Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

By Frank Macek This first part of the year has been a difficult one for several reasons...the economy is connected to every single one of them. A tough advertising reality is forcing change that has not been easy to deal with. While the specifics are important only to those affected, I must say that losing colleagues and friends is especially difficult. As you know, this week marks the end of journey for WKYC's Akron Canton News News that has been a tough go from the start. First, the news lost its "over the air" broadcast home on WVPX/Channel 23. It was Paxson Communications' shortsightedness that ended the partnership between Pax and Gannett, effectively killing the Akron News before it really had a chance to get off the ground. Fortunately, Bud Paxson and his gang were forced out, as the struggling network was rebranded ION and continues to fight for its life. Specifically, it gives us some peace of mind that Bud Paxson failed in his own mission. However, ION would...

Today was a big day at WKYC as the station was presented the regional Edward R. Murrow award for "Overall Excellence" - the 2nd year in a row the station has won this coveted honor. The "Overall Excellence" category encompasses all aspects of the news operation including spot news, special projects, community involvement, sports, and weather. WKYC is part of Region 7, an area that covers all of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan - including such major market cities as Chicago and Detroit. This year's winning entry was from a compilation of big news stories of 2007 including the tragic SuccessTech Academy shooting, Jessie Davis murder coverage and "Race for the Cure" coverage. Edward R. Murrow's pursuit of excellence in journalism embodies the spirit of the awards that carry his name. The Radio-Television News Directors Association has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Mur...

Welcome to the Director's Cut Blog...click on the "retro" cassette to enjoy a little, specially programmed music by me (remember, I'm multi-talented). It's a little quiet music for you to enjoy as you read our features and stories on-line. If you listened to me on Smooth Jazz, 107.3 The Wave, for nearly a decade here in Cleveland, you'll know exactly what kind of music makes me feel good for blogging. This is my latest project which just may grow into something bigger yet. Feel free to pause the music when you want to watch our on-line video features. You can even go forward and backward between songs! If wish to click on a link to a story and wish to keep the music playing, just hover over the link and hold the "CTRL" or "SHIFT" key while clicking on the link. It'll open a separate web page for you. I'll change the playlist when I can, so hey just stop by to listen to an hour's worth of the smoothest music around while you'...

Last week, the station held a baby shower for Betsy Kling as she and her husband, Paul Thomas, get ready to welcome their first child in the world. WKYC anchor Romona Robinson had her camera in overdrive taking pictures that first appeared on her blog - and that we'd like to share with those of our readers who haven't yet seen them. Click on your browser refresh button if the slide show already played through. Enjoy! You can email Betsy: betsykling@wkyc.com Photos Courtesy: Romona Robinson

From: Ken Kovats in San Antonio (former Cleveland resident) Q: Here's another question I am wondering about...When everybody switches to digital in February, does this mean that WKYC will only be available on the Digital 2 or 25, or whatever channel the FCC gives you? Does this mean the end of branding y'all as "Channel 3 News" and becoming just "WKYC news" or Channel 2-1 News or whatever...? It would be interesting to see how local stations will be positioning themselves to stand out among the competition as we get closer to DTV. Any insights? A: Unless something changes between now and February, stations will likely continue to position themselves in the same way you are used to. For example.. Channel 3 News will continue to be "Channel 3 News" even on digital channel 17. (This will be our new channel as we move from digital channel 2 in February). In the analog world, there is a direct relationship between the channel number and the RF frequenc...

