WKYC Names Jennifer Nickels Morning Show Executive Producer

WKYC News Director Rita Andolsen has announced that Jennifer Nickels will be joining Channel 3 News as Executive Producer of Channel 3 News Today from 4:30 - 7 a.m. weekday mornings.

Jennifer comes to us from Hearst station WLWT-TV/Cinncinati where she has been Executive Producer of "News 5 Today" since 2007.

Jennifer is a Cincinnati native and a graduate of University of Missouri-Columbia.

She will take over the morning show reigns on March 5th and is an avid reader of the Director's Cut Blog. Welcome Jennifer!

We love to hear from you, email your comments or questions to fmacek@wkyc.com

WKYC Names Marcus Walter As Channel 3 Meteorologist

Marcus Walter, Photo courtesy: Black Enterprise

WKYC has announced that Marcus Walter is joining the Channel 3 Weather family as a staff meteorologist beginning February 13th.

Marcus comes to Channel 3 News from New York City where is currently the weather producer for Good Morning America's weather guru Sam Champion.

A native of Chicago, Marcus did his undergraduate work at Penn State and has a Master's Degree, also in Meteorology, from Cornell University.

Marcus replaces former WKYC Meteorologist A.J. Colby who left in October, 2011.

We love to hear from you, email your comments or questions to fmacek@wkyc.com

Promo: Channel 3 News Today Part 2

This is part 2 in our campaign to introduce you to our new Channel 3 News Today morning team - Chris Tye, Erin Kennedy and Hollie Strano. So, what are you doing to day?

Click on the video to watch:

WKYC To Air Big Powerball Drawings Live

Channel 3, the official home of the Ohio Lottery, will now air Powerball drawings live when the big jackpot reaches $100 million dollars or more.

We'll give you a "Mega Money Alert" on Channel 3 and wkyc.com leading up to the drawing. That way, you can be sure to tune and get the numbers first, as they are drawn live at 11 p.m.

Our first alert is in effect and we'll have the first drawing Saturday night, January 28th, at 11 p.m. right before Channel 3 News.

And don't forget to see the regular Ohio lottery drawings live weeknights at 7:29 p.m. on Channel 3.

Daily lottery results can be gotten on wkyc.com at the following link: http://www.wkyc.com/news/lottery/

We love to hear from you, email your comments or questions to fmacek@wkyc.com

News: Job Openings at WKYC for 1/25/12

WKYC has job openings if you are looking for a rewarding career experience with us at the market's most "state of the art" digital broadcast center.

Current WKYC Job Openings:

• Digital Sales Specialist
• Executive Producer - AM Newscasts 
• Full-time Broadcast Maintenance Engineer
• Weekend Weather Anchor
• WKYC Internship opportunities
  
  For complete job descriptions and application procedures, be sure to visit our WKYC Career Page or our Maximus Jobs Page for other positions.

We love to hear from you, email your comments or questions to fmacek@wkyc.com

Notes from the Newsroom: 1/25/12

By Frank Macek

It's time for another behind the scenes look at what's happening at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center.

This week marks our official 5th anniversary as the most read blog originating from WKYC. We first launched "Director's Cut" back in January 2007 as an experiment and today are hovering around the one million page view mark. I personally appreciate all the support I have gotten from Channel 3 executives on allowing me to give you inside access to our television station, unlike other stations which are afraid to embrace the slogan "Report the Facts, Respect the Truth."

We are into our second week with our new anchor teams on Channel 3 News with Chris Tye and Erin Kennedy anchoring 4:30 - 7 a.m., Amanda Barren on Channel 3 News at Noon, Russ Mitchell at 6 & 11 p.m. and Robin Swoboda and Jim Donovan on the "News @7".

We are very excited with all the new changes and know our viewers realize Channel 3 is even more committed now to bringing you the best in news, weather and sports programming to northeast Ohio with top notch professionals.

When we launched Russ Mitchell on his first show on Sunday, January 15th, after the Golden Globes, we helped put him at ease with a special greeting from his former Director, Chip Colley, at CBS News in New York, who sent us a little piece of home (and humor) for Russ in the form of an audio messsage: "Good Evening Russ. This is your number one fan." As we played it in his ear, we received a big grin and knew we were good to go. Russ tells us this was his regular IFB check before his broadcasts at CBS. Not sure, we can top being his number one fan, but we are going to try.

You may also be noticing some changes to our set. We have recently replaced part of the overhang above the anchor desk that now displays "WKYC News" and "Weather Center" with a fresh look that really pops in high definition. We also listened to our viewers and ditched the "little desk" on the "News @7" in favor of the main anchor desk.

