Jeff Hawkinson
Faculty
Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Jeff graduated magna cum laude from Bradley University where he was student Senate president, president of Pi Kappa Delta, station manager for campus radio station WRBU, associate judge of campus supreme court, and varsity debater. In 1973, he taught broadcast news at Illinois State University where he founded the nationally-recognized student news program, TV-10. From 1975 - 1986, “Hawk” held positions at WEEK-TV as assignment editor, news director, and broadcast manager. He left WEEK to work for Caterpillar as their national spokesperson, annual report coordinator, and anchor/producer of Caterpillar’s Background News, an employee news program that aired worldwide.
Wayne Weber
Faculty
Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Wayne H. Weber was selected as a professor of journalism and the news director of TV-10 in 1975, a position he held until his death in 1984. He received his bachelor's degree in journalism in 1959 from the University of Illinois, and his master's degree at Illinois State University. Prior to his work at TV-10 Weber served as the acting news director of WILL, Urbana, The sports director for WREX TV in Rockford, an announcer for WLS and ABC Radio in Chicago, and the news director of WICD TV, Champaign.
Arles Hendershott Love
Graduating Class of 1979
Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Following a successful career as a Reporter, Producer, and Assignment Editor, Arles was named News Director in 1986, at the time less than 5% of the News Directors in the country were female. She then went on to have a successful career with Benedek Broadcasting, the largest owner of small and medium market Television stations in the 1990s. Always wanting to help others she became the Development Director at Milestone, an agency serving the Developmentally Disabled and raised over $24,000,000 in 18 years. She has been awarded many regional and state awards for her volunteer Community Service.
Rick Whitlow
Graduating Class of 1975
Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Rick worked in many different areas at TV-10, but his specialty was sports. He also was part of ISU’s basketball team from 1972-75. Following his time here, he went on to work at many different stations, including Sports Director roles at WAPT and WJTV. Rick had a passion for serving others. He worked in not-for-profit and civil servant positions at both the city and state level in Jackson, MI. He also valued educating others, serving as an ELA Teacher and a mentor to many aspiring journalists. Rick was very proud of his book, "Swagger: The Life and Times of Rick Whitlow".
Danny Sepesey
Broadcast Engineer
Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Jerry Giesler
Graduating Class of 1976
Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Jerry was a member of the first class of TV-10ers when the program debuted on community wide cable in the 1970’s. Since graduation, Jerry’s career spanned nearly 40 years, both in the roles of News Director and General Manager. During his involvement all of the stations were recognized with Emmys and various state , regional and specialty awards. Jerry spent seven years as a Senior Consultant for Frank N Magid Associates, and was in high demand from client stations, station groups and networks. “Illinois State’s conviction to the program meant everything to my career, .Giesler says. We were part of a news organization/laboratory practicing accuracy, creativity, and problem solving.”
John F. Cragan, Ph.D
Faculty
Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Rick Kempf
Broadcast Engineer
Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Alicia Bettes
Graduating Class of 1994
Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Alicia Antoinette Bettes is a Peabody Award-winning journalist and mentor. Throughout her broadcasting journey, she has been a reporter, host, producer, executive producer, media relations manager, communications instructor, and assistant news director. 2019 ushered in a new growth opportunity when she became the first Broadcast Manager of on-air talent for the AccuWeather Network. In 2021, Ms. Bettes was selected as an inaugural member of the National Association of Black Journalists’ Mentorship Program. Alicia is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the country’s first Black sorority for college-educated women.
Steve Berger
Graduating Class of 1977
Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Steve Berger is an accomplished advertising and marketing executive with over four-decades of experience in management, new business development, acquisitions and mergers.
Steve has worked with content providers such as ABC*Disney, NBC Universal, Time Warner Cable, The Fox Cable Networks, Sony Domestic Television, CBS/Paramount and MGM to name a few. Steve has also worked with many Fortune 500 companies as well as challenger brands to increase their share of voice through advertising and marketing strategies.
