Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

Special to the Director's Cut Blog Leon Bibb on 3/25/22      By Ryan Haidet, wkyc.com CLEVELAND — It's a big day for 3News’ Leon Bibb . City officials honored the Cleveland TV news legend Friday afternoon by dedicating “Leon Bibb Way” at East 105th Street and Parkgate Avenue. Standing under the street sign bearing his name, Bibb recounted some of his childhood memories growing up at a home just down the street. “My childhood home was just a comfortable walk from the shores of Lake Erie, which call my family and friends to its wide-sweeping magnitude and its beauty. It was a wonderful childhood on this street, which my parents called a street of dreams. I don’t remember much about moving here when we moved here because I was only 3 years old." View this post on Instagram A post shared by WKYC Cleveland (@wkyc3) He did remember, however, arriving to the home in a taxi cab with his mother while his father traveled there in the moving truck because t...

Neil Fischer By Frank Macek @maceknewsnation WKYC Director of Content Adam Miller has announced Neil Fischer is joining the WKYC family as a Multi-Skilled Journalist starting next month. A St. Louis native, Neil will join WKYC Studios after the past two years at KAPP-KVEW in Kennewick (Tri-Cities), Washington where he worked as an MMJ, reporter and anchor, covering everything from the COVID-19 pandemic to social justice protests in addition to wildfires that plagued that region.  Neil is a graduate of Lindenwood University with a B.A. in Communications and Broadcasting, where he hosted a radio show, serving play-by-play for a variety of sports and he also played on the men’s baseball team. Neil’s natural curiosity, impressive work ethic and genuine passion for storytelling aligns well with the 3News team and our push to continue focusing journalistic efforts around what matters most. We look forward to Neil joining WKYC Studios and embracing the Northeast Ohio community.

By Frank Macek @maceknewsnation As I've mentioned in previous posts, WKYC Studios recently adopted the tagline "What Matters Most," a powerful and purposeful message introduced just in time for the 2022 Winter Olympics.  This new brand identity reflects our station’s renewed focus on stories that truly impact our community and resonate with our viewers on a deeper level.  Whether it's breaking news, in-depth investigations, or heartwarming local features, we want everything we produce to align with what matters most to Northeast Ohio. To help roll out this initiative, our talented marketing and promotions department developed a series of compelling promos that have been airing throughout February. These spots creatively highlight the station’s commitment to meaningful journalism and authentic storytelling, all while capturing the excitement and unity of the Olympic Games.  If you haven't seen them yet, be sure to check them out—they’re a great representation of t...

Frank Macek @maceknewsnation I put out the call, and you answered filling my inbox with emails for our first session of " Hey Frank ." This gives you a chance to ask questions about the things you see on WKYC regarding our news  product, NBC programming, on-air talent or the station's community outreach programs. Don't forget, you can email me your questions at fmacek@wkyc.com So let's get started with our first edition... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey Frank - "How are the ratings? Can you post them for the public to see?  - Joseph Hey Joseph - The station remains very competitive in all our news time periods. We are giving long-time news leader WJW a run for its money in the morning time slots and during the evening. I can not post specific ratings numbers due to Nielsen rules and regulations. Plus, I do not see the daily numbers or put much stock into them. W...

Special to the Director's Cut Blog By David Hrvatin In late 2019, WKYC took a decidedly bold step and brought our 70-year-old TV station into the modern era. Our entire staff came together to rethink our approach to storytelling and created fresh content to keep up with the changing content preferences of audiences while maintaining the level of journalistic integrity Northeast Ohioans expect from us. Then the world changed. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us all to take a step back. As a society, we gave a lot of thought to what truly matters most in our lives. What Matters Most is different for everyone. Sometimes, what matters most is enough to compel change. Change for you, your family, your career, even your health. For a while now, "What Matters Most” has been the name of our 6 p.m. newscast. But looking at the world around us, we realize those three words should apply to more than just one show. They should apply to everything we do at 3News. They will. What Matters Most i...