We expect an announcement is close on a co-anchor for Russ Mitchell on Channel 3 News at 6 & 11 and a weekend weather anchor who take over the 6 & 11 pm duties on Saturday and Sunday. Those will be the final pieces on the rebuild of our station's on-air team for 2012 in an important news and entertainment year on NBC.

Speaking of sports, the Olympics are coming at the end of July on Channel 3. And, we are thrilled to report Channel 3 News will be there in person. Chris Tye, Amanda Barren and Jennifer Lindgren will be crossing the pond to work on coverage for WKYC and the television stations of Gannett Broadcasting and USA Today. And, of course, we'll be bringing you our nightly pre-show warmup called "Olympic Zone" at 7:30 p.m.

At the mother ship, Gannett is acquiring the Metromix technology platform and hiring its technology staff into Gannett Digital, following an agreement to end its partnership with Tribune Company. Metromix is a digital entertainment guide Gannett had owned as a joint venture with the Tribune Company since 2007. Gannett will continue to offer Metromix in 19 newspapers and seven Broadcasting markets. By integrating Metromix into Gannett Digital, we will be able to provide improvements, changes and expansions to the Metromix-powered tools on our sites, in collaboration with our local markets. The Metromix tech team will collaborate with other Gannett units to support and improve our local entertainment sites. We also will soon provide USA TODAY’s national entertainment news and information to each of Gannett’s local Metromix sites.

And at our sister publication, the USA TODAY Sports Media Group announced that it has completed its acquisition of Fantasy Sports Ventures (FSV) and Big Lead Sports, the largest independent digital sports property in North America. With this acquisition, the USA TODAY Sports Media Group is positioned to become one of the top five sports sites on the web.

As always, please don't forget to become a friend of Channel 3 News and Channel 3 Weather. We have special on-line content just for our Facebook friends including your chance to be our "Facebook Friend of the Day," daily behind the scenes promos, previews of NBC shows and so much more.

• Facebook Friend of Channel 3 News
• Facebook Friend of Channel 3 Weather
• Twitter Follower of Channel 3 News
• Twitter Follower of Channel 3 Weather

We love to hear from you, email your comments or questions to fmacek@wkyc.com

Photogallery: New WKYC Anchors Settle In

It has been a big week for WKYC as several new anchors settled in and others took on new roles. Russ Mitchell, a former anchor for CBS Evening News weekend edition and The Early Show on Saturday, has taken his chair for the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts.

Jim Donovan is now teamed up with Robin Swoboda for the news at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, Chris Tye has moved to mornings from the 7 p.m. show and has been teamed up with another fresh WKYC face, Erin Kennedy.

Click on the photo to see our slide show:

"Today Show" Celebrates Its 60th Anniversary on WKYC

Friday marks a milestone for one of the staples of American television.

It marks the 60th anniversary of the Today Show, and tonight hosts past and present will celebrate six decades on-the-air at a star-studded gala in New York.

From day one when Dave Garroway welcomed viewers to try something new, Today has been bringing the world to American homes.

"The very first good morning of what I hope and suspect will be a great many good mornings between you and I," Garroway said on January 13, 1952.

Little did anyone know how many mornings there would be.

Fast forward nearly 22,000 mornings and Today is a fixture of American life. Matt, Ann, Al and Natalie are the latest members of the Today family. Over the years, a who's-who list has served as hosts including Barbara Walters, Tom Brokaw, Bryant Gumble and Katie Couric.

"This is stewardship," Al Roker says. "You're just here for a certain time to make sure the legacy continue and people come to this that there are certain things they expect and that they want."

Just as impressive are the places and stories along the way: 15 presidential elections and inaugurations, two royal weddings and tragic events that redefined the country. To help celebrate the anniversary landmarks including the Empire State Building will be decked out in Today Show colors, and Niagara Falls will have a special water and light display.

NBC's Michelle Franzen has a look back:

Jim Donovan To Co-Anchor 7pm News With Robin Swoboda

Jim Donovan

Jim Donovan, long-time WKYC Sports Anchor, will join co-anchor Robin Swoboda for Channel 3 News @ 7pm. He will continue to bring Northeast Ohio the most experienced and thoughtful sports coverage at 6 and 11pm, but will expand his role into the anchor position at 7.

“Jimmy is more than sports, he’s a great storyteller and an astute interviewer,” stated Brooke Spectorsky, President and General Manager of WKYC. “Channel 3 viewers across the region love his quick wit and passion for his work.”