Recognizing that charity begins at home, he donates time and resources to The American Heart Association, The City of Hope, AIDS Project LA, The Wounded Warriors Project, Public Broadcasting, The Palm Desert Sheriff’s Department, The Living Desert and The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. This year Steve created a 5-year scholarship program to provide financial aid for students in need enrolled here in the School of Communications. He views his greatest accomplishments as his daughter Jenna and son Sam.
Roy J. Santoro
Graduating Class of 1977
Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Stephen J. Pusateri
Graduating Class of 1980
Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Les Vann
Graduating Class of 1977
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
From interning at his hometown station in Springfield, Illinois, to serving as the General Manager at stations in Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Savannah and Greenville, North Carolina, Les Vann has spent more than 40 years in television newsrooms. He is well-respected in the industry for his ability to recharge and rebuild stations and teams in order to achieve ratings and revenue success, so much so that Broadcasting & Cable magazine named him General Manager of the Year in 2015. Vann strongly believes in the privilege of civic involvement and has served on many nonprofit boards, as president of three PTAs, as coach for youth sports and commissioner of a 700-member baseball league.
Steve Scheuer
Graduating Class of 1995
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
A quick-thinking photographer with an excellent eye for detail, Steve Scheuer has been shooting in Chicago since 1997, and at WGN-TV since 2000. He has won 14 Emmys as well as other awards and now specializes in features and sports, with his work being shown frequently in TV-10 classes. The certified drone pilot has regular assignments to cover MLB Spring Training and to highlight challenging golf courses with fellow alum Dan Roan.
Sandra Torres
Graduating Class of 2006
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
Immigrating from Colombia at 13 years old and not speaking English, Sandra Torres has had a long journey to being on the air in Chicago television; yet she has made it in a relatively short time. She became a reporter at CBS2 in 2015 and moved to NBC5 in 2018 as a bilingual reporter, also filing stories for sister station Telemundo. She has been involved with the Illinois News Broadcasters Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and regularly returns to Illinois State University.
Ed Marcin
Graduating Class of 1976
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
Starting with an internship at WLS Radio, Ed Marcin has made his career in media advertising in Chicago, working up to Vice President of Government Affairs and Special Programs at Clear Channel Outdoor, where he is able to use outdoor advertising to support numerous worthy causes. Marcin has served for many years on the Board of Directors for the Outdoor Advertising Association of Illinois, including a term as President. He’s also a committed fan and supporter of Illinois State University, and a charter member of the School of Communication’s Alumni Advisory Council.
Rob Whalen
Broadcast Engineer
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
Rob Whalen is more than an engineer; he is a skillful visionary who has moved TV-10's operation forward steadily and consistently for more than 20 years, always working on a tight budget. He is behind the program's 2009 transition from analog to digital shooting and editing as well as the 2016 control room makeover.The US Army Veteran has worked at all three Peoria-area TV Stations and has received recognition from ISU's College of Arts and Sciences.
Maria Henneberry
Graduating Class of 1992
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
With a career path as varied as her interests, Maria Henneberry has touched many facets of the broadcast industry. She has been an on-air personality and news director at local radio stations, a reporter, producer and anchor at two local television stations, an award-winning video writer and producer, and communication director for a major non-profit. A published author and former National Chair of the Association for Women in Communications, Henneberry also taught advanced broadcast reporting to TV-10 students for more than 10 years.
Kurt Pegler
Graduating Class of 1987
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
Kurt Pegler started covering Central Illinois sports as part of SportsMakers at TV-10, and has continued for more than 30 years. The Sports Director at WMBD-TV in Peoria has won Associated Press and Illinois Broadcasters Association awards, has supervised numerous interns from TV-10, and hired many students as part-time sports photographers. For his work as a play-by-play announcer and event emcee, Pegler has been inducted into the ISU Athletics Hall of Fame, and he received the IHSA Distinguished Media Service Award for his excellent coverage of high school sports.
John Fisk
Production Director 1981-2002
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
More than two decades of TV-10 graduates credit John Fisk with teaching them the basics of television production and setting them up for jobs in the industry. Fisk used not only the classroom, but the control room and studio, and also loved teaching in the field, whether it was breaking news or outdoor programming. He also helped design the new layout when TV-10 moved from its studio and control room in Metcalf School to Fell Hall in 1992.
