South Dakota Ag Connection - Farm Broadcaster Riter Celebration of Life Dec. 2

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Farm Broadcaster Riter Celebration of Life Dec. 2
South Dakota Ag Connection - 12/01/2021

A regionally recognized and respected farm broadcaster will be celebrated during services Dec. 2.

Thomas "Tom" Alan Riter, 64, died Nov. 21 at his home in Yankton, S.D.

A celebration of life service with family fellowship is set for 6 p.m. Dec. 2 at Calvary Baptist Church, 2407 Broadway Ave., Yankton, S.D. A family burial service will take place later in Rock Rapids, Iowa.

Tom was born March 27, 1957, to Charles Dallas Riter and Letha Odessa (Haldeman) Riter. He grew up in Rock Rapids, where he spent many summers walking beans and detasseling corn. After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa, he attended Brown Institute in the Twin Cities, graduating in 1981. During his time in college, he focused on broadcast journalism. He soon began a 40-year career in the profession. Over his career, he interviewed a wide range of national, state, and local leaders as a broadcast news reporter, with a focus on farm reporting.

Riter filled a variety of roles on the air as a morning-show personality, sportscaster, overnight announcer, and then news director for KORN radio in Mitchell, S.D., and KGRN in Mitchell, Iowa.

His first introduction to farm broadcasting came in Aberdeen, S.D., where he was part of a pilot project at KKAA and KQAA radio, serving as both news and ag director.

He spent time at KORN Radio in Mitchell, S.D.; KKAA Radio in Aberdeen, S.D.; KFKA Radio in Greeley, Colo.; and KELO Radio in Sioux Falls, S.D. He served as a news director, farm and ranch news director, and reporter. He also covered many sports, often providing live play-by-play commentary.

Riter joined the news team at WNAX in Yankton, S.D., in 1999. He served as the lead agriculture reporter and editor, and he covered a wide range of farming and ranching stories. He also served as a news reporter for drive-time and overnight news coverage.

He was a longtime member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB), where he was honored numerous times. In 2000, he served as chair for the NAFB's Trade Talk event, which required considerable time, effort and determination. He was honored in 2014 with the NAFB New Services Editor's Choice for Exceptional Merit award. Tom received his 25-year pin from the association in 2019. Riter also was a longtime member of the South Dakota Broadcasters Association.

As a farm broadcaster, Tom was a big part of the lives of many farmers, land owners, and ranchers. He made impacts on their lives and had thousands of listeners who enjoyed his work. They relied on his fact-based reporting to make timely decisions. Farmers' unions, conservation organizations, FFA groups, and many others presented honors to Tom and recognized his valuable work, supporting their industry.

Tom was always friendly and genuinely interested in what was going on in other's lives, and he was a good part of the team wherever he worked.

"As I said before, family farm and ranch agriculture lost a very good friend and supporter," noted John K. Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, in an email to members this week. "Tom's institutional memory and ability to smell and pursue a good story and the facts made him an exceptional reporter. His personal integrity and standards made him both a fair and balanced reporter, and a darn good friend. We will miss Tom, especially his bubbly 6:30 a.m. phone calls asking for an interview on one of the issues of the day. His work day had started hours before. I will miss our 'warm up' visits on recent football or baseball games, the trials and tribulations of being a Green Bay Packer fan, the latest weather event, the condition of the crops, or some off beat news story. Tom was a voracious reader with an amazing memory. He was also a kind and gentle soul. Everyone who knew or worked with Tom believed he was their good and special friend. I suspect they were right."

Riter was a beloved member of many church families in the cities where he lived over the years. He had a passion for the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Green Bay Packers. He also had an encyclopedic knowledge of movie and television trivia, and he would often quote lines from thousands of different films and shows. During his time in Colorado, Tom took part in stage productions with the Greeley Community Theater.

His survivors include his son, Jake Riter of Yankton; two brothers, Lee Riter of Sheboygan Falls, Wis.; and Robert Riter of Fort Myers, Fla. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Goglin Funeral Home in Yankton is handling arrangements.

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