Veteran journalist makes first visit to NABJ Convention’s 50th Anniversary Affair

By Timothy Cox

Special for Baltimore Area Patch

CLEVELAND, OHIO -- The year 1975 was significant for this writer in a couple different ways:

It was the year I graduated from Beaver Falls High School in suburban Pittsburgh, Pa. and it was the same year that the National Association of Black Journalists, was formed 50 years ago. At the time, journalism was the hot major, for many incoming college freshmen – primarily because the nation was just surviving the Watergate Scandal, when President Richard Nixon was forced to resign from his role as America’s 37th Commander In Chief thanks to investigative journalistic talents of Washington Post reporters Bob Woodard and Carl Bernstein.

By the time Nixon had resigned, the journalism industry, both print and broadcast, were hot commodities.

Therefore youngsters like myself became very interested in pursuing the craft. I graduated from a small private college in downtown Pittsburgh that specialized in producing journalism professionals – namely Point Park University.

After working in several capacities in traditional print media to corporate communications to government technical writing – I’ve always wanted to attend the NABJ Convention – but for whatever reasons, never had the faculties or time to make it happen.

Since making the trek from Georgia to Bmore, Maryland in 2013 for federal work relocation purposes, I found myself making a serious effort to attend the famous convention which would be held in nearby Cleveland, Ohio. Considering this would be the 50th Anniversary, I felt compelled to make the trip – knowing all along that I’d also be attending my high school’s 50-year Class Reunion.

Afterall, 1975 was indeed a very special year for me.

After landing at Cleveland’s Hopkin’s Airport, I immediately pursued the first of my three day stint at the convention – located at the scenic downtown Huntington Convention Center – just a short walk from overlooking the famed Lake Erie and the historic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

At the conclusion of the four-day NABJ convention, several published accounts noted that the 2025 confab was more “lackluster” than recent previous conventions. They noted that several sponsors of note failed to participate in this year’s convention including fewer corporations and event nonprofits – it was also stated that many of these heavyweight former sponsors may have been scared off to promote the event, in light of recent pressures to not acknowledge diversity, equity and inclusion.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, a year ago at the Chicago convention, about 75 entities signed up as sponsors compared with just 40 sponsors who signed up in Cleveland – despite that fact that this was the NABJ’s crown jewel 50th Anniversary celebration event.

Meanwhile, personally, I had an awesome time, meeting the young, up-and-coming journalists and even those who were of retirement age, but perennially return to acknowledge and reunite with those of a common industry.

Personally, this being my maiden-voyage NABJ show, I very much enjoyed every moment of my first-time experience. The most vital piece of my time was meeting and greeting with so many of industry-types who remain just as excited about journalism as I did some 50 years ago.

It was really cool witnessing the young guys and girls – so well-dressed and debonair. You could sense that many of the young ones were obeying the old rule: “dress to impress.” Of course, me being from another generation – I proudly call, “The Seventies” – the apparel style was totally fresh and new-school for me. The young ladies wore colorful, tight-fitting skirts, dresses and pant-suits, while the guys also wore the tight-fitting two-piece suits, ala LeBron James and today’s professional athletes during their professional draft days.

The NABJ also made me reminisce of the 1980s and 1990s, when I attended the annual Jack The Rapper music conventions, mostly held in Atlanta, during the rise of hip-hop and Freaknik, while still celebrating soul music legends like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Taylor, Gladys Knight and Tyrone Davis.

Like those past music confabs, today’s NABJ is not all about fun and partying. The bulk of the convention held individual work-room sessions specializing in communications law, proper ways to address police and law enforcement press conferences, and several authors were shopping their featured books. American University Ph.D. professor in Washington, DC., Dr. Sheree Williams held a work session and book signing, in addition to former NABJ president Dorothy Tucker who offered her expertise with a panel of broadcast experts.

It was also a pleasure meeting working TV anchors and reporters such as Baltimore’s Kai Reed, Dalencia Jenkins and Breanna Ross, all of WBAL-TV, Baltimore. Also in the house was Miana Massey formerly of WJZ-Baltimore and Stephon Dingle also formerly of WJZ-Baltimore.

Washington DC’s popular WUSA9-DC anchor Wisdom Martin, was also in the house, along with popular CBS news anchor, Jericka Duncan. Fox sports anchor Mike Hill, along with veteran Weather Channel personality Paul Goodloe also attended the popular convention.

MSNBC’s Tiffany Cross and Yamiche Alcindor were also present. Popular ABC-TV correspondent, Steven Osunsami, was also hanging out. Also on the scene were a couple of Cleveland media legends in Leon Bibb and Harry Boomer, along with WKYC morning anchor, Danielle Wiggins. A couple of Kent State grads, namely Richard “Zoom” Scott and Gregory Hancock, also provided a seasoned veterans presence at the confab.

NABJ officials paid homage to popular, legendary Baltimore education reporter, the late Rev. Dr. Timothy Tooten, who died in February of this year. Tooten’s long, successful career with WBAL-TV was celebrated at the convention during a Hall of Fame special awards dinner.

Again, this being my first NABJ, let me say for the record that I hope this will not be my last. And for newcomers to the media and broadcast industry and for veteran scribes alike – I suggest that you should attempt to visit one of the future NABJ conventions. In fact, next year’s convention will be held in Atlanta – and from all accounts thus far – the interest in making the trek to HotLanta is very high, to say the least.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Timothy Cox formerly served as Entertainment Editor for the New Pittsburgh Courier (Black Press); later as a GA (general assignment) and police reporter for Gannett (Valley News Dispatch-New Kensington/Vandergrift, Pa.); Scripps-Howard (Knoxville News Sentinel, Tennesee) and cops reporter with Gannett (The Augusta Chronicle, Georgia); Marietta Daily Journal (Atlanta). He’s founder of Seventies Soul Report.com blog and currently is a correspondent with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Mr. Cox, the NABJ member, can be reached at teacawks2@gmail.com.)