Join Us on September 2011 Newsletter of The Press Club of Cleveland From the President Five Elected to Ed Byers Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame So many good things going on! Five veteran journalists have been A brief look at the 2011 honorees: Thanks to Cleveland elected to the Cleveland Journalism Hall Tom Beres – Beres has Business Connects of Fame by members of The Press Club of served as a general assign- magazine (CBC) for Cleveland and previous inductees to the ment reporter for WKYC naming The Press Club hall. TV3 since July of 1979 and of Cleveland to its The members of the Class of 2011 are was promoted to senior list of the Top 50 Influential Network- Channel 3 political reporter Tom Beres, political reporter in May ing Groups in Northeast Ohio. It is author and Plain Dealer reporter Tom of 1998. In 1989, he won a an honor to be recognized among the Feran, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist local Emmy for Investigative Reporting for best. CBC also conducted an interview Phillip Morris of The Plain Dealer, award- his coverage of ticket abuse by Cleveland with The Press Club’s Lynn Bracic and winning NBC reporter Kelly O’Donnell police officers. In 1984, he accepted the myself on the untold hours of hard and Pulitzer-winning reporter Bob Payn- award for “Best Broadcast Writing” from work that went into the planning and ter, formerly of The Plain Dealer and the the Ohio Associated Press. He is a gradu- preparation for our huge 9/11 anniver- Akron Beacon Journal. ate of Westlake High School and North- sary program coming up on Sept. 7 at All five journalists and this year’s Chuck western University and holds a bachelor’s CSU’s Wolstein Center. Heaton Award winner will be honored on degree and a master’s in broadcast jour- On that day, we will take time to Friday, Oct. 28, at LaCentre in Westlake. nalism. Beres serves on the board of Camp reflect on the 10th anniversary of the For tickets and registration contact The Ho Mita Koda, a camp for diabetic chil- 9/11 attack on America. This is an Press Club of Cleveland at 440-899-1222 dren, and the local chapter of AFTRA. all-day session at the Wolstein Center or go to our newly redesigned website: Tom Feran – Through his books and and our programming committee has www.pressclubcleveland.com. continued on page 2> certainly outdone itself in assembling a panel of government and first-respond- Memorial Service for Jane Scott at the Rock Hall ers in the morning, followed by a panel More than 900 people jammed into The of reporters and media professionals Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum who covered 9/11 in the afternoon. last Sunday night to pay tribute to late Read more about it on page 6. Plain Dealer rock and roll critic and Cleve- Our newly redesigned website, after land native Jane Scott, who died at age 92 a long, long wait is finally up and run- on July 4, nine years after retiring from ning. Thanks to our own Maryana Bra- The PD. das for her hard work and time spent It was a fitting tribute and venue for the on this project. Thanks also to Michael lady known as “The World’s Oldest Teen- Schwabe and Jerry Sen at thunder::tech ager.” The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and for their efforts. You can access the new Museum’s remembrance of Jane included site by visiting a video tribute and a Navy honor guard in www.pressclubcleveland.com. I think recognition of her Navy service in World you’ll like what you see. War II. Guests also had the opportunity The Press Club of Cleveland Jour- to record their own personal video tes- nalism Hall of Fame is set to induct timonial, which will be shared with the five new members in October. Read all Scott family. about it on this page. The loudest applause of the night was I also want to congratulate Rich reserved for Plain Dealer pop music critic Osborne, Press Club Hall of Famer and John Soeder as he took the Rock Hall Jane Scott in her signature red-rimmed past president of The Press Club on stage wearing a T-shirt that simply read, glasses and favorite newsprint blouse, coming full-circle. After four decades in “Induct Jane,” a reference to a movement leaving the annual Press Club Hall of Fame continued on page 2 > continued on page 4 > Reunion, 2008. 