“It’s very overwhelming,” she said. “I considered retiring three years ago but I got cold feet. I just didn’t feel ready and part of it was the dread of all the (retirement) attention. You go through your career step by step and you enjoy your job and the people you work with but to get close to the end a part of me is saying, ‘Do I really deserve all this attention?’ It’s a lot but I’m very gracious. I’m so appreciative.”
Attention must be paid because McHenry’s personable professionalism has been a hallmark of WHIO-TV since she joined the media station in 1981. As an anchor and investigative reporter, she has been a familiar, welcoming presence. She has touched the lives of generations of Daytonians who have routinely tuned in to see her deliver the latest news from their communities and around the world.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Her accomplishments include earning nine Emmys for coverage of breaking news and a variety of projects. Most notably: the longtime franchise, “Miami Valley Murder Mysteries”; “PTSD: Invisible Wound,” a special produced to raise awareness of post-traumatic stress among military combat veterans; and coverage of the tragic Oregon District shooting.
“Cheryl has had a major impact on this organization, this community and certainly the operation at this station,” said Darren Moore, VP and General Manager of WHIO-TV and WHIO Radio. “She’s excellent, a real pro. She’s a true broadcaster — someone you can always trust. She also inspires people and gives encouragement. It’s amazing to see someone of her stature and status take the time to make others feel special.”
McHenry, presently savoring self-help best-seller “The Let Them Theory,” admitted she’ll miss the daily interactions with her colleagues.
“I love these people and the banter of the newsroom,” she said. “In ‘The Let Them Theory’ author Mel Robbins said it takes spending 200 hours with someone to become close. And I guess that’s why we become close with the people we work with every day because we spend all that time together. We know their families, their quirks, what’s important to them, and they know that about me. It’s going to be a big change not to see them every day.”
‘Dayton is home’
Growing up in a household that revered the news, particularly CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite, McHenry, 68, was inherently drawn to various historic events and television’s global impact.
“I was always fascinated by the big events of the ’60s, everything from the Kennedy assassination to Neil Armstrong on the moon,” she said. “But in the early ‘70s I started hearing more women’s voices on the radio and seeing women in local and national television. I began to think I could do that as well because I was always interested in news.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
After graduating from Carroll High School in 1974, McHenry earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcasting from the University of Cincinnati. After three years in radio, she entered the television realm but always valued honing her craft during those early years.
“Almost everybody who got into TV in the ‘70s and early ‘80s came through radio, which I thought was great training,” she said. “In radio you had hourly deadlines and learned to develop your voice and delivery.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Having great respect for her fellow Channel 7 icons such as Don Wayne, Gil Whitney and Jim Baldridge also endeared her to working for WHIO-TV and fully establishing her career in Dayton. She wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“Over the years working here and being a part of the Dayton area, I’ve (discovered) that people are really friendly and generous,” McHenry said. “I think you’ll find as good a quality of people here as you will anywhere in the country. I love the change of seasons too although winter is my least favorite. Dayton is special to me. Dayton is home, and I think when you feel at home somewhere that’s where your heart is and where you want to be.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
‘A passion for news’
McHenry has also valued the lessons learned through the highs and lows of her career, particularly the level of competitiveness she faced as a reporter. In turn it’s been important for her to share words of wisdom with her younger colleagues.
“I’ve tried to give constructive criticism because people helped me along the way,” she said. “I certainly didn’t know everything when I started here. People I worked with such as Jim Baldridge taught me things and you only had to tell me once and I remembered it. I’ve also realized I’m a perfectionist. I’m far from perfect but I’ve always tried to be as perfect as I can, which is usually a losing game.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Equally significant has been the opportunity to guide WHIO-TV in creating the best news product possible with her credibility and versatility as strong suits.
