Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

By Frank Macek As many of you know, the 56th Annual Great Lakes Emmy Awards were held Saturday night, June 20th, 2025, in Indianapolis — and I’m thrilled to share that WKYC had a great showing where it mattered most. Our team brought home multiple Emmy wins across several key categories, a testament to the passion, collaboration, and dedication poured into our storytelling each and every day. This recognition is more than a trophy — it’s a reflection of the hard work, heart, and humanity we put into every broadcast, feature, and community service project. Let’s take a moment to celebrate the outstanding work and the people behind it: 🏆 Morning Newscast – Markets 1-50 “3News GO: Severe Summer Storms” This fast-paced, real-time coverage of severe weather showcased the strength of our morning team. Congratulations to Executive Producer Jennifer Jordan , Producers Ryan Haidet , Anna Meyer , Alanna Dick , Anchors Danita Harris and Dave Chudowsky , Meteorologist Matt Wintz , Reporter ...

If you're new to the Director's Cut Blog, welcome—I'm glad you're here! I'm Frank Macek, and if you've spent any time in Cleveland broadcasting, there's a good chance my name or voice rings a bell. Whether you've caught it in the credits or over the airwaves, I've been part of the Cleveland and northeast Ohio TV and radio scene since 1988. But truthfully, the spark was lit long before that—ever since I was a kid captivated by the magic of radio dials and television screens. Frank Macek at WKYC Studios Right after graduating at the top of my class from James A. Garfield High School in Garrettsville, Ohio, I landed my first job at WLND-AM/830 in Cortland. It was a tiny country station with just 1,000 watts, but it gave me my first taste of live broadcasting as the morning news anchor. Not long after, I handled my first on-air shifts and hosted a Saturday morning favorite called “The Treasure Chest of Bargains.” It was local radio at its best. That fall...

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...

As we head into August, I have decided to bring back the Director's Cut Blog that features a behind the scenes look at the WKYC Studios. Since our last post March in 2018, I have gotten near weekly requests urging me to consider bringing back the blog. Many of my readers have said they found it useful in not only learning more about the current happenings of Channel 3, but also the history behind the station. Even though idled for more than a year, the blog continues to receive a significant number of views per day. Our alums have enjoyed finding out what's new since they left the station. Our viewers like to hear what's happening inside the station and behind the scenes. And, I like to give some opinion on topics that matter to me as a broadcaster and for our industry. Today is a very exciting time for our business, our local television market and most importantly -  our television station. One of my main focuses moving forward will b...

Please don't forget to follow your blogger and Director of Channel 3 News @7 and 11 p.m. weeknights on Facebook, Twitter, RSS and Linkedin for even more updates and daily doses of wit. On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/frankmacek On Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/frankmacekwkyc On Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/frankmacek On Mobile Devices: http://wkycdirectorscut.blogspot.com/?m=1 I need friends! Lots and lots of friends!

On Tuesday, June 13th, we further expanded our evil Macek Media Empire by launching the "Director's Cut 2" blog. This new blog will feature stories about other local and national television, cable, satellite and digital technology from our WKYC partnerships with The Associated Press, NBC, and Gannett Broadcasting and Community Publishing. Many of the articles will come from our partners, but we'll continue to write local stories when necessary. Our research has found there is a wider audience available for other types of television content which we hope to provide on DC 2. Of course, the original Director's Cut Blog will continue as usual focusing on events and happenings at WKYC, Channel 3. And Macek Media Watch on Facebook will focus more on local broadcasting including radio, television and print. Here are the links for our blogs and platforms: Director's Cut Blog Director's Cut 2 Blog Macek Media World

May sweeps are over and Channel 3 News at 11 pm with Kris Pickel, Russ Mitchell and Betsy Kling was Cleveland's #1 newscast in the all important money demo, adults 25-54, Monday through Sunday, despite a lackluster NBC Prime time lineup. The weeknight 11 pm is directed by your blogger Frank Macek and produced by Amanda Subler and Caitlin Kollar. The same was true for Channel 3 News Today beginning at 4:30 a.m. weekdays with Chris Tye, Erin Kennedy and Hollie Strano. Thanks to all our viewers in Northeast Ohio for making Channel 3 News their first choice for news when it comes to starting and ending their day. Click on our latest promo below to watch:

