By Frank Macek
Time for another behind the scenes look at what's happening at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center.
We are fast approaching the end of another year - a much better year than 2009 was for many reasons. We are so happy the economy has finally started to move in the right direction, albiet very slowly.
Not much new news to report from the homestead, which is about to celebrate it's 10th anniversary already.
Seems like your blogger can remember slogging into our "not yet completed" control room in the middle of winter as we started moving some operations into the new building in December 2000. The first month was spent with the technical crew at 13th and Lakeside and the talent back in the old E. 6th street studio. Our first show with talent broadcasting here was in January 2001 on Super Bowl Sunday when Scott Newell and Kristin Anderson anchored. I'll share more memories in an upcoming article.
As part of our 10th anniversary, the station received a number of upgrades this year as I have talked about. The last of our construction is currently being completed as we knocked down several walls and created more open space that will be become home to some of our web operations and editing stations. This should be finished up in a week or two. The painters and the other workers have been working hard to get this project wrapped up so we can begin doing more liveshots in our newsroom.
November sweeps are over and WKYC faired well again in the latest period. Channel 3 News at 6 & 7 pm were number one in the important Adult 25-54 demographic and second at 5 am, 6 am and 11 pm. NBC continues to have a rather weak lead-in to our 11 pm show which has hurt the station to some degree. We are hopeful the NBC/Comcast merger changes NBC's direction for 2011.
Our Facebook Faccebook continues between Romona Robinson and Mark Nolan. We are trying to reach between 25,000 and 30,000 friends on Facebook. If we do, Romona has agreed to get greasy and work Mark's Franken Truck, while Mark will head with Romona for a maniped. What we won't do for Facebook Friends.
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, sneak peeks at NBC shows, a daily programming guide of what's on Channel 3 and much more.
Tuesday is usually a day off for NFL players, but the Philadelphia Eagles host the Minnesota Vikings Tuesday night in a nationally televised game that was switched from Sunday night due to an impending blizzard.
