Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

By Frank Macek WKYC's Russ Mitchell & Cle Mayor Justin Bibb There’s no denying the numbers. Local television viewership isn’t what it used to be. The days when families gathered around the 6 p.m. newscast as part of a nightly routine have largely faded, replaced by streaming platforms, social media feeds, and an endless scroll of national headlines competing for attention.  The audience has splintered, habits have shifted, and the metrics we once relied on to define success have changed dramatically. But if you look beyond the ratings charts and into the real impact of what local journalism does every day, a different story emerges—one that underscores just how essential it remains. At WKYC, that reality is visible in ways that can’t be measured solely by Nielsen or Comscore numbers. It’s in the phone calls from viewers who need help navigating a confusing situation. It’s in the tips that come in at all hours, often from people who don’t know where else to turn. It’s in the tru...

By Frank Macek Wil Steigerwald The WKYC newsroom continues to grow, and it’s always exciting to see new talent walk through the doors at 1333 Lakeside. This week brings another welcome addition to the team, as Wil Steigerwald joins 3News as a story desk editor. For those of us who have spent years working in local television, there’s something special about the moment a new journalist begins their first day in a newsroom. It’s the start of a new chapter not only for that person, but also for the team they’re joining. Wil arrives at WKYC after recently graduating from The Ohio State University, where he earned his degree in journalism and media production. Ohio State has long been a pipeline for talented journalists entering newsrooms across the country, and many broadcasters in Northeast Ohio got their start there. The combination of journalism training and hands-on media production experience gives young reporters and editors the kind of practical skills that translate well into the ...

By Frank Macek Hunter Bertram WKYC Studios is welcoming a new journalist to its newsroom. Hunter Bertram will officially join the 3News team on Monday, March 9, bringing reporting experience, government communications insight, and Midwestern roots to Cleveland. Bertram arrives in Northeast Ohio after working as a multimedia journalist at KXLY-TV in Spokane, Washington. At the station—known locally as “4 News Now”—he reported on a wide range of stories across eastern Washington and the Inland Northwest, covering local government, community issues, and public safety. At WKYC, viewers will see Bertram working the nightside reporting shift, contributing stories and live reports for various editions of 3News. Originally from Minneapolis, Bertram graduated from the University of Minnesota, where he completed a major in journalism along with studies in sociology of law, criminology, and justice. The combination of disciplines helped shape his interest in covering issues involving government, ...

By Frank Macek Fifty years ago today, viewers in Northeast Ohio were watching Russ Montgomery deliver the weather on WKYC-TV. To many, that’s the name they remember. In later years, he would be known professionally as Russ Minshew — but in the mid-1970s, “Montgomery” was a familiar presence at the Channel 3 anchor desk. Montgomery followed a classic broadcast path of his generation, building experience in smaller markets before arriving in Cleveland. Those early years demanded versatility. Reporters wrote their own scripts, edited film, and often handled multiple roles in the newsroom. By the time he reached WKYC, he was polished and precise — a broadcaster who understood timing down to the second in the era of spliced film and manual cueing. His delivery was calm and deliberate. In a decade marked by economic shifts and civic change in Cleveland, that steadiness mattered. Anchors were not celebrities; they were trusted narrators. Montgomery fit that mold perfectly. A snapshot of his w...

By Frank Macek WKYC Studios has these job openings available if you are looking for a rewarding career experience with us at TEGNA Media's Cleveland location. We've also now added opportunities for our sister TEGNA stations in Columbus and Toledo as well as other Broadcast Director openings across the country. Current WKYC/Cleveland Job Openings Account Executive   Local Sales Manager   Story Desk Editor   Current WBNS/Columbus Job Openings Account Executive   Meteorologist Meteorologist Multi-Skilled Journalist Produce r Producer Story Desk Editor Current WTOL/Toledo Job Openings Multiskilled Journalist News Producer   Current Broadcast Director Jobs Tegna Openings Broadcast Director - KUSA/KTVD (Denver) Broadcast Director  - KARE (Minneapolis) Broadcast Director  - KARE (Minneapolis) Broadcast Director - KPNX (Phoenix) Broadcast Director - KSDK (St. Louis) Broadcast Director - WGRZ (Buffalo) You can also find other jobs within our parent company...