“Now it’s time for Jim to bring all that energy to a wider range of subjects,” remarked News Director Rita Andolsen. “Jim has always been a news junkie, now he’ll have the chance to expound on that knowledge and cover a lot of big issues facing Northeast Ohio.”

“I’m happy to take on a new challenge,” added Donovan. “We’re going to do some interesting and different things with the 7pm show, and I look forward to working on some very special projects.”

Donovan is returning to a full time schedule after recovering from a bone marrow transplant last summer. He joined Channel 3 in March of 1985 as weekend sports anchor. In June of 1999, Jim was named the voice of the Cleveland Browns, doing play by play radio coverage.

He has done countless national and international events, including the '96 Summer Olympics for NBC/WKYC; in 1994, World Cup Soccer; in 1992, swimming and soccer competitions at the Olympics for NBC. He did live national coverage of the Soap Box and Derby, and coverage of the Cleveland Marathon. He also was the play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports' NFL games from 1987 to 1997. He’s won multiple Emmys and been inducted into the Press Club Hall of Fame.

In Focus: Cheaper Alternatives Exist For TV Service

Nicole Sellars

Have you ever considered cancelling your cable television service and switching to something cheaper?

We asked that exact question on our Facebook page yesterday and received a ton of comments as prices continue to rise year after year.

Channel 3 Digital Trend Reporter Nicole Sellars takes a look at some cable alternatives that could save you a few bucks.

Click on the video below to watch her report:

Browns Present Jim Donovan With 2011 Game Ball

Jim Donovan

He may not suit up and play on Sunday afternoons but the voice of the Cleveland Browns received a game ball for the 2011 season. Jim Donovan, the radio voice of the Cleveland Browns, received the award on Thursday morning.

Browns team president Mike Holmgren presented the game ball to Donovan saying he "epitomizes what we want our players to be."

Donovan underwent a bone marrow transplant back in June of 2011. He has been battling leukemia for 11 years. After months of rehabbing and recovery, Donovan was able to return to the radio booth to call the play-by-play of the Browns season opener on September 11th.

It's the first time Donovan has received a game ball since 1999 when the Browns returned to Cleveland.



Courtesy: wkyc.com

Director's Cut Alert: Chris Tye to Anchor Channel 3 News Today

Chris Tye

Chris Tye, current anchor of the Channel 3 News @ 7pm, will be shifting gears and changing the setting on his alarm clock. Chris has been named co-anchor of Channel 3 News Today, WKYC’s early morning newscast.

“Our goal is to make every morning smart, fun and forward-thinking,” said Tye. “As we get going on a busy 2012 -- Olympics, elections, casinos and corruption trials -- we're making it our mission to let you know what's next. Anyone can tell you what happened over the last 12 hours -- we're going to be more interested in getting you set for your next 12 hours."

“Chris brings strong journalism and reporting skills to the morning show, along with a creative and quick wit”, said WKYC News Director Rita Andolsen. “He and recently named co-anchor Erin Kennedy will change the face of morning news in our market”.

“The team of Chris, Erin, meteorologist Hollie Strano, reporters Amanda Barren and Stephanie Coueignoux, and Ways to Save guru Matt Granite is sure to wake up Northeast Ohio in a bright new way,” stated President and General Manager Brooke Spectorsky. “Their energy and genuine enthusiasm is contagious.”

Since joining WKYC in 2004 Chris has become an integral part of the Channel 3 news team, covering local and national stories. He has interviewed the President, Vice-President, First Lady and countless other dignitaries. His reports and live shots have aired on NBC Nightly News, MSNBC, CNN and affiliates across the country.

Chris' writing and reporting have been honored by the Associated Press, the Michigan News Photographers Association and the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. His work was singled out by the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council for a report on young people overcoming handicaps. The Fair Housing Commission of Grand Rapids honored him for a series of reports on discriminatory housing practices. Chris has been honored five-times by the Gannett Corporation (parent company of WKYC) for his reporting and writing skills.

A Chicago native and John Carroll University graduate, Chris has immersed himself in Northeast Ohio and spends considerable time each year mentoring young journalists, speaking with classes at Cuyahoga Community College, Kent State University and John Carroll University.

Chris will begin his new role, along with newly hired Erin Kennedy and meteorologist Hollie Strano on Channel 3 News Today starting at 4:30am on Monday, January 16th.

Year in review: A Look Back At 2011 At WKYC

By Frank Macek

As we prepare to wrap up 2011, the Director's Cut Blog would like to take a look back at some of the events here at Channel 3. The year was filled with plenty of changes, new faces, triumphs and goodbyes.

