WKYC to Stream Bob Feller Memorial on Thursday, 3/31/11, at 11 A.M.

As the 2011 baseball season gets underway, the Cleveland Indians will spend this season honoring the life and career of pitcher Bob Feller, who died December 15, 2010.

WKYC will share a special memorial service at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland on Thursday at 11 a.m. live on wkyc.com

Feller joined the Cleveland Indians without having played in the minors. He spent his entire career of 18 years with the Indians, being one of "The Big Four" Indians pitching rotation in the 1950s, along with Bob Lemon, Early Wynn and Mike Garcia.

He ended his career with 266 victories and 2,581 strikeouts and led the American League in strikeouts seven times and bases on balls four times. His fastball was nicknamed "the Van Meter Heater." He pitched three no-hit games and shares the major league record with 12 one-hitters. Feller was the first pitcher to win 20 or more games before the age of 21. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility. When he was 17 years of age, he struck out 17 batters; he and Kerry Wood are the only two players ever to strike out their age (Wood struck out 20 on May 6, 1998).

On October 2, 1938, Feller set a modern major league record of 18 strikeouts against the Detroit Tigers. On Opening Day in the 1940 season, Feller pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox, with the help of a diving play on the final out by second baseman, Ray Mack. This is the only no-hitter to be thrown on Opening Day in major league history.

WKYC Names New Managing Editor of News & Digital Content

Brennan Donnellan

Brennan Donnellan is joining the Channel 3 News team as Managing Editor of News and Digital Content beginning April 4th as Channel 3 strengthens our committment to be a leader both on-air and on-line.

Most recently, Brennan served as Business Development Director of nSixty, a company using video sharing to connect brands, fans and customers in the Cincinnati area.

His strengths include reinventing old brands, finding underserved audiences and narrowly targeting their needs.

Brennan has an extensive television resume including stints as News Director at WLWT-TV/Cincinnati and WSTM-TV/Syracuse, Assistant News Director at WHDH-TV/Boston, Executive Producer at our Gannett sister station WXIA-TV/Atlanta and News Producer at WVEC-TV, WBNS-TV and WSYX-TV.

While at WLWT, Donnellan was responsible for making wlwt.com the areas #1 tv news source in the Cincinnati market.

He is originally from Springfield, Ohio, and and studied at Ohio University.

WKYC Promo: Teamwork - Channel 3 News at 11

Channel 3 continues to be your local choice for late news and we are excited about that.

Click on the video to see how Channel 3 News is doing even more to "Keep You Connected"...

Notes From the Newsroom: 3/23/11

By Frank Macek

It's time for another behind the scenes look at what's happening at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center.

Spring is sprung and we've got plenty going on with the launch of our brand new "News @ 7" show with Robin Swoboda and Chris Tye. The show launched on Monday and is getting plenty of feedback about the new format and approach we are taking to covering news at 7 p.m. Some folks don't like change, of course, but we feel the time is right to mix it up a little bit.

The new show features more interviews and discussions on subjects that affect our communities. And, we are getting out into the neighborhoods more and featuring more in-depth reporting about our suburbs and features you may never have noticed. Our goal is to cover both the positive and negative aspects that communities face in these economic times and how they share similar issues with their neighbors. Our hope is to help Cleveland and northeast Ohio move forward by getting some serious discussions going.

If you have seen the new 7 pm show, you will have noticed a few more tweaks to the studio including a new interview set and our new stand up position. In the coming week, we'll be completing the project that ties that area of the studio in better with our main anchor set for 6 & 11 p.m. The new 7 p.m. show has a new anchor desk and slightly different graphic look.

The 2011 Indians Home Opener is just 9 days away. Channel 3 will once again be the place to turn for complete Opening Day coverage including our 90 minute Indians special beginning at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 1st, with your favorite Channel 3 personalities live from Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland. Then at 2:30, we'll bring you "Indians on Deck" for a look at your 2011 Cleveland Indians. The Tribe then takes on the Chicago White Sox live at 3:05 p.m. from "The Prog" on Channel 3 in high definition with Matt Underwood and Rick Manning as your play by play announcers.



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, previews of NBC shows, a daily programming guide of what's on Channel 3 and so much more.

• Click to become a Facebook Friend of Channel 3 News
• Click to become a Facebook Friend of Channel 3 Weather
• Click to become a Twitter Follower of Channel 3 News
• Click to become a Twitter Follower of Channel 3 Weather

WKYC TV's Brooke Spectorsky & Micki Byrnes Win Communications Award

CLEVELAND – The Public Relations Society of America, Greater Cleveland Chapter, is awarding WKYC-TV’s Brooke Spectorsky and Micki Byrnes the 2011 John W. Hill Award for outstanding leadership for internal and external communications by chief executives. The honor will be presented on March 16 at PRSA’s Hill Lighthouse Young Awards ceremony.

