After 35 years at the WTOP editor’s desk, Judy Taub, right in photo, has retired.  According to WTOP, a radio powerhouse in the D.C. market, as Taub neared her well-earned retirement, “those at the station who learned from her – which is pretty much everyone stopped to reflect on what she brought to the culture of WTOP and the influence that she’ll have long after she’s gone.

““We will miss her immeasurably. She has been a mentor and a guiding force,” anchor Debra Feinstein, left in photo, said on the air (on Taub’s last day in late December). “The heartbeat of the newsroom,” anchor Mark Lewis, center in photo, added.

“Joel Oxley, WTOP’s senior vice president and general manager, called Taub, a former news director at the station, “the true heart and soul of the WTOP newsroom. … We all owe Judy the deepest gratitude.”

“Taub announced her departure in October, and the newsroom has had two months to prepare for her departure. It hasn’t helped much. But Mike McMearty, WTOP’s director of news and programming, pointed out a bright spot: the tributes and remembrances “and the accolades that she’s been able to enjoy” from current and former co-workers. “I think it’s really meant the world for her. … There’ve been quite a few tears and hugs, and I think that’s great.”

“McMearty started as Taub’s assistant in 1992. He called Taub “a one-woman news machine. She is the most well-read, dedicated employee that we probably have. And we’re going to miss her tons – it’s a lot of institutional knowledge going out the door.”

“When News Director Darci Marchese came to WTOP in 2004, she “didn’t know Fairfax from Montgomery County.” Taub trained her at the editor’s desk, and from there Marchese became a reporter, learning how Taub saw the big picture.

““She had a knack of knowing who she can push, and to do what,” Marchese said. “I remember walking in a few times and [hearing] ‘I’ve got you booked in three minutes!’ And you hear that sometimes in the newsroom today.”

“News Director Julia Ziegler also started as an assistant to Taub. (That’s not a rare way to start, you may have noticed.) “Working with ‘Judy Taub at the Editor’s Desk’ is a rite of passage of sorts for all newbies at WTOP,” she said.”

More here.