WKYC was once again the over the air television home of both the Cleveland Indians regular season and the Cleveland Browns preseason coverage. Although neither team lived up to expectations, the sports year was exciting with the uncertainly of a NFL and NBA lockout and down to the wire negotiations that saved both seasons.

The Ohio Lottery switched from WEWS to Channel 3 where the nightly drawings can now be seen right after the revamped edition of Channel 3 News @7 with anchors Chris Tye and Robin Swoboda who took over the show in March.

The station launched a new savings website called "Deal Chicken" where our viewers can save up to 90% off at local area restaurants and establishments. Unfortunately, our parent company Gannett also announced the end to our Moms Like Me.com and Metromix.com websites.

Our parent network NBC was officially taken over by Comcast in a merger than left long time leaders Jeff Zucker and Dick Ebersol without a role in the new company. NBC continued to struggle during the year with its primetime lineup that failed to impress many.

WKYC produced a local special for the hit television show, "The Voice," where talent from northern Ohio competed for a spot on our show. After narrowing our selections down to 10, these finalists competed for an all expense paid chance to audition for the national competition in Los Angeles. And, "Flash Mob" made its debut that focused on trends in social media and we aired a series of specials called "Cutting Edge" that focused on medical issues that mattered to our viewers.

2011 also saw the arrival our new WKYC Weather and News apps available for iPhone, iPod, iPad and Android users. Plus, WKYC elevated Betsy Kling to Chief Meteorologist.

We also learned that WKYC Sports Anchor Jim Donovan had been dealing with leukemia for the past 10 years and underwent a bone marrow transplant in June that kept him sidelined for several months. However, the voice of the Cleveland Browns was back in the booth for the regular season and is slowly recovering and resuming his anchoring duties on Channel 3 at 6, 7 & 11 PM. His story was a very personal one he openly shared with viewers and they responded with thousands of get well wishes and cards.

We said goodbye to some familar faces including WKYC evening anchor Romona Robinson, weekend anchor Jeff Maynor, meteorologist AJ Colby, and reporters Lynn Olzowy, Paul Thomas and Darrielle Snipes. And, we said farewell to Gannett CEO Craig Dubow who stepped down because of on-going health issues. Gracia Mortore took over the reigns of our company.

However, we also said hello to brand new faces including former CBS News Weekend anchor Russ Mitchell who will take over the 6 & 11 PM anchor desk and will serve as evening managing editor starting January 16th.

Pamela Osborne and Stephanie Coueignoux joined Channel 3 as mult-media journalists. And, Erin Kennedy was named weekday morning anchor along with Mark Nolan. She begins soon.

And behind the scenes, Brennan Donnellan joined WKYC News as Managing Editor of News & Digital Content.

And there were plenty of interesting news stories to cover from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami on March 11th to the Cuyahga County Corruption story and Anthony Sowell trial. All of these stories can be searched on wkyc.com

So, we say "so long" to 2011 and "hello" to 2012 at Channel 3 where it promises to be an exciting year with the Summer Olympics coming this summer from London and a presidential election that will captivate the nation in the weeks leading up to November.

Happy New Year and thanks for reading the Director's Cut Blog and connecting to Channel 3, wkyc.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

Promo: The Beat Reporters of Channel 3 News

Click on the video to watch one of new Channel 3 promos highlighting the experienced beat reporters of Channel 3 News including Kim Wheeler (education), Maureen Kyle (consumer), Monica Robins (health), Tom Meyer (investigative) and Tom Beres (politics).

Director's Cut Alert: Russ Mitchell to Anchor WKYC News

Russ Mitchell, Courtesy: CBS

Russ Mitchell, current anchor of the CBS Evening News weekend editions and The Early Show on Saturday, and national correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning, the CBS Evening News, and The Early Show will be joining the staff of WKYC as Managing Editor Evening News and lead anchor of the 6pm and 11pm newscasts beginning January 16, 2012.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my years at CBS and the challenges and excitement of a network role,” stated Mr. Mitchell, “but I've been offered a unique opportunity to help create the next generation of local news in a great place and have a key role in trying to make a difference in a wonderful community.”

“Russ’s breadth of experience and his passion for our industry and our local mission is unparalleled,” remarked President and General Manager Brooke Spectorsky. “2012 will be a pivotal year for Northeast Ohio with everything from major economic projects to a Presidential election. Russ will help position Channel 3 News to take an even greater leadership role as the trusted source of news and information in our region.”