NBC has released its Fall premiere dates for a number of its hit shows. Please find those listed below: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 8 to 10 PM - America's Toughest Jobs two-hour series premiere (Runs September 19th 8-9 PM for five weeks; then moves on October 24th to 9-10 PM) MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 8 to 9 PM - Heroes (clip show) 9 to 11 PM - Heroes (2-hour season premiere) TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 10 to 11 PM - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 8 to 9 PM - Knight Rider (series premiere) 10 to11 PM - Lipstick Jungle THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 8 to 9 PM - My Name Is Early (one-hour season premiere) 9 to 10 PM - The Office (one-hour season premiere) 10 to 11 PM - ER MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 8 to 9 PM - Chuck 10 to 11 PM - My Own Worst Enemy (series premiere) FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3 10 to 11 PM - Life THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9 9:30 to 10 PM - Kath & Kim (series premiere) FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17 8 to 10 PM - Crusoe (two-hour series premiere) THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30 8:30 to 9 PM - 30 Rock

We have made it through another May Sweeps period which officially ends tonight. It will be interesting to see how the ratings tally after a rather unusual month where some of the most anticipated ratings winners did poorly, while others did better than expected. Fox will win the prime time lineup thanks to "American Idol." NBC, CBS and ABC all had some successes and some failures throughout the month. We'll comment on these as the final numbers come out. As far as news goes in the Cleveland market, not many surprises are going to be had this month. WKYC will retain its number one position at 11 pm... a second place finish at 6 pm.. and nice growth in the morning news block between 5 and 7 am. The next book will come in July.

It's here! After many months asking users what they want in a news and information site, we're proud to unveil the all new wkyc.com . Our new site is packed with all the features, tools, and interactivity you told us you were looking for, delivered 24-7. Comments / Online community - One exciting addition to the new wkyc.com is our online community. Our site offers social networking, similar to what you may have used with sites such as Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn. Although you don't have to be a member of our community to read or view news and information on our site, you do have to become a member of our community in order to comment on our stories, or use any of our community tools. Just click the "Become a Member" link at the top of any page within wkyc.com , and follow the easy instructions to set up your own wkyc.com Community Profile. After you set up your profile, you can create your own blog, or talk to others in our wkyc.com community forums. Video...

by Frank Macek For fans of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," you are about to see history in the making as the show gets set to tape its final week at the historic Studio 11 from NBC Studios in Burbank, California, which are being sold by NBC Universal as part of a previously announced deal. Starting this fall, the show will begin filming in high definition from new Stage 1 at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California, featuring 32,000 square feet of studio space that will encompass three stages areas. This location will also give Ellen easier access to talent who are working on the WB's large campus. According to a statement from her office, Ellen says "When they asked me if I wanted to move to Warner Bros., I was so excited. And it's not just because they film tons of movies and shows there, or because George Clooney has an office next to ours, or that there's a Starbucks...That's all great, but the main thing is I get my own golf cart! Finally!" An...

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on Sunday that two of WKYC's top notch reporters have signed long term deals with the station in the past month. Terms of their deals were not disclosed. Senior Political Correspondent Tom Beres has served as a general assignment reporter for WKYC since July of 1979 and was promoted to senior political reporter in May of 1998. Tom is a graduate of Northwestern University and holds a bachelor degree and a masters in broadcast journalism During his college years, he worked as a radio correspondent in Washington, DC and his radio reports were transmitted to stations throughout Chicago. Senior Health Reporter Monica Robins also signed a new deal. Monica joined WKYC in 1998 and is responsible for reporting the day's medical news. She has worked in television since 1988 and has an additional five years of radio and print journalism experience. She was an investigative reporter at WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio and while there, became the Midwest corresp...

The Cleveland Indians and WKYC have announced a slight programming change for two games in July. The July 5th game against Minnesota will not air on WKYC. Instead, the July 12th game against Tampa Bay will air on WKYC in Prime Time...with a 7:10 PM start.

We have so many alumnists from Channel 3 that we want to get caught up on a few more of those who have moved on and been quite successful. As you may know, WKYC has always been an excellent stepping stone for those making their way to either the NBC network or other larger market cities. In fact, WKYC was often considered a training ground for the network stars of tomorrow. Rick Jackson is one such person who has done very well for himself since leaving the station. Rick is a friend of the Director's Cut blog who asked him to take a few moments and reflect on his career so far, in his own words. THE PAST: I reported news at WKYC from September 1983 until April 1986, serving as a general assignment reporter and as the substitute morning news anchor whenever the inestimable Del Donahoo took time off from his morning duties. During the second half of my tenure, I was paired with Tom Beres in what were called "Greater Cleveland" beats. Neither of us ever did stories inside th...

