Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

WKYC Weather Plus Meteorologist AJ Colby steps into our popular "Get to Know Team 3" spotlight segment this time. AJ has been with WKYC for the past fews years and currently handles the weekend 6 & 11 PM weathercasting duties on Channel 3 News. We sat down with AJ and found out a little more about him. Q: When did you know you wanted to become a weather forecaster? AJ: I was in fifth grade when I saw the destruction caused by a deadly tornado which touched down near Albion, PA back on May 31st, 1985. Although nothing more than a portly little tyke, I was impressed by Mother Nature's pure power. 12 people died in that tornado and I was awe-struck by such raw, unstoppable force. I believe that that was the initial driving force behind my eventual career choice. Meanwhile, I reported my local weather conditions to a local Cleveland TV station when I was 13 years old. My name was mentioned several times as an official weather watcher, and I was immediately HOOKED! Q...

This New Year's Eve will be rocking on 'KYC as Carson Daly once again hosts our party to welcome in 2008 following Channel 3 News at 11. Continuing NBC's long-standing tradition of live New Year's Eve coverage in Times Square, Carson Daly will host "NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly Presented by Chevy" (December 31, 11:35 p.m. ET). The one-hour special will include performances by platinum-selling artists Lenny Kravitz and Alicia Keys as well as up-to-the minute coverage of all of the action in Times Square. As in years past, "NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly Presented by Chevy" will again showcase the biggest names in music. "Today" correspondent Tiki Barber and "MSNBC" anchor Amy Robach will help Carson's coverage of the celebration with live reports from the heart of Times Square among the hundreds of thousands of spectators. Since Keys' 2001 debut of Songs In A Minor, the New York native has bu...

While prices drop sales for flat-screen TVs are booming. You might have received one for Christmas, but the hidden cost of your new flat screen: electricity. A lot of people don't about out how much juice their flat screen is sucking in. Depending on what kind of flat screen it is, it may be a lot. "I try to be sort of concerned about that sort of thing, power consumption and such. So yes, I think that would make a difference in my decision," shopper Alex Pappas said. At R.C. Willey, like most electronics stores, regular cathode ray-tube TVs are almost extinct. Flat screens--LCDs, plasma screen, and projection TVs--seem to be on everyone's wish list. "They've continually had about a 20- to 30-percent increase each quarter. So, they've been very good, and a lot of that has been because of the going away of the picture-tube televisions," explained Claire Mitchell, of R.C. Willey. According to separate research from England's Oxford University, the ...

More than 50 percent of U.S. households now own a digital television (DTV), according to new research released Friday by the Consumer Electronics Association. As the nation transitions to all digital television by February 17, 2009, consumers are adding DTV to their homes at a record pace. "I am proud to announce our nation has hit this digital milestone. With 50 percent of U.S. homes able to experience the reality of digital television, we have crossed a critical threshold," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA. "2008 will continue to demonstrate the growth and success of DTV, with nearly 32 million units forecasted to ship. Consumers are particularly keen to add HDTV to their homes, with high definition expected to account for 79 percent of total DTV shipments in the U.S in 2008." According to new CEA sales projections, manufacturers will post 11 percent revenue growth, to over $25 billion, from sales of digital televisions in 2007. CEA also forecasts 13 pe...

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January promises to offer a stunning array of brand new technical gadgets. Reports say the show stopper for 2008 will be Panasonic's unveiling of a new 150 inch high definition plasma television set. Yep, you read that right. 150 inches . That's 11 feet wide and 6 feet high. You would need a pretty large house for this one. If Panasonic does follow through on its promise, the world will see the largest, commercially available set anywhere on the planet for the first time. And, that's no small engineering feat with Sharp hot on Panasonic's coat tails with their own 108 inch set. However is there really a market for this large a set, or will they become impressive display models only? The jury is still out on this, especially after Panasonic - owned by Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. - revealed a 103 inch plasma hdtv in 2006 with a price tag of around $50,000. However, retailers say that one is no longer be...

