When he retired from WLWT-TV two years ago, sportscaster George Vogel didn’t think he had a hall of fame career.
And now he’s in two.
Vogel, who worked most of his 43 years in sports at Channel 5, will be part of the third class welcomed into the WLWT-TV Hall of Fame in July. Channel 5 announced Tuesday that Vogel will be honored along with WLW news pioneer Peter Grant; announcer/engineer/weatherman Bill Myers; vocalist Colleen Sharp from Ruth Lyons’ 50-50 Club, the Paul Dixon Show and Midwestern Hayride; news videographer Ron Schmidt; and former general sales manager Michael J. Hayes.
In September, he was inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Journalism Hall of Fame along with eight other longtime sports personalities, anchors, writers, hosts, and producers.
“When an honor comes from your peers, the people you worked with, it means a lot,” Vogel says. “It’s because of those people that this happened. I was just a young pup when I started there” as a sports intern in 1980.
The Hall of Fame was established in 2023 for the 75th anniversary of the station — Cincinnati’s first TV station — on Feb. 9, 1948.
In November WLWT-TV inducted reporter John London, company founder Powel Crosley Jr., newsroom manager Bill Hager, and producer Dick Murgatroyd.
The six WLWT-TV veterans will be inducted in a private ceremony on July 30.
Here are mini profiles of the six:
PETER GRANT: After more than 10 years as WLW radio news anchor, Peter Grant transitioned to the station’s first news anchor and, for 20 years, delivered WLWT-TV’s newscasts from its inception in 1948. He also was a regular cast member of Lyons’ top-rated live-at-noon 50-50 Club.
BILL MYERS: Bill Myers did just about everything at Channel 5. He started at WLWT-TV in 1952 as a “prop boy” setting up props for Lyons’ 50-50 Club. For decades he was the familiar voice of WLWT-TV announcements. He also was a TV weatherman, including doing reports for the Bob Braun Show from the roof of the COMEX building at Ninth and Elm streets, across from WLWT-TV’s Crosley Square studios in the 1970s and early 1980s.
COLLEEN SHARP: The talented musician and vocalist was a fixture at WLWT during the "golden age" of live local programming in the 1960s and early ‘70s. The Indiana native appeared and performed regularly on the 50-50 Club, Bob Braun Show, Paul Dixon Show and Midwestern Hayride. She also co-hosted the Dixon Show with Bonnie Lou.
RON SCHMIDT: For 39 years, Ron Schmidt was a news photographer, videographer or chief videographer working with several generations of reporters, anchors and news directors. “Ron covered Cincinnati’s biggest stories across almost four decades, all while guiding and mentoring WLWT’s up-and-coming news photographers,” says the media release.
GEORGE VOGEL: The Georgetown High School graduate started his 43-year career as a WLWT-TV sports intern in 1980. He worked with many legendary Channel 5 employees: Bob and Rob Braun, Jerry Springer, Pat Barry, Norma Rashid, Tony Sands, Ken Broo, Tony Sands, and Thom Brennaman, to name a few. He told me about many of them before he retired in my article, "Bob Braun, cigars & towing cars: Stories George Vogel never told you on WLWT-TV."
MICHAEL J. HAYES: From the release: “Michael J. Hayes came to WLWT and Hearst Television in 1997 as General Sales Manager. His track record of success and innovative leadership while at WLWT laid the foundation for a distinguished career that would see him rise to current senior vice president, Hearst president, Hearst Television.”
