Sheree Paolello & Mike Dardis
Sheree Paolello and Mike Dardis are one of the most well-known and loved couples in the Tri-State area. The “best buddies” became co-anchors at Channel 5 WLWT in 2012 and were married in 2019. Soon after, Sheree moved to Mason, where Mike had lived for many years with his son and daughter, who now live with their mom.
Sheree explains, “I think we realized that even if someone said ‘You could double your pay and go wherever you want,’ both of us would stay here because we love being a part of this community. There are a lot of great things about a market this size because tons of big news happens in Cincinnati, but we have a great lifestyle too.”
“I have found my dream life, in my dream city and my dream home. I feel like life has come around to the point where here I am in my mid-fifties and I feel like I’ve achieved the balance that I’ve always wanted with all the things that make me happy,” says Mike.
Both Sheree and Mike explored life as journalists around the country before Channel 5 brought them together as co-anchors. Even though they were in different cities at the time, Mike anchoring in Philadelphia and Sheree field-reporting in Charlotte, 9/11 was a pivotal moment in both of their careers. Mike had just started anchoring after many years as a sportscaster and Sheree was sent to report from Ground Zero.
“It was during that tragic turn of events when I was on the news for 36 hours in three days that I found myself as an anchor in terms of how I communicate with the viewers and how I should always be true to who I am,” explains Mike.
Sheree shares, “I think seeing firsthand the gravity of what we do is a big reason why I still do this. I know it’s important. I can’t imagine doing a job where I was phoning it in and it was just a paycheck. I still love it, as crazy as it is!”
They’ve received Emmys for multiple stories and newscasts, with Sheree winning best anchor in 2020 and Mike winning in 2021. (They never enter the anchor race the same year so they don’t have to compete against each other.) They’re most proud of the Edward R. Murrow Award (the highest honor in TV news) they earned together for their investigative, nine-part series about a fugitive doctor accused of performing unnecessary spine surgeries on hundreds of patients in Greater Cincinnati.
“So often you don’t get to tackle stories like this or you don’t get the justice that these people deserve. Some people died in pain waiting for a settlement. People still message us with updates because they know that we care about them,” says Sheree.
When they’re not fighting for stories that matter or delivering the news at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. you may find them running to Mason for dinner with two of Sheree’s three boys who are still at home, working with local charities or finding time to enjoy live music and reconnect.
“I feel so lucky to be doing what I love to do, in the city that I love, surrounded by the people whom I love. It just feels like we’ve made the right decisions,” Sheree imparts.
Michelle & Scott Sloan
If you listen to Scott and Michelle Sloan chatting about their marriage every Thursday on 700 WLW’s popular daily talk show, The Scott Sloan Show, or tune in for Michelle’s real-estate-focused program The Sloan Sells Homes Open House, Sundays on 55KRC, you already know they’re more than a typical Mason couple. These self-described workaholics have been successful partners in life, broadcasting and real estate for more than 30 years.
“With us working so much we never see each other, which is the key to a long marriage!” Scott shares with a laugh. “You can quote him on that!” Michelle interjects.
All joking aside, Scott and Michelle have been a hardworking team since they first met in a Bowling Green State University radio newsroom in the late 1980s and began their careers in radio and TV news. From the start, they credit communication about their goals and decision-making as a major reason why they’ve been able to achieve their dreams.
“Early on, we were very worried about how we were going to juggle two careers in the same industry that also moves you around so much. And we decided if we were going to be together and we were going to pursue what we both had a passion for that we were going to do it as a team,” Michelle shares. “We decided we would never have regrets, and we would make every decision as partners.”
Since moving to Mason 22 years ago for Scott’s job at WLW, they’ve lived in the same home, with Scott employing his handyman skills to remodel and improve it along the way. By the early 2000s, Michelle had moved on from TV news and took some time to raise their son and daughter, who are now grown but still live nearby. She decided to pursue real estate starting in 2005 as a way for her and Scott to work together flipping houses.
“At the time we were thinking about buying properties and remodeling as a way to expand our portfolio, and do something we both enjoy,” says Michelle. “We got into the business thinking Scott was going to fix things up and I was going to buy and sell. When the recession came along, life turned upside down, but I found out that I’m pretty good at real estate and my business kept growing every year.”
They still have their “family business” owning and managing properties with their son. Scott also makes cabinetry and furniture in his workshop. He’s very passionate about advocating for the trades, serving on the board of directors for the Spirit of Construction Foundation.
When they’re not working, they keep the love alive by committing to play nine holes of golf every week. They also sponsor and participate in many local charity golf outings for organizations like Dragonfly and CancerFree Kids.
Luckily, as time has passed, their home, jobs and the community of Mason have continued to grow and evolve with them.
As the owner of RE/Max Time, Michelle has seen all there is to see in terms of local real estate. “I look at dozens of houses a week in all price ranges, and honestly it would take a lot for us to sell this house because we love our neighborhood, we raised our kids here and everything is nearby. This is our home,” she explains.
“I’m so blessed to live here and to get to work at an iconic station like WLW,” enthuses Scott. “Normally you need to go to LA, New York or Chicago to fulfill that dream. We’re one of the only stations that is still live and local all of the time. I’m very fortunate to work at the best talk radio station in America and it happens to be in this place I love.”
Michelle adds, “We came to the Cincinnati area because of a job, but in Mason, we found more than a job. We found family, friends, community and a home, and we wouldn’t change a thing.”
