Hall of Fame

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.

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.

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.


 

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

 

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.

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.

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.