Russell Edward Mitchell (born March 25, 1960) is an American journalist best known for his career at CBS where he was anchor of ''

The Early Show ''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999 to January 7, 2012, and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the network since 1954. The program aired Monday through Friday from ...

'' on Saturday, news anchor for ''The Early Show'' during the week, and weekend anchor of the ''

CBS Evening News The ''CBS Evening News'' is the flagship evening television news program of CBS News, the news division of the CBS television network in the United States. The ''CBS Evening News'' is a daily evening broadcast featuring news reports, feature st ...

''. In December 2011, it was announced that he would leave CBS to join

WKYC WKYC (channel 3) is a television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. Its studios are located on Tom Beres Way (a section of Lakeside Avenue in Downtown Cleveland named after the station's lon ...

in Cleveland, Ohio, as a lead anchor, starting in January 2012."CBS Network anchor Russ Mitchell joins WKYC as lead anchor"
WKYC, December 21, 2011.

Biography

Early years

Mitchell was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was raised in Rock Hill. He attended high school in Webster Groves in suburban St. Louis, and went on to graduate from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

with a

Bachelor of Journalism The Bachelor of Journalism (B.J.) degree is a degree awarded at some universities to students who have studied journalism in a three or four year undergraduate program. In the United States, some schools that do not award the B.J. degree instead c ...

degree in 1982.

Career

Russ Mitchell's first television job came while he was still in high school, working as a part-time switchboard operator at

KTVI KTVI (channel 2) is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside CW owned-and-operated station KPLR-TV (channel 11). Both stations share studios o ...

in his native St. Louis. After graduation from Mizzou, Mitchell worked as a reporter with Kansas City television station

KMBC KMBC-TV (channel 9) is a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside CW affiliate KCWE (channel 29). Both stations share studios on Winchester Avenue in the Ridge ...

. Mitchell was later an anchor for

WFAA WFAA (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Dallas, Texas, United States, serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Decatur-licensed Estrella TV affiliate KMPX (channel 29), w ...

Dallas (1983–1985), reporter at

St. Louis (1985–1987), and a weekend anchor and reporter for

KMOV KMOV (channel 4) is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Circle owned-and-operated station KDTL-LD (channel 16). The two stations s ...

St. Louis (1987–92). He joined

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the '' CBS Evening News'', '' CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 4 ...

in 1992 as co-anchor of ''

Up to the Minute ''CBS Overnight News'' is an American overnight news broadcasting that is broadcast on CBS during the early morning hours each Monday through Friday. The program maintains a infotainment format, incorporating national, international and busines ...

''. He was a correspondent for '' Eye to Eye'' on CBS (1993–95), anchor of the CBS Sunday Night News (1995-1997), an original co-anchor on '' Saturday Early Show'' (1997-2007, 2011), news anchor for the weekday edition of ''The Early Show'' (2007-2010), anchor of the ''CBS Sunday Evening News'' (2006-2011) and of the ''CBS Saturday Evening News'' (1999-2009; & both Saturday and Sunday later 2010–2011). He also substituted for Harry Smith and

Mark McEwen Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fin ...

on CBS ''This Morning'', the predecessor to the ''Early Show'', and was a correspondent on

CBS News Sunday Morning ''CBS News Sunday Morning'' (normally shortened to ''Sunday Morning'' on the program itself since 2009) is an American news magazine television program that has aired on CBS since January 28, 1979. Created by Robert Northshield and original hos ...

. He was also a primary substitute for

Dan Rather Daniel Irvin Rather Jr. (; born October 31, 1931) is an American journalist, commentator, and former national evening news anchor. Rather began his career in Texas, becoming a national name after his reporting saved thousands of lives during Hur ...

John Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as the 17th chief justice of the United States since 2005. Roberts has authored the majority opinion in several landmark cases, including '' Nat ...

Bob Schieffer Bob Lloyd Schieffer (born February 25, 1937) is an American television journalist. He is known for his moderation of presidential debates, where he has been praised for his capability. Schieffer is one of the few journalists to have covered all f ...

Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...

and

Scott Pelley Scott Cameron Pelley (born July 28, 1957) is an American journalist and author who has been a correspondent and anchor for CBS News for more than 31 years. Pelley is the author of the 2019 book, ''Truth Worth Telling'', and a correspondent for t ...

on ''

''. In December 2011, it was announced that he would move to Cleveland NBC affiliate

, replacing Romona Robinson. Said Mitchell of the change: "I've been thinking about going back to local television for a few years... It's been a great run at CBS, but I miss the pulse of a local newsroom, and, being from the Midwest, I miss being part of a community. But I wasn't going to go just anywhere. Cleveland reminds me a great deal of the city where I grew up, and I'm looking forward to bringing my family because I think we're going to have a really good life there."

Personal life

Mitchell was married to Erica Townsend from 1987 to 2000. Their daughter Ashley is a college student. He married Karina Mahtani on December 2, 2006. They live in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...

Honors and awards

* 1989: Missouri UPI, Best Reporter honor * 1995: National Association of Black Journalists Award * 1997:

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

, for coverage of the crash of TWA's flight 800; with two additional from the

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

chapter of the

National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) is an American professional service organization founded in 1955 for "the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, edu ...

* 2001:

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, letter ...

Sigma Delta Chi Award The Sigma Delta Chi Awards are presented annually by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) (formerly Sigma Delta Chi) for excellence in journalism. The SPJ states the purpose of the award is to promote "the free flow of information vital ...

, for the

with Russ Mitchell's coverage of the Elian Gonzales story * 2005: New York Association of Black Journalists Award, Best Documentary, for a Sunday Morning report on

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. Stax was ...

* 2006: Press Club of Metropolitan St. Louis 18th Annual Media Person of the Year

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Russ 1960 births Living people African-American journalists African-American television personalities Television anchors from Cleveland American male journalists American television reporters and correspondents Emmy Award winners People from St. Louis Missouri School of Journalism alumni Webster Groves High School alumni CBS News people 60 Minutes correspondents 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people