NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams broadcasted live from the Flats in downtown on Cleveland Monday, November 12th. Unfortunately it was pouring rain and lightning when the show started at 6:30 PM.Before that, he visited the Channel 3 studios to talk with us and others in the community about the state of Cleveland and the country.
Timeline of Brian's Visit:
Around Noon: Brian arrived at WKYC to meet with staff, take pictures, tour the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center
2:30 PM: Began working on final preps for NBC Nightly News.. his staff and him meet for over an hour to go over the show in our News Directors office.
3:30 PM: Heads to main news studio to begin taping promos with Tim White and Romona Robinson.
4:30 PM: Brian leaves WKYC and heads to his remote location near the Superior Viaduct.
5:45 PM: Brian does a talkback with Tim & Romona from his broadcast location for the 6 PM show
6:30 PM: Nightly News airs with a stormy background. A thunderstorm passes over just as the show begins.
7:00 PM: Brian heads out to dinner than hops on plane to Detroit where he will broadcast tomorrow night
Exclusive Pictures of Brian's Visit
By Chris Tye
A behind-the-scenes look at what it took to get Monday's broadcast on the air. They came, 24-strong with over 200 boxes of equipment all to put on one 30-minute broadcast. "The reason we're here," says NBC News anchor Brian Williams, is "to see the customer." Williams and his nightly co-workers took the show to Cleveland Monday night to share stories of a local Iraqi veteran who's making a difference here at home, of the growing foreclosure problem in Cleveland--and the power and promise of The Cleveland Clinic.
"Our newscast originates out of New York, but if the show starts to reflect New York values, then we're in trouble," he says. Trips like this to Cleveland, and tomorrow to Detroit aim to reflect the values of the Midwest, where the economy is struggling and the housing market is too.
While Williams is only here for a day, his crews have been working for weeks on the content being broadcast tonight. "We don't want this to feel like a drive-by visit," says NBC News producer Subrata De. "Our goal is to come and introduce the country to the people, the industry and the things in the news here in Cleveland."
Director's Point of View
By Frank Macek
Brian's visit made for an interesting day. Although I didn't get time to talk with him, I found him to be a rather pleasant, down to earth, and caring anchor. You don't always see that in this business - especially when people become mega stars. I truly enjoyed watching how structured everything was. When his assistants said it was time to do something, everyone jumped. It was like a mini-production company following him around at all times. And Brian definitely has a sense of humor. I saw this most when he took off his suitcoat and interviewed our Graphics Supervisor (and voice of "You've Got Mail" - Elwood Edwards). Although you didn't get to see his exchange on the air tonight, you can watch it by following the link under "Video Features" below. I also took a couple of pictures in our slide show (above). I think the entire station enjoyed Brian's visit - and it doesn't hurt to be able to say we had a network anchor in the house! Wish the weather had been better for his broadcast as the rain fell and the thunder boomed.
Video Features
To watch Chris Tye's package: CLICK HERE
To watch Romona Robinson's sit down interview with Brian: CLICK HERE
To watch Brian's interview with Elwood Edwards: CLICK HERE
