Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

In 1981, local radio station employees became aware of a large number of children missing school in the winter because they did not have warm coats. That November, Coats for Kids – Cleveland was founded when the radio station began soliciting donations of new or like-new winter coats, according to Coats for Kids – Cleveland. That first campaign filled the studio, and subsequent campaigns brought in even more coats, along with monetary donations used to purchase new coats. This year, WKYC and Discount Drug Mart are proud sponsors of the campaign. The campaign continues in most NE Ohio counties, including Lake, Geauga , Cuyahoga, Lorain and Medina. Coats for Kids - Cleveland conducts an annual collection campaign of new and like-new winter coats in all sizes – infant to adult. Each year, from November thru early January, collection bins are in place at area malls, other local businesses accept coat donations, and area organizations conduct coat collection campaigns. List o...

The City Club of Cleveland announced today it will host a debate between Democratic candidates for Ohio Governor on Monday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m. The debate (produced in collaboration with WKYC and Ideastream) will take place at the Westfield Insurance Studio Theater on Euclid Ave. WKYC's Russ Mitchell will co-moderate with Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler. Four of the Democratic candidates for governor plan to attend: *Former State Rep. Connie Pillich *State Sen. Joe Schiavoni *Former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton *Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley Ohio Supreme Court Justice and fellow Democratic candidate Bill O'Neill, who raised eyebrows Friday with a Facebook post describing his sexual history , is not scheduled to attend at this time. All four debating candidates have publicly condemned O'Neill's remarks , and O'Neill later told WKYC's Monica Robins he will likely drop out of the race . Tickets to the debate are free to the public and can be obtained...

McLEAN, VA – TEGNA Inc. (parent of WKYC) today was named a top place to work for LGBTQ employees for the second consecutive year. The company received a perfect score of 100 on the 2018 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The CEI is a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. “TEGNA’s perfect CEI score represents our commitment to equality, a fundamental value of our company,” said Dave Lougee, president and CEO, TEGNA. “We must reflect the communities we serve and our diverse and inclusive workforce helps us inform, understand and engage with all of our audiences.” The 2018 CEI evaluated LGBTQ-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs and public engagement with the LGBTQ community. TEGNA received top marks in all categories, result...

Russ Mitchell Special to the Director's Cut Blog By: Dave "Dino" DeNatale Being inducted into the Press Club of Cleveland Hall of Fame after being in the area for only six years might seem out of the ordinary.  But then again, Russ Mitchell is no ordinary journalist. Thursday night, the WKYC Channel 3 anchor and managing editor will be a part of a Hall of Fame class that will include Joe Frolik, Janet Macoska, David Molyneaux, Carol Story, and former WKYC reporter Joe Mosbrook. Tom Moore of radio station WTAM 1100 will receive the 10th annual Chuck Heaton Award. The event will be held at LaCentre Conference & Banquet Facility in Westlake. "It's an honor," Russ told me in our conversation. "Cleveland is a wonderful town. When I came here, it was almost like coming to high school for the first time. You ask yourself all of these questions that lead to anxiety, 'will they like me? Will I like them? Will I fit in?' I knew wit...

WKYC announced today that it will begin airing the NBC owned Cozi TV channel beginning on Saturday, September 30, on digital subchannel 3.3 Cozi TV (stylized on-air as COZI TV) is an American digital multicast television network that is owned by the NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations division of NBCUniversal. The network airs classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s and include popular favorites like "Frasier," "Little House on the Prairie," "The Munsters," "Murder She Wrote" and "Columbo." The network originated as a local news and lifestyle programming format that was launched between 2009 and 2011 and was seen on digital subchannels operated by nine owned-and-operated television stations of the NBC television network in the United States under the brand NBC Nonstop. The sitcoms and drama series now appearing on Cozi are primarily from the NBCUniversal Television Distribution program library. The new stat...

