James Atherlay is a producer and multimedia journalist for FOX 2/News 11. He joins the FOX 2 family after covering stories all over the northeast. His career path has taken him to North Adams, Massachusetts, and Long Island, where he announced baseball games. He then migrated to central Vermont, where he served as a radio host for WDEV News Radio in Waterbury, working for one of his heroes, nationally revered racing announcer Ken Squier.
After about three years in Vermont, he elected to go back home. He became a reporter at News Channel 34 in Binghamton, New York. While there, he also accomplished a lifelong dream and became an announcer at a local dirt track, Five Mile Point Speedway, in nearby Kirkwood. His passion for racing would bring him here to St. Louis. In 2021, he joined the World Wide Technology Raceway as a drag racing announcer.
Born in New York City, he grew up in a small town of Deposit, in central New York. He played basketball and baseball, sang in the school choir, and played trumpet for the school concert and jazz bands. One of his favorite memories from high school is playing in concert at Disney World in Florida. He then went to Ithaca College in the Finger Lakes region of New York to further his studies. He called football, soccer, basketball, softball, and baseball games. Upon his graduation, he was inducted into the Ithaca College Radio Hall of Fame.
James loves singing, going to the theater, and walking around St. Louis. He has remained a loyal fan of NASCAR, the Yankees, the Celtics, and most recently, the BLUES!!! He says the Blues fanhood hit him like a ton of bricks. He loves researching the Blues, and learning more about top players and moments in the team’s history.
Do you have a story idea? Email him at james.atherlay@tvstl.com
