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For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

TV Kiese's annual A to Z year in review

The Cincinnati Enquirer newsroom photographed this week by former Enquirer photographer Glenn Hartong.
Courtesy Glenn Hartong
The Cincinnati Enquirer newsroom photographed in early December by former Enquirer photographer Glenn Hartong.

Another year down the tube! Here's a look back at the big TV, media, radio and movie stories in 2022.

A look back at 2022.

A is for Angela Lansbury, one of the many film icons who died in 2022. She won four Tony Awards for her Broadway work (Mame, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, Dear World) after Oscar-nominated screen performances in The Picture of Dorian Gray, Gaslight, and The Manchurian Candidate. But Lansbury, who died in January at 96, never won an Emmy in 12 nominations from her 11 years starring as Jessica Fletcher on Murder She Wrote.

Other movie stars we lost in 2022: Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid from the Harry Potter films); Olivia Newton John (Grease); James Caan (The Godfather, Elf); Ray Liotta (Goodfellas, Field of Dreams); Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas); Anne Heche (Wag The Dog, Donnie Brasco); Sally Kellerman (M*A*S*H); William Hurt (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Broadcast News, The Big Chill); Irene Cara (Fame); Gilbert Gottfried (Aladdin); Aaron Carter (Pop Star); Yvette Mimieux (The Time Machine, Where The Boys Are); plus directors Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Stripes, Animal House) and Peter Bogdanovich (Paper Moon, Last Picture Show).

B is for Barry Levinson coming back to Cincinnati. The director who made Cincinnati a movie destination with his Oscar-winning Rain Man — and led to the creation of the Cincinnati Film Commission (now Film Cincinnati) — returned nearly 35 years later to direct Wise Guys, a 1950s mob film starring Robert De Niro.

Some of the half dozen movie production trucks and trailers parked behind Applebee's Tuesday night.
John Kiesewetter
Some of the half dozen movie production trucks and trailers for Turtles All Way Down parked behind the Fairfield Applebee's on May 3.

It was the fourth major motion picture filming in Greater Cincinnati this year, following Oscar-winner Regina King's Shirley about U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm; HBO Max's Turtles All The Way Down, starring Isabela Merced (Sweet Girl, Transformers: The Last Knight), Judy Reyes (Scrubs, Better Things, black-ish) and Felix Mallard (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist); and The Bikeriders with Austin Butler (Elvis), Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) and Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead).

C is for CNN cuts and cancellations, which came after AT&T sold Warner Bros to the Discovery Channel folks. First the new owners pulled the plug on the one-month-old CNN+ streaming service. Then they dumped veterans John Harwood, Chris Cillizza, Susan Glasser, Brian Stelter and his Sunday Reliable Sources media show; Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy; This Is Life With Lisa Ling; and Robin Meade's longtime Headline News morning newscast.

D is for David McCullough, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author who chronicled American history from Presidents John Adams, Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman to the Revolutionary War, Ohio's pioneer settlers, the Wright Brothers, Brooklyn Bridge and the Johnstown flood. McCullough, who died in August at 89, was the narrator for Ken Burns' The Civil War, Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge and host of PBS' The American Experience.

The Cincinnati Enquirer newsroom in December 2014, looking south from the features and business departments to the news department.
John Kiesewetter
The Cincinnati Enquirer newsroom in December 2014, looking south from the features and business departments to the news department.

E is for the end of the Cincinnati Enquirer on Elm Street, the Saturday morning newspaper, and its suburban weekly papers in Hamilton County and Northern Kentucky. Reporters and editors moved from the 19th floor newsroom to the 18th floor in early December in preparation for relocating one block west into 312 Plum Streetbecause the 30-year lease is expiring for the Elm office tower. Instead of the five floors needed in 1992, the entire operation will be housed on a single floor, since many news staffers are working from home. Also in 2022, sports columnist Paul Daugherty retired, but he didn't end his The Morning Line column, now available on Substack.

And when Jason Williams moved from politics to sports columnist, the Enquirer replaced him with a weekly column by contributor Dan Sewell, the retired Associated Press Cincinnati reporter, instead of hiring a full-time politics reporter. The Enquirer lost several other positions in budget cuts by Gannett, which this fall required all staffers who take one-week unpaid furloughs, temporarily suspended 401(k) matches and offered voluntary severance agreements.

F is for The Fabelmans, the film tribute by Steven Spielberg to his parents, Cincinnati natives Leah Frances (Adler) Spielberg and Arnold Meyer Spielberg. The Academy Award-winning director was born here in 1946 while his father, a Hughes High School graduate, was studying electrical engineering at the University of Cincinnati. His mother was born in 1920 to Philip Posner, a classical guitarist, and Jennie (Fridman) Posner. Leah, who studied at the old Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, traced her love of music to her parents and hearing the Cincinnati Opera at the Cincinnati Zoo. Steven Spielberg moved with his family from Avondale to New Jersey in 1949, after his father graduated from UC, and in 1957 to Phoenix, where The Fabelmans was set.