28022 Osborn Road Cleveland, Ohio 44140 | 440-899-1222 | Fax: 440.899.1010 | www.pressclubcleveland.com 2 The Press Club of Cleveland September 2011 FROM THE PRESIDENT HALL OF FAME FROM PAGE 1 FROM PAGE 1 many years as the TV critic attacks, the Iraq War and the Oklahoma for The Plain Dealer, Feran City bombing. O’Donnell, who worked at the news business, most recently as editor has become the leading WJW-TV in Cleveland before joining NBC, of Great Lakes Publishing’s Ohio Maga- chronicler of broadcast was inducted into the Ohio Broadcasters zine, Rich is hanging it up and becoming a media in Cleveland. The Hall of Fame in 2004. Her work on the president once again. He is now president Northeast Ohio native has 2008 presidential election won an Emmy of St. Joseph’s and Villa Marie Academy. co-written books on The and National Headliner Award. I’m not going to spoil it. Rich tells us all Buzzard, Ghoulardi, Big Chuck, Cleve- She also received the New Hampshire about it on page 3. land TV Memories and Dick Goddard. He Primary Award for Political Reporting. There will be at least two, perhaps joined The Plain Dealer as editor of the She is a regular panelist on “Meet the three openings on The Press Club Board Sunday magazine in 1982 after 7 years as Press” and “The Chris Matthews Show,” of Directors for 2012 as Carol Saferin an editor and columnist in Connecticut, contributes long-form pieces to Dateline and Wendy Kertesz resign to devote full leading the magazine to several national NBC and serves as a substitute anchor for attention to their marketing companies. awards. He is probably best known for the various NBC News broadcasts. We wish both Carol and Wendy all the 13 years he spent as The Plain Dealer’s TV Bob Paynter – In almost luck in the world and thank them for a critic, but he also served as editor of the three decades as an inves- job well-done! The nominating committee Arts & Life section and as local lifestyle tigative reporter/editor in will be accepting names to fill these two columnist. He twice served as president Northeast Ohio, Paynter important positions. Interested in serving of Television Critics Association of North has won a Pulitzer Prize and – or know someone who is? You’ll be join- America. He was named best columnist in five other national awards ing a great group of working-media and Ohio by the Society of Professional Jour- plus a dozen first-places marketing professionals. We need to hear nalists in 2007. He currently writes for in statewide competitions. At The Plain from you. Please contact us at: pressclubc- the Ohio Politifacts column for The Plain Dealer, he won the American Society of [email protected] Dealer. Newspaper Editors Local Watchdog Award Phillip Morris – Morris for a series, “Cold-Blooded Liar,” that led Robert Finn, longtime Plain has been a finalist for the to the commutation of the death penalty Pulitzer Prize for commen- for a man convicted of murder. He also led Dealer classical music critic, tary for the past two years. teams that revealed misconduct among dead at 81 The nominating commit- the Parma police and the priests of the tee praised Morris for “his Cleveland Diocese. He was also part of a The bow-tied Robert Finn, who died blend of local storytelling team honored by Columbia University for Saturday, July 23, was an award-winning and unpredictable opinions, enlarging its in-depth look at the troubled Cleveland music critic, a widespread cultural leader the discussion of controversial issues that neighborhood, Mt. Pleasant. In Akron, and a calming influence in a profession stir a big city.” The Plain Dealer veteran he directed a 14-month examination of not know for calm. also has been honored with a National race relations in that city that earned the Finn, 81, was diagnosed with cancer Headliner Award and a National Associa- Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Public Ser- about three months ago. He died at Hill- tion of Black Journalists award for his vice. He also directed a team of reporters crest Hospital from complications. columns, and he is a finalist for the NABJ that uncovered the “Pay to Play” system in Finn critiqued classical music for The honor again this year. He also has received the Ohio legislature, winning the Worth Plain Dealer from 1964 to 1992. He was numerous state and regional honors. The Bingham and Sigma Delta Chi awards president of the national Music Critics Ohio Wesleyan grad started his career at nationally and the AP Society of Ohio’s Association for two terms. the Dayton Daily News in 1987 and joined best investigative story for three consecu- Finn won four awards from the Ameri- The Plain Dealer’s editorial board in 1990. tive years. can Society of Composers, Authors and He began writing a metro column in 2007. Publishers. He won the first Friends of Kelly O’Donnell – The Music Education Award from the Ohio Northeast Ohio native Music Education Association.