Al Schottelkotte
Encyclopedia
WCPO-TV
WCPO-TV, virtual channel 9 , is an ABC-affiliated television station in Cincinnati, Ohio. WCPO's studio is located in the Mount Adams neighborhood of Cincinnati, just outside of Eden Park. Its transmitter is located along Symmes Street, just south of East McMillan Street in Cincinnati.The station...
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
for 27 years, and later served as President/CEO of the Scripps Howard Foundation
Scripps Howard Foundation
The Scripps Howard Foundation is the corporate foundation of the E. W. Scripps Company, an American media conglomerate which owns newspapers, television stations, cable television networks, and other media outlets...
from 1986 until three weeks before his death in December 1996.
Early career
Schottelkotte's news career began in 1943 when he was hired on as a copy aide for The Cincinnati EnquirerThe Cincinnati Enquirer
The Cincinnati Enquirer, a daily morning newspaper, is the highest-circulation print publication in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The Cincinnati Enquirer, a daily morning newspaper, is the highest-circulation print publication in Greater Cincinnati (Ohio) and Northern Kentucky. The...
. Three months later he was promoted to general assignment reporter, making then-16-year-old Schottelkotte the youngest journalist at that time for any major American newspaper. After a two-year stint in the military
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
serving in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, he began writing his "Talk Of The Town" for the Enquirer, which lasted nine years.
During his military career, Schottelkotte lectured on current affairs. It was that experience that offered him the chance in 1953 to anchor an evening newscast on WSAI-FM
WSAI
WSAI is an AM radio station broadcasting out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Its studios are in the Towers of Kenwood building next to I-71 in the Kenwood section of Sycamore Township and its transmitter is located in Mount Healthy.WSAI is known as "Fox Sports 1360," including The Dan Patrick Show and The...
(now WVMX).
"The Voice Of Cincinnati"
By 1959, Schottelkotte had joined Scripps-Howard's WCPO TelevisionWCPO-TV
WCPO-TV, virtual channel 9 , is an ABC-affiliated television station in Cincinnati, Ohio. WCPO's studio is located in the Mount Adams neighborhood of Cincinnati, just outside of Eden Park. Its transmitter is located along Symmes Street, just south of East McMillan Street in Cincinnati.The station...
, anchoring the 11 p.m. newscast. For a time, he continued to write for the Enquirer, but by 1961 he had abandoned print journalism to devote all his energy to television.
Schottelkotte's tireless work ethic, paired with his terse and prudent on-air delivery made him synonymous with Cincinnati television news, and easily earned him the nickname "The Voice Of Cincinnati". Schottelkotte supplanted WLWT
WLWT
WLWT, virtual channel 5 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, the station is owned by Hearst Television...
's Peter Grant as the most watched TV news anchor in The Queen City, and his newscasts led in TV ratings consistently from 1960 to 1982, with shares sometimes leading all of the competing Cincinnati newscasts combined. He was unseated as Cincinnati's news leader in 1982 by Nick Clooney
Nick Clooney
Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Clooney is an American journalist, anchorman, and television host. He is the brother of the late singer Rosemary Clooney, and father of actor and film director George Clooney.-Early life:...
, a long-time talk show favorite in Cincinnati who had begun anchoring local news on rival station WKRC-TV
WKRC-TV
WKRC-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Tri-State area of Southern Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Southeastern Indiana that is licensed to Cincinnati. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter at its studios on Highland Avenue in the Mount...
.
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, and even made a cameo broadcast as himself in the January 6, 1966 "Not Guilty" episode of Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
-- at the time WCPO was affiliated with CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
.
Over time, he took to beginning each newscast with a precis of the day's headlines, finishing his overview with "Details on these in a minute.. Elsewhere...", and then signing off with his trademark ending: "Until tomorrow, may it all be good news.. to.. you." (On WKRP In Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta...
, newsman Les Nessman
Les Nessman
Les Nessman is a fictional character on the television situation comedy WKRP in Cincinnati played by Richard Sanders. He reprised his role in the sequel series, The New WKRP in Cincinnati.-Background and Appearance:...
signed off all his newscasts with "Good night, and may the good news be yours," a variation on, and a tribute to, Schottelkotte's trademark signoff).
