Students interested in and currently advancing through the Journalism and Communications Studies program at Rio Hondo will have the opportunity to hear the highly experienced and seasoned sports anchor and news reporter, Paul Cicala, speak on campus on Oct. 28, in the Learning Resource Center, room 128 at 9:30 a.m. Cicala, who works at KVOA NBC-4 in Tucson, Arizona, is an award-winning journalist who boasts a career that has spanned across the nation, from Tucson, Arizona, to Las Vegas, Nevada, and Southern California.
He’s expressed immense excitement to return to his “southwest border roots.” Ever since his move to ABC-7, Cicala has been the recipient of a multitude of awards including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award, for his diligent reports in Medellin, Colombia, and Juarez, Mexico; various AP awards for sports stories and the KVIA ABC-7’s “Borderland Blitz” High School Football Show he co-hosts. In addition, he was honored just this year by the Lone Star EMMY Chapter for the category of “spot news,” when he covered the drug cartel ambush and the officers who were killed in broad daylight.
Before his move to El Paso, Cicala was an anchor for KESQ (ABC) News Channel 3, as well as FOX 11 News at 10 p.m. in Palm Springs, California. He also contributed to KUNA-TV Noticias TELEMUNDO, which was the local Spanish-language affiliate in the Palm Springs area of Riverside County. However, his vast and successful career began at FOX Sports in Los Angeles, while he attended the University of Southern California and later graduated from magna cum laude. He then began to produce for NBC Network News in Burbank for a year, where he traveled to cover stories all over the U.S. and Mexico.
He then spent two years as a sports anchor and reporter in Las Vegas, Nevada. There, Cicala covered some of the biggest pro boxing matches in recent history. Before his excursion to Las Vegas, he reported at KOLD-TV, the CBS affiliate in Tucson, Arizona, where he covered news and sports for three years—winning various first place AP awards for stories he did along the U.S.-Mexico border. His return to the southwest has allowed him to reminisce about what he has confessed as his “true love,” which is athletics, and he’s more than ecstatic to once again be focusing on sports full time once again.
“I originally got into broadcasting, to be a Sports Journalist, and I’m thrilled to be back in the desert, at News Channel 3 in HD (ABC)!” said Cicala, who is also a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). “Sports has always been a part of my life, whether it be playing or watching. My biggest thrill as a sports journalist, is having the opportunity to tell the unique stories of high school and college athletes, and Southern California youngsters excelling in sports to thousands of people every night.”
Cicala’s talents are not restricted to journalistic endeavors, he has numerous experiences as an English as a Second Language Teacher and as an Ambassador of Goodwill in Mexico. He remains actively involved within the Latino community in Southern California. “I’m excited about the opportunity to speak at Rio Hondo College. It seems like just yesterday, that I was in college, and I realize how important it is for students to meet, -and learn from-, journalists who are in the real world and can truly break down the realities of the news industry (good and bad),” Cicala said enthusiastically.
“The Journalism & Communication Studies students at Rio Hondo are the future of news, and I’m eager to meet the students and relay to them, some of the experiences I’ve had throughout my career.” Join Cicala and other RHC students in the LRC, room 128 on Oct. 28, for a fantastic and vigorously insightful look into the world of this award-winning journalist.
