Trivia

Was the first holder of a fellowship founded by pioneering radio network commentator and news reel narrator H.V. Kaltenborn.

Attended and graduated from the University of Miami, with a degree in communications, just the third graduate of UM's Department of Communications.

Joined WTVJ, the sixteenth television in the USA (founded 1949), in March 1950 as a television news reporter and anchor, and continued to be the primary anchor of WTVJ evening news broadcasts until March of 1985, an unbroken tenure of 35 years, the longest continuous local television news anchor in US history, up until that time.

His "The Ralph Renick Report", which was WTVJ's weekday 6:00 PM news broadcast, held the record as the longest continuously running daily TV news program in the US at the time of his retirement from WTVJ in 1985. Of all television news programs, including non-daily programs, only Meet the Press, first broadcast in 1947 was older and continuously running at the time of his retirement from WTVJ.

Came out of retirement in 1988, doing a nightly commentary, also called "The Ralph Renick Report," for WTVJ competitor WCIX (now WFOR), before retiring again in 1990 due to declining health.

As Vice-President and News Director of WTVJ, Renick hired the first female sportscaster in US history when he hired Jane Chastain in 1967, and also hired the first black television news reporter in South Florida, C.T. Taylor, in 1968.

Renick was a member of the board of directors of AP, The Associated Press, from October 1977 to May 1981, also serving as president of the Associated Press Broadcasters, an advisory board for AP's news division. In his capacity of News Director of WTVJ, Renick was also president of the Radio-Television News Directors Association.

Was briefly a Democratic candidate for Governor of Florida in 1986, spending $100,000 of his own money before withdrawing.

Of all television news programs, including non-daily programs, only Meet the Press (1947), first broadcast in 1947 was older and continuously running at the time of his retirement from WTVJ.

With the exception of two months during the last year of his tenure as news anchor at WTVJ, Renick was the top rated newscaster in South Florida from March 1950 through March 1985, 35 years, which meant that he was number one in the ratings for 418 months.