In 1973, when the Rembrandt painting "Portrait Of A Woman" was stolen from the Taft Museum, a local man having found the painting called Schottelkotte personally and produced the portrait to him live on an 11 o'clock newscast; the painting was confirmed to be genuine by then-museum committee chairman John Warrington.
During a 1977 newscast, an intruder barged into the studio shouting as Schottelkotte began narrating a film report. He punched the prowler with one hand while muting his microphone with the other so viewers could not hear it. The intruder fled and Schottelkotte, unshaken, continued with the newscast.
Innovations
Schottelkotte contributed to numerous pioneering facets of local news:- The "Spotlight Report", which he created for radio in 1953. He brought it to television and continued it until he ended his broadcast career in 1994.
- He spearheaded the expansion of WCPO's newscasts to a half hour (from 15 minutes), and he created newscast slots at 6 p.m. and even a "noon report" broadcast, which he himself anchored until 1967 (at the time a newscast at noon was unheard of in television news).
- Schottelkotte relied heavily on visuals, believing they drew more attention to a given story and away from Schottelkotte himself. The WCPO news staff had acquired a library of over 50,000 slides and countless pieces of film footage of noted personalities and local landmarks (Cincinnati native Ted TurnerTed TurnerRobert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable news network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
later took a page from Schottelkotte's approach when he launched CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
). - By 1967 Schottelkotte was promoted to general manager of Scripps Howard's fledgling news division. Under his management, WCPO had obtained one of the first ever news helicopters in the U.S. (The "Channel 9 Newsbird" was also one of the first to broadcast live while in flight).
- He was also credited with the creation or co-creation of several local programs, both news and non-news oriented, including:
- Impact, a weekend political discussion program.
- Police Call, a public affairs show featuring discussions on law enforcement with actual police, short films on safety, and also featured a "most wanted" hotline to catch criminals still at large.
- Call The Doctor, was a medical, audience participation program, and the first of its kind in the United States. Viewers could call in with health-related questions for that week's topic and the program was co-created by Dr. Albert E. Thielen, who also moderated the program.
- Sports Of All Sorts, a Sunday night sports discussion show.
Eric Land, a longtime reporter at WCPO, later said that he modeled the fast-paced format at WIAT
WIAT
WIAT, virtual channel 42, is the CBS-affiliated television station in the Birmingham/Tuscaloosa/Anniston/Gadsden, Alabama television market. Licensed to Birmingham, it broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 30, although through the use of PSIP, the station's virtual channel number is...
in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, on Schottelkotte's newscasts.
Later years
Schottelkotte was promoted to senior vice-president of Scripps Howard Broadcasting in the fall of 1981. The following year he was made station director for WCPO and stepped down as anchor of the 11 o'clock newscast, but continued to anchor the 6 p.m. newscasts until August 1986, when he was promoted yet again to president of the Scripps Howard Foundation. He would have retired in March 1997.Personal life
Schottelkotte grew up in Cincinnati's CheviotCheviot, Ohio
Cheviot is a city located in west central Hamilton County, Ohio. The population was 9,015 at the 2000 census.- History :In 1814 a Scottish immigrant named John Craig purchased a half section of of Green Township from Elias Boudinot. He built an inn and tavern on the Harrison Pike. In 1818 Craig...
neighborhood and was of Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
ancestry. He practiced the Roman Catholic faith.
He and his first wife, Virginia, had 12 children, most of whom still live in the Cincinnati area. His second wife, Elaine Green, was at one time a news reporter at WCPO; in 1981 she won a Peabody award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
for her interview of a gunman during a hostage situation in WCPO's newsroom in October 1980.
Schottelkotte died on Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
Day 1996 at his Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Lawrenceburg is a city in Dearborn County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,042 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Dearborn County...
home, after a two-year battle with cancer.
External links
- Scripps Howard Foundation news release of Schottlekotte's death
- Focus episode on Schottelkotte and interview with Nick Clooney – WCET-TVWCET (TV)WCET is the PBS member public television station serving Cincinnati, Ohio. It broadcasts digitally on channel 34 but is displayed on-screen as channel 48, its former analog and present virtual channel, via the PSIP protocol. Its signal is multiplexed, broadcasting one high-definition channel, CET...