Jerry Revish
Biography.
Jerry Revish is an award-winning news anchor and reporter for the WNNS-TV in the U.S. He was born on March 15th in 1949 in Youngstown, Ohio. His parents, Estelle Revish and Dewey Revish were homemakers and steelworkers, respectively. Revish attended his junior-level school in his hometown and later proceeded to East High school. He graduated in 1967 and joined Youngstown State University and then enrolled at Chapman College in California. He began his journalism career in 1972, where he first joined the WBBW radio in Youngstown as a board operator. In 1974, he shifted from the WBBW radio to the WBNS AM/FM radio based in Columbus. He joined the WBNS radio as a reported and assignment editor. His career as a reporter was promising, and six years later, he was promoted to become a newscaster for WBNS tv (History Makers, 2012). As a newscaster and reporter, he got to travel to various destinations, such as in Saudi Arabia, where he featured the Persian Gulf war.
He also featured the Balkans war in Bosnia and created an award-winning documentary on apartheid in South Africa. His documentaries and reports were exceptions, which led to the gaining of several awards across the globe. According to History Makers (2012), Revish gained much recognition from being an eloquent and hardworking anchor that has seen him several awards, including six Emmy awards. Jerry is re-known in his home town for taking up several community projects that have led to improved growth and stability within the community. He is the founder of the Columbus Association of black journalists that have supported several young people in their journalism career.
Further, he plays a significant role in supporting the underprivileged and minority students in Columbus, Ohio, through conducting journalism workshops commonly known as the Revish High School Journalism workshop program. Revish is a family man to Danielle, a fashion show producer, and they are blessed with two children, Nicole Revish and Jerome Revish. In November 2019, Jerry Revish retired from his career in journalism whereby, he had served for 45 years.
Journalism Journey.
Revish started his journalism career at the WBBW radio in Ohio in 1872. He worked as the board operator, and through his journalism skills, he impressed his superiors, which led to his promotion to work at the WBNS- Am/ Fm radio in Columbus. At WBNS, he was assigned the role of a general reported and assignment editor. In 1980, he moved from radio to television, where he became news where he performed as a news anchor to WBNS-TV. Throughout this period, Revish traveled to various destinations as an anchor whereby, he featured on several international news reports such as that of the Persian Gulf war, Dessert shield dairy, and several documentaries (History Makers, 2012). In 1992, he was appointed to be a co-anchor for the WBNS-TV whereby, he featured in the 6 pm and 11 pm news and anchored alongside Dave Kaylor, Angela Pace, Janet Watkins, and Andrea Cambern (History Makers, 2012). A year later, he moved to anchor the 5 pm and noon newscasts. In 2005, he shifted to the 6 pm and 11 pm news anchor, whereby he worked alongside Andrea Cambern for the next seven years until My 23rd 2012. His journalism skills in news reporting and preparing of documentaries made him be a favorite anchor to several viewers. Revish was an eloquent reporter and trusted anchor who was sought after in moderating several political debates in the U.S. In 2012, he moderated the senate election debate that featured Senator Sherrod Brown and his challenger Josh Mandel, Ohio Treasurer, at the Nationwide center. Revish’s career in journalism lasted for 45 years before he retired on November 27th, 2019 (Gaitten, 2019). The WBNS group upholds him for his standard of excellence while at his career, as well as immense practice, resilience, and integrity.
Highlights of His Career.
Throughout his career, Jerry has won thirteen Emmy awards, Silver circle award, and four Edward Murrow awards. Some of his career highlights include his travel to Saudi Arabia to cover the first Persian Gulf war in 1991 (Payind, 2004). He was the first Central Ohio reporter to travel to Saudi Arabia during the war. The Persian Gulf war was aimed at dislodging Sadam Hussein, an Iraqi dictator. Revishi moved to the desert with an army reserve unit based in Marion (Payind, 2004). It took risks and resilience to settle at the dessert at the tent city and accompany the soldiers to feature the day to day events. Revish documented the events throughout the war, and he created a documentary entitled,” Desert Shield Diary. The documentary was highly recognized, and he was awarded Midwest Regional Emmy Award. He also featured the Bosnia Balkans war, where he created a half-hour-long documentary o the war and the people in Bosnia. The documentary also earned an Emmy Award. He further features a post-apartheid documentary in South Africa, news in Bahrain, and Haiti. Most of his international repot and features won him awards due to his ability to have the right spot of coverage. Revish has garnered several journalism state recognitions, and in 2005, he was awarded the Blue-Chip Award in communication. He was also awarded the Carl Day award due to his outstanding performance at the WBNS.