As part of the WKYC Information Center, several of our staff members are taking a cue from the popularity of the Director's Cut Blog to do a little bloggin' of their own. Here is another new blog to check out when you get a little web surfing time. Romona's Room - a blog by WKYC Anchor Romona Robinson as she discusses where she has been, what's on her mind and she answers your questions. For more blogs from the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center: CLICK HERE . We also have a list of our favorites in our right hand menu under "Favorite Sites." Many of our staff members also have profiles on Facebook. You can sign up for a free account and then join our groups and interact with many of us online about the station and the news stories we cover. Just search "WKYC". To join Facebook: CLICK HERE

The following is a revised schedule from NBC regarding programming for the Fall 2008, Winter/Spring 2009 and Summer 2009 Primetime schedules: NBC Fall 2008 Primetime Schedule Monday: Chuck, Heroes, My Own Worst Enemy Tuesday: The Biggest Loser/Families, Kath & Kim, Law & Order: SVU Wednesday: Knight Rider, Deal or No Deal, Lipstick Jungle Thursday: My Name is Earl, 30 Rock, The Office, The Office, SNL Election, ER Final Season Friday: Crusoe, Deal or No Deal, Life Saturday: Dateline NBC, Knight Rider Encore, Law & Order: SVU Encore Sunday: Football Night in America, NFL Sunday Night Football NBC Winter/Spring 2009 Primetime Schedule Monday: Chuck, Heroes, The Philanthropist Tuesday: The Biggest Loser/Couples, Kath & Kim, Law & Order: SVU Wednesday: Knightrider, Deal or No Deal, Law & Order Thursday: My Name is Earl, 30 Rock, The Office, The Office Spin-Off, ER Final Season/Celebrity Apprentice Friday: Deal or No Deal, Friday Night Lights, Life Saturday: Dateline...

We couldn't divulge this secret until it was official, but since Ohio Media Watch and FCC datbase are both reporting it, we'll making a quick mention of it. WVIZ is indeed going to making a move of their broadcast location from the WNCX tower in North Royalton to the WKYC facility in Parma later this year. After a long running dispute between WVIZ and CBS Radio, their current tower owner, the station has come to terms with WKYC owner Gannett about working with WKYC to build a brand new tower that will support both station's digital broadcasting antennas. WKYC's old tower will be razed after the February 17, 2009 transition date according to WKYC Director of Engineering, Mike Szabo. This will finally give viewers of WVIZ-DT a much clearer signal since the station has been broadcasting from a mini tower on the old studios on Brookpark Road. As we have told you in the past, WKYC will be busy this year building out another new digital transmission facility that will move W...

As we first told you on the Director's Blog 2 weeks ago, NBC has indeed tapped Jimmy Fallon to replace Conan O'Brien on "Late Night." Here was the offical announcement made today by NBC: NBC has identified the last piece in its late night succession plan, naming Jimmy Fallon as the new host of "Late Night" when Conan O'Brien moves to "The Tonight Show" in 2009. The announcement was made today by Marc Graboff and Ben Silverman, Co-Chairmen, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, at a press conference at the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. "We couldn't be happier to have Jimmy back on NBC and to have our number one-rated late night team fully in place for the future," said Silverman, "Jimmy is more than just a likeable guy and a great comedian, he is genuinely interested in what people have to say." "Jimmy's proven track record and personality make him a natural for this important role that will bri...