From: Tim in Bainbridge Q: Thanks Frank for the cool web chats you are doing... will they be a regular part of your blog? A: You bet! I'll be doing this chats most weeks on Wednesday. Just look for the notice at the top of the blog as to date and time. These chats give me a unique opportunity for me to talk with you about television and you can ask all the questions you want - within reason, of course. I still can't divulge station secrets! Plus after the holidays, I'll be inviting various Channel 3 on-air personalities to join me in the chat room to talk about what goes on behind the scenes here at the Digital Broadcast Center. You can email your questions to me: fmacek@wkyc.com

From: Herman in Cleveland Q: I noticed both Channel 3 and Channel 19 are running commercials that claim their newscasts are number 1 at 11 PM...How can both stations say that? A: It's a fair question. It all depends on which set of ratings you look at for the important month of November. WKYC was #1 at 11 PM in overall viewers age 12+ both Monday thru Friday and Monday through Sunday. So technically, Channel 3 had the most people watching the news at 11 PM. When you break down the individual demographic ratings into very specific age range, the other station can claim they had more viewers than we did in the Women 25-54 demo ONLY - though we were #1 in Adults 25-54 Monday through Sunday. You can email your questions to me: fmacek@wkyc.com

Updated: 12/26/07 @ 6 PM This was no normal newscast at WLS-TV in Chicago over the weekend when a mini van slammed into the studio during a live broadcast. No one was injured in the Sunday night crash. CHICAGO (AP) -- A man accused of crashing his minivan into a glass-walled Chicago TV studio during the station's late news Sunday is behind bars facing multiple felony charges. At a Christmas Day court hearing, the judge set bond at $125,000 for 25-year-old Gerald Richardson. He's charged with criminal damage to property, resisting arrest, reckless driving and operating a motor vehicle without insurance. No one was injured when police say the van he was driving slammed through the glass wall into the WLS-TV studio. The crash was heard on the air and the news anchor was visibly startled during the newscast. Richardson's attorney says her client has a history of mental health problems. Prosecutors claim the man "wanted to be on the news." Double click the "Play...

All of us at WKYC-TV and the Director's Cut Blog would like to wish you and your families the happiest of holidays and the very best for the coming New Year! Click on the gift box you think contains the staff Christmas greetings to YOU: Feel free to post YOUR holiday greetings to our tv and web staff: CLICK HERE

Our blog partner, Ohio Media Watch , is reporting today on a Cleveland television matter that WJW/Fox 8 has been sold to Oak Hill Capital Partners, along with seven other Fox owned and operated television stations. The expected sale should be done by fall of 2008. Oak Hill runs Local TV, LLC, which had been headed by former Jacor radio executive Randy Michaels. Just this week, Sam Zell closed on his purchase of the Tribune Company which owns both newspaper and television stations. Michaels was quickly promoted to oversee the broadcast and interactive division of Tribune Company by Mr. Zell. Now Local TV and Tribune will create a third-party broadcast management company which will provide shared services to ALL of the stations Local TV and Tribune own respectively. This leads us to believe WJW could ultimately be digested into the Zell Tribune media empire. Look for more on this in the coming months. In the meantime, feel free to read more of the details on Ohio Media Watch .

By Frank Macek Now that the Writers' Strike is heading into its 2nd month, the impact of failed negotiations between both sides is leading down a path that will be nearly impossible to return from. The 2007 Writers Guild of America strike is a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) that started on November 5, 2007. The WGAE and WGAW are two labor unions that represent film, television and radio writers working in the United States. The strike is against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a trade organization that represents the interests of American film and television producers. Over 12,000 writers are affected by the strike. The last such strike in 1988 lasted 22 weeks, and cost the American entertainment industry an estimated 500 million dollars. Some late night shows are heading back into production without writers. Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien both announced recently they would resume pr...

