Ron Millennor: First impressions aren’t everything

When I asked current Fox19 Sports Director Brian Giesenschlag about his best Rufus memory, I quickly added, “It’s got to be printable Brian.”

His response, “OK, you get a lot of people that can’t share those stories.”

Former Fox19 Sports Director Dan Hoard said nearly the same thing. “Shareable eliminates most of the great ones,” he said.

It’s not that Ron “Rufus” Millennor is mean, or not a nice guy. In fact, everyone I’ve ever talked to in the media business around town absolutely loves Rufus (myself included). It just takes a while to get used to his brutally honest attitude.

One time a Fox19 news producer asked Rufus, “What is wrong with you?”

He responded, rhetorically, “Do you want it in chronological or alphabetical order?” before launching into a stream of consciousness that had his sports intern at the time (that’d be myself) laughing out loud.

So the first time meeting the local TV legend might be something that worries some people. Hoard was one of them.

“It’s something that Rufus and I have laughed about many times. Let’s just say that my impression of him was way off the mark,” Hoard said. “His sense of humor can be a little rude and crude, but he’s an extremely intelligent guy who is well-versed on a wide variety of subjects and we share many of the same interests.”

Giesenschlag recalled a similar feeling the first time he met Rufus.

“I was in the car and we were talking about the job and he basically said something to the effect of, ‘I’m sure you’d do just fine here, but...’ and then basically said, ‘I think you’re a swell guy and all, but we’re basically waiting to see who they pick.’ I think I know people, so I could tell that he didn’t mean it to be derogatory toward me, but it was just Rufus and his situation and how he is,” Giesenschlag said.

Both Giesenschlag and Hoard are two of the most talented people Rufus said he’s ever worked with, but neither of them knew if Rufus was a fan of theirs at first.

“I know I worked here for more than a year before I knew if Rufus liked me or not,” Giesenschlag said. “It’s that much of a process with him and it’s only because he takes what he does really seriously and he doesn’t want someone upsetting that process of doing things as well as he can and the standard he’s set for himself.

“So until he trusts you, you kind of wonder, but most of us take it upon ourselves to earn his trust, but once you have it, you’re locked in.”

During the story Giesenschlag pointed out numerous times, “You know how he is.”

And I do.

When I first began working at Fox19 late last March I wanted to show Rufus that I could handle editing pieces. On my first night he taught me some of the basics of the Avid editing system—a system I had never used before in my life—and was willing to sit by and watch me edit some Reds spring training highlights for that evening’s newscast.

Once I had earned Rufus’s faith, he was willing to go out of his way to drive out to Moeller High School with me on a Monday evening to film interviews for my story on Moeller’s volleyball dynasty (Which can be seen here: http://www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=12536075).

Rufus was also responsible for posting many of my NASCAR post-race recaps to the Fox19 website, as well as credentialing me for the 2010 Brickyard 400.

It’s a work ethic like that, according to former Fox19 anchor Zach Wells (who is currently across town at WKRC-Local 12) that makes Rufus one of the best to work with.

“What makes him so good at his job is his big-picture vision for what he wants to see on the air and his very detailed execution of what needs to take place in order for that to happen,” Wells said. “Really good executive producers take care of things before anyone else even thinks about them.

“He keeps his people on track with credentials, satellite information and equipment. He’s very organized and a very clear plan is set forth before every project, big or small.”

Hoard mentioned that Rufus has so many good qualities that make him the best producer he’s ever worked with.

“Attention to detail, local knowledge, a tireless work ethic, the ability to get along with everybody in the building and the mastery of a wide variety of skills,” Hoard listed. “Somebody else might be a better editor, another guy might be a better shooter, but nobody can do – or is willing to do – everything under the sun as well as Rufus.

“Plus, he knows what makes good TV. You’d be surprised by how many people in the business don’t.”

Giesenschlag agreed.

“Everybody has their own strengths, but in terms of what makes you good at his job—producing—he’s clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the people I’ve worked with. And it’s because he’s never distracted by anything else in what he has to do and what he needs to do to get it done,” he said.

“So, in terms of organization and time management and having certain contacts, all of those things, I lean on him a lot. He’s really good.”

And he’s not just really good to the people he works with. He is willing to go out of his way to help others, as Wells found out in 2006.

