Meet the five new inductees of the Youngstown Press Club’s Hall of Fame
Five distinguished Mahoning Valley journalists will be inducted into the Youngstown Press Club Hall of Fame in September.
The press club’s Hall of Fame commemorates those who have had long and distinguished careers in media.
The First Amendment Award recognizes those who have staunchly defended First Amendment freedoms. The Excellence in Media Award honors those who are currently doing exemplary work in one of the mass communication fields. Finally, the Medal of Merit recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to the Youngstown Press Club.
The inductions and award presentations will occur at the press club’s Hall of Fame and Awards Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave. Tickets are required to attend the dinner.
Who are the Hall of Fame Inductees?
Journalist Mona Alexander is the first inductee who started her career at WKBN where she reported on the economic impact of the valley’s steel mills closing, politics and public corruption. She became news director at WFMJ and placed in a new emphasis on hard news and in-depth reporting. Mona also started an investigative unit and launched “Feed Our Valley,” raising donations for Second Harvest Food Bank each year.
Photojournalist William D. Lewis had a career spanning more than 40 years. His photographs reflected the trials, tribulations and triumphs of area residents. Lewis worked at theTribune Chronicle in Warren andThe Vindicator in Youngstown, documenting several presidencies, the demise of the steel industry, the Canfield Fair and other stories documenting the Mahoning Valley community.
Videographer Nick Rich started at WYTV, where he created an archiving system that preserved thousands of news stories. In 2007, Nick began working at WKBN when the two stations merged. Rich covered most major news events in the community, starting with the steel mill closings in the 1970s and most recently the Realty building explosion in downtown Youngstown.
News anchor Len Rome started off as a radio announcer for several different radio stations and made the switch to TV broadcasting as the 11 o’clock anchor in WSEE in Erie, Pa. He then anchored for news channels in South Carolina and Akron, Ohio before settling at WYTV in Youngstown, where he has been for 40 years, raising a family as a reported and anchor.
Radio broadcaster William Fleckenstein will also be honored as the co-founder of legendary Youngstown radio station WHOT. Fleckenstein and his friend founded WHOT in October 1955, which was an immediate hit. Fleckenstein’s commitment to strong local news coverage was reflected in the station. He passed away in Fort Lauderdale in 2023 just two weeks shy of his 99th birthday.
The press club will also award Lisa Abraham, longtime area journalist, with its First Amendment Award; Madison Tromler, news anchor and reporter at WFMJ, with its Excellence in Media Award; and JoAnn Kolarik, WFMJ account executive, with its Medal of Merit.
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