Ryan Denham
Content DirectorRyan is an award-winning journalist and digital strategist. He joined WGLT full-time in 2017 as Digital Content Director and became interim Content Director in 2025.
Under Ryan's leadership, WGLT.org has become the go-to destination for local news in Bloomington-Normal. WGLT has expanded its digital offerings to include multiple daily podcasts, short-form video storytelling, and award-winning photography.
Ryan has earned a National Murrow Award, a national Public Media Journalists Association award, several Regional Murrow Awards, and multiple Crystal Mic Awards from the Illinois News Broadcasters Association, among other station and team-based honors.
Ryan also serves as WGLT's internship coordinator, working closely with Illinois State University students.
Ryan started his career as a copy editor and later business and city government reporter at The Pantagraph in 2006. He later worked for WJBC radio in Bloomington and for Illinois State's University Marketing and Communications [UMC] and Web and Interactive Communications [WEB] offices.
He lives in Normal with his wife, Therese, and two children. You can contact Ryan at rmdenha@ilstu.edu or (309) 438-5426.
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Illinois State University and the AFSCME union that represents buildings, dining and food service workers announced late Monday that they've reached a tentative deal, likely ending the longest single-unit strike in ISU history. -
The Trump administration said Thursday it had launched an investigation in District 87, Ridgeview, and 34 other Illinois school districts to “to determine whether they have included sexual orientation and gender ideology content in any class for grades pre-K-12.” -
The new R2 — Rivian’s first mass-market vehicle — was the focal point of Thursday’s first-quarter earnings call. R2 production began last week in Normal. They’ll reach customers later this spring. -
Here we go again: McLean County and the rest of Illinois will be at an enhanced risk of severe storms Monday. Very large hail, damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph, and tornadoes are all possible, according to the National Weather Service. -
The Meet the Newsroom series pulls back the curtain to introduce you to the team that makes WGLT possible. The series continues with WGLT correspondent Cindy Alcazar, whose life veered into journalism by accident. -
Two years after announcing a new model would be built first in Normal, the first Rivian R2s built for real customers rolled off the production line on Wednesday. -
Residents experiencing outages, property damage, flooding, tree damage, or service disruptions are encouraged to self-report to assist countywide response efforts. -
Bloomington-Normal residents were assessing the damage and starting to clean up Saturday from a powerful storm that walloped McLean County the night before, leading to damage at the Rivian auto plant and knocking out power for thousands. There appeared to be no serious injuries. -
The Meet the Newsroom series pulls back the curtain to introduce you to the team that makes WGLT possible. The series continues with WGLT correspondent Braden Fogerson, an Illinois State University alum who covers education across McLean County. -
A group of workers trying to unionize Rivian’s manufacturing plant in Normal say they are growing frustrated with an apparent pullback in support from the United Auto Workers.
