Business reporter Jeff Clabaugh dies at 63 after delivering DC money news on WTOP for 30 years

WTOP business reporter Jeff Clabaugh, whose steady-paced voice conversationally delivered money news to the D.C. region for three decades, has died at 63.

Following a yearlong battle with cancer, Clabaugh died Thursday night in his home, with his long-term partner, Russ Rader, at his side.

A master of consumer business news, Clabaugh gave reports twice an hour on WTOP’s airwaves and wrote punchy, popular stories for WTOP.com.

Clabaugh gave his final money news report Tuesday, capping off more than 30 years of business reporting on WTOP.

“Jeff loved his job so much he could sometimes not stop doing it,” said Rader, Clabaugh’s partner of 35 years. “And he so admired his colleagues at WTOP and how they strove for quality and accuracy with what hit the air every single day.”

WTOP’s Director of News and Programming Julia Ziegler wrote an email to staff Friday morning to announce Clabaugh’s passing.

“Jeff Clabaugh made WTOP’s Business Reports what they are today,” Ziegler said. “His work ethic was incredible. And his voice was so smooth. He was one of the best storytellers in the WTOP newsroom.”

From the Midwest to the Netherlands to the Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center

Clabaugh was born Sept. 11, 1962, and was raised in the Midwest.

“When he was 3, he would run around with an empty toilet paper roll and report on what was happening inside and outside the house,” said his sister, Becky Nash, of Council Bluffs, Iowa.

From a young age, it was clear Clabaugh was destined for a career in radio, she said.

“Now our neighbor is in his backyard,” she recounted of Jeff’s reports as a toddler.

His professional journalism career started in Omaha, Nebraska, where he covered commodities markets for then juggernaut radio station WOW. His reporting took him everywhere from USA Today Sky Radio to Radio Netherlands in Holland.

Courtesy Russ Rader

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Courtesy Russ Rader

far right

Courtesy Russ Rader

Courtesy Russ Rader

Courtesy Mike McMearty

Why WTOP celebrates ‘Jeff Clabaugh Day’

Clabaugh has been heard on WTOP since the 1990s. He started as a news anchor at WTOP before taking a job at the Washington Business Journal.

He worked for the Washington Business Journal for decades, which included delivering on-air reports for WTOP.

In January 2016, Clabaugh was officially hired as WTOP’s in-house business reporter.

“This was really special to him,” Ziegler wrote in her email to WTOP staff, announcing Clabaugh’s passing.

“He even created ‘Jeff Clabaugh Day’ — bringing in lunch for the newsroom each year to celebrate his career at WTOP but more to say thank you to everyone else for everything you do on a daily basis.”

A talent for breaking down money news

In the WTOP newsroom, Clabaugh was known for his dedication to his craft and his talent for money news.

“Jeff had the kind of voice and writing style that was conversational yet informative. He was warm,” WTOP General Manager Joel Oxley said. “He was smart.”

He could turn otherwise mundane news into punchy headlines and relatable storytelling.

“When Jeff was on, ready to present his money or business reports, you would literally make that motion to turn the volume up because you knew whatever he was going to say on there was going to be different, off beat, but yet, everyone could relate to the story,” WTOP reporter Steve Dresner said.

At times business news may feel high brow, but Clabaugh simplified the stories for the everyday listeners.

“He was able to pick out those money stories that people really cared about, and he would talk about them in a way that made it easy to understand, even really complicated stock or business stories that were out there,” WTOP anchor and reporter Kyle Cooper said.

Ziegler agreed, adding Clabaugh understood how to connect with listeners.

“Jeff had the incredible ability to break down the complexities of the business world and tell us how it impacted our daily lives,” Ziegler said. “He made it matter.”

Clabaugh’s life off the air

Outside his money news reports, Clabaugh enjoyed visiting his second home on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He was known for getting to the Virgin Islands and not leaving his slice of paradise for the entire vacation — no beach, no outings, just him, Rader and their pool with an incredible view.

His love for the Caribbean even made it’s mark on WTOP’s newsroom.

When WTOP moved its headquarters in 2019, reporters were allowed to name their audio booths. Clabaugh opted to label his station the “Soggy Dollar” — a nod to one of his favorite beachside bars in the British Virgin Islands.

From nicknames to one-liners, Clabaugh brought a sense of humor to the newsroom characterized by wit, sarcasm and self-deprecating jokes.

“A lot to respect about Jeff’s career, but also his contemplative personality,” said WTOP Traffic Anchor Dave Dildine. “His observations were usually either witty or poignant, but never banal, and it’s likely what made his teases so sharp and his temperament so welcoming.”

And he was committed to bringing a smile to other people’s faces. At one point, a colleague suggested he learn the ukulele. Months later, after even that colleague had forgotten the conversation, Clabaugh showed up to work with a ukulele and performed a song he had written for that coworker as a Christmas gift.

His love for food went beyond reporting restaurant openings. Former WTOP midday anchor Debbie Feinstein described herself and Clabaugh as “foodies.”

“In fact, he used to expertly (think food tweezers) plate small portions of whatever incredible delicacy he prepared for dinner the night before, and serve it up to Mark Lewis and me in the 10 a.m. hour during commercials. His one-bite delicacies could rival any Michelin-starred chef,” Feinstein wrote of Clabaugh.

Clabaugh made home videos as he prepared some of that food, tempting his coworkers with the sizzling sounds of the tasty food before bringing it to the newsroom.

Still, perhaps what he may be remembered for most around the newsroom was how much he cared.

“He cared deeply about serving our audience, he cared deeply for his family, and he cared deeply for his colleagues and friends,” Ziegler said.

WTOP anchor and reporter Dan Ronan has filled in for Clabaugh as a business reporter when he was absent from work over the past year. Ronan said he’s received notes of encouragement from Clabaugh.

“It means an awful lot to me, and I will cherish those emails and those conversations that we had as we’ve gotten to know each other over the last couple of years,” Ronan said.

Cooper at one point trained Clabaugh to anchor the newscast, a process he said is at times dicey and heated with any trainee. But the two bonded over their roots in the Midwest off the air.

“Jeff quipped something like, ‘You know, I wasn’t really sure we were going to get along, but now that I know your story, I think we’re going to be friends.’” Cooper recalled. “That just said a lot about him as a coworker and a colleague. He wanted to know what you were about, not just work with you.”

Clabaugh served as a mentor to many in the newsroom, sharing words of encouragement with young staffers and meticulously training journalists on best practices for delivering money news in his absence.

“He is someone I have told young journalists they should try to emulate because of his ability to tell stories,” Ziegler said.

Clabaugh’s passing follows the loss of WTOP anchor Dimitri Sotis, who died in January at the age of 55.

“To lose a titan like Jeff the same year we lose the titan Dimitri Sotis is devastating. These two men were two of the best journalists I’ve ever worked with,” Ziegler said.

Listeners who would like to share a memory of Jeff Clabaugh can send us a voice note through the WTOP News app, available on Apple or Android. Click the “Feedback” button in the app’s navigation bar.

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