Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

By Frank Macek Saturday night was one of those nights that reminds you why we do what we do. The station came home with multiple Emmy Awards, and it's hard not to feel proud of the talented individuals and teams who earned that recognition. These aren't just trophies — they represent countless hours of storytelling, dedication, and a commitment to journalism that truly matters to our community. Here's a moment to celebrate each of the winners. •Peter Fleischer took home the Emmy in Promotion/News for his Kirtland Cult Killing Documentary. Peter's work on this project was nothing short of extraordinary — tackling one of the most haunting chapters in Northeast Ohio's history with the care and rigor it deserved. Well done, Peter. •Lindsay Buckingham earned the Emmy in Reporter Features/Human Interest for "Heartstrings." If you've seen the piece, you already know why it won. Lindsay has a rare gift for finding the humanity in every story, and "Heartst...

By Frank Macek The NATAS Central Great Lakes Regional Emmy Nominations were announced on Tuesday with WKYC earning a total of 28 this year with Senior Broadcast Director Frank Macek (your esteemed blogger) and Senior Health Correspondent Monica Robins being Inductees into this year's Silver Circle Class that honors those with at least 25 years of exceptional broadcasting experience. The Emmy Awards will be handed out on Saturday, June 27th this year. WKYC Nominations from the year 2025 include: •News Excellence:  Julie Flynn, News Director •Evening Newscast - Markets (1-50) "3News at 6: Remembering Office Wagner" Julie Flynn – News Director, Annabelle Childers – Reporter, Kelly Salandro – Senior Producer, David DeNatale – Senior Digital Producer, Joshua Bailey – Producer, Danielle Wiggins – Reporter, Lindsay Buckingham – Reporter, Monica Robins – Reporter, Matthew Lawrence – Videographer, Bailey Lustic – Videographer, Aurora Keag – Director, Craig Roberson – Videographer,...

By Frank Macek After becoming just the second person to undergo a groundbreaking implant operation at the Cleveland Clinic, 3News Senior Health Correspondent Monica Robins is now discovering a new sense of purpose in her healing journey. This innovative procedure—designed to restore critical function and vastly improve quality of life—marked a monumental step for both Monica and the medical community. Her story is one of courage, resilience, and the remarkable impact of cutting-edge medicine.  As Monica shares her experiences, she underscores the blend of hope and determination that carried her through recovery, and she reflects on the profound gratitude she feels toward the surgical team, her loved ones, and the supportive caregivers at Cleveland Clinic. In opening up about the highs and lows of her rehabilitation, Monica shines a powerful light on the emotional and physical complexities of recovery—and on the transformative promise of medical innovation.  Her journey reminds...

Special to the Director's Cut Blog from wkyc.com Senior health correspondent Monica Robins is sharing her own medical journey with 3News viewers. 3News has some personal news to share about a member of our family. Monica Robins came to us in 1998, and has been our senior health correspondent for much of that time. Monica Robins. Courtesy: wkyc.com Monica recently took a leave of absence to prepare for her own medical journey. It's a journey she wanted us to share with you tonight. You can watch more on What Matters Most at 6 p.m. and What's Next at 11 p.m. You can also hear more of Monica's thoughts in the video below. This summer, Monica's world turned upside-down. For years, she had been dealing with a nagging problem in her left eye, first thought to be allergies, then possibly an autoimmune disorder. But an MRI revealed something far more serious: a tumor, pressing against her eye and brain's left hemisphere. This type of tumor is a meningi...

WKYC will re-air our much talked about special "Heroin: Old Drug, New Killer Epidemic" on Sunday, May 26th from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Channel 3. “We were approached by a group of concerned citizens in Geauga County who are alarmed at the rate by which young people are dying from this epidemic, said Rita Andolsen, WKYC’s Director of Advocacy & Community Initiatives.  “After looking into the issue, we learned heroin use and subsequent deaths are a problem across our entire region. We decided to put the resources of our station behind the issue and do something about it”. Anchored by medical reporter Monica Robins, the special takes an in-depth look at what’s causing the epidemic and the cost, literally and figuratively, of addiction to the families whose loved ones fall victim to this drug. In Cuyahoga County alone, the number of heroin deaths has increased by 177% from 2007-2012. The statistics in surrounding counties are equally alarming. During this hou...

Click on the video to watch one of new Channel 3 promos highlighting the experienced beat reporters of Channel 3 News including Kim Wheeler (education), Maureen Kyle (consumer), Monica Robins (health), Tom Meyer (investigative) and Tom Beres (politics).

CLEVELAND -- They're not Olympians, but they'll still give it their all! Betsy Kling, Monica Robins, and Eric Mansfield will compete in 10 events in the first Anchor Olympics, starting Monday night February 15th on Channel 3 News at 7. The trio will do battle in winter olympic sports ech night during the broadcast. Hockey, skiing, luging, tubing, and curling are just some of the activities. So, who do you think will win? Tune in Monday as the Anchor Olympics gets underway!