Jay Groves
Graduating Class of 1980 (BS), 1982 (MS)
TV-10 News Director 1984-1995
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
Jay Groves was thrust into the News Director role at TV-10 unexpectedly, but quickly showed that his excellent news judgment, no-nonsense attitude and legendary networking skills would greatly benefit the program and its students. He was president of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association, and chaperoned students on many INBA conventions. He was a strong champion of journalism, but also of Illinois State University when he moved into a key role in the ISU President’s office for the next 23 years, deftly managing image and reputation to constituencies at the local, state and national level.
Krista Ruch
Graduating Class of 1993
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
Always laser-focused on sports broadcasting, Krista Ruch rose from an internship to producing weekend sports to supervising sports producer at WGN-TV in Chicago, by the time she was 28, making her the first woman and youngest person ever to hold that position at any of the Chicago TV stations.
Since 2003, she has been Executive Sports Producer at CBS2 in Chicago, covering all of the major events, including a Bears’ Super Bowl appearance, three Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup Championships and World Series wins for both the White Sox and the Cubs.
Doug Spilatro
Graduating Class of 1979
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
Doug Spilatro has been either a Visual Effects Artist or Visual Effects Supervisor in more than 100 films, including Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity Wars, The Revenant, Birdman, Django Unchained and Argo. He’s also credited on numerous TV series: Sense8, Weeds, The Closer, Mad Men, House, NCIS, Big Love, Castle, Nip/Tuck, Entourage, and many more, along with more than a dozen TV movies. A 2018 inductee to the College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame, he has been willing to help TV-10 students get their foot in the door in Hollywood.
Ruth Ravve
Graduating Class of 1986
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
Producing newscasts and news stories has taken Ruth Ravve across the country and even around the world. She’s had jobs at TV stations in Peoria, Albany, New York, Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Detroit, producing and executive producing shows, segments and specials, and creating new content. Since 1996, she’s been a National News producer based in Chicago for the Fox News Channel, with assignments in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Jordan, Europe, and on some of the biggest stories in the US: the Flint Water Crisis, racial unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, and high-profile court cases and political campaigns.
Dan Roan
Graduating Class of 1977
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
A veteran of Chicago sports broadcasting, Dan Roan has been WGN-TV Sports Director since 1984. He has covered World Series, Stanley Cup Championships, NBA Championships, Super Bowls, and National Champions for College Football and Basketball. Along with anchoring WGN sportscasts, he does play-by-play and pre- and post-game for many Chicago sports. He is also a member of the College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.
Randy Henry
Graduating Class of 1976
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
Randy Henry has a lifetime involvement in competitive sports, including participating, coaching, administration, promotion and media. He has used the game of basketball to excel educationally, professionally, and personally. Randy has been leading in the community of the Metro-Detroit area for 30+ years. In 1993, he created the B.A.L.L Foundation, which not only focuses on athletics but life and leadership skills, including managing finances and education. His awards and achievements include the Minority Achiever Award from Chrysler, the Sonny Wilson Award for community work, and the Big Fellas Association Community person of the year Award, Thank You Award, Michigan Chronicle Men of Excellence Award, and the Ford- Employees African-Ancestry Network (F.A.N.N.) Freedom Award for Community Service.
Randy has managed to maintain a healthy marriage for 40 years with wife Carmen Henry, and they have raised three successful children: RanDee Spencer and twins Eric Henry and Rachel McCants.
Randy's degree in Mass Communication allowed him to have a successful media career where he has directed/managed multiple productions, crews, and talents at WDIV-Local 4 for 36 years. And he currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at Lawrence Technological University.
Carolyn Mungo
Graduating Class of 1983
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
During a reporting career that took her to Austin, Minneapolis, Phoenix and Houston, Carolyn Mungo has earned several state and regional awards, including Emmys. The recognition has continued since she transitioned into management. Now Executive News Director at WFAA in Dallas, the fifth largest US television market, she has led her team to a National Murrow Award and a Walter Cronkite Award, and was named “News Director of the Year” for 2018 by Broadcasting & Cable magazine.
