On-Air Personality Ariel Rymer Rocks the Air Waves
By meg hale brunton
For the past six years, we have woken up with the delightfully energetic voice of Ariel Rymer, co-host of Josh and Ariel in the Morning on Star 104.3. For her, lending her voice to our day is a lifelong dream come true. “I have a fierce commitment to staying true to myself,” Ariel explains. “When I pick up the mic, I strive to inspire others to embrace their individuality, to be fearlessly unique, and to pursue their authentic self.”
A Brevard native, Ariel was always very artistic and theatrical. “I’ve always wanted to be an entertainer in some way shape or form,” she confesses. When she was 8, she began working as an extra on locally-filmed movies and commercials, like the 2001 teen comedy Happy Campers. “It was a really cool experience. From there, I guess I got bit by the bug.”
Ariel attended Western Carolina University, where she intended to major in Theatre, until a friend invited her to join him on his show on the campus radio station, 90.5. She grew up listening to the radio and really enjoyed getting to be on the other end of the microphone. After that, she was offered her own show on the campus radio in the afternoons, followed by a morning show, Ariel and Ben in the Morning. After that experience, she decided to double major in Theatre and Communication, with a concentration in Broadcasting.
At 21, Ariel went into the iHeartMedia radio station in Asheville to apply for an internship with Star 104.3’s morning show, Josh and Sue in the Morning. Sue Myers was uncharacteristically late that day, and Josh Michael told Ariel to get in the seat and get ready to go live. So, she started the show with Josh and was relieved to discover they had an instant on-air chemistry. Ariel got the internship and was “Intern Ariel” on the show for the summer. “After that, I only wanted to do radio,” she says.
Once she graduated from college, Ariel was disappointed to find there were very few jobs available in broadcast in the area. She decided to take a hiatus from radio and worked as a restaurant server, followed by a AAA Carolinas Insurance agent. She spent two years selling insurance and was quite successful in the role. When she got a call from Josh, saying that Sue was leaving the show and asking if she’d like to audition, she jumped at the opportunity.
In May 2016, Ariel became Assistant Programming Director and co-host of the morning show. “Josh and I are a great match chemistry-wise,” she says. “He and I just kind of feed off each other.” She goes on to say that she and Josh have a lot in common. Both WNC natives and WCU graduates, they even discovered that they both had a grandparent that worked for NASA at The Kennedy Space Center. She adds that the show’s excellent ratings speak for themselves.
Ariel’s favorite part of her job is getting to do community and charity events and meeting local people. “What keeps me going is I get to meet listeners who say I’ve changed their life in some way, and I just remember being them. So, that means a lot,” she says. “We’re meant to just make people’s lives a little bit better, inform them, and entertain them.”
Photos by Brooke Parker Photography | Hair & Makeup by Fab Flawless Makeup Artistry | Location is The Crest Center and Pavilion
She also loves the freedom she has on the show to take on any topic that sparks her interest. Part of her role on the show is getting to report on the Hollywood gossip, which she loves. She also likes the challenge of getting to write, voice and produce commercials for her advertisers. “Every day you have to think of a new way to spin an ad for a client.”
She adds, however, that it is a 24/7 job. “If there’s a news story that breaks, we share it. If something goes wrong with the station, we have to crack open our laptops and fix it,” she explains. While the show is on from 5-10am, Ariel says she doesn’t have any trouble keeping early hours, but does rely heavily on coffee. She also acknowledges that her job includes lots of blending between her personal and professional life. “Radio life and living everyday life become intertwined. We have to bring our real life onto the radio and vice versa. It doesn’t interfere with my life; it is my life.”
While Ariel admits she is intrigued at what other opportunities are out there for her, she has no immediate plans to leave WNC. “I still have a little bit more work to do in Asheville,” she says. She continues to audition for local films though. She will also be appearing as an extra in the Hallmark Channel holiday movie, A Biltmore Christmas, which was recently filmed at The Biltmore Estate.
Though she clearly has no problem hanging with the boys, Ariel admits that she’s a “girl’s girl.” “I support women in every aspect,” she pledges. “I believe in building each woman up as much as possible. I believe in empowerment and in uplifting each other. I try to bring that to my show every morning.”
To learn more about Josh and Ariel in the Morning, visit their website: https://star1043.iheart.com/featured/josh-and-ariel-in-the-morning/
Photos by Brooke Parker Photography | Hair & Makeup by Fab Flawless Makeup Artistry | Location is The Crest Center and Pavilion
Ariel Rymer
Arielrymer@iheartmedia.com