Frank Ferrante performed his Groucho Marx show with accompanist Gerald Steinbach at the Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theater in 2017.
Courtesy Frank Ferrante
Frank Ferrante performed his Groucho Marx show with accompanist Gerald Steinbach at the Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theater in 2017.

G is for Groucho, specifically Frank Ferrante's Groucho, which was broadcast on public television stations this year. WCET-TV didn't plan to air Groucho until I raised a fuss in March. Channel 48's Dayton-based programmer thought it was a 20-yer-old pledge show — and had no clue Ferrante taped the delightful romp as comedian Groucho Marx at Cincinnati's Playhouse in the Park in 2017.

Howard Hesseman, as Dr. Johnny Fever, broadcasts from the main WKRP studio which featured a map on Cincinnati.
Courtesy CBS
Howard Hesseman, as Dr. Johnny Fever, broadcasts from the main WKRP studio which featured a map on Cincinnati.

H is for Howard Hesseman, the rock 'n' roll ringleader of WKRP in Cincinnati, who died in January at 81. Hesseman played disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever, the craziest of the crazies living on the air at WKRP in Cincinnati. His character set the tone for the beloved 1978-82 sitcom from the opening episode when program director Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) noted all of his stage names, including Johnny Sunshine.

"Sunshine? Haven't I heard of you?" Travis asked. To which Johnny Fever replied, "You're not a cop, are you?"

I is for Bob Iger, who returned to his old job as Walt Disney Company CEO in November after a two-year absence, replacing his hand-picked successor, Bob Chapek, after lackluster earnings. One of Iger's challenges will be dealing with the company's reported $5.5 billion in debt, Variety says.

Jerry Thomas and Joyce Wise hosted "PM Magazine" on WKRC-TV in 1984-85.
Jerry Thomas and Joyce Wise hosted "PM Magazine" on WKRC-TV in 1984-85.

J is for Jerry Thomas, who woke us up for years as WKRC-AM's top-rated morning host with "punch lines you missed" and comments from "Granny." Thomas, who died earlier this month at 83, also was the manager who turned WKRC-FM into powerhouse rocker WKRQ-FM and co-hosted PM Magazine with Joyce Wise on WKRC-TV in 1984-85. Other notable local deaths include Wray Jean Braun, widow of late entertainer Bob Braun and mother of Rob Braun; Dr. O'dell Owens, local health leader and longtime WCET-TV Action Auction chair; former WCPO-TV reporter Bill Price; WEBN-FM and 96 Rock DJ Michael Luczak; Reds Hall of Famer Tom Browning; and the widows of two Reds legends, Donzetta Nuxhall and Eleanor Kluszewski.

K is for Kirstie Alley, the Emmy-winning Cheers star who died at 71, and all the iconic TV stars we lost this year: Bob Saget (Full House, Fuller House, America's Funniest Home Videos); Bob McGrath and Emilio Delgado (Sesame Street); Louie Anderson (Life with Louie, Baskets); Tony Sirico (The Sopranos); Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek) ; Robert Morris (Mad Men); Stuart Margolian (Rockford Files); Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace, Call Me Kat); Estelle Harris (Seinfeld); Larry Storch (F Troop); Robert Clary (Hogan's Heroes); John Aniston (Days Of Our Lives), Dwayne Hickman (The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis); former Nashville Now host Ralph Emery; and producer Burt Metcalfe (M*A*S*H). And I can't forget Betty White, who died last New Year's Eve, three weeks before her 100th birthday.

John Kiesewetter
John Lomax waves to the Opening Day parade crowd in 2014.

L is for John Lomax, the Good Morning Cincinnati anchor who retired from WKRC-TV in May after 32 years on the morning show and 39 at the station. He was hired in 1983 from Knoxville by news anchor Nick Clooney, intending to stay a few years at this "steppingstone" job, but he "fell in love with the place and never really wanted to leave." His anchor seat was filled by Aliah Hordges from Indianapolis.

Also leaving Local 12 this year: Reporters Alexa Helwig (now communication director for Congressman Greg Landsman), Clancy Burke and Kathryn Robinson, and meteorologist Erica Collura.

Megan Mitchell celebrates outside her new employer, WFAA-TV in Dallas, in October.
Courtesy Megan Mitchell
Megan Mitchell celebrates outside her new employer, WFAA-TV in Dallas, in October.

