The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia

Dick Sheeran
Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Luncheon
Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Broadcast Pioneers member Dick Sheeran is a kid from South Philadelphia who never forgot his roots. The old neighborhood values filled every story he ever did in his 30 years as a reporter and sometime anchor for KYW-TV3. Dick’s stories always revolved around people, most of them colorful, funny and full of soul, just like the people he grew up with in Hicks Street.

Sheeran covered every type of story: from the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island to the Mummers Parade and countless other subjects in between. He went to Rome for the canonization of Bishop John Neumann, to Monaco for the funeral of Princess Grace Kelly, with other trips to political conventions in Kansas City, Atlanta and New York and the White House for a sit down with President Jimmy Carter.

Dick covered the creation of legalized gambling in Atlantic City, from the writing of the gaming law in Trenton to the exciting day in March 1978 when Resorts International Casino opened on the Boardwalk, plus the openings of several other casinos in AC.

Sheeran was primarily a “feature” reporter, doing stories about fun and food, which was included in lots of his stories. Dick’s journalism career started at the Philadelphia Daily News where he began as a copy boy, eventually working his way up to reporter, rewrite and night city editor.

Dick transferred to broadcast news, joining KYW Newsradio in 1968. Five years later, he moved to KYW-TV and stayed for 30 years. Sheeran is a life long member of AFTRA, the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists, the broadcast union. He has served on the Philadelphia local board of AFTRA for two decades and is currently second vice president.

Dick retired in 2003. Since then he has taught as an adjunct instructor at Temple University’s School of Communications. Sheeran served two years active duty with the United States Navy, most of the time in the Philippines from 1963 to 1965.

Dick is a graduate of South Philadelphia High School, class of June 1957. He holds a BA in Journalism from Thomas Edison State College, Trenton, NJ. Dick has been married to Katherine Conti since 1962. They have two daughters Sheri Garvey, Margaret Settle, a son, Richard III, and seven grandsons.

On Friday, November 19, 2010, Dick Sheeran was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame.

The e-mail address of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com