Five new members will be inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Journalism Hall of Fame this June.
They are WKRC-TV Anchor Rob Braun, WCPO-TV Meteorologist Sherry Hughes, Cincinnati Enquirer Food & Dining reporter Polly Campbell and Cincinnati Enquirer photographer Gary Landers. Cincinnati Enquirer/Cincinnati Post sports reporter and author Lonnie Wheeler will be inducted posthumously.
The ceremony will be June 23, 2022, at the Graydon law office Client Connection Center in the Scripps Center, 18th Floor, 312 Walnut Street, Downtown. Tickets are $35 a person and are limited due to space restrictions. Registration can be made through EventBrite. The link is: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spj-greater-cincinnati-pro-chapter-awards-hof-induction-ceremony-2022-tickets-337883457517
Rob Braun
WKRC-TV Local 12 News Anchor
Rob Braun was a familiar face to Cincinnati television viewers for 30 years as the main anchor on WKRC-TV Local 12 News.
Braun joined WKRC-TV in 1984 as a general assignment reporter, then became weekend anchor and later launched WKRC’s 7 p.m. newscast.
When Nick Clooney left the station in 1988, Braun became the main anchor and a strong newsroom presence, helping to manage much of the daily editorial content.
Under Braun’s leadership, Local 12 News rose to number one in ratings for the Cincinnati market, which continued until he left the station in 2019.
Now, Braun and his wife live on a Pendleton County farm they bought in 2014. They grow and sell vegetables throughout the region.
He’s also the spokesperson for Heritage Bank and serves as Pendleton County’s Public Information Officer.
Sherry Hughes
WCPO-TV Meteorologist
Sherry Hughes was part of the well-known WCPO-TV team of meteorologists for more than 10 years. She was a reliable voice during her forecasting and during severe weather when she teamed with Chief Meteorologist Steve Raleigh.
Hughes was also known for her very public battle with breast cancer. The diagnosis came in July of 2019 and WCPO-TV viewers were able to follow her journey step-by-step on-the-air and through social media.
She got her hair cut short instead of waiting to lose it all. She wore a wig during her weather forecasts but took it off for good when it became too hot.
Hughes’ mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when Hughes was a young woman starting her adult life. She lived for a year before passing away.
Since leaving Channel 9 in 2021, Hughes has continued to support women’s health, breast cancer awareness and cancer advocacy.
She’s also spending more time with her husband, Myron, a former University of Cincinnati basketball star.
Polly Campbell
Cincinnati Enquirer - Food & Dining
From the time she took on the Food & Dining beat for the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1996, most people knew the name Polly Campbell, but not what she looked like.
Her trademark was the hat she wore in her staff photograph, but not on reviews. As she explained, “It emphasizes the idea that I can go to a restaurant, order a meal and eat it with the staff not knowing I’m reviewing them.”
Hundreds of Cincinnati restaurants were featured in her reviews. Each one was a personal response to a specific restaurant experience. She wrote about fine dining and full-service restaurants, but later included more casual food.
She was on the job when new restaurants began popping up with the revival of Over-the-Rhine.
Campbell was the Enquirer’s food critic for 25 years until she retired. After that, she put her expertise and knowledge to use in a book “Cincinnati Food: A History of Queen City Cuisine.”
The book chronicles Cincinnati’s food tastes through the years. Campbell notes the Queen City’s reputation as a major beer producer (before Prohibition), the open-air markets that produced Kroger and the meat-packing nickname “Porkopolis.”
Gary Landers
Cincinnati Enquirer Photographer
If there was a major story in Greater CIncinnati between 1987 and 2014 chances are Gary Landers was there with his cameras to document the event for the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Landers’ keen eye and quick reflexes enabled him to anticipate photographs before they fully materialized in front of his multiple lenses.
He began with the Enquirer in September of 1987 and his work also appeared in Sports Illustrated, the Miami Herald, Kanas City Star, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Enquirer readers likely recall his photography of the 10-year anniversary of Cincinnati’s civil unrest, the Nippert Stadium renovation on the University of Cincinnati’s Clifton Campus or classifying Avondale apartment buildings as historic properties.
Lonnie Wheeler
Cincinnati Enquirer/Cincinnati Post Sports Reporter & Author
Lonnie Wheeler was a prolific sportswriter and author, having worked for the Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Post and USA Today.
Wheeler joined the Enquirer in the late 1970s as a sports and features reporter. He left about a decade later and freelanced until the late 1990s.
That’s when he was hired by The Cincinnati Post as a sportswriter and columnist. He stayed with the paper until it folded in 2007.
From then on, he wrote 12 books on sports and sports figures. Several featured baseball legends Bob Gibson and Hank Aaron.
Wheeler’s book on Aaron was a biographical collaboration entitled, “I Had A Hammer: The Hank Aaron Story.” Three books were written with Gibson, including his autobiography, “Stranger To The Game.”
Former colleagues praised Wheeler’s writing style, wit, joy and grace.
Wheeler died in June of 2020 at the age of 68.
The Hall of Fame was created by the Greater Cincinnati Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists to honor outstanding individuals for their dedication to the profession.
The Induction Ceremony will be part of the annual Excellence in Journalism Contest Awards Program.
Thursday, June 23, 2022 -- 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Evening includes:
6:00 to 6:45 p.m. - Reception
7:00 to 8:30 p.m. - EIJ Awards Program and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
The event will be held at the offices of Graydon Head & Ritchey on the 18th floor of the Scripps Center at 312 Walnut Street, Downtown.
Early Bird/Regular Priced Tickets may be purchased until midnight on June 16 for $35 each. (Plus applicable Eventbrite fees; includes hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Guests may also bring a check with them at the door.)
If available, tickets may be purchased after June 17 for $40 each. (Plus applicable Eventbrite fees; includes hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Guests may also bring a check with them at the door.)
Make all checks payable to "Society of Professional Journalists."
Seating is limited. First come, first served.
For questions, email Chapter President Ginny McCabe at gmwriteon@aol.com.
