Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Arizona State University
Arizona State University

Alumni Hall of Fame

In 1993, the Cronkite School inducted its first class into the Cronkite Alumni Hall of Fame. The charter inductees were Al Michaels, '66, an ABC Sports veteran who served as play-by-play announcer for “Monday Night Football” for two decades, and Bill Redeker, '71, an ABC News correspondent who covered the Middle East, the Far East and the United States during his 30 years with the network.

Subsequent inductees have represented virtually all media fields, including print journalism, broadcast journalism, public relations, online media, photojournalism and book publishing.

Each year, the Cronkite School faculty selects new members for the Cronkite Alumni Hall of Fame. The new members are inducted at the annual Cronkite Luncheon and, in a tradition started in 2005, they also are presented at the school’s convocation ceremony in the year of their induction.

The 2007 inductee was Chicago TV journalist Robert Petty.

Petty, a leading figure at WLS-TV in Chicago for more than 30 years, graduated from Arizona State University’s journalism program in 1970 as the outstanding senior in the radio/television division. Petty began his professional career as a writer, reporter and producer at KOOL, then the CBS affiliate in Phoenix. In 1971, he joined WLS-TV, the ABC affiliate in Chicago, as a general assignment reporter. He went on to become producer and host of “Weekend Edition” and the anchor of “Saturday Weekend News.” Petty was presented the Silver Circle Award from the Chicago/Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2003 for his contributions to the broadcast industry. He also has been a William Benton fellow in broadcast journalism, participating in a select year-long program at the University of Chicago for radio and television journalists.

The Cronkite Alumni Hall of Fame inductees (with their affiliation at the time of induction) are:

2007 Robert Petty, WLS-TV, Chicago
2006 Mary Kim Titla, NativeYouthMagazine.com
2006 Susan Karis, Clear Channel Radio
2005 Ellen Leyva, KABC-TV, Los Angeles
2005 Katie Raml, KNXV-TV, Phoenix
2004 Kathleen Bade, KFMB-TV, San Diego
2004 Mark Flatten, East Valley Tribune
2003 Jayne Clark, USA Today
2003 Richard Lacher, NBC Entertainment
2002 Derrick Hall, Los Angeles Dodgers
2002 John Hook, KSAZ-TV, Phoenix
2001 Christine Devine, KTTV-TV, Los Angeles
2001 Gary Ulik, News-Press
2000 Linda Cottam Kauss, USA Today
2000 Craig Newman, Arnold and Porter
2000 Conrad Storad, ASU Research Magazine
2000 Linda Williams, KSAZ-TV, Phoenix
1999 Mike Arnold, CBS Sports
1999 Mark Hughes, City of Phoenix
1999 Joanne Ralston, Ralston and Associates
1999 Michael Wong, KAET-TV
1998 Julie Cart, Los Angeles Times
1998 Athia Hardt, Hardt and Junck
1998 John Polich, Fordham University
1998 Barbara Van Fleet, AG Communication
1997 Chuck Allen, KAET-TV
1997 Ray Artigue, SRO Communication
1997 Mary Lou Fulton, America Online
1997 Jacquee Petchel, WFOR-TV, Miami
1996 Phil Alvidrez, KTVK-TV, Phoenix
1996 John Dougherty, New Times
1996 Ann (Inskeep) Serafin, WBBM-TV, Chicago
1996 Pamela Sebastian, Wall Street Journal
1996 Mary Ann Nock, Republic Gazette
1995 John Junker, Fiesta Bowl
1995 Bruce Tomaso, Dallas Morning News
1994 James Loper, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
1994 Don Podesta, The Washington Post
1993 Al Michaels, ABC Sports
1993 Bill Redeker, ABC News Correspondent

Petty headshot