Before he became an anchor at Fox 19, Zach Wells was working as a reporter in Green Bay at the Fox affiliate Fox 11. When the Packers came down to visit the Bengals in ’06, Wells checked with Rufus to see if he could send video and soundbites back to Green Bay from Fox 19.

“It’s one of my favorite Rufus stories,” Wells said. “He stayed until some crazy hour (‘I believe it was 3am,’ Wells noted), plugging in cables and making sure everything was sent back to meet our deadline. It’s a snapshot of everything he stands for—making sure to be as helpful as possible.”

“I can’t think of an anecdote that better reflects the legend of Rufus.”

Well, maybe a few things. Hoard and Wells both noted some of the more comedic side that Rufus displays to those he works with.

“For several years we used to begin ‘Sports Wrap’ with humorous skits, and Rufus was great because he had zero vanity,” Hoard remembered. “He would do whatever was required to get a laugh. In many instances that meant removing his shirt and flexing his muscles—or lack thereof.”

“Just as Will Farrell constantly exposes his flabby gut for laughs, we would often use Rufus’s super-skinny frame for comedic purposes. Trust me, it was comedy gold.”

And Rufus’s competitive nature doesn’t relax when he’s off the clock either, according to Wells.

“Him picking me up full court in our pick-up basketball games, for the entire game, is just funny stuff,” Wells said, with an emphasis on the word ‘entire.’

The one thing that strikes those who work with Rufus, and work around Rufus is his loyalty. As Giesenschlag noted, once you are on Rufus’s good side, he will do anything for you.

“Rufus is very slow to warm up to change or new people, but once you get him, you’ve got him. He’s an ardent supporter and true friend,” said Giesenschlag.

Hoard added, “He’s the most loyal friend anyone could ever have.”

Yet, as nice as Rufus is to those he works with, he understands his job, and notes that he doesn’t try to socialize with athletes.

“If you socialize with these people, you make it much tougher to cover them like [fairly],” he said. “The more you know about a person, it may be tougher to ask a personal question. Especially in this day and age where sports and legal lines cross and you have to ask a player about a DUI or a domestic violence issue or something like that and the fact that you’re not socializing with these people and they’re not really your friends makes it a lot easier.”

“If you can’t draw a distinction between my job and being a professional and being a friend, it’s hard to cover a friend because you’re going to slant your coverage to be fair to your friend,” he added.

As much of a personality as Rufus is, he also has an eye for talent. He pointed out that Fox 19 saw Chad Johnson/Ochocinco’s incredible talent with the media way before Ochocinco started his own news network.

“We recognized his ability to be something special with the media and with the fans. He was doing a segment with us during the season called ‘Chad’s Corner,’ very early in his career,” Rufus said.

“A lot of athletes give you the standard, ‘Oh we’re going to give 100 percent and we’re going to do the best we can,’ and all that. Chad was totally different. He was a reporter’s dream, is a reporter’s dream.”

As for other colorful folks Rufus has had the chance to cover, Sam Wyche, the former Bengals head man tops that list.

“He was such a colorful man, but also a nice man. He invited us into his house numerous times and sometimes he invited us in under stressful situations. He was fired or resigned or whatever story you believe,” Rufus said, noting that Wyche’s story doesn’t quite match up with Bengals owner Mike Brown’s report. “But he invited our crew into the house. It was around Christmas time, and there was a crew camping outside his house and it was cold and he just invited them in.”

And they don’t get much nicer than the late Skip Prosser, former Xavier head basketball coach.

“Skip Prosser may have been the nicest, smartest person I’ve ever had to cover,” Rufus recalled. “He was gifted in so many ways. The things he would do for you were unbelievable. If the SID wasn’t around he’d go in to the locker room and get players for you.”

“He’d say, ‘Hey Rufus, who do you want?’
‘Could you get me David West?’
He’d go into the locker room and get David West for you,” Rufus said.

“He was always available…he was so smart and so nice. They don’t come any better than Skip Prosser.”

Prosser passed away tragically from a sudden heart attack in July of 2007. His favorite quote was from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Our chief want in life is someone who will make us do what we can.”

There’s little doubt that both Prosser and Rufus can stand by that statement.
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Tomorrow I will revisit some nerve wracking times, and offer some first person perspective on what it was like to be around what Rufus referred to as the “most chaotic” time he’s ever dealt with, as well as offer up some more advice from Rufus on the TV business.

Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day and the beginning of the NCAA Tournament. Let the madness begin.