By Mac Mahaffee Special to the Director's Cut Blog In the wake of Hurricane Harvey and now Hurricane Irma, WKYC Channel 3 is teaming up with Q104 and working with the Salvation Army to collect, transport, store and distribute supplies to survivors in Texas and Florida. On Tuesday September 19, we'll will be hosting a local supply collection here at our studios, 1333 Lakeside Ave. in Cleveland from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. United Van Lines local agent Andrews Moving Company will be on-site to help load and then transport donated supplies to areas in need. Pilot Flying J, the largest operator of travel centers in North America, is donating fuel for the trucks. We will be collecting brand new cleaning supplies, baby supplies and non-perishable canned goods.  Accepted donations include: Multiple sizes of diapers, including pull-ups Baby wipes Baby formula (powder only) Baby clothing detergent (powder only) Baby lotion Baby powder Baby bottles Bottled water Diaper-rash oin...

Wow! $121,258.84 was raised through WKYC's 24-hour Digi-thon, which benefits those impacted by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. We can't thank you all enough for your immense outpouring of support. Our first-of-its-kind Digi-thon began at 7 a.m. Thursday and continued through 7 a.m. Friday on WKYC.com and WKYC's Facebook page. Just because the Digi-thon is over doesn't mean you missed the opportunity to donate. You can still contribute HERE

When life gives you a busy schedule, it's hard to cross everything off of your list. So get your news and weather a little earlier!  Channel 3 News Today begins their 4:00 a.m. newscast September 5th with John, Lynna, Hollie and the whole team!

Starting tomorrow (8/31) morning at 7 a.m., WKYC Channel 3 will be hosting a 24-hour fundraiser to aid in relief efforts for survivors of Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. The Digi-thon will be carried on WKYC’s digital and social outlets including our website ( www.wkyc.com ), Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/WKYC.Channel3 ) and mobile apps (available in Google Play and iTunes). Hosted by members of the Channel 3 News team and various WKYC staff members, the Digi-thon will inform viewers on the historic scope of this disaster, why the need for assistance will continue long after the storm has passed. It will also give the community a chance to ask questions and offer their own perspectives on this event. “We are thrilled to offer this important digi-thon on all of WKYC's digital platforms,” says Denise Polverine, WKYC’s Director of Digital Content. “We hope that Northeast Ohioans do what they always do and come together and give generously to those in need.” Th...

TEGNA Inc., partent of WKYC-Tv, today announced Texas Cares, an initiative to support those in need following Hurricane Harvey, has raised more than $1.15 million in its first 24 hours. The fundraising initiative launched on Monday across TEGNA’s stations. The TEGNA Foundation matched the first $100,000 in donations. All money raised will be donated to the Red Cross Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. “This is just the beginning. We will use this momentum to continue to serve our communities and help improve the lives of those in need,” said Dave Lougee, president and CEO, TEGNA. “I want to especially thank Lowe’s Home Improvements who, during a Texas Cares telethon on WCNC in Charlotte, donated $500,000. I am incredibly proud of how our stations and communities have come together to help those impacted by Hurricane Harvey and serve the greater good.” All 46 TEGNA stations in 38 markets are helping raise money and encourage donations for Texas Cares. Stations are running stories on-ai...

TEGNA Inc., owner of WKYC-TV, today launched Texas Cares, an initiative to support those in need following Hurricane Harvey. All money raised by TEGNA’s stations will be donated to the Red Cross Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. The TEGNA Foundation will match the first $100,000 of donations. “Harvey’s devastation has shattered the lives of millions across Texas,” said Dave Lougee, president and CEO, TEGNA. “Our stations are coming together to serve the greater good of our communities and help those who need it most. Our stations in Texas are providing important, life-saving information and aid during this catastrophic storm. In Houston, while KHOU’s building was flooding, the station continued to provide vital coverage across platforms. I am incredibly proud of the work our stations are doing to keep their communities informed and safe while providing help and relief to those who need it most.” “This is a historic storm and heartbreaking situation for all those in Harvey’s path,” ...

TEGNA Inc., parent of WKYC-TV, today announced the host lineup and fall premiere date for “Daily Blast LIVE” (DBL), a new 30-minute daytime news and entertainment show and multi-platform brand. DBL will debut on Monday, September 11 across 36 TEGNA markets and can be seen LIVE nationally on Facebook and YouTube.  DBL features well-known names from television, fitness, sports and comedy including veterans of notable shows like “Dr. Drew,” “The Biggest Loser,” “Big Brother,” and “Growing Pains.” DBL’s host team will share their expertise, unpredictable opinions and distinctive points of view on the day’s news, daily trending topics and viral, shareable content generating buzz at that very moment. The hosts include: Erica Cobb: a seasoned correspondent and football fanatic who has been heard on radio stations spanning the Chicago, Denver and Sacramento areas, Cobb has also appeared as a football pre-game correspondent for several television stations, including Denver’s TE...

