Birth Dates of Notable Kentuckians: January 13, 1934 – Nick Clooney

 
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From Wikipedia (Accessed January 19, 2014):
Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Clooney (born January 13, 1934) is an American journalist, anchorman, and television host. He is the brother of singers Rosemary Clooney and Betty Clooney and father of actor and film director George Clooney.

Clooney was born Nicholas Joseph Clooney in Maysville, Kentucky, the son of Marie Frances (née Guilfoyle) and Joseph Andrew Clooney. He was one of five children.[1] His father was of Irish and German descent and his mother was of Irish and English ancestry.[2] While serving as a Corporal in the US Army, he was a disc jockey in the American Forces Network in Germany, hosting the shows Music in the Air and Melody-Go-Round. He then moved to California for a try at show business. When that did not work out, Clooney moved to Ohio, where he met Nina Warren when she was a contestant in a beauty pageant he was judging; they married in August 1959.

Clooney had a five-year stint in the 1960s a news anchor at WKYT-TV in Lexington, Kentucky,[3] then went to Ohio to host his own TV show, the "Nick Clooney Show", first in Columbus, Ohio, for WLWC television in 1968, then for Cincinnati's WCPO-TV in 1969, and finally with its greatest degree of success for crosstown rival WKRC-TV through the early 1970s. The "Nick Clooney Show" was a local morning show, with a variety and talk-show format. In December 1974, he gained his first national fame by hosting the short-lived ABC daytime game show The Money Maze. "The Money Maze" and the "Nick Clooney Show" aired back-to-back on WKRC-TV (at the time an ABC affiliate), at 10:30 and 11 a.m., respectively.

After ABC canceled The Money Maze in June 1975,[4] Clooney returned to WKRC-TV and became the station's news director and lead anchor. As a journalist, he is probably best remembered for his hard-hitting coverage of the 1977 Beverly Hills Supper Club fire and its aftermath, which spanned several years. Many people in the region first heard about the fire from Clooney when WKRC interrupted its Saturday night prime-time schedule to broadcast news of the fire. Clooney pursued a hard news focus that was quite different from the sensationalism often seen on local television. Under his leadership, WKRC-TV became a solid #1 in the local news ratings, dethroning CBS affiliate WCPO-TV, which had controlled ratings for more than two decades under Al Schottelkotte's leadership.

After leaving WKRC in 1984, Clooney worked in Los Angeles, California, as the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. co-anchor at KNBC, and later moved on to Salt Lake City, Utah for several years to host the evening news on the newly created Fox affiliate KSTU. He returned again to WKRC-TV in the late 1980s, but by that time, NBC affiliate WLWT was number one in the late newscast with former Cincinnati mayor Jerry Springer as its main anchor; Clooney was not able to lead WKRC back to ratings leadership it enjoyed in the past.

Clooney entered print media in 1989 with a column in The Cincinnati Post, then in 1994, after a short stint as a news anchor for NBC affiliate WGRZ-TV in Buffalo, New York,[5] resurfaced nationally in television as a host and researcher for the cable channel American Movie Classics, where he introduced and presented backgrounds of classic movies, along with Bob Dorian. In 1999, he returned to his former radio home WSAI in Cincinnati, starting as afternoon host September 13, then moving to mornings in November to replace Bob Braun, who had health problems.[6]

Clooney ran as a Democrat in the 2004 election for a seat in the House of Representatives representing Kentucky's 4th Congressional District. His opponent for the open seat was Republican Geoff Davis. Clooney was recruited to run by Ken Lucas, the outgoing Democratic congressman who had held onto the conservative district with his moderate views. With his name recognition and well-publicized endorsement from Lucas, Clooney was a big favorite to keep the seat in Democratic hands.

Early in 2004, Davis fought through a (sometimes rough) three-way Republican primary. Despite a commanding early lead, when the national media began to report on the electoral contest (due to his famous son George Clooney), the local and regional press began to use the phrase "Heartland vs. Hollywood" to describe the race. Clooney's lead began to disappear and he was dealt a blow when both The Kentucky Enquirer and the Community Press newspapers endorsed Davis.

Clooney lost 44% to 54%. During his concession speech, he said his short career in politics was over. He went back to writing a column for The Cincinnati Post three times a week, covering a wide range of topics, until the Post's discontinuation in 2008.

