NewsChannel5's Leon Bibb recalls 30+ years of covering U.S. presidents

WASHINGTON - As NewsChannel5’s Leon Bibb prepared to interview the United State’s 44th president on Monday, he recalled covering every president since Jimmy Carter.

Bibb, a Cleveland native, has worked in the Cleveland television market since 1979. In that time he’s filed reports on six different presidents, with the most exciting being dwarfed by an opportunity that came his way last week.

Thursday night, he received a call every reporter wants to get: the president of the United States wants to talk with you. This is a rare honor, as one-on-one access to the commander in chief is extremely limited – especially for local media. It’s normally reserved for the networks, if at all.

More on how this came about in a bit. First, what makes this experience so rich is Bibb’s history and perspective. I’m going to try to re-tell his stories he told in the car Sunday evening, but you’re going to have to imagine his deep, soothing voice describing the presidents he’s covered over the last three decades.

In 1980, Bibb said he covered the race between then-President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

“He was in Cleveland a couple of times,” Bibb said about Carter.

Then, aboard Reagan’s campaign plane parked on the runway at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Bibb interviewed Reagan three months before he was elected president.

Bibb’s most memorable experience (before Monday) was with George Bush Sr. in 1992. Bibb said he was working for WKYC at the time, and was invited to join the president in the East Dining Room at the White House for a luncheon about the war on drugs.

Only about 70 media members were invited to attend, with a handful of them being television reporters – and most of those were magazine and newspaper reporters.

Bibb recalled having the opportunity to ask President Bush a question about how the war on drugs is impacting cities.

He also remembered what a great experience it was to be in the White House with the president.

“I wanted the silverware, but the metal detector would have caught me on the way out,” Bibb joked.

Next up was President Bill Clinton at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Bibb said he was standing with the crowd along side the walkway created for the president to enter the airport. As President Clinton got off the plane, he shook hands with many people in the line – but got pulled away just before he got to Bibb.

But Bibb put his hand out anyway, hoping for a brief connection with the president. His arm must have caught the corner of the president’s eye, because Clinton turned around and walked over to shake his hand, Bibb recalled.

“Welcome to Cleveland, Mr. President,” Bibb remembered saying.

“It’s good to be here,” said Clinton back to Bibb.

As for the 43rd president, Bibb said he covered at least three visits George W. Bush made to Northeast Ohio, including stops in Cuyahoga Falls, Cleveland and the Lake Metroparks Farmpark.

Monday wasn’t Bibb’s first encounter with Barack Obama. He interviewed him via satellite while then-Senator Obama was campaigning in Virginia. Bibb did the interview from the WEWS studios in Cleveland.

And then there’s Monday’s interview at the White House, one-on-one with the president.

Bibb said he got the call from the White House last Thursday at about 8 p.m. He didn’t get to the call, but said the staff person had left a voicemail and he called him back.

The White House told Bibb that President Obama wanted him to come for the interview, and he, of course, accepted.

“This will probably trump everything. He will probably walk in and say ‘how’s everybody doing.’ That’s what he usually said,” said Bibb.