It may be summertime but WKYC believes in ‘seeing the possible’ in Cleveland’s students all year long. And when we can get the whole community involved, it can have a huge impact. This summer, WKYC wants you to join us in our ‘Support Our Students’ campaign, also known as S.O.S., and we are giving you three ways to help local students succeed in school. You can choose the project that most suits you: You can 1) Donate an armload of children’s books; 2) Drop off school supplies; or 3) Mentor a student. Every bit of support makes a difference. RELATED | True2U: A mentor's experience See which project you like best to help students in need from the Cleveland area. BOOKS : Through Aug. 4, WKYC will be collecting new or gently used children’s books right here at our WKYC studios at 1333 Lakeside Avenue in downtown Cleveland. We are asking that the books be suitable for students from kindergarten through eighth grade. You can drop them off any day of the week and place them in our coll...

Special to the Director's Cut Blog by Dave DeNatale, wkyc.com (Photo: Cleveland International Hall of Fame) A pioneer in Cleveland broadcasting, and here at WKYC Channel 3, has passed away. Paul Sciria, WKYC's first full-time news reporter, has died at the age of 88, according to his grandson Nick. Paul was a Clevelander through and through. He grew up in the Kinsman area and attended John Adams High School. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1950 with a BA in political science. After working in public relations for a few years, Paul began his broadcasting career at WTAM radio, followed by a stop at WJW radio before joining WKYC in 1957. During his distinguished career at WKYC, Sciria served as street/investigative reporter and was on-call 24 hours a day. As he told ClevelandSeniors.com , that included getting alerted while watching a movie at Shaker Square in 1960. Big letters came across the screen that read, "Paul Sciria, call your office."...

Channel 3 News at 11 pm was honored tonight as "Best Television Newscast in Ohio in a Major Market" from the Press Club of Cleveland at their annual awards ceremony. The station also received a first place finish for best television news website ( wkyc.com ) and a first place finish for on-going coverage of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July 2016. Congratulations to my WKYC colleagues!

McLEAN, VA – TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) (parent company of WKYC-TV) today announced that it has completed the previously announced spin-off of Cars.com, creating two publicly traded companies: TEGNA, an innovative media company with the largest broadcast group among major network affiliates in the top 25 markets; and Cars.com, a leading digital automotive marketplace. TEGNA will continue trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TGNA. Effective today, Cars.com will begin “regular way” trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CARS. New TEGNA president & CEO Dave Lougee Upon the completion of the spin-off, Dave Lougee, president of TEGNA Media, was named president and CEO and joined TEGNA’s Board. Gracia Martore, president and CEO of TEGNA, retired and stepped down from the Board of Directors. “I am incredibly honored and excited to become CEO of this great company,” said Lougee. “Gracia has meant so much to everyone at TEGNA. She has been a mentor a...

Matt Wintz and his family excited to return to Ohio WKYC is adding a new face to its team of "Weather Ready" meteorologists with Matt Wintz being named as new weekend evening meteorologist announced WKYC News Director Brennan Donnellan on Tuesday. Wintz is no stranger to northeast Ohio being born and raised in Jefferson just east of Cleveland in Ashtabula County and developed an interest in weather as early as age 3. "We got cable TV and my parents said I would stare at the radar and watch weather coverage for hours," he tells the Director's Cut Blog. Frequent summer thunderstorms and heavy lake effect snow events helped develop his growing curiosity for NE Ohio weather. During his elementary school years, Matt took his passion to the next level and began writing the weekly forecast on the chalkboard for his teacher and classmates. The weekly forecast then turned into weekly publications by the 7th grade. "I called it 'Today and Tomorrow...