By Frank Macek Over the weekend, I had a chance to read an excellent article by Hillary Atkin in NewsPro Magazine that takes a look at the current state of television news and how we got to this point. I thought I'd share some of my comments on the general points made by Ms. Atkin. The bottom line is cutbacks by television stations are having an enormous impact on the overall quality of television news, including here in Cleveland. All our stations locally have been hurt financially in 2009. However, we doubt that few, if any, local station managers would admit their product isn't what it used to be because of staff reductions. They would probably argue its been multi-faceted. One of the biggest reasons for cutbacks is diminishing profit. Since the great economic downturn that started in late 2007 and 2008, stations have been under extreme pressure financially. Advertisers aren't spending as much money and local television stations are ...

Producer Jon had the digital camera in his pocket tonight and whipped it out in the WKYC News Control Room to capture your blogger (left at the switcher) and my boss, WKYC Production Manager, Al Wohl (center) doing a little pre production for the 6 p.m. broadcast. This is when we tape certain aspects of the show to roll in during the live newscast. Let's just say it took a while to get it just right - but the end result was worth it.

My quick camera friend, Producer Jon, snuck behind me and caught a shot of me switching and directing the 6 pm newscast this evening. I seem so lonely in that control room!

For those of you who love a sneak peak at "behind the scenes", here are a couple of pictures from today taken by my directing colleague Matt Babb. Romona Robinson hard at work preparing for tonight's 6pm newscast. You can see a bit of Jim Donovan in the background getting ready for tonight's sportscast: Producer Carrie Young and Director Frank Macek are discussing a couple of ideas for tonight's 11pm edition of Channel 3 News. Does this look staged?: To See More Photos: Photogallery 1 - CLICK HERE Photogallery 2 - CLICK HERE

A reminder for our new blog readers that we are available on "Twitter" with real time updates posted as soon as we write them. You get breaking news and weather from the Director's Cut Blog, the Fair Weather Fans Blog, and wkyc.com as it happens. Plus, we occasionally jump in with other fun updates live from the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center about the local television industry and entertaining newsbits from the wonderful world of television. Just click on the picture to find our Twitter page where you can sign up to follow us at absolutely no cost. Knowledge is power, so be the first to know. You'll also find us on Facebook and MySpace. Those links are posted in the hand column of the blog.

As you know, we like to have a little fun here at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center and our flip cams we use to shoot "web extras" like our daily news promos. So, my fellow director Matt Babb decided to go behind the scenes of Mike O'Mara who went behind the scenes of me shooting our nightly promo with Producer Dan Stadler. Slap stick comedy you'll never see again - for good reason.

You may have seen the countdown to July 5th that I was giving here on the Director's Cut Blog. Well, the time has come. It's finally here. July 5th officially marks my 20th year as a Cleveland broadcaster. It was July 5th, 1988, that I opened the microphone at little 1,000 watt country music station WLND-AM in Cortland... It was 6:05 a.m. and time to say those most memorable words: "Good Morning, I'm Frank Macek with your WLND News..." I was so scared, I trembled at first. But that soon passed. Although my tenure at WLND was only to last the summer of 1988 before college started in the fall, it was a memorable time at the little station at the corner of St. Rts. 305 and 88 in Cortland in a building shared with a dentist office. Owner Nancy Hoffman (whose son Chris Hoffman once worked at WKYC) and station manager Jay Michaels gave me that big break after I contacted them about wanting to do the weather forecast for their station. Instead, I got to do the weather AN...

This afternoon, my good friend Eric Mansfield was here in the Channel 3 Newsroom and had his trusty flip cam with him, so he stopped by my desk to ask yours truly a few questions. One of the fun parts of this business is that you never know when someone is going to throw a camera in your face...and want to know the inside scoop on folks here at Channel 3 News. After all, that's why you read this blog. Well, I'm not sure Eric got any good stuff today...but feel free to check us out on his blog "Have I Got News For You." To see me being interviewed by Eric: CLICK HERE Enjoy!

