[1] Following his discharge, Ryle was a civilian advisor for the Israeli military in the Middle East during the time when this territory was being created.

On advice from a friend in Huntington, WV and against his own better judgment and with no prior experience or training, Ryle became involved in broadcasting and joined WMOH radio in Hamilton.

His inexperience, and also his potential, caught the attention of Cecil Hale of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, who took Ryle under his wing, improving his skills.

In the late winter-early spring of 1956, Ryle was chosen by WKRC executives to host a children's show consisting mostly of cartoons; the show was initially going to be called Hi, Kids!, but then Ryle's military experience asserted itself, and when he started adding messages about river and boat safety, the producers decided to go with a riverboat setting which, with Cincinnati being right on the Ohio River, was a perfect fit.

Despite the fact that his own personal primary demographic was kids who had felt they had outgrown Uncle Al, Ryle tried to, as he once put it, "open the whole thing up to everybody", young and old alike.

Colleague Nick Clooney and other local critics once regarded Skipper Ryle as the most civilized children's show on television.

The show became so popular that Ryle made in-person appearances at local amusement parks including Coney Island, LeSourdsville Lake, and even at the Cincinnati Zoo.