By Frank Macek WKYC Studios Today at 13th & Lakeside Ave. Twenty-five years ago, WKYC changed addresses. On paper, it looked like a straightforward relocation—from East 6th Street to 13th and Lakeside—but in reality it marked one of the most consequential transitions in the station’s history.  That move quietly redefined how Channel 3 would operate, adapt, and ultimately survive in an industry that was about to change faster than anyone imagined. I know that because I lived on both sides of it. I walked into WKYC for the first time in June 1994, learning the craft of local television inside the old East 6th Street building. By then, the place already carried decades of history in its walls. You could feel it the moment you stepped inside. It wasn’t just a workplace; it was an institution. The building had character, quirks, and limitations that everyone learned to navigate. Floors creaked, equipment ran hot, and no two studios behaved exactly the same way. It was a space that d...

By Frank Macek As newsrooms across the country continue to juggle relentless deadlines, evolving platforms, shrinking margins, and rising expectations, one truth remains constant—strong producers are the backbone of local television news. They are the conductors of the daily symphony, balancing editorial judgment, logistics, storytelling, and leadership, often under extraordinary pressure. That is why TEGNA’s Producer-in-Residence (PIR) program is not just a training initiative, but one of the most important long-term investments the company makes in the future of local journalism. As the Producer-in-Residence program gears up for a new year, WKYC will welcome two Producers-in-Residence. The addition is notable not only for the newsroom as a whole, but particularly for producing teams navigating the demands of a fast-paced, multi-platform environment. The Producer-in-Residence program is designed with one core mission: to identify, develop, and support the next generation of broadcast ...

By Frank Macek UPDATE: 12/25 Due to the weather and breaking news, NBC has canceled Tom's visit to Cleveland today. ------------------------- NBC Nightly News will have a distinctly Cleveland backdrop on Monday, December 15, as anchor Tom Llamas brings the network’s flagship evening newscast to the city for a live broadcast at 6:30 p.m. The visit includes time at WKYC Studios and is part of Llamas’ broader effort to tour the country and connect directly with NBC’s local affiliates. Llamas’ Cleveland stop places Northeast Ohio squarely on the national stage—something the city continues to earn through its relevance to stories shaping the country. From economic reinvention and health care to climate resilience and the evolving media industry itself, Cleveland offers a real-world lens on national issues. Broadcasting live from the city reinforces NBC News’ commitment to grounding its reporting in the communities where those stories live. The visit to WKYC carries particular weight. C...

By Frank Macek The Cleveland Crunch are entering a new chapter in their modern revival, thanks to a new partnership that will bring all of their home games exclusively to WKYC+. Beginning January 10, 2026, every match played at the Wolstein Center will stream live on the platform, giving fans across Northeast Ohio a direct and convenient way to follow the team. It’s a move that reflects both the Crunch’s growing momentum and WKYC Studios’ continued expansion of its digital footprint.  For the Crunch, the agreement is more than a broadcast arrangement. It signals the team’s commitment to reconnecting with longtime fans while introducing indoor soccer to a new audience.  The Crunch hold a nostalgic place in Cleveland sports history, dating back to their championship years in the National Professional Soccer League. Since the franchise relaunched, the organization has focused on rebuilding its identity and reestablishing indoor soccer as a staple of Cleveland’s sports culture. A ...

