Legendary Journalist and Broadcaster Nick Clooney to Address UC s Spring Graduates

Journalist, radio/TV personality, activist and humanitarian Nick Clooney will address graduates at the University of Cincinnati during ceremonies at 2 p.m., Friday, June 8, and 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., Saturday, June 9. All events will take place in Fifth Third Arena.

Clooney will also receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the 9 a.m. ceremony on June 9. The honorary degree represents the highest award from the University of Cincinnati.

Clooney holds regional Emmy® Awards and national Emmy® nominations for his work in television broadcasting. He is a member of the Cincinnati, Kentucky and Ohio Journalism Halls of Fame.

Clooney began his broadcast career at the age of 17, working at his hometown radio station in Maysville, Ky. His career has spanned radio and local, regional and national television, including hosting the variety-themed Nick Clooney Show, which aired in Cincinnati from 1969-72; hosting the national game show, “The Money Maze” from 1974-75; and serving as news director and anchor of WKRC-TV from 1976-84 and 1986-88.

Clooney has also worked in markets including Lexington, Ky.; Salt Lake City; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Los Angeles. He was a columnist for The Cincinnati Post from 1989-2007 and was a host and researcher for the national American Movie Classics cable channel from 1994-99. He was a distinguished journalist-in-residence and faculty member of American University’s School of Communication from 2008-09.

In 2006, Clooney and his son, award-winning actor George Clooney, travelled to Darfur, Sudan, to film the documentary, “A Journey to Darfur,” which raised awareness about the suffering and human rights atrocities in that region. Last March, father and son were arrested in Washington, D.C., after crossing a police line during a protest outside the Sudanese Embassy.

Born and raised in Maysville, Ky., Clooney is also the brother of the late legendary singer Rosemary Clooney and Cincinnati television pioneer and singer Betty Clooney. In 1983, the Clooney family opened the Betty Clooney Center near Los Angeles – a program of the Betty Clooney Foundation for Persons with Brain Injury, which serves survivors of brain trauma.

Clooney and his wife, Nina, reside in Augusta, Ky., where they have been praised for their efforts to preserve the town’s history. They also have a daughter, Ada Zeidler.

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