By Frank Macek The dawn of a new day is beginning in newsrooms across America - the birth of the backpack journalist. These folks are not amateurs. They are not the most experienced. But backpackers are becoming specially trained people, selected from a pool of qualified candidates, whose job it is to cover stories that may not necessarily lead the 6 pm news. In many cases, their materials will become web exclusives or interesting sidebars in the burgeoning world where broadcast television migrates to the internet. Armed with relatively inexpensive digital cameras, cell phones and light weight laptop computers, these one man bands of reporters head into the field to shoot their own video, write their own stories, take their own pictures and edit their own footage with editing software that's plentiful and easy to use. From remote locations, the final products are fed back to the home station via broadband or other upload venues like satellite or fiber optic (where available) for ai...

Just a quick note of thanks to all our readers of the "Director's Cut" Blog.. The numbers are in for October and our blog has now surpassed the 60,000th reader mark since launching in January. October was a huge month for us in several ways, with expanded coverage of the SuccessTech Academy shootings, the announcement of our morning show team of Mark Nolan and Abby Ham & our regular features: "Where Are They Now?," "Get to Know Team 3" and classic Channel 3 Promos. In the coming weeks, we have plenty of new and fresh material coming thanks to your ideas and suggestions. A reminder, you can reach us anytime at fmacek@wkyc.com or on Facebook and Myspace for on-line extras. Again, thank you for reading the "Director's Cut" Blog. Be sure to tell your colleagues to stop by and visit.

You can now join me and the "Director's Cut Blog" on Facebook as we continue to expand our internet presence from the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center. Feel free to send me your questions and comments, chat with me while I'm getting ready for newscasts, add me as a friend and network with me & other TV professionals from around the world. I'd like to share ideas, talk about the TV industry and find new and exciting ways to bring viewers compelling programming like our HD special "Lake Erie: Beyond the Surface." To reach us on Facebook, click on the following logo:

Please excuse a little shameless, self promotion this week as I reach a personal milestone in my career. It's an exclusive "behind the scenes" look at this special time for me. This month marks my 10th anniversary as a full time director at Channel 3. Former WKYC Production Manager Rich O'Dell (now GM at Gannett station WLTX in Columbia, SC) hired me as a part-time, weekend & fill-in director in 1995 after spending my first year here working as a studio technician. Initially, I was assigned duties as the weekend 6 & 11 PM and fill-in director on the newly expanded morning news. Plus, I often directed the "Tom and Del" or "Del and Tom" Show (Those two always fought over whose name would come first.) In 1997, long-time WKYC Director John Oven retired and moved to sunny Florida - and I was promoted to full time status. John's favorite phrase when something went wrong, was always "don't worry - it's on its way to Mars, men....

Frank's Radio Credits: Radio Stations Worked For: WLND /830 AM (Cortland), WRRO /1440 AM (Warren), WCSB /89.3 FM (Cleveland), WDOK /102.1 FM (Cleveland), WWWE /1100 AM (Cleveland), WRMR /850 AM (Cleveland), WOBL /1320 AM (Oberlin), WKNR /AM 1220 (Cleveland), WEOL /930 AM (Elyria), WNWV /107.3 FM (Cleveland) *Marconi Smooth Jazz Station of the Year Award (On-Air Staff) – 1995, 2001 *Sunday Soundscapes (Host, Producer) – 1997 to 1999 *Showtime Memories (Producer, Writer) - 1998 *Return to the 40s (Host, Producer) - 1994 *Those Fabulous 50s (Host, Producer) - 1994 *When There’s Cancer in the Family, Kids Count Too! (Producer) - 1993 *Treasure Chest of Bargain Show (Host) - 1988 Frank's Television Credits: (Note: Here is a list of shows I have worked on since beginning at WKYC in 1994. Obviously, I did not direct or do technical work on every single broadcast...but have directed many of each show listed) *Channel 3 News @ 5 - 7 AM, 11 AM, Studio 3, Noon (Director) - 1995 to 1997 *C...