By Frank Macek Jennifer Lindgren (via LinkedIn) When Jennifer Lindgren walked into the WKYC newsroom in August 2010, she arrived with the energy of a journalist who knew exactly where she wanted to go. She had already put in the mileage—working in Columbia, South Carolina at WLTX and later in Jacksonville at WTLV—but Cleveland became the city where she sharpened her voice, tested her limits, and proved just how versatile a reporter could be. For those of us who remember her time at Channel 3, Jennifer wasn’t just a reporter on the roster. She was a one-woman production house, a journalist who could do it all before “MMJ” became an industry buzzword. Her role at WKYC was, in many ways, ahead of the curve. Jennifer wasn’t simply reporting the news. She was shooting it, editing it, writing it, producing it, and then standing in front of the camera to deliver it. On her official WKYC profile at the time, she described herself as “a wearer of many hats,” and she wasn’t exaggerating. She’d h...

By Frank Macek The great unraveling of the local television broadcasting workforce didn’t happen in one dramatic moment. It didn’t arrive with a corporate memo, a breaking-news ticker, or a major newsroom shakeup. It happened slowly, quietly, and then all at once.  Over the last decade—especially in the last five years—I’ve watched the industry I love lose people at every level and from every corner: producers, directors, photojournalists, anchors, engineering veterans, editors, creative staff, and digital teams who once saw broadcasting as a lifelong career. The exits are no longer surprising. They’re expected. And more than that, they’re telling us something we’ve been reluctant to confront. Why are so many people walking away from an industry once defined by loyalty and longevity? In my view, the answer isn’t simple, but it is unmistakable: local TV no longer looks like the business many of us signed up for. The job changed, the expectations changed, the economics changed, and i...

By Frank Macek WKYC viewers are in for a true holiday treat this Friday, Nov. 28, as we unwrap one of our biggest seasonal streaming events yet. Immediately following Front Row Friday, our streaming app WKYC+ will present an exclusive broadcast of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s stunning “Christmas Eve and Other Stories Live” concert — streaming only on our platform from 7:30 to 9 p.m.  This holiday classic, known for its mix of rock, orchestra, storytelling, and dazzling production, has become a benchmark of the season for fans across the country. Now, viewers can enjoy the full experience from home, free and on demand. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra has long been a powerhouse of holiday entertainment, blending soaring guitar riffs with sweeping symphonic arrangements in a way that makes their music instantly recognizable. “Christmas Eve and Other Stories,” their debut album and one of the bestselling Christmas records of all time, laid the foundation for what their live shows would ...

By Frank Macek Major League Baseball’s new media agreement with NBC marks one of the most significant shifts in the sport’s national broadcast landscape in years, restoring a legacy partnership while reshaping how fans will watch many of baseball’s biggest moments. Beginning with the 2026 season, NBC returns to MLB coverage with a package that blends historic broadcast presence and modern streaming strategy, placing select games on both the NBC broadcast network and Peacock.  For longtime fans who remember NBC’s iconic baseball coverage through the 1990s, the move represents both a nostalgic return and a strategic adjustment for today’s multiplatform audience. Here in Northeast Ohio, all NBC-network MLB broadcasts will air locally on WKYC, Cleveland’s NBC affiliate. Under the agreement, NBC regains rights to several high-profile MLB events. Among the most notable additions is Sunday Night Baseball, which NBC will air during weeks without network conflicts. ESPN still retains its lo...

By Frank Macek WKYC is unwrapping a bit of holiday nostalgia with a look back at our Holiday Values Magazine, a seasonal tradition that once showcased the station’s community spirit and promotional flair in the early 1990s. These rare vintage photos, recently shared with us by former Director of Advertising & Promotion Dan Klintworth, offer a vivid window into an era when WKYC’s branding, events, and on-air talent were captured in festive, magazine-style spreads delivered to viewers each winter. Klintworth, who served at WKYC from 1984 to 1995 during both NBC and Multimedia ownership, preserved these images for decades. His generosity in sending them back home to WKYC gives us an invaluable look at the station’s creative legacy—a time defined by bold graphics, spirited promotions, and a newsroom buzzing with holiday energy. These photos not only celebrate our past but also remind us how deeply WKYC’s traditions continue to resonate today. Enjoy a trip to the past. Channel 3 News ...