“I’m a Midwestern guy. I’m used to hard work, I get the weather, and I can’t wait to settle my family in a community where local news can still make a difference,” said Mr. Mitchell. “Channel 3 has the courage and conviction to do the kind of news that goes beyond reporting ‘what is’ to foster a vision of ‘what could be.’ And I find that truly exciting.”

Mitchell was born in St. Louis and accepted his first television job at age 17 as a nighttime switchboard operator at KTVI-TV. “I thought I’d be doing that for a week, then anchoring a newscast,” joked Mr. Mitchell. “Folks set me straight.” He graduated from the University of Missouri, and began his professional career at KMBC in Kansas City. Larger markets and bigger stations soon followed, then a move to New York as the co-anchor of the overnight CBS News broadcast, Up to the Minute. In 1993 he was named a correspondent for Eye-to-Eye with Connie Chung. In 1995, Mitchell was assigned to the CBS Washington bureau. In July of 1997, Mitchell was named co-anchor of CBS News Saturday Morning and traveled extensively as a reporter for the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and 48 Hours. He covered the war in Bosnia, went to the Democratic Republic of Congo and interviewed then President Laurent Kabila, reported from Cuba, India, Indonesia and The Marshall Islands.

Mr. Mitchell was on the anchor desk with Dan Rather on September 11, 2001 and reported from Ground Zero and other parts of Manhattan on the days and weeks that followed. Most recently, he anchored the live CBS Special Report coverage of the capture and death of Osama Bin Laden on May 1, 2011.

Russ has been honored with multiple local and national Emmys Awards. He has received the National Association of Black Journalists Award, the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award for his coverage of the Elian Gonzales story, the New York Association of Black Journalists Award for Best Documentary, and the Press Club of St. Louis 18th Annual Media Person of the Year Award.

Perhaps not as well-known, but equally important to Mitchell is the 2007 Missouri Honor Medal. He received it for Distinguished Service in Journalism from The University of Missouri School of Journalism, his alma mater. He also returns there every summer to help with a journalism workshop for high school students, a workshop he attended in 1977.

Russ is married to Karina Mahtani-Mitchell, a freelance contributor of entertainment reports to CBS. Mrs. Mahtani-Mitchell was also a broadcast associate for CBS Newspath. She and Russ have four children.

FCC May Soon Muzzle Loud Commercials

Special to the Director's Cut Blog
By Mike Snider, USA Today

The Federal Communications Commission today is expected to pass regulations requiring broadcasters and cable and satellite TV systems to maintain constant volume levels. The order, which goes into effect one year from today, "says commercials must have the same average volume as the programs they accompany," says FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

Last year, President Obama signed into law a measure that Congress passed giving the FCC authority to address the problem. A Harris poll taken around that time found that 86% of people surveyed said TV commercials were louder than the shows themselves -- and, in many cases, much louder. "It is a problem that thousands of viewers have complained about, and we are doing something about it," Genachowski says.

While normal listening levels average about 70 decibels for a typical TV broadcast -- 60 is equivalent to a restaurant conversation; 80 to a garbage disposal -- levels on a TV channel can vary by as much as 20 decibels.

To comply with the new law, broadcasters can use audio processors to measure the loudness of a program over its entirety and adjust the volume of commercials accordingly, says Joe Snelson, vice president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. He said the goal is to avoid an abrupt change in volume when a show goes to commercial break.

Some broadcasters and pay-TV providers already have begun implementing the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM). DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer says the satellite provider is "ensuring that our commercial inserts are at the proper volume level and ... (we) are working with our programmers to be in compliance with the rules the FCC adopts."
Similarly, Cox Communications plans to make sure that local ads and commercials on national networks "are compliant," says Cox spokesman Todd Smith.

"Slowly but surely, consumers are going to get something they have been wanting," says David Butler of the Consumers Union.

"I never characterized this as saving the Union," says Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., the original sponsor of the bill. "But consumers have been asking for it. We may not have peace in the world, but we may have more peaceful homes."

Director's Cut Alert: Gannett Shutters Metromix.com Websites in Broadcast Markets

Gannett is ending its popular Metromix.com websites, including WKYC's, it is being announced today at the broadcast stations across the company.

WKYC launched Metromix.com (cleveland.metromix.com) in June 2008 as a hip, new website for socially active taste-makers and young professionals looking to be one-step ahead of Cleveland's latest trends and hotspots.

While Cleveland's site was creative and innovative, the other markets failed to ignite.

At this time, it appears the websites will continue their affilation with Gannett newspapers, but not the broadcast stations.