The time machine takes us 10 years in the past to 2009 with a timeline of some of the biggest moments of that year at WKYC.
February 16, 2009: WKYC-TV enters a video pool sharing
agreement with WOIO-TV & WUAB-TV/Cleveland.
March 5, 2009: Conan O’Brien visits WKYC-TV after being
named new host of the “Tonight Show.”
March 17, 2009: Longtime WKYC-TV and WTAM-AM personality Tom
Haley dies at age 88 on St. Patrick’s Day at Lakewood Hospital after a brief
illness.
March 23, 2009: WKYC-TV parent company Gannett announces
that because of bad economic conditions, all Gannett employees (include WKYC-TV
employees) will be required to take a week of unpaid leave in April, May or
June of 2009.
April 3, 2009: Carole Sullivan departs WKYC-TV and follows
her husband, Mike Sullivan, to San Diego. She was previously the co-anchor of
“Channel 3 News at 7” with Eric Mansfield.
April 6, 2009: Monica Robins replaces Carole Sullivan as
co-anchor with Eric Mansfield of “Channel 3 News at 7” while continuing her
medical reports and anchoring the noon newscasts.
June 1, 2009: Conan O’Brien takes over for Jay Leno as
host of the “The Tonight Show” at 11:35 p.m.
June 5, 2009: Abby Ham departs WKYC-TV and returns to
WBIR-TV/Knoxville.
June 11, 2009: WKYC-TV fires up its new RF Channel 17
transmitter for a day of testing before the switch on June 12th.
June 12, 2009: WKYC-TV shuts down regular programming on
its analog signal at 10 a.m. and moves to a new digital signal on channel 17. WKYC-TV
remains a “Nightlight” station until July 12, 2009 to inform viewers of the
change to digital television.
June 16, 2009: WKYC-TV drops “TV” from its official call sign.
September 14, 2009: WKYC-TV begins to air “The Jay Leno
Show” weeknights at 10 p.m. after Conan O’Brien replaces Leno “The Tonight
Show.”
October 29, 2009: WKYC-TV begins coverage of the gruesome
discovery of 11 women at the home of Anthony Sowell at his own 12205 Imperial
Avenue Mount Pleasant Neighborhood of Cleveland. Sowell was arrested on October 31, 2009 and
went on trial in 2011. He was convicted on July 22, 2011. He remains on death
row at the Chillicothe Correctional Institute.
This timeline is based on station archives and various newspaper stories. If you feel something is in error, please let me know and we'll make any necessary corrections. Email me at Email me at fmacek@wkyc.com