Former Weather Channel and hometown Meteorologist Bruce Kalinowski will be joining the WKYC Weather Plus forecasting team. The Director's Cut Blog has learned that Bruce will be teaming up with Betsy Kling, Hollie Strano and AJ Colby to become a station meteorologist. Bruce will be mainly seen on our weekend newscasts and filling in as needed for Hollie, Betsy and AJ. Bruce has been working in the local market for the past 8 years... first at the CBS affiliate and now at WKYC. Prior to that, Bruce was a familiar face on "The Weather Channel" under the name of Bruce Edwards from 1982 until 2000. Bruce and Andre Bernier were the very first on camera meteorologists to be seen by viewers when the Weather Channel launched on May 2, 1982 at 8 PM. (To watch video of that launch: CLICK HERE ) Bruce also worked for a time at our Gannett sister station, WTLV/WJXX in Jacksonville, Florida. We always knew Bruce was from Cleveland, cause he always referred to us at the "Best Loca...

Thanks to everyone who participated in this week's live Director's Cut blog chat. We had a lot of interesting questions. If you missed it, the next one will be held on Wednesday, December 26th at 8 pm ET. Bring your questions about Channel 3, High Definition and other tv related matters and I'll do my best to answer your questions. The chat takes place on the main page of our blog in a chat messenger box that will appear when the chat begins.

The Federal Communications Commission has overturned a 32 year old ban this afternoon, allowing broadcasters to also own a newspaper in the 20 largest television markets. The vote was 3-2 with Republicans Deborah Taylor Tate and Robert McDowell siding with Martin. Democratic members Jonathan Adelstein and Michael J. Copps voted against the new rules. Under Chairman Martin's proposal, one entity would be permitted to own a newspaper and one broadcast station in the same market. But it must be among the 20 largest in the nation and following the transaction, at least eight independently owned-and-operated media voices must remain. In addition, the television station may not be among the top four in the market. The agency first tried to loosen the ban in 2003, but the move was rejected by a federal appeals court. Since then, the commissioners have been trying to craft a new set of rules that will survive judicial scrutiny. Martin pushed the vote through despite intense pressure from H...

Our good friend, NATAS Lower Great Lakes Chapter President Gary Manke, has sent us the following information to pass along to you about this year's Emmy Awards: ------------------ Along with the holidays, the "Emmy Awards season" is upon us once again and the Lower Great Lakes Chapter Emmy Awards Call for Entries for Broadcast Year 2007 is now available online by visiting www.nataslgl.org ! There have been several changes and seven new categories added, so read it over carefully. The entry deadline is Friday, January 25, 2008. There will be no direct mailing of the Call for Entries again this year - it is available only online! We are also going with an on-line entry and payment system - no more handwritten paperwork or trying to find a typewriter! And since many of you have requested, in addition to VISA, MasterCard and Discover, we now accept American Express! The on-line entry system will go live in early January. And remember: only DVD copies of your entry will be acc...

Don't worry! Brian Williams remains in the anchor chair at Rockefeller Center, but tonight a new voice emerged from behind the scenes. Michael Douglas has been named the new announcer to introduce the evening news program from 30 Rock. The Academy Award winning actor has been on the big screen himself for nearly forty years. Now, he takes on a new role with NBC News. Howard Reig, long-time NBC staff announcer, retired in 2005. However, he his voice had continued to be heard through the magic of recording technology since. Whenever the show was on the road or a new substitute anchor was employed, Reig recorded a new introduction in a Miami studio where he currently lives. But those weeknight introductions for Brian Williams were officially retired on Friday, December 14, 2007. Michael Douglas starts a new tradition for NBC Nightly News. And now you know because you read the "Director's Cut Blog" - quickly becoming the "must read" blog for fans of NBC and WKYC...