“What I’ve learned most is that I have a passion for news,” McHenry said. “We’ve always tried to present to viewers the very best product we can, to be fair, accurate and balanced, which I take very seriously. You can criticize my appearance or whatever you want to criticize but the biggest insult somebody could give to me is to question my credibility. And I’m a reporter at heart. Only by being a reporter, by meeting people and being out in the elements, do you build the credibility to be on the anchor desk. Anchoring is not just reading. You have to be able to adlib if there’s breaking news or maybe spot inaccuracies in a story that’s been written for you. So, I think by being a reporter first you’re paying your dues and you’re allowing yourself to build that credibility so when you do sit at that anchor desk you know what you’re talking about, at least most of the time.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Career highlights
Looking back on signature moments in her career, McHenry recalled the following assignments: the 1986 Miamisburg train derailment; the tragedy of 9/11; the aforementioned “Miami Valley Murder Mysteries” and “PTSD: Invisible Wound”; and the Cincinnati Bengals 2022 Super Bowl appearance in Los Angeles.
“The Super Bowl was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had although I wish the Bengals would have won,” she said. “We were working 13-hour days with a three-hour time difference. It was a great challenge because I hadn’t done that kind of reporting in years. It reverted back to when I was a reporter in the ‘80s and did numerous stories in a day. I thought, ‘The old girl could still do this!’ I’m a sports fan but to think I would actually get to go to a Super Bowl, never really having covered sports on TV, was a great experience and I’m grateful.”
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Credit: CONTRIBUTED
She also reminisced about traveling on a C-17 on New Year’s Eve in 2015 from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base with the 445th Airlift Wing on a 12,000-mile mission to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.
“That was not a glamour trip,” McHenry said. “Our former general manager, Rob Rohr, said if anybody wanted to back out it would be fine. But I said yes because I like a challenge. I felt like it would be safe. I felt like I would be in good hands and I trusted that feeling. I thought it would be interesting seeing what the reservists go through. It gave me a different perspective on what they do because I wasn’t a part of that world. We were only on the ground for 90 minutes at (Bagram) Airfield. It was dark. I couldn’t even see the mountains around us. But it was really interesting to see the dedication of the Airlift Wing and all the pieces it takes to take care of our military members overseas.”
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Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Rohr, president and publisher of the Dayton Daily News, praised McHenry’s influential pedigree.
“I had the privilege of working with Cheryl for nearly 10 years,” Rohr said. “She is not only an outstanding journalist and broadcaster but also an even better human being. Her authenticity, combined with her professionalism, makes her one of the finest journalists to have ever served this community.”
Assessing the future
McHenry describes herself as a very disciplined person who loves theater, comedy, exercise, the outdoors and a good book.
In addition to being a fan of comedian Sebastian Maniscalco and subscribing to Dayton Live’s Broadway Series (she liked “Hamilton” last fall, thought “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” was “fabulous” last season, and anticipates “MJ: The Musical” in June), she enjoys the comfort of reading.
“‘The Let Them Theory’ is helpful with my life change that’s coming, but I’m also reading retired Dayton Police Lieutenant Dan Baker’s book ‘Blood in the Streets’ about the riots in Dayton in the late ‘60s,” she said. “I also like to go to the gym. I still swim laps every week. I also enjoy hiking and walking. I walk the dog every day. I enjoy hanging out with my family as well.”
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Credit: CONTRIBUTED
McHenry looks forward to spending more quality time with her husband, Bob, and their two daughters, Christina and Maria. She has fond memories of traveling internationally with her family to Brazil, Peru and Italy and she’s also completed portions of the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) twice. London, Paris, Japan, Hawaii and New York City are among destinations on her retirement travel bucket list.
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Credit: CONTRIBUTED
She’s excited about her next chapter but reflecting on her impactful legacy has produced a whirlwind of emotions.
“I am so appreciative of all the people who have watched all these years and have been so supportive,” McHenry said. “You don’t realize until you’re saying goodbye how much people really appreciate you. It’s going to be hard for me to leave this place. I love it here. I love these people and I’m going to miss them. Honestly, I’ve had a lot of fun.”
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