The award is the highest honor an organization’s leader can receive for communication practices. Spectorsky, Senior VP Gannett Broadcasting, and Byrnes, VP Advertising and Promotions, are the first couple to win the honor in the history of the Hill Award for Cleveland PRSA.

Brooke and Micki will be recognized for exceptional strategic communications outreach initiatives including:

• WKYC’s leadership role in emerging content delivery platforms, including broadcast, web, social media and mobile. As a result of their work, WKYC, one of 22 Gannett-owned television stations, is considered a leader in emerging platforms for the corporation’s broadcast division.
• WKYC’s community leadership through both the creation and marketing of various events and projects; such as Heroes Help Northeast Ohio, an annual program that kicks off the holiday giving season by collecting food, coats and toys for the Cleveland Foodbank, Coats for Kids and the Salvation Army.
• The campaign culminating in the return of the Cleveland Browns in 1999; WKYC ultimately became the official station of the Browns.
• A unique production partnership with the Cleveland Indians and SportsTime Ohio (STO), a regional sports network. Brooke created a unit that produces all Indians home and away games, and was instrumental in making twenty Indians games available on free television, accessible to everyone.

“None of these initiatives would be possible without the incredible talents of the WKYC staff,” said Spectorsky. “The television industry has been through incredible economic and technological challenges, and they have risen to meet each and every one like no other TV station can.”

“We take very seriously our power to advocate for the community to catalyze positive change,” said Byrnes. “Our goal is a simple one: make the community in which we live as vibrant and successful as possible.”

Previous John W. Hill Award recipients include Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton, Cuyahoga Community College; Malachi Mixon, Invacare; Jim Biggar, Nestle Enterprises; and Alex Machaskee, The Plain Dealer.

Behind the Scenes: Weather Channel In Cleveland For "Big Snow"

By Dave Summers
WKYC Reporter

CLEVELAND -- We've been forecasting deep snow and treacherous conditions well before the Weather Channel came to town, but you know when the Weather Channel commits it's resources to a live location, it's going to be big.

The travel crew set up in front of Progressive Field downtown. They thought it would be appropriate, since Opening Day is just three weeks away.

Meteorologist Mike Seidel of the Weather Channel has for 20 years forecasted the dreary in lovely little towns all over the country. Now he's in ours.

Seidel and his team have had a busy winter season, with 22 days on the road in January. This is his seventh straight day this month.

"We're looking for six to ten inches of snow," Seidel said.

The crew will work the night shift, sleep a few hours, then get back up for what is expected to be a blustery morning commute. As gigs go, Seidel enjoys Cleveland, even under a foot of snow.

"You got a lot to do here. There are great restaurants and the the Rock Hall. I got a lot of friends out in the east suburbs, like Beachwood," Seidel said.

The Weather Channel will broadcast from several Cleveland locations, starting Friday morning at 6 a.m.

Get To Know Team 3: Matt Granite

Matt Granite

By Frank Macek

The latest addition to the Channel 3 News staff is Matt Granite who joined us in February from our Gannett sister station in Buffalo. Matt is our "Ways to Save" guru and produces the weekday 4:30 a.m. morning show on Channel 3.

We recently sat down with Matt over a delicious cup of coffee and asked him a few questions that will help you get to know Matt better. Here is what Matt had to say to the Director's Cut Blog in our "Get to Know Team 3" feature.

Question: What stations have you worked for during your career so far?

Matt: In grad school I worked for WYCC-TV, a PBS Station in Chicago and went on from there to work as a Washington D.C. Capitol Hill Correspondent for WCAX-TV (Burlington, VT). Unfortunately, the weather wasn't cold enough for me so I relocated to Minnesota and worked for KXJB-TV and KVLY-TV (Fargo, ND) as the morning show producer and live reporter. I then moved to Buffalo (WGRZ-TV) where I developed "Ways 2 Save" as a consumer reporter for our sister station and became the lead producer of their morning show before landing my dream job here in Cleveland.

Question: Having worked in Buffalo most recently and now having experienced your first Cleveland winter, which city can handle the snow better?

Matt: When it comes to side-streets, I'd say both cities have their issues but it seems Cleveland has a much better handle on the major routes and plows that actually go out while the snow is still falling.

Question: What's the craziest "Ways To Save" deal you found for viewers?

Matt: The most amazing deal I came across was a brand new $200 Bluetooth Headset from Blackberry completely free with a mail-in rebate. That was about a year and a half ago and deals sites across the country were reposting my deal for weeks. I ran in to people who ordered for every single person at their office.

Question: Why do you like covering consumer news?

Matt: I live off viewer feedback and getting people products and services they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford drives me every day. I've been told that once the economy improves, I'm going to be out of a job. But I truly believe that no matter how much money one has and regardless of the country's overall economic stability, we all want a deal.

