Bobbing and Weaving: A Hampton Roads Fixture Returns to BOB FM

Article by Debra Freeman

Photography by Fitz

Lead and supporting photos of Eric Worden at the BOB FM studio

Article courtesy of www.757ezine.com 

In an area such as Hampton Roads, it’s not uncommon for people to move in and out of the area; the transient nature of the large military population along with a substantial college population makes finding people who have worked in the area for decades a rarity, regardless of the career field.  But there are exceptions to every rule, and radio host Eric Worden is certainly one; he has been on the airwaves locally for over 20 years, and now he’s returned to 93.7 BOB FM to continue greeting morning listeners with a familiar voice that has been a staple in Tidewater since 1993.

Worden started in radio in the 1970’s, and has worked in Portland and Eugene in Oregon and in Seattle, Washington before coming east to Hampton Roads.  His career in the area began on 93.7 FM when it was known as The Coast in 1993, and he was the first jock on the air at Bob-FM when it debuted in 2004. Worden also has had a successful career as a national commercial voice talent for over 20 years; you’ve heard his voice on commercials such as Stihl, Pillsbury, McDonalds, Cadillac, Shock Top, and Arby’s to name a few.  But although he’s worked on both coasts, Tidewater stands out because, “for the size of it being a million and a half folks, there is a real sense of community here, and I love that,” he said.

Unbeknownst to Worden, his journey to the east coast began when he was hired by Jon Barry for a morning show job in Portland in 1983.  Barry, who is from Richmond, gave Worden his “biggest career break,“ and left to return to Virginia to raise his children. “He left and I never thought I’d see him again,” Worden said.  However, the opportunity arose for a job in Hampton Roads, and Worden was able to connect with Barry again, and wound up helping him to get a job at Studio Center. As Worden puts it, “I feel like the karma returned and I gave back the break he gave me.”

Those years of experience in radio allows Worden to make his morning show sound effortless, although there are many details entailed in making the show seamless.  “I don’t have a producer…there’s no one here helping me out. It’s constant research, getting stuff for my 9 at 9, trying to think… on my off hours what are my clever quips, what do people want to talk about, what are the things that are globally important?  Do we want to bring them to the show? I combine it all and it becomes my life.”

However, some believe that radio as we know is a dying medium with a somewhat murky future.  In an interview with The Virginian-Pilot, Worden said he sometimes questions what will happen next; “Am I done with radio? Somehow, I don’t think so. But I don’t want to settle for just being a DJ.” While taking a break from radio after a brief stint at 102.1 The Tide FM, Worden considered transforming a 1972 Airstream trailer into a mobile set/studio for  what he dubbed, PopUp Radio. “I had seen a program on YouTube called Jam in the Van in which some music lovers were literally filming videos of punkers in the back of a Winnebago with a bunch of GoPro cameras. They would edit the video together, post on their YouTube channel and start counting the clicks,” Worden remarked.

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Ultimately he decided to return to radio, while also deciding to pursue another creative pursuit; in his spare time he’s opened the GameWorden Warehouse, which is described on Facebook as such; “From Kitschy to Cool…Playful to Priceless…it’s a Picker’s Paradise! The Land of Dust & Dreams! The Showcase of Sensational! The GameWorden Warehouse!”

Inside there are mid century modern pieces, 3D wall sculptures, guitars hanging throughout, and a rather large collection of etch a sketches, which Worden quipped, “is the original laptop.”  One can also find him creating GuitART from thrift guitars he finds at local thrift stores, and is also an award-winning songwriter of children’s songs which are designed to elevate SOL scores through music, art, and the internet.

However, between the radio show and the GameWorden Warehouse, there are few moments of down time and he admits, “rarely there’s an off switch. Often times personalities are always on.  But when you can just totally absorb what you’re watching and don’t think about how it will play into your show…and if there is an off switch, the weekend is my time to relax a little bit.”   

But in the end, as Worden noted in an Inside Business article, “I just like making people happy.  And after being in radio for 43 years…I gotta be happy with the effort that was made and the path that I followed,” and listeners all over are thankful for that familiar and comforting melodious voice that comes through their speakers five days a week.

For more on Worden and BOB FM, visit 937bobfm.com