By Frank Macek Time for another edition of "Notes from the Newsroom" as your blogger shares some of thoughts on our little corner of local television. --- Congratulations to several WKYC staffers who take top honors in Cleveland Magazine's annual "Best of Cleveland" poll. This year's winners include Romona Robinson for best female anchor, Mark Nolan for best male anchor and Jim Donovan for best sports anchor in Cleveland. Also, SportsTime Ohio's Design Director Greg Goyla and his 80's cover band the "Spazmatics" were recognized for rocking 80's music like no other local group. They have even performed for former President George W. Bush. The "Best of Cleveland" party will be held on Friday, October 16th at 7 p.m. at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. WKYC.COM has launched a new project called "Tributes" that uses the power of wkyc.com to spread the word about the passing of our local residents through ...

WKYC announced this afternoon Monica Robins will become the new co-anchor of Channel 3 News at 7 PM beginning Monday, April 6th. She'll join current anchor Eric Mansfield on the broadcast anchor desk Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. WKYC News Director Rita Andolsen points out, "Monica is an experienced anchor and reporter who brings energy and passion to the assignment." In addition to anchoring the 7 p.m. broadcast, we are being told Monica will continue her signature medical reporting and noon anchor duties. Monica replaces Carole Sullivan who is headed to San Diego with her husband, Mike Sullivan. Mike recently took a position with the San Diego Chargers. Prior to that, he worked with the Cleveland Browns organization. Ms. Andolsen announced that Carole's final day on the air will be Friday, April 3rd. Congratulations to both Monica and Carole on their new endeavours.

Senior Health Correspondent Monica Robins steps into our "Get to Know Team 3" Spotlight. Recently, we had the chance to spend a few quality moments with Monica to find out more about both her reporting life and things she likes to do outside of work. We have worked with Monica since she came to WKYC and you'll find she has quite a few interests that you might not know about. Question: You have worked as a videographer, editor, producer, news anchor, health anchor and investigative reporter during more than 20 years as a broadcast professional. Have you found being so flexible has benefited your career? And, do you recommend that others in the business have multiple skills in this new age of television? Monica: Absolutely. I truly believe it's the only way to survive in this ever changing business. No one should think they're too old to learn something new. I also think in these unsure days, flexibility = job security. Question: You worked in Columbus as an i...

Health News is one of the most important news features that viewers and readers are interested in on-line. WKYC keeps you informed with Senior Health Correspondent Monica Robins. WKYC has built a new online Health Channel that provides you both reports from Monica and exclusive reports from our partnership with NBC and CNN and health reporters across the nation. You find the player on wkyc.com/news/health or CLICK HERE You can also find Monica on Facebook.

On the heels of yesterday's announcement that WKYC's Barbara Gauthier is leaving WKYC, Monica Robins has been promoted to noon news anchor. Beginning Monday, August 4th, Senior Health Correspondent Monica Robins will take on the additional duties of Noon anchor. "Monica's depth of experience and commitment to the station and the news product will help us explore new directions with the newscast," said WKYC News Director Rita Andolsen. Congratulations to Monica on her new duties.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on Sunday that two of WKYC's top notch reporters have signed long term deals with the station in the past month. Terms of their deals were not disclosed. Senior Political Correspondent Tom Beres has served as a general assignment reporter for WKYC since July of 1979 and was promoted to senior political reporter in May of 1998. Tom is a graduate of Northwestern University and holds a bachelor degree and a masters in broadcast journalism During his college years, he worked as a radio correspondent in Washington, DC and his radio reports were transmitted to stations throughout Chicago. Senior Health Reporter Monica Robins also signed a new deal. Monica joined WKYC in 1998 and is responsible for reporting the day's medical news. She has worked in television since 1988 and has an additional five years of radio and print journalism experience. She was an investigative reporter at WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio and while there, became the Midwest corresp...

WKYC will air "Medical Miracles: Second Chances" Thursday, November 1st, at 7:30 pm hosted by Channel 3's Emmy Award winning Medical Reporter Monica Robins. This special, the next in a continuing set of Cleveland Clinic programs, will examine thoracic surgery. You'll be introduced to the Clinic's thoracic surgery unit, which deals with the illnesses of the chest area, as Monica follows a young mother suffering from cystic fibrosis. She is just one of the patients whose lives have been helped. Then on Thursday, December 6 at 7:30 pm, viewers can tune in for "Medical Miracles: Innovative Surgery, Rapid Recovery." This 30-minute Cleveland Clinic special focuses on minimally invasive surgeries and the benefits they provide over traditional surgeries. For example, a robot assists a cardiovascular surgeon to repair a heart valve with only four small incisions. This show covers procedures at the forefront of surgical technology.

Congratulations to WKYC's Monica Robins. She was one of the 2007 recipients of Lakewood, Lutheran and Fairview Hospitals' Community Service Awards. Monica's dedication to providing you with health care information.... and her committment to local health organizations is what made her a standout to receive the honor.