Question: Tell us the funniest that has happened to you while you were live "on the air."

Matt: I've had a few embarrassing moments but favorites include a sneezing attack during a story about cold recall medicine, and inadvertently strangling myself on-air with a microphone cable that got stuck under my collar and attached to a chair that was being wheeled away during my live hit. You could see my face turning red and my shortness of breath between sentences.

Question: How do you deal with never seeing the daylight since you work the really, really early morning shift?

Matt: I take a lot of Vitamin D and essentially pull my equivalent of an "all-nighter" once a week so I can stay up all day and enjoy the simple pleasures of life: daylight, stores that are actually open, restaurants serving food other than breakfast, and associating with people. I've been working overnights for five years now and I think it's a privilege to be a part of some one's morning routine.

Question: What is the best place you have found in Cleveland to eat?

Matt: I've found better restaurants in a week here than living for months in any other city in which I've ever worked. I think the restaurants in Cleveland could rival the best restaurants in any city, anywhere. I have too many favorites to mention, but I've really enjoyed eating in Tremont, on East 4th, The Warehouse District and Little Italy. I'm hoping to explore more spots very soon.

Question: If you ever find the time to get away for that "once in a life time" vacation, where would you go?

Matt: My dream vacation would be would be scuba diving in Sydney using only coupons to pay for my equipment, using suite upgrade vouchers to enjoy some presidential accommodations, redeeming credit card points for flights and hotel perks programs to enjoy room service whenever I want. I love room service.

Question: In your opinion, who has a better chance reaching the next championship in Cleveland sports - The Browns, Cavs or Indians?

Matt: If I had to put my money on one of them (which wouldn't be a lot because I'm extremely cheap), I'd go with the Browns

Question: Can you share with us one thing that very few people know about you?

Matt: I've been playing piano my whole life. I considered going to the Julliard School of music instead of pursuing a career in journalism.

Why Do We Send Reporters Out in the Storm?

We are often asked why, during our severe weather coverage, do we send reporters out in the storm to bring you a first hand account of the conditions.

Well, our colleagues at WXIA in Atlanta have finally put into words and pictures the answer to this question: Because we can.

Here's a behind the scenes look from one reporter's perspective.

Gannett Launches "It's All Within Reach" National Brand Campaign

Gannett Co., Inc., parent company of WKYC-TV, today launched a new corporate brand strategy and national advertising campaign that elevates the company’s corporate identity and supports its unique portfolio of trusted brands, powerful network of broadcast, digital, mobile and publishing properties and unmatched local-to-national reach.

The new tagline, “It’s all within reach,” captures the benefits Gannett provides for consumers, business customers and employees. Through its portfolio of trusted brands, Gannett gives businesses the opportunity to engage targeted audiences on any platform – TV, local and national newspapers, online, handheld devices and even in a specific elevator in a specific building on a specific street.

“We have significantly changed our business and portfolio over the last several years. Our brand launch represents the natural evolution of that transformation,” said Craig Dubow, Gannett’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Today, Gannett offers consumers and businesses everything they need to connect and engage with what matters most to them - anywhere, anytime and on every platform. It’s important for our brand to reflect and promote our company as it is today and the tremendous value we bring. Elevating our corporate brand and raising awareness about the depth and breadth of our unique portfolio will help us achieve our strategic goals, including growing our company, attracting and retaining the best people and increasing shareholder value.”

Gannett’s brand strategy is supported by a national advertising campaign and includes broadcast, digital, print and social media. It also leverages Gannett’s own extensive network of broadcast, digital and publishing properties. Ads will run in USA TODAY, in all 81 U.S. community newspapers, on Gannett’s 23 broadcasting stations, on more than 100 of the company’s digital properties and on Captivate, Gannett’s digital programming and advertising network with nearly 9,000 elevator and lobby screens in more than 900 buildings.

An updated corporate web site was also introduced at gannett.com to reflect the new brand identity and present the company’s unique advantages and competitive strengths, including its employees.

“In today’s changing media landscape, Gannett is in a unique position to help businesses reach, tailor and direct their messages to specific audiences on many different platforms - - right down to a targeted demographic, watching an ad in an elevator on one of our Captivate screens,” said Gracia Martore, Gannett’s president and chief operating officer. “Gannett is providing the engaging content consumers want, everywhere they want it, and finding new and innovative ways to connect our business customers to those consumers.”

The new corporate brand identity also includes a new logo, mission and vision that more broadly represent the company. The new identity will be rolled out across all Gannett properties to create a stronger association between the Gannett corporate brand and its portfolio of properties. All Gannett businesses will identify themselves as Gannett companies.

For more information about the brand campaign, visit gannett.com.