{"id":34576,"date":"2026-03-23T07:27:53","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T13:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/?page_id=34576"},"modified":"2026-03-23T07:27:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T13:27:53","slug":"bill-riales","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/bill-riales\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill Riales"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Believe it or not, this Hall of Fame inductee was once told, \u201cyou\u2019ll never work in broadcasting again.\u201d Wonder where that<\/em> guy is now. Because our man went on to have a most distinguished broadcasting career that lasted close to 50 years \u2013 the last 25 of which were spent at WKRG.  The Alabama Broadcasters Association is proud to recognize Bill Riales as a new member of the ABA\u2019s Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in Greenville, Mississippi doing radio, but was hired by the CBS station as the weekend sports anchor,\u201d says Riales.  \u201cYou had to go out and cover all the sports, so I learned how to shoot and edit. I lasted in that position a good six or seven weeks, but it got tiring because I was still full-time in radio. I told them I had to quit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the guy who was the main anchor and news director heard I was leaving he was like, \u2018Well, you’ll, you’ll never work in broadcasting again.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cA couple weeks later, the general manager called,\u201d Riales chuckles. \u201cHe said \u2018Hey, I had to fire my news director and anchor. You want to come anchor the news for me?\u201d <\/p>\n

After Greenville, Riales went to Evansville, Indiana where he worked for two stations. Then he made the move back to the Gulf Coast.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in Mississippi, and so I used to come to the Gulf Coast for the weekend with  some buddies \u2026 more times than my parents knew,\u201d laughs Riales. \u201cIt was a pretty fun time. Then I read Jimmy Buffett’s book while I was still in Evansville and I’m like \u2013 that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riales was the 5 o\u2019clock anchor at WKRG for a few years and then moved to weekday mornings as news anchor and reporter. Twenty-five years later he retired \u2013 in December of 2025.<\/p>\n

Those who worked with Riales couldn\u2019t say enough good things about him.<\/p>\n

WKRG-TV General Manager Jesse Grear spoke at the induction ceremony, \u201c\u2026What makes a Hall of Fame Broadcaster? Dedication to broadcasting, passion for the industry, commitment to excellence, popularity with viewers, and recognition by your peers.  And you\u2019ve gotta have fun doing it.  Bill Riales has all these qualities!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he first started there, before I even knew him, I saw him work and I thought, \u2018Damn, that guy is really good\u2019\u201d, says John Nodor, WKRG\u2019s morning meteorologist.  
\n\u201cHe’s a good reporter. He’s a great anchor. His work spoke for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I got to know him,\u2019 continues Nodor, \u201cI got to realize what was behind that \u2026 his determination and his efforts to be the best truth telling anchor and reporter. He just wants to do a great job putting the information out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesse Grear added, “It\u2019s a lot of hard work and sacrifice! How do you get up at 3am every morning, put on a happy face, appear before millions of viewers weekly, and connect with them in a way that makes them want to join you every day? And he\u2019s led our morning show to be number one, year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riales\u2019s broadcasting career gave him the opportunity to make a difference in the Mobile community. <\/p>\n

\u201cTaking World War II vets to see their memorial \u2013 those were some of the most impactful stories we did,\u201d says Railes. \u201cSome of these World War 2 vets knew they were on their last leg, but they would hang on until that flight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then there was the woman who called the station because a construction company bulldozed her house.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went out and interviewed her and got pictures and all that, and it turns out it was a mistake \u2013 they tore down the wrong house,\u201d says Riales.  \u201cShe took them to court and won, of course. Those are the kind of stories I love – the ones that make a little impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBill has touched so many lives and in such a deep and meaningful way,\u201d says Nodor. \u201cHe has also done the golden apple awards for schoolteachers. To be recognized and rewarded is a huge thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

 \u201cI have always told him, and I’ll tell anybody,\u201d Nodor continues, \u201cas far as just sheer anchor power, there’s nobody stronger than Bill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riales acknowledges that a fifty-year broadcasting career is special.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of the longevity of my career,\u201d he says. \u201cI was able to make a career out of it when so many people get disillusioned by it or they’re not in the right position or they just get tired of it.  Yes, I\u2019m proud of the sheer longevity \u2026 and the fact that I just didn’t have to work too hard!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Believe it or not, this Hall of Fame inductee was once told, \u201cyou\u2019ll never work in broadcasting again.\u201d Wonder where that guy is now. Because our man went on to have a most distinguished broadcasting career that lasted close to 50 years \u2013 the last 25 of which were spent at WKRG.  The Alabama Broadcasters … Continue reading Bill Riales<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-34576","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/34576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34576"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/34576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34578,"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/34576\/revisions\/34578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}