Revish got indicted to the Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame of 2005 (History Makers, 2012). He was also recognized by the National Association of Black Journalists for his reporting skills and creating some of the best documentaries. The group awarded him the Best International reporting award. Also, other major stories that he covered include the September 11th Terrorists attack, dedication to Vietnam war memorial, Lucasville State prison Riot, and the Ohio State Bowl games. One of the most satisfying personal achievements was his input on proving Walter Smith’s innocence. Walter Smith was a Columbus based bodybuilder that had been accused and falsely convicted of rape (Gaitten, 2019). Having filed for a motion seeking DNA tests from prison, he was severely denied access to the pathological testing for approximately nine times over eight years. However, Revish took up his story and followed up and went ahead to seek a breakthrough to allow for DNA testing. Through his feature, Walter Smith was granted access to DNA, and he became the 38th person in the U.S history to be freed through DNA results. Also, in an interview conducted by the WNBS, he states that he was also honored to be part of the reporting team to feature during the Inauguration of President Obama (Gaitten, 2019). He also managed to have a sit down with President Obama and interviewed him on the current issues that affected the American population.
Views on Journalism.
During one of his interviews, Revish emphasizes on the fact that, for one to be a journalist and have theist stores, hey should approach every angle with an open mind. He states that” Everyone has a story that they can tell” (Somerville 2019). More than often, journalists end up being judgementalism or double-sided, which hinders their ability from capturing events and stories as it is. People are interested in knowing their won agenda but not listening to what the world has to offer. Journalists are tasked with the role of getting the story out despite having their personal opinions about different societal issues.
Further, Somerville (2019) states that Revish also emphasizes on the fact that, his love for journalism was from his childhood age as it was a passion. He had a passion for writing essays and even journaled to his fellow students while in high school Youngstown. As a result, he encouraged his predecessors to have a focused interest in what makes them happy in journalism rather than concentrating on payoffs and stipends. His insight to upcoming journalists is always to have a plan and look at the future by telling stories in a compelling, unique, and natural manner (Somerville 2019). Having good knowledge of one’s specialty in journalism also matters, as he started from behind the scenes in radio before getting to TV and being a news anchor. He also emphasized the need to have a welcoming personality, the practice of integrity, professionalism, hard work, and honesty. The journalism industry can be challenging, especially when dealing with matters relating to national interests since different opinions could be associated with them (Revish, 2010). However, being able to deliver unbiased and fair report plays a significant role in building one’s career. Further, it is substantial that future journalists identify their areas of specialty, such as politics, sports, fashion, finance, art, among other areas. As a result, they can go out of the way to deliver impressive reports and news to society.
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Samples of His work
Excerpts: Retrieved from Ohio State men’s basketball play game in South Africa (1996)
“In June 1996, Ohio State made history. the Buckeyes were the first American college basketball team to play in South Africa after the fall of apartheid.
The primary purpose of the tour was to foster ties between Ohio State and African universities. Just as Nelson Mandela did in a country that had imprisoned him.”
Article: Method to growing smart kids, the Japanese way (1996)
EXCLUSIVE: Jerry Revish Interviews President Obama Tonight On 10TV News
Reference
Gaitten., C. (2019). Seven Questions for 10TV Anchor Jerry Revish. The retiring broadcaster looks back on his career in journalism. Retrieved from: https://www.columbusmonthly.com/news/20190904/seven-questions-for-10tv-anchor-jerry-revish
History Makers. Jerry Revish Biography (2012). The History Makers. Retrieved from: https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/jerry-revish-1
Payind, A., Herrmann, R., Mills, M., & Quigley, J. (2004). The Middle East. Listen. Ask. Learn. A Panel Discussion and Q&A Session.
Revish, J. (2010). Writers Talk Featuring Jerry Revish.
Somerville, B. (2019). Jerry Revish reflects on religion, his revered career, and much-deserved relaxation. Retrieved from: https://www.10tv.com/article/jerry-revish-reflects-religion-his-revered-career-and-much-deserved-relaxation-2019-dec