We first told you about the WFMJ-TV & WBCB-TV/Youngstown fire back in October. New information has been reported by The Youngstown Vindicator that the fire was intentionally set, according to fire officials. Here was the blurb The Vindy posted on their website about the incident. YOUNGSTOWN - A fire that occurred at 4:12 a.m. Oct. 31 at WFMJ-TV 21 at 101 Boardman St. has been ruled arson, said Lt. Kevin Johnson, an arson investigator. He said the fire was set along storage boxes on wooden shelving in the basement. He declined to say what was used to start the fire. "I'm reviewing security tapes and employee logs to see who was there. There's still a lot of work to do," Johnson said. If not for the smoke detector, the building would be a hole in the ground and firefighters could have been killed, he said, adding the basement is like a maze. Damage was in excess of $100,000, he said. To read our original article on the fire with video: CLICK HERE Information courte...

With just over a year to go before the forced mandate to all digital broadcasting in the United States on February 17, 2009, several retailers have announced they will be accepting the government issued coupons for the new digital-to-analog converter boxes. These will allow analog viewers to continue using their older sets with the new digital technology. Coupons are available beginning January 1st. To read my full article about this on WKYC.COM, CLICK HERE. The following is the application information you need to know -- APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Between January 1st, 2008, and March 31st, 2009, consumers can request coupon applications through four easy methods: 1) Complete an application online: http://www.dtv2009.gov/ 2) Call for an application 24/7: 1-800-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009), TTY 1-877-530-2634 3) Request an application via mail: Converter Box Application, P.O. Box 2000, Portland, Oregon, 97208-2000 4) Fax an application request to: 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632) REDEEMING PRO...

From: Janice in Kirtland Q: Tom Meyer is one of my favorites. You mentioned on the blog that he was coming to WKYC awhile ago, but I haven't seen him on the air. Is he still coming? A: That would be a great big "YES". Tom had to wait out a non-compete agreement (a period of time where is not allowed to be on the air after leaving his past employer) before he can start on the air at Channel 3. Although, I don't have a Tom premiere date, it will be soon - probably next month. Tom is already hard at work behind the scenes working on some interesting investigations that you will see very soon. You can read our original blog posting about Tom from May 18th: CLICK HERE You can email your questions to me: fmacek@wkyc.com

This holiday season, there is a new player in the HD market from New Medium Enterprises (NME) called HD VMD to compete with HD DVD and the more popular Blu Ray format for High Definition storage & playback. This system has had a strong presence in New Zealand, Iceland and parts of Central Europe for a while, but is now just coming on the American marketplace. The company is touting itself with the world's first low-cost "True High Definition" solution utilizing today's red laser technology, similar to that of the standard DVD. HD VMD is a true HD format with 1920 x 1080i/p resolution, up to 40 Mbps bit rate playback, DVD up-scaling so users can watch their existing DVD collection and achieve premium picture quality through their HD TV monitors. The HD VMD player is suitable for playback on all HD-capable display devices and will support existing optical disc formats: CD, DVD (DVD 5 & DVD 9). HD VMD players also feature Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and al...

Let's take a moment to get to know another one of NBC's big name celebrities. This month in our "Meet the Stars" feature, we spotlight "30 Rock" star Tina Fey. Tina writes, executive-produces and stars as Liz Lemon in NBC's Emmy Award-winning "30 Rock," currently in its second season on NBC. Prior to creating "30 Rock," Fey completed six seasons as head writer, cast member and co-anchor of the "Weekend Update" segment on NBC's "Saturday Night Live." Fey is an Emmy winner and two-time Writers Guild Award winner for her writing on "Saturday Night Live." Since her transition to being in front of the camera, she has won much acclaim -- including being named one of Entertainment Weekly's Entertainers of the Year, one of People Magazine's "Most Beautiful People" (twice), and one of Time magazine's "Prestigious Time 100." She has also won a Gracie Award, a Made in New York Awa...