In 2006, Clooney and his son George travelled to Darfur, Sudan, and filmed a documentary, A Journey to Darfur, which was broadcast on American cable TV as well as in United Kingdom and France. In 2008, it was released on DVD with the proceeds from its sale being donated to the International Rescue Committee to help the people of Darfur.[7][8][9][10]

Clooney became a strong activist for Darfur. He has done several open forums and speeches at local high schools in Ohio and Kentucky, and has participated in different rallies for Darfur. On March 16, 2007, following a Darfur rally, Clooney was awarded an honorary Class of 1952 diploma from St. Xavier High School, the high school he attended in Cincinnati before moving to California.[11] On October 11, 2007, Clooney visited Turpin High School in Cincinnati to talk to students about Darfur. The University of Kentucky announced that it would present him with an honorary degree at its 2007 commencement.[12]

Clooney served as the host of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize awards ceremony in both 2007[13] and 2008.[14]

In fall 2008, Clooney joined the faculty at American University in Washington, D.C. as American University School of Communication and Newseum Distinguished Journalist in Residence. Clooney’s appointment is part of a long-term partnership between the School of Communication and the Newseum, the interactive museum of news in Washington, D.C.

Clooney taught Opinion Writing in fall 2008, and in spring 2009, he taught Films that Changed Us, a new course based on his book, The Movies That Changed Us: Reflections on the Screen (Atria, 2002). The book analyzes the significance of such iconic American films as The Birth of a Nation, The Jazz Singer, Dr. Strangelove, Stagecoach, The Graduate, Star Wars and Saving Private Ryan.

As part of the school-Newseum partnership, Clooney will host the fifth annual AU School of Communication-Newseum Reel Journalism Film Festival and other events at the Newseum. The Newseum moved into its new $450 million home at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue in Northwest Washington in April 2006.

“After a news career that stretches back to the Eisenhower administration, I'm looking forward to joining American University’s School of Communication and the Newseum to work with a new generation of prospective journalists,” said Clooney.

Clooney was the commencement speaker for the University of Cincinnati on June 8, 2012 and was awarded an honorary degree the following day.[citation needed]

References

1. Severo, Richard (1 July 2002). "Rosemary Clooney, Legendary Pop Singer, Dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
2. "Ancestry of George Clooney". Genealogy.com. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
3. "Former WKYT Anchor dies". WKYT-TV. December 1, 2008. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
4. Nick Clooney (July 22, 1998). "Game show days a dizzying maze". The Cincinnati Post (Wayback Machine). Archived from the original on January 7, 2007. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
5. Biniasz, Martin. "From Goodyear to Gannett A History of Channel 2 in Buffalo". Retrieved 5 July 2012.
6. Toby Eddings, "Clooney, Kinard and Pensacola, too," The Sun News, January 23, 2000.
7. John Dempsey (June 1, 2007). "American Life TV targets baby boomers: Channel airing Clooney's Darfur docu". Variety (variety.com). Retrieved February 6, 2012.
8. Ishmael Beah (May 3, 2007). "The Time 100: George Clooney". Time (Time.com). Retrieved February 6, 2012.
9. Clooney's Docu on Darfur to Air Monday[dead link]
10. AmericanLife TV Network (ALN) Donates Proceeds From "A Journey to Darfur" DVD to the International Rescue Committee "In addition to premiering on AmericanLife TV Network, "A Journey to Darfur" has aired on The Community Channel in England and France 2. The documentary has also been shown at festivals and schools around the world including The second Refugee Film Festival in Tokyo presented by the UNHCR; Ilaria Alpi Journalistic Television Award based in Riccione, Italy; Milano Doc Festival; and the Human Rights Nights Film Festival in Bologna, Italy."[dead link]
11. "Clooney Earns Diploma, Offers Insights on Darfur". St. Xavier High School. 2006. Retrieved February 6, 2012. [dead link]
12. "Commencement to Recognize More Than 6,000 Graduates" (Press release). University of Kentucky. May 1, 2007. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
13. "Photo Gallery from the 2007 Ceremony". Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
14. "Junot Diaz, Edwige Danticat named winners of 2008 Dayton Literary Peace Prize" (Press release). Dayton Literary Peace Prize. September 4, 2008. Retrieved February 6, 2012.  

Selected Sources from UK Libraries: 

Clooney, Nick. The Movies That Changed Us : Reflections on the Screen. New York: Atria, 2002. Print. 

PN1993.5.U6 C57 2002, Young Library - 5th Floor 

Clooney, Nick. Nick : Collected Columns of Nick Clooney. Cincinnati, Ohio: WVXU/Xavier U, 1995. Print. 

PN4874.C56 A3 1995, Special Collections Research Center 

Clooney, Nick, WVXU-FM, and Cincinnati Historical Society. Cincinnati Radio the War Years (1941-1945). Cincinnati, Ohio: WVXU, 1991.  

CD12704, Fine Arts-Media Center