2014 Black Professional of the Year Leon Bibb
Birthplace: I was born in an Alabama town too small to mention. However, at one year old, my parents moved to Cleveland, where I was raised. We traveled by train. So by the time I was a year old, I had nearly 800 miles of railroad track beneath my belt. I guess I was a travelin’ man in diapers.
Education: Glenville High School in the Cleveland Pubic School District and Bowling Green State University, where I studied journalism as an undergraduate student and Radio/TV/Film as a graduate student. I was there for a total of six years. Eventually, I went back to Bowling Green State University as a member of the board of trustees. Appointed by the governor of Ohio, I served in that position for nine years.
Current Position/Job Duties: NewsChannel 5 Anchor/Multimedia Journalist.
Previous Work Experience: News anchor and reporter for WKYC-TV3 in Cleveland and WCMH-TV4 in Columbus. Before that, I was a reporter with WTOL-TV11, Toledo; and The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland.
Most Memorable Stories: An interview with President Obama in the White House, covering President George H. W. Bush in the White House, flying backseat with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds; covering the Persian Gulf War in 1991; interviewing James Earl Ray, convicted assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King in Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Tennessee.
Awards/Honors: Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame / 5-time Emmy Award winner / Distinguished Journalist Award from the Cleveland Chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists / Ohio Associated Press Award / Excellence in Journalism Awards from the Cleveland Press Club / Bowling Green State University School of Journalism Hall of Fame, Glenville High School Hall of Fame / Honored by Cleveland Metropolitan School District / Cleveland Cavs Cleveland Pioneers Award / Dominion East Ohio “Strong Men/Strong Women” Award / Sigma Delta Chi Hall of Fame / Awards of excellence from Cleveland State University and the Radio-TV Council.
News Philosophy: “Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn’t mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.” –Edward R. Murrow, CBS NEWS
Role Models: My mother and father.
Favorite Sports Teams: Cleveland Indians, Browns, Cavs.
Favorite Music: Jazz, especially of the 1960s.
Favorite Movies: Citizen Kane, Godfather,Godfather II, Murder On The Orient Express, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Long Hot Summer, Cool Hand Luke, Hud, Shane , Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, From Here to Eternity, The Longest Day, Patton.
Favorite Programs: The Fugitive, starring David Janssen and The Twilight Zone.
Favorite Books: The Holy Bible, Hawaii.
Hobbies/Interests: Jazz, reading novels, listening to audio books.
Hidden Talent: Have written several short stories and poems, many of which have been published. Desire to be the voice of audio books.
Something Most People don’t know about me: I’m a fan of Hollywood movies of the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s.
What I like best about Northeast Ohio: Lake Erie and three of the four seasons.
You’re most likely to see me around town: Theatrical plays, concerts.
Additional Info: Decorated military veteran of war- Leon, an Army veteran, received a Bronze Star Medal for his service in Vietnam.