Two Former WOUB students to be inducted into the Greater Cincinnati SPJ Journalism Hall of Fame

Next month, two former WOUB students will be celebrating a great honor together. John Popovich and Ken Broo are part of a group of nine veteran Cincinnati sports journalists who have been chosen for the 2024 class of the Greater Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalist (SPJ) Journalism Hall of Fame.

“I was at the gym on an elliptical when I got the call,” said Broo with a laugh. “I thought it was a joke. But once I realized it was true, I was shocked. It was humbling. I can assure you that I am in no other hall of fame.”

“I was thrilled to learn that I had been selected,” said Popovich. “The SPJ Journalism Hall of Fame is one that recognizes you for your ability to report and write and that means a lot to me.”

Broo, who was a telecommunications major that graduated from 91̽�� in 1974, has worked at several radio and television stations in Cincinnati and across the country for nearly 50 years. In one of his roles, he served as the play-by-play voice of the Cincinnati Bengals Radio Network. The Belleville, NJ native started at 91̽�� in the summer of 1969 and started working at WOUB and writing for The Post, as well as doing play-by-play for 91̽�� Bobcats Hockey and Athens High School sports along with color analysis for The Bobcat Football Network.

Popovich, who grew up in Struthers, Ohio, worked at WOUB and was also a telecommunications major but graduated from 91̽�� one year earlier than Broo in 1973. In 1979, Popovich was hired in Cincinnati at WCPO as a sports reporter doing features. He was named Sports Director in 1981 and hosted the popular Sports of All Sorts program which aired for decades Sunday nights after the 11 p.m. news. He retired from WCPO-TV at the end of 2019 after 40-years with the station.

“We went to college together and had really long careers,” said Popovich. “It is wonderful that we are being inducted together.”

“John is the quintessential storyteller, he excelled at it,” said Broo. “It’s no shock to me that he’s going in. I think the rest of us all line up behind him.”

The induction ceremony will be held on September 16 at a gala at Great American Ball Park’s Bally Sports Club.

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