Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

By Frank Macek For decades, every city had one. The trusted face. The commanding voice. The name you instinctively turned to in times of crisis or celebration. They were the TV news legends—local anchors whose presence in living rooms was as familiar as family. But in 2025, as media habits shift and generations change, we have to ask: Is the era of the TV news legend over? The short answer? Probably. Local TV anchors once held a unique position in American culture. They weren’t just broadcasters; they were institutions. Think of Walter Cronkite at the national level or names like Dick Goddard, Doug Adair, and Romona Robinson in Cleveland. These were journalists who stayed rooted in one city, building long-term trust with their communities over decades. When they retired, it wasn’t just a career milestone—it was a cultural event. Depiction of Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw & Peter Jennings Take WKYC in Cleveland, for example. Over the years, the station has been home to some of Northea...

By Frank Macek Walk into any newsroom today like WKYC, and you’ll likely find a familiar scene: a news producer juggling scripts, timing out live elements, coordinating with reporters in the field, updating rundowns—and, increasingly, triggering automation commands, punching live shots, cueing graphics, and managing tech workflows in real-time. In many markets, the days of a dedicated director or technical director operating behind the glass are becoming rare, replaced by a one-size-fits-all philosophy: if the system can be automated, the producer can run it. But just because the technology can allow producers to control more of the technical process doesn't mean they should. We’re reaching a critical moment in broadcast news where we need to seriously re-evaluate the role of the producer. If the future of news is going to be faster, smarter, and more responsive, producers must be freed to focus on what they were hired to do: produce. Let’s be clear—producing is not just “stacking ...