M is for Megan Mitchell, the WLWT-TV weekend news anchor and LGBTQ+ influencer with 1.8 million TikTok followers, who's heading to WFAA-TV in Dallas, the nation's No. 5 TV market. The Dallas TV station "will allow me to focus specifically on LGBTQ+ stories in Texas during a time when a number of pieces of legislation and rhetoric are hitting the state," says the Connecticut native hired from a North Dakota TV station in 2016.

Mitchell was one of eight on-air staffers to exit Channel 5 this year, part of the unprecedented turnover this year at TV stations in Cincinnati (market No. 36): morning anchor Colin Mayfield went to Charlotte (TV market No. 22); reporter Dan Griffin went to Seattle (No. 6); sports anchor George Vogel announced his retirement (more about him later); and Mollie Lair, Brandon Saho, Alanna Martella and Helena Battipaglia left the TV business.

N is for Jim Nantz, who will do his last NCAA Final Four in 2023. Nantz, 63, will cut back on his CBS Sports schedule next year to spend more time with his wife and two grade-school age children. But, he'll continue to do the Masters golf tournament and NFL games with Tony Romo next year.

Sports fans also mourned the loss of two icons this year: Vin Scully, the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers for 67 yeas, and basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell, who was a NBA analyst for ABC and CBS after retiring from the Boston Celtics with 11 NBA championships.

Julie O'Neill worked 27 years at WCPO-TV.
Courtesy WCPO-TV
Julie O'Neill worked 27 years at WCPO-TV.

O is for Julie O'Neill, whose contract was not renewed by WCPO-TV after 27 years. She left the airwaves in September after being told she would no longer anchor Good Morning Tri-State. Channel 9 has experienced the most turnover this year of all the TV newsrooms with anchor Kristyn Hartman returning home to Chicago; and the departures of four reporters to larger markets — Courtney Francisco to Atlanta (No. 7); Mariel Carbone to Washington, D.C. (No. 9); Larry Seward to Miami (No. 18); and Sina Gebre-Ab to Baltimore (No. 28), plus Whitney Miller to New Orleans (No. 50) to anchor. Two others left the TV business: Jake Ryle and Keenan Singleton. Also TV veterans Clyde Gray and Mona Morrow retired in April from hosting the weekday Cincy Lifestyles promotional program.

Sidney Poitier won his first Oscar in 1964 for his role as Homer, the reluctant handyman in <em>Lilies of the Field.</em>
The Kobal Collection
Sidney Poitier won his first Oscar in 1964 for his role as Homer, the reluctant handyman in Lilies of the Field.

P is for Sidney Poitier, the first Black actor to win the Academy Award for best actor, for Lilies of the Field in 1964, and help pave the way for minorities in Hollywood. Poitier, who died in January at 94, was first nominated as best actor in 1959 for The Defiant Ones, after which he appeared in Porgy and Bess (1959) and A Raisin in the Sun (1961). In 1967, he had three box office hits, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, In The Heat of the Night and To Sir, With Love. He directed nine films, including Buck and the Preacher (1972), Stir Crazy (1980) and Ghost Dad (1990). The International Movie Database says "Poitier's talent, conscience, integrity and inherent likability placed him on equal footing with the white stars of the day."

Q is for all those who quit in 2022. Trevor Noah left The Daily Show this month. James Corden leaves CBS' The Late Late Show next summer. TBS canceled Full Frontal with Samantha Bee in June. Ellen DeGeneres, Jerry Springer, Maury Povich and Wendy Williams ended their daytime shows in May. White House press secretary Jen Psaki quit in May to join MSNBC. Judy Woodruff retires as PBS NewsHour anchor Dec. 30. And NBC's Saturday Night Live said goodbye to Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson and Kyle Mooney this year.

Comedian Dave Chappelle asked Julie Reichert and Steven Bognar to film his outdoor comedy concert in Yellow Springs during the 2020 pandemic.
Courtesy Pilot Boy Productions
Comedian Dave Chappelle asked Julie Reichert and Steven Bognar to film his outdoor comedy concert in Yellow Springs during the 2020 pandemic.

R is for Julia Reichert, the Oscar- and Emmy-winning filmmaker from Yellow Springs who died of cancer earlier this month at age 76. Despite her success, Reichert was happy to stay in Yellow Springs and make films about Midwest people where "we can be a voice where there is no voice." Reichert and husband Steven Bognar won an Emmy in 2007 for A Lion In The House, their film about young cancer patients at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and documented the closing of Moraine's GM plant with The Last Truck in 2009. They returned to the plant in 2020 to make American Factory in conjunction with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions deal at Netflix, and won an Academy Award, Emmy Award and Sundance Film Festival trophy for best documentary and Grand Jury Prize.