By Frank Macek It's time for another "behind the scenes" look at what's happening inside the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center. It's been far too long since I have written an updated column, as time has been in short supply with several projects happening here at WKYC. You may have noticed a change in "Channel News at 7" as we launched the show as "Donovan Live" on Monday, April 24th. The show will be much lighter than our traditional newscasts and be more personality based focused on the news and social media of the day and hosted by Cleveland TV legend Jim Donovan. Follow the new show on Twitter @3donovanlive and send us your feedback or ideas for the broadcast! Behind the scenes, we have been busy in the studio replacing our main studio cameras with new Ross pedestals and Sony cameras. This was done in preparation to allow our Director's to control all of our cameras through our Sony ELC News Production Automation system. Since the ...

Cleveland's WKYC-TV has received a total of 23 regional Emmy nominations as part of the 48th annual Lower Great Lakes Chapter of the National Academy of Arts & Sciences. Our local NATAS chapter, which also includes the Toledo and Indianapolis TV markets, announced their nominations for the broadcast year of 2016 on Thursday. Among the major award nominations for WKYC this year include for Best Evening Newscast (Market 1-20), Best Morning Newscast (Market 1-20), Best Weekend Newscast (Market 1-20), Team Coverage for the Republican National Convention, News Excellence and the 2016 Cavs Victory Parade. Plus, a number of the station's news talent were nominated for individual awards along with several marketing and promotional awards. The finalists for the regional Emmy Awards will be announced out on Saturday, June 17, during an evening gala at the new Hilton Cleveland Downtown on Lakeside Avenue. See all the 2017 Emmy nominations

CLEVELAND - WKYC is proud to have been named Cleveland Scene's Best Local Newscast. According to Scene, WKYC's lineup of talent, clean graphics and sharp reporting has snagged us the top honors this year. We're also proud to call our Jim Donovan Cleveland Scene's Best Sports Reporter. Scene likes Jimmy's infamous radio calls on Sundays, as well as his energetic personality during the 7 p.m. nightly newscast.  The nominations are part of Scene's annual "Best of Cleveland" awards, which honor Cleveland's greats, from newscasts to pizza and artists. Click  here  to see all the nominations.

Dorsena Drakeford By Frank Macek Multimedia journalist Dorsena Drakeford is joining Channel 3 News beginning in April from KGAN/KFXA-TV in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She is a "skilled and aggressive reporter who currently works the crime and courts beat and is excited to expand her storytelling and to break some big stories around Cleveland," WKYC News Director Brennan Donnellan tells the Director's Cut Blog about the passion put into her work. While working at KGAN/KFXA, she reported on everything from trials that gained national attention to the well-known caucuses in the area. Besides her work as a reporter, she also filled in as news anchor for the morning and the afternoon broadcasts. Drakeford got her start in broadcast as a production assistant in central Texas, but after six months, stepped in front of the camera as the crime and courts reporter for KTXS-TV/Abilene. This gave her the opportunity to learn to shoot and edit stories that not only impacted peopl...

Special to the Director's Cut Blog From wkyc.com Each year TEGNA, WKYC's parent company, hosts an awards ceremony to recognize top employees, campaigns, and unsung heroes. Two of WKYC's own were honored at this year's ceremony in Virginia. We extend a big congratulations to our President and General Manager, Micki Byrnes, who was named Manager of the Year. A live shot from the team at @WKYC as @mickibyrnes was awarded with Manager of the Year! #TEGNAawards pic.twitter.com/Oaz3XqTjEz — TEGNA (@TEGNA) March 8, 2017 She beat out general managers from 46 other stations across the country. We think we're very lucky to have her, too! Congratulations are also in order for our Director of Advocacy and Community Initiatives, Margaret Bernstein, who was honored along with Micki Byrnes with the company's Diversity and Inclusion award. Congratulations to both @Margbern and @MickiByrnes of @WKYC for winning 2017 Individual Diversity Awards #TEGNAawards pic...

Bob Costas, the primetime host of every NBC Olympics since 1992, has passed the torch to Mike Tirico – who will make his debut as NBC’s primetime Olympic host beginning with PyeongChang 2018. The announcement was made today – exactly one year before the PyeongChang Opening Ceremony on Feb. 9, 2018 – by Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Broadcasting and Sports, and Jim Bell, President, NBC Olympics Production and Programming. “For a quarter-century, Bob expertly piloted NBC’s primetime coverage of the Olympics,” Lazarus said. “It is with a tremendous amount of pride that I can simultaneously express our appreciation for Bob’s stellar, record-setting run, while also feeling very lucky that we have someone as talented as Mike to take over as our new primetime host.” “It has been both a privilege and an incredible personal and professional experience to have been part of NBC’s Olympic coverage all these years,” said Costas, who has the longest tenure of NBC’s sports announcers (37 years). “I’m...

