Longtime Newscaster with WHIO, Cheryl McHenry delivered her final newscast to local audiences on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. McHenry announced her retirement earlier this year.
We spoke with her by phone to get some insight on her approach to reporting over the years and reaction to her retirement from co-workers and longtime viewers.
Jerry Kenney: Cheryl McHenry, it is an honor to speak with you. Now, there is a saying that people in the news business should never be part of the story, but you are, in fact, the story this week, and it's a very good story. Congratulations on a long and successful career as a journalist and newscaster.
Cheryl McHenry: Oh, thank you, Jerry. It's such a special time. I could never have imagined being at WHIO TV for 44 years and it's a blessing, and I just consider myself so fortunate. And you're right, usually, we news people are not the newsmakers, we're the news deliverers. But... I've heard from so many people, from viewers and former co-workers, and just all kinds of people, and it's truly special. Thank you.
Kenney: You are known as one of the kindest, most professional people. I've heard that through interviews and articles about yourself, and I'm sure a lot of that comes from who you are, but I'm curious if there was someone early in your career who you emulated or saw as someone that you would like to follow in their footsteps.
McHenry: You know, there were women on the network who I would watch. I didn't know them personally, like Leslie Stahl and Diane Sawyer and Connie Chung, but I think it always impressed me when someone said my name, when somebody especially who I looked up to or wanted to be friends with would use my name.
So I started making a point of doing that with other people, to learn their name and to say it when I see them; just to treat people with respect, I think as a reporter. And I was a reporter for a number of years before I ever got to sit in the anchor seat. I always found that I got more flies with honey than vinegar, that if you walked around to the different prosecutor's offices or the police department or the courthouse, the different places that I covered, if I got to know the people, know their name and could approach them and ask them, so 'what's happening with this case? What's going on over here?'
"I have been overwhelmed these last three months. I announced in February that I would be leaving in May and ever since then, I've just had an outpouring of positive comments, so many flowers my home looks like a floral shop."
They were much more willing to give you information. I found out you didn't have to be aggressive or nasty in any way. That way, they'd see you coming and they'd close their door. So I think it was just something that I adopted myself after realizing how I liked to be treated and how I wanted to treat others.
Kenney: As a reporter, was there something that you looked for in particular with the stories you chose to pursue, because you have done a number of long form series throughout your career?
McHenry: Right, well, I was assigned to the police and courts beat, the criminal justice system. And I found I had an affinity for it. I never considered myself a flowery creative writer. I was more nuts-and-bolts, who, what, when, where, why, basic tenets of journalism. And I've found that those kinds of stories appealed to me. And usually, they presented themselves when you're covering the police beat in the courts. There are cases that you follow just because they have high public interest or it's something out of the ordinary that people want to hear about. So a lot of those stories just came to me because that was the beat that I was assigned to. And then over the years there were certain topics that I just wanted to explore more. I wanted to learn more about them, so I thought why not share them with our viewers.
Things like, I remember doing a story on electronics recycling because I was concerned about people dumping computers in the landfill. I became very concerned about veteran suicides back in 2012 when a young man around the corner from me took his own life and I ended up sending a sympathy card to his mother just as a citizen. She wrote me back and we did this whole half hour special called Invisible Wound PTSD because that continues to be a problem. And we wanted to show people who are suffering that you're not the only one, that there are a lot of people suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome who've been in combat abroad or seen terrible things. And we want to show that there is hope.
And then of course, I've done the Miami Valley Murder Mysteries because of my connections with the Dayton Police Cold Case Unit from years ago, highlighting some of those unsolved cold cases, those murders with the families are still holding on to hope that the killer can be found. And I think it makes them feel just so much better that their loved one hasn't been forgotten, even though that person is gone. And as I said, perhaps their case will never be solved.
Kenney: That kind of care and attention to reporting really sets up a trust with viewers. And how are they responding to the news that you're leaving or even comments that you've heard over the years?
McHenry: Jerry, I have been overwhelmed these last three months. I announced in February that I would be leaving in May and ever since then, I've just had an outpouring of positive comments, so many flowers my home looks like a floral shop. I've had gifts, I've had candy and cookies sent to the station. But most of all, I just had wonderful comments where people tell me that they'll miss me and that they view me as a trusted friend.
And to me, that means more than anything, that people value your credibility. You know, sometimes when you're on TV, people will criticize your appearance, or your hair, or your clothing. It almost seems kind of silly. But you have to pay attention to those things because you realize you're in the public eye. But really, I've never been offended really by any of those kinds of comments over the years and I used to get a lot more of them when I was younger and I probably did need a lot of help with my clothing and appearance.
But in my later years, it's just been so heartwarming really that people trust me enough that they turn to me and to us, WHIO, to get their news and their weather. And I think that that comes with longevity and then just seeing your body of work, and that you've been there, and you've been there for them, it's a wonderful feeling, and in a way, it makes it harder to go but I'm trying to trust myself that this is the right time for me to leave.
Kenney: Well, it's a standard question for anyone leaving after a long career, but what do you plan to do with your newfound time?
McHenry: But that is a good question, and everyone does ask that, and it is a great question. I plan to, for the first few months, just kind of 'be.' I'm a disciplined person. I get up early, I go to the gym, I walk the dog, and I wanna spend more time with people, with family, with friends. I know I haven't devoted enough time to all the people that I care about. My father is 94 years old, and he's still doing very well. I want to spend more time with him, my brothers and sisters. I have high school friends around who've been wanting to get together. So I'm looking forward to spending more time with them. I look forward to reading more. I have books that I've wanted to get to and I just haven't been able to find the time. So I look to just experiencing the joy of reading leisurely and just getting out in nature. I really... appreciate nature more and more as I've gotten older, just being out and hiking and walking, getting away from the screens and taking in all that Mother Nature has to offer.
We'll do some traveling down the road. Don't have any big trips planned right now, but some ideas of places my husband and I would like to go down the road a bit.
But for now, just going to take some time and write a whole bunch of thank you notes.
