JJ” is an abbreviation of the name I used to be known by in the history of Yakima radio. Can you figure it out?

Radio took me around the country as I worked for stations in Salt Lake City, El Paso, Albuquerque, Portland and Seattle. After 23 years, I took a few years off to focus on other career aspirations, and during that time my wife was offered a job that brought us back to Yakima. I’m excited to be back behind a mic and helping you wrap up your workday each afternoon!

I am an aviation enthusiast! I’m a pilot and hold Commercial and Airline Transport certificates. You might even hear me welcoming you on board a flight from Yakima to Seattle sometime. I love being in the air, either up front at the controls or in the back looking out the window!

Flying, obviously! Also spending time with my family, volunteering at my kids’ schools, trying new restaurants and watching sports. I’m a huge Seahawks fan!