NBC News will celebrate the 50th anniversary of veteran anchor and special correspondent Tom Brokaw with “Tom Brokaw at NBC News: The First 50 Years,” a prime time special on Sunday, January 29 at 9 p.m. The two-hour special features his most memorable highlights and famous interviews from the start of his career reporting on Ronald Reagan’s first run for office to his most recent coverage of the 2016 presidential election, as well as never-before-seen moments from Brokaw’s tenure at NBC News and new conversations with special guests.  Brokaw and his guests will share insights and discuss topics from the last half century including race relations, politics, the women’s movement, technology, and global affairs. Brokaw’s in-depth conversations with A-list leaders of business, politics and culture include guests Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Tom Hanks, Jon Stewart, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Colin Powell, David Letterman, Sheryl Sandberg, Lester Holt, Maria Shriver, Lorne Michaels, Nikki...

TEGNA Inc. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) announced today they will premiere BOLD, a live, interactive, multi-platform topical entertainment program, in the fall of 2017. BOLD will be the industry’s first live multi-daypart syndicated show, spotlighting the day’s essential stories, information and trending social media content in real-time across multiple screens. BOLD (Broadcast Online Live Daily) will be produced unique to each time zone. Each live 30-minute episode will be distinct and able to capture the stories people are talking about at that exact moment. BOLD will connect with viewers in a dynamic and immersive 360 degree viewing experience, enabling viewers to interact live with the show’s hosts, share their reaction and opinions on stories, vote on BOLD content and polls and submit videos and stories that could appear on the show. “Daytime TV has become predictable and similar. BOLD will be different. The show will reflect how viewers are consuming content across multiple pl...

By Frank Macek It's time for another "behind the scenes" look at what's happening inside the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center. Hope you all had a great holiday season with family and friends. Hard to believe we are already into January 2017! Your blogger is really looking forward to seeing what this year brings both for the city of Cleveland and our country. I think it would be really hard to top 2016 in terms of excitement, but we can hope it's a fun year in local television. I have just a couple of notes for this month's edition of "News and Notes." For those of you counting, this month marks our 16th year at the Channel 3 Studios at the corner of E. 13th and Lakeside Avenue, or has it is now called "Tom Beres Way" in honor of WKYC Senior Political Reporter Tom Beres who retired last month after 37 years with the station. If you remember, WKYC debuted our new set on the Monday following the Superbowl in January 2001. Over the yea...

WKYC is kicking off the new year with a brand new show called "We The People" that debuts this Friday, January 6th at Noon. "We The People" is different than other community affairs type shows explains Executive Producer Margaret Bernstein. "We’ll be interviewing the 'do-ers,' people doing interesting things in our community, and we’ll explain to viewers how to get involved and take part in the projects we spotlight." Channel 3 News Today personality Tiffany Tarplay will host the show that will include a community calendar to let viewers know about events going on in Northeast Ohio and we’ll also have a “Volunteer Opportunity of the Week” to encourage people to get out and get involved. This week, the show will feature the new literacy initiative, Slavic Village Reads, that WKYC is kicking off this week with Third Federal. You can stay connected with the "We The People" page on Facebook to share your thoughts on the program and ...

Danielle Serino Journalist Danielle Serino is joining the Channel 3 News team as a consumer investigative reporter and multi-skilled journalist. WKYC News Director Brennan Donnellan tells the Director's Cut Blog that Danielle will lead the station's Verify segments where "we look for transparency in how we follow a story and fact-checking, especially important in this era of fake news and social media." Serino is an Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Investigative Reporter who has worked in major news markets including Miami, Chicago and New York, where she was filling-in as an Anchor for Early Today on NBC. Most recently she worked at WOIO in Cleveland as the afternoon Anchor and Investigative Consumer Reporter. Danielle began her Television career as a Field Producer for a show called "Real Stories of the Highway Patrol" where she followed the Vice Squad in Newark, New Jersey answering 911 calls. After that, she went a more traditional route ...