From: Bill in Cleveland Q: I never see Jim Donovan on your newscasts anymore...Why? A: Jimmy is around, but his duties have him spread between Channel 3 News, Sportstime Ohio and the Cleveland Browns Radio Network. Because many of these anchoring duties require him during the day or on the weekends, he's not on the weekday 11 pm newscast as much during Browns season. Plus the poor guy needs a day or two off to regroup - like the rest of us! In January, you'll be seeing more of him - that is, unless the Browns head to the Superbowl - then all bets are off. You can email your questions to me: fmacek@wkyc.com

After 7 years as an anchor and reporter, WKYC's Kristin Anderson has said goodbye to staffers at WKYC. She and her kids are moving to Philadelphia to join her husband, John Anderson, who took a job as the morning anchor at the Fox affiliate. Kristin began at Channel 3 News as the weekend anchor of the 6 & 11 PM newscasts where she teamed up with Scott Newell about the time Channel 3 moved in our new digital broadcast center. Also for a time, she was paired up with her husband on the morning newscast before becoming a mother. She returned to Channel 3 as a part-time reporter until her departure on Friday. Best wishes, Kristin!

NBC's first-quarter primetime schedule is slated to deliver significantly more hours of original programming than was ever the case in the first quarter of 2007. The line-up features a schedule packed with original scripted, reality programming and specials, featuring the return of "Medium" on Monday, January 7 (10-11 p.m. ET) plus new episodes of such favorites as "ER," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Friday Night Lights," "Las Vegas," "Scrubs" and the returns of "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." Also included will be the premiere of the previously announced new dramedy "Lipstick Jungle." In addition, NBC has a solid lineup of original reality programming, including the announcement of the new series premiere of "The Baby Borrowers" on Monday, February 18 (8-9 p.m. ET). It will join another previously announced new reality series, "American Gla...

For the sweep, "Nightly News" averaged 9.211 million total viewers, a 1% advantage (+98,000) over ABC "World News with Charles Gibson's" 9.113 million, and a tremendous 37% lead (+2,475,000) over CBS "Evening News with Katie Couric's" 6.736 million. NBC has now placed first for 32 of the last 35 sweep periods, and the last six consecutive November sweeps. Among the key demographic adults 25-54, "Nightly News" also outperformed the competition during the November 2007 sweep. The Williams-led newscast had a 2.3 rating, 5% more than ABC's 2.2 rating, and a 35% lead over CBS' 1.7 rating. "Nightly News" has now placed first in adults 25-54 for 40 of the last 43 sweeps (eight ties), and the last 11 consecutive November sweeps. Among even younger viewers, adults 18-49, NBC placed first with a 1.7 rating, ABC followed with a 1.6 and CBS had a 1.2 rating. This represents the 41st out of the past 13 sweeps (six ties) in which ...

By Frank Macek The dawn of a new day is beginning in newsrooms across America - the birth of the backpack journalist. These folks are not amateurs. They are not the most experienced. But backpackers are becoming specially trained people, selected from a pool of qualified candidates, whose job it is to cover stories that may not necessarily lead the 6 pm news. In many cases, their materials will become web exclusives or interesting sidebars in the burgeoning world where broadcast television migrates to the internet. Armed with relatively inexpensive digital cameras, cell phones and light weight laptop computers, these one man bands of reporters head into the field to shoot their own video, write their own stories, take their own pictures and edit their own footage with editing software that's plentiful and easy to use. From remote locations, the final products are fed back to the home station via broadband or other upload venues like satellite or fiber optic (where available) for ai...

EXCLUSIVE : Be sure to tune in to the Rachael Ray show tomorrow, December 5th, on WKYC at 3 pm, when "So You Think You Can Cook?!" Showdown winner, Jenn Thomas returns to boss Rach around the kitchen, as Jenn makes "What's for Dinner Tonight?" Jenn is from Cuyahoga Falls and was one of five finalists picked by Rachael to compete for the title. In early November, Jenn took home the trophy. Tomorrow's show was taped on November 28th and will air at 3 PM on WKYC. VIDEO FEATURE: To watch Scott Newell's original package on Jenn: CLICK HERE Courtesy: Photos provided by the Rachael Ray Show