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February 15, 2026
From Julie O'Neill's Facebook Post February 15, 2026
Sitting here in a quiet moment on a Sunday evening reflecting on the very rich life of Charles “Chic” Poppe. You’ve likely already seen posts of his passing as he deeply touched and influenced the news business in his decades of chasing news as a videographer. We call him legendary because he was known to sleep with police scanners at his bedside to know at all hours when news was happening. Just one reason he sometimes showed up to an emergency before the police did! Another reason was that he never hesitated— If we heard of anything in the newsroom, he immediately headed for the door. There was no asking whether he should go or waiting to see what others thought or did. At times he got to the scene so quickly, he was the person doing the rescuing…from a burning car…or whatever the emergency was. There are sooooo many stories! One of my favorite personal stories has up until now been known only to Chic, me & Chic’s wife, Judy. Yeeeears ago, I was up at the assignment desk asking how I could possibly get some footage of a prostitute…because I hadn’t been able to locate file footage for the story I was working on. Chic overheard and said, “Come with me.” We jumped into his unmarked news van and he drove to an alley known to be frequented by prostitutes. We parked and waited for a sighting so he could shoot the video I needed. At some point, someone passing by looked over at us and in that split second Chic leaned over to me in the passenger seat, threw his arms around me and pretended to embrace me in a kiss so as not to blow our cover! Only Chic! Eventually we got the video…and a story he and Judy and I laughed about even decades later when I visited them at their home. It was tough for all of us to see our hero sick, but encouraging to see how much he loved and appreciated all of us until his dying day. There was only one Chic back in the day and there will never be another again. Prayers up please for his beloved Judy and all the family. My goodness you’ll be missed, Chic Poppe! RIP
Bob Jacobs https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2026/02/15/chic-poppe-former-prominent-wcpo-9-reporter-photographer-dies-at-82/88694145007/
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Bob Jacobs
From WCPO TV (edited)
Former WCPO 9 photographer and Cincinnati news legend Chic Poppe died Saturday. He was 82.
Poppe leaves behind his wife, Judy, as well as seven children and 18 grandchildren.
A well-known figure in the Cincinnati news scene, Poppe worked at WCPO 9 for roughly 40 years until his retirement in 2008.
WCPO 9 VP and General Manager Jeff Brogan, who worked with Poppe for years, said he was "larger than life."
"Everyone knew him," Brogan said. "The other news stations, the police, the mayor. Everyone knew Chic and loved Chic."
During his tenure with WCPO, Poppe was primarily a reporter and photographer, preferring to be out in the field. Poppe was known for carrying his own camera equipment and chasing down stories, as well as his keen ability to find breaking news — sometimes even arriving before the police.
"It felt like the news would find him," Brogan said. "He was always there when something big happened, and the police and the fire and all of his friends out in the public knew that they could trust him."
Both former WCPO 9 Sports Director John Popovich and Anchor Tanya O'Rourke told us that Poppe wasn't your typical photographer, instead acting like a reporter with a camera. Popovich called him ahead of his time.
Poppe was also the first guy Popovich knew who used to sleep with a police radio scanner on his bedside nightstand.
"If something happened overnight, Chic got up, got in the car, went and covered it. He was that kind of guy. He loved news," Popovich said.
Poppe was part of many notable stories over his decades with WCPO 9, but two of his most notable works featured convicted serial killers Donald Harvey and Glen Rogers.
"This guy worked his tail off for people in the Cincinnati area ... He wanted to take you there to the story as it was happening, and literally no one could do it like Chic Poppe," Brogan said. "It was amazing ... He wanted to get you access, and man did he give you access."
O'Rourke said she learned so much from Poppe over the 16 years they worked together, including having the tenacity to ask the hard questions and building a relationship with those you work alongside.
"You know what he taught me? Be kind to those people who you're working with on a scene. Get to know them, befriend them, because ultimately, they will be very helpful to you," she said.
Poppe eventually retired from WCPO 9 in 2008 due to health reasons, including prostate cancer.
After his retirement, Poppe beat cancer and gave back to his community by volunteering with Pink Ribbon Girls, where he'd drive cancer patients to and from their chemotherapy appointments. He also remained connected with several former colleagues and attended various WCPO 9 gatherings.
"There's a reason why this station has done so well over the years, and it's on the foundation of people like Chic Poppe," Brogan said.
Virginia (Cooki) Sevester (Thier)
Chic was the same news hound in high school. He had the police scanner and was known to be up all night chasing the news. Not that way anymore.