Lester Holt is the weekend anchor for the flagship broadcast "NBC Nightly News," and is also the co-anchor of the weekend edition of "Today." In addition, Holt serves as fill-in anchor and correspondent for "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" and the weekday "Today" program. He also contributes to MSNBC, NBC's 24-hour cable news network. Holt has reported from many of the world's hot spots. In 2006, he reported from the front lines in Lebanon on the war between Israel and Hezbollah and from London on the terror threat to U.S. bound-airliners from the UK. In 2005, Holt was on the ground for Hurricane Katrina covering events both in Louisiana and Mississippi, and later that fall covered Hurricane Rita in Texas. Before becoming co-anchor of "Weekend Today," Holt anchored "Lester Holt Live," a daily news show on MSNBC in which he covered breaking news and provided news updates and analysis. Holt has also served as the l...

WKYC Channel 3 News has won a number of awards for outstanding work by several of our staffers for their work in 2007. The Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards is a statewide competition sponsored by The Press Club of Cleveland. More then 1000 entries were judged this year. The awards ceremony is scheduled for Friday, June 13, 2008 Congratulations for the following WKYC staffers for the work: Spot News (T-1) First Place: Danielle Fink & Vic Gideon for "Strip Mall Fire" Second Place: Danielle Fink for "Warehouse Fire" General News (T-2) Second Place: Dave Summers & Mike Leonard for "Ice Rescue" In-Depth Coverage (T-7) Second Place: Dave Summers for "Amish After Dark" Human Interest (T-8) Second Place: Dave Summers & Mike Greene for "Winnie the Watch Pig"

We get such great photos from our viewers that the WKYC Weather Plus Forecast Center has decided to expand that program and do a nice, high quality weather calendar for 2009. Visit NortheastOhioWeatherCalendar.com to see how you can submit your weather-related photo. What we are looking for: Landscapes, wildlife, skyline shots, mammals, flowers, insects, weather scenes, storms and dramatic sky shots, clouds, sunsets, atmospheric phenomena and seasonal themes. Each chosen will have a photo credit and a get a number of calendars for their very own.

Ohio television stations hope to make it hard for viewers to escape the message that the switch to digital broadcasting is coming. More than 40 Ohio TV stations say they'll run public service announcements about the transition at the same time: 7:58 p.m. Wednesday (tonight). On Feb. 17, 2009, major U.S. TV stations will stop broadcasting their traditional analog signals and go all-digital, which means a much sharper picture and better sound. But viewers who use an antenna will need a newer TV or a converter box to receive the digital signals. This is the kind of information explained in the public service announcements. TV station general managers are meeting at the Ohio Statehouse on Wednesday to discuss the digital changeover with lawmakers.

by Frank Macek In part one of our feature, we discussed the state of television for those of you who may be interested in getting a job in the business. We had tremendous response to our article and received numerous emails from those who read the Director's Cut blog. The second half of this "Spotlight Feature" will focus on how to impress those who do the hiring whether it be working for the news or engineering departments which employee the vast majority of our staff. There are also plenty of opportunities on the sales side as well. For this article, we'll focus on what I'm most familiar with - and that's daily news operations. Jobs in the news department include producers, associate producers, assignment editors, reporters, editors, photojournalists, web producers and managers including News Director, Assistant News Director, Managing Editor and Executive Producers. Reporters have the most difficult time in getting jobs because these jobs have unique and ve...

Jay Seaton, president of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Cleveland says tonight's phone bank at Channel 3, in which he and 4 other experts from his service are answering debt - related calls, could be the busiest he has ever participated in. For two hours, Channel 3 viewers are being invited to call with their debt or credit related questions, so that the free service can give them advice and help get them started on the way to solving their problems. As soon as one call was completed the phones instantly started ringing again. In fact, during our live shot at 6 p.m., the phones rang continuously as Jay and Dick Russ did a live interview on the air. An ominous sign of the times...

Nielsen, the tv ratings firm, has announced that the February sweeps period in 2009 will move from February to March next year. With the move from analog to all digital TV on February 17, 2009, Nielsen feels that keeping sweeps during the same month might be an inaccurate assessment of a local station's performance. Also, Nielsen will begin to test ratings collections on digital-only stations this December. To read more from Broadcasting and Cable: CLICK HERE