Evening Anchor Russ Mitchell Celebrates 10 Years at WKYC

By Frank Macek

@maceknewsnation

Congratulations to our own Russ Mitchell in celebrating his 10 year anniversary with WKYC Studios this month.

In December 2011, former WKYC VP/General Manager Brooke Spectorsky announced to the staff Russ would be moving from his role at CBS News to become weeknight Managing Editor and the 6 & 11P anchor on the station in January 2012.

He would replace Romona Robinson who left the station upon the expiration of her contract on December 16, 2011, following a 15 year stint with the station. Most of that time, Robinson was teamed with co-anchor Tim White who also exited in 2008.

Seen as a coup at the time by local media insiders who were shocked the station failed to renew Robinson's contract, Russ left his role as an anchor  and journalist at CBS News to head to Cleveland. 

While based at CBS in New York City since 1992, Russ held a number of roles at the network over the next 19 years including co-anchor of "Up To the Minute," original co-anchor of the "Saturday Early Show," news anchor for the weekday edition of "This Morning," weekend anchor of "CBS Evening News" and a primary weeknight substitute for Dan Rather, John Roberts, Bob Schieffer, Katie Couric and Scott Pelley on the "CBS Evening News"

Said Mitchell of the change: "I've been thinking about going back to local television for a few years... It's been a great run at CBS, but I miss the pulse of a local newsroom, and, being from the Midwest, I miss being part of a community. But I wasn't going to go just anywhere. Cleveland reminds me a great deal of the city where I grew up, and I'm looking forward to bringing my family because I think we're going to have a really good life there, " according to his bio on Wikipedia.

Mitchell was born in St. Louis and graduated with a BA in Journalism in 1982 from the University of Missouri.