By Frank Macek @maceknewsnation Ever wondered about something you see on the air at WKYC Studios? Submit your questions and I'll do my best to answer them in an upcoming edition of "Hey Frank." Keep in mind, I can not divulge station secrets or address rumors, but I will honestly try and answer questions about the programing and people you see on 3. Please email me at fmacek@wkyc.com . (I will not publish your email addresses on the blog, but would appreciate you providing your first name that I will use as part of the feature format.)

By Frank Macek @maceknewsnation The 3News team has grown a little bigger this week with the arrival of Carmen Blackwell as a weeknight reporter at WKYC Studios. A New Orleans native, Carmen told us she’s ready to call the birthplace of Rock & Roll her new home and "bring a little taste of the Crescent City to the Land," according to 3News Director of Content Adam Miller. Carmen Blackwell Carmen joins our station from KSAZ-TV/Phoenix, Arizona, where she was most recently a weekday morning reporter.  Graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and Carmen began her career as a weekday morning anchor, reporter and producer at KALB-TV in Alexandria, LA before moving to the FOX affiliate in Phoenix.  When not reporting, Carmen enjoys spending time with her husband, one-year-old son and Mini Aussie Poo pup named Lola. Look for Carmen on our evening newscasts beginning next week.

TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) today announced that, for the sixth consecutive year, it has received a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index (“CEI”), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. “It is an honor to once again receive a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index and be designated a Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality,” said Grady Tripp, vice president and chief diversity officer, TEGNA. “We are proud of the work we are doing to build an inclusive workplace that welcomes employees from diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences, and we remain dedicated to supporting equality and equal rights for all.” The 2022 CEI evaluated over 1,200 companies promoting LGBTQ+-friendly policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families, inclusive culture and c...

Coming up tonight at 7p on 3, we'll present another edition of " Front Row: A Turning Point ." The belief that when blacks and Latinos move ahead, whites lose ground. Author Heather McGhee calls it "zero-sum thinking." We talk with the woman behind the New York Times bestseller "The Sum of Us." You'll hear her theory as we explore solutions that allow all Americans to prosper together. Join us tonight at 7p on 3 for our on-going series called "A Turning Point." Director's Cut Blog EXTRA:  Upon exploring some issues raised in The Sum of Us by author Heather McGhee, 3News hosted " A Turning Point " panel conversation on Tuesday afternoon connected to the concerns surrounding environmental racism and justice. 3News contributor Chris Webb moderated the discussion on how to be solution-oriented when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion issues, climate justice and building an interracial coalition around environmental i...

By Frank Macek @maceknewsnation Congratulations to our own Russ Mitchell in celebrating his 10 year anniversary with WKYC Studios this month. In December 2011, former WKYC VP/General Manager Brooke Spectorsky announced to the staff Russ would be moving from his role at CBS News to become weeknight Managing Editor and the 6 & 11P anchor on the station in January 2012. He would replace Romona Robinson who left the station upon the expiration of her contract on December 16, 2011, following a 15 year stint with the station. Most of that time, Robinson was teamed with co-anchor Tim White who also exited in 2008. Seen as a coup at the time by local media insiders who were shocked the station failed to renew Robinson's contract, Russ left his role as an anchor  and journalist at CBS News to head to Cleveland.  While based at CBS in New York City since 1992, Russ held a number of roles at the network over the next 19 years including co-anchor of "Up To the Minute," original c...

By Frank Macek @maceknewsnation As we kick off 2022 and the re-launch of the Director's Cut Blog, I wanted to share with you a few of the new faces you have seen lately on WKYC. Even though the pandemic has disrupted all of our lives, we have been working hard behind the scenes to put together the best team of people to bring you the news, weather and sports you've come to expect from WKYC. With our team in place, all of us at WKYC Studios are now getting ready for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, The Super Bowl and NBA All-Star Weekend in the CLE. It's going to be a February to remember. Let's take a look at some of the new people who have joined WKYC Studios in 2021. Payton Domschke Payton Domschke Payton Domschke joined the 3News weather team in December 2021 as our 5th meteorologist. After spending the last two years on the East Coast with our sister station WVEC - 13News Now, Payton was thrilled to return to her beloved Midwest. She was born and raised in the s...