Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

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...