News: WKYC's Dick Russ, Jim Donovan To Be Inducted Into Hall of Fame

Special to the Director's Cut
By Kim Wendel

CLEVELAND -- The Press Club of Cleveland announced that WKYC-TV's Managing Editor Dick Russ and WKYC-TV Sports Director Jim Donovan, along with former WKYC-TV investigative reporter Paul Sciria, will be the 2009 inductees into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame.

The inductions will take place Oct. 28 at LaCenter in Westlake.

"It's a remarkable accomplishment and speaks to the tremendous talent pool here at Channel 3 to have three of five inductees in this year's Hall of Fame class," said WKYC News Director Rita Andolsen.

"The induction of Dick Russ, Jimmy Donovan and Paul Sciria into the Press Club of Cleveland's Journalism Hall of Fame is a testament to Channel 3's long history of a commitment to excellence in broadcast journalism," said Ed Byers, president of the Press Club.

Two-time Pulitzer finalist for commentary Regina Brett of The Plain Dealer and former Plain Dealer photographer William Wynne will also be inducted. All were elected to the Hall of Fame by members of the Press Club of Cleveland.

The Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame honors people, both living and deceased, who have made outstanding career contributions to the local print and electronic media.

It was created by the Press Club of Cleveland in 1981. Since that year, three or four members have been added nearly every year, elected from a list of nominees presented to the club's general membership.

Russ has been reporting the news to the people of Northeast Ohio for more than 35 years. He currently holds the position of Managing Editor and News Anchor at WKYC-TV.

Before coming to Channel 3 in 1999, Dick spent 20 years at WJW-TV in Cleveland, where he hosted the Noon News.

In the 1970's, he worked at a number of TV and radio stations, including Channel 23 in Akron. His professional honors include membership in the Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and the prestigious Silver Circle Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), recognizing more than a quarter century of exemplary service to the television industry.

Dick is a ten-time winner of the regional Emmy Award, and a two-time honoree by the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists as the state's outstanding television documentarian.

He has also been honored with the Gabriel Award, the highest national award for religious TV programming, and is a recipient of the Religious Communicators Council's national award, also for religious TV programming.

Donovan serves as sports director for the weekday 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. news. He joined Channel 3 in March, 1985 as weekend sports anchor.

In June 1999, Jim was named the voice of the Cleveland Browns. Donovan will do all the radio play-by-play announcing for the team.

Donovan has done countless national and international events, including the '96 Summer Olympics for NBC/WKYC; in 1994, World Cup Soccer; and, in 1992, swimming and soccer competitions at the Olympics for NBC.

Since 1991, he's hosted PBS live national coverage of the Soap Box Derby. He provided coverage of the CVS Cleveland Marathon for 13 years.

In addition, he was play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports' NFL games from 1987 to 1997. In 1995, Donovan won a local Emmy award for Best Sportscaster. In 1992, he received an Emmy for "Browns '92; The Next Step."

In 1990, he won an Emmy for his report on Bob Golic's farewell to the Cleveland Browns.

In 1988, he was named all-Ohio Best Sportscaster by the Cleveland Press Club. Before coming to Cleveland, he provided play-by-play basketball and hockey coverage for the Satellite News Channel in Burlington, VT.

He also served for one season as play-by-play announcer for the Vermont Reds, a Cincinnati Reds minot league baseball team.

His career began as a sports director for WJON Radio in St. Cloud, MN. He also did play-by-play and sports anchoring at WVMT Radio and WEZF-TV.

Donovan has served as spokesperson for the Kidney Foundation of Ohio and has participated in events benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Foundations, American Lung Association and Arthritis Foundation.

A native of Boston, Jim is a graduate of Boston University.

Sciria's career as both a television and radio reporter brought him to Channel 3 WKYC-TV, as well as radio stations KYW, WJW, and WERE, where he co-hosted the popular senior audience radio show "Off Your Rocker."

In 1957, Sciria was hired at then-named KYW-TV as the station's first full-time news reporter.

He is currently senior editor of La Gazzetta Italiana, an Italian newspaper. He is also the owner of a Cleveland-based public relations and advertising agency.

Other past WKYC honorees include Tom Meyer, who was inducted last year, as well as Fred Griffith and Dick Feagler.

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