S is for the sensational Bengals season which gave us something to cheer about all the way to Super Bowl LVI in February in Los Angeles, the team's first Super Bowl appearance since 1989. Joe Burrow and the guys came up three points short in a 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but it was a fun ride!

T is for the TV deals which changed our viewing habits in 2022. Like Reds fans looking for games on Peacock, Apple TV+ and YouTube in addition to Bally Sports Ohio, ESPN, Fox, FS1, TBS and MLB Network. Or ABC moving Dancing with the Stars to Disney+. Or A Charlie Brown Christmas only available this year on Apple TV+. Or the NBC Sports Network going dark in January, scattering NBC's sports to USA, CNBC and Peacock.

Just before the NHL and NBA seasons started this fall, Bally Sports launched Bally Sports+ (which will not include Reds games, as of now). Next July, Big 10 fans will see the impact of the conference's new $8-billion deal to air Saturday football tripleheaders across CBS, Fox and NBC, plus games on Peacock, Paramount+ and FS1, instead of ABC/ESPN, which is getting SEC football games from CBS.

Promotional photo for Brandon Saho's "The Mental Game" mental health podcast.
Courtesy Brandon Saho
Promotional photo for Brandon Saho's "The Mental Game" mental health podcast.

U is for the unprecedented number of unfilled TV newsroom jobs because "reporter turnover is worse now in this business than it’s ever been," says Steve Hyvonen, WXIX-TV news director. It's tougher than ever to fill vacancies with 3% national unemployment, including in TV news — especially when so many young talented reporters have abandoned their television careers: Alexa Helwig, Kathryn Robinson, Clancy Burke (WKRC-TV); Jake Ryle, Keenan Singleton (WCPO-TV); Lauren Artino, Trevor Peters (WXIX-TV); and Mollie Lair, Brandon Saho, Alanna Martella and Helena Battipaglia (WLWT-TV). Says Saho, the former WLWT-TV sports reporter and weekends sports anchor who quit in August to launch The Mental Game mental health podcast: "You work crazy hours, late nights and weekends, while being overworked and underpaid. Every station is adding more and more (news) shows without adding more resources or paying you more."

Provided by WLWT-TV
George Vogel will retire in March 2023.

V is for George Vogel, who announced in December that he's retiring from WLWT-TV in March after nearly 42 years. We'll miss his perspective. The Georgetown native, who started as a sports intern in 1980 while attending the University of Cincinnati, is the only current TV sports reporter who was working when the Bengals went to Super Bowl XXIII in 1989, or when Tom Brown pitched his perfect game in 1988. "It's been a great run and a lot of fun," he says.

W is for changes at WGUC-FM and WVXU-FM. Afternoon drive host Andy Ellis left the classical music station in June for a more lucrative sales jobs a few week after 40-year veteran Lloyd Bryant hung up his Sunday night headphones. Replacing Ellis was Nikea Randolph, a classical music composer and teacher. However, the biggest change for WGUC and WVXU is the new two-story Cincinnati Public Radio building and studios announced last summer. It will be constructed on Dana Avenue, near I-71, up the street from Xavier University.

Artist rendering of new Cincinnati Public Radio headquarters on Dana Avenue in Evanston.
Cincinnati Public Radio
Artist rendering of new Cincinnati Public Radio headquarters on Dana Avenue in Evanston.

X is for WXIX-TV, whose parent company Gray Television) bought low-power WKRP TV. Low-power TV pioneer Elliot Bock started the stations — also known as Channel 25 or WBQC-TV – in 1990. When he died in 2019 Channel 25 carried a dozen digital subchannels: Decades, Cozi TV, Get TV, Movies!, Quest, Twist, The Grio, This TV, Start TV, Sonlife Broadcast Network religious programming and two shopping services, JTV (Jewelry TV) and the Home Shopping Network.

Y is for writer Kathy Y. Wilson, whose CityBeat "Your Negro Tour Guide" columns were compiled into a book in 2004 and adapted into a one-person play three years later. Wilson, who died in November at age 57, started her career writing for her hometown Hamilton Journal-News in 1994. She also wrote for Cincinnati Magazine, taught journalism at the University of Cincinnati and was the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library's first writer-in-residence in 2014. The Cincinnati Enquirer noted that some people didn't like her blunt style of writing. "People take a lot of what I say personally. They shouldn't. They're just not used to hearing the truth," she once told the Enquirer.

Z is for zero. That's how many concerts you'll see at Bengals' stadium in 2023 because the team sold the stadium naming rights to Paycor — although team officials have refused to tell Hamilton County taxpayers, who own the facility, how much Paycor paid for the rights. How's that for thanks?

John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.