Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

By Frank Macek Some names in Cleveland television never really fade. Dick Russ is one of them. If you’ve watched local news in Northeast Ohio over the past several decades, there’s a good chance he has been part of your life at some point, whether you caught him anchoring at midday on Channel 8 or leading the newsroom at Channel 3. So where is he now? Busier than most people half his career length, and still working on behalf of the community he spent decades covering. Let’s start at the beginning, because Dick’s path was a classic climb from radio to television. In July 1974, he started as a news reporter at WHLO radio in Akron. By December 1976, he had moved to WAKR-TV, WAKR-AM and WAEZ-FM, also in Akron, working as a news anchor and producer. That’s the kind of training ground that teaches you everything: how to write fast, how to produce your own work, and how to be ready to go live no matter what the day hands you. Courtesy: NE Ohio TV Memories In November 1979, Dick joined WJW-T...

By Frank Macek Jasmine Monroe. Courtesy First Coast News If you worked a morning shift in Cleveland over the last decade, chances are you started your day with Jasmine Monroe’s energy lighting up the screen.  She was a spark in 3News’ early hours—nimble in breaking news, generous with community features, and quick with a smile that telegraphed warmth as much as authority. Then she stepped away from local air—off on a new chapter that, true to form, has been ambitious and purpose-driven. So where is Jasmine Monroe now, and how did she get there? Monroe closed her WKYC chapter in the spring of 2022 with an on-air farewell that felt less like a send-off and more like a thank-you from Northeast Ohio. Colleagues saluted her reportorial chops and her bond with viewers; the goodbye underscored how thoroughly she had woven herself into the market’s morning fabric.  Her next stop: Florida’s capital. In October 2022, Monroe joined WTXL (ABC 27) in Tallahassee as a morning anchor on th...

By Frank Macek If you watched WKYC during the mid-to-late 2010s, chances are you remember Andrew Horansky. With his thoughtful tone, strong on-air presence, and reporter’s instinct for the human side of the story, Horansky became a familiar face to viewers in Northeast Ohio. He joined Channel 3 in April 2015 after a long and well-traveled journalism career that took him across the country—and even overseas.  At WKYC, he served as both a general assignment reporter and weekend anchor, quickly making his mark with in-depth storytelling and a knack for covering both breaking news and community features with equal skill. Horansky brought a broad resume to Cleveland. Prior to arriving at WKYC, he had reported in Houston Austin, Chicago, Boston, Traverse City and Dubuque and was also known for his international reporting, including coverage from Iraq, Pakistan, Haiti and Sri Lanka. That global perspective, combined with a clear, calm delivery, made him a trusted presence on Cleveland air...

by Frank Macek Sara Shookman For nearly a decade, viewers across Northeast Ohio welcomed Sara Shookman into their homes each evening as one of the trusted anchors of WKYC’s 3News. Her calm presence, journalistic integrity, and genuine connection with the Cleveland community made her a standout among local broadcasters. So, when Sara stepped away from her full-time role at WKYC in late 2022 to focus on family and new creative ventures, it left many wondering — what was next? As it turns out, plenty. Today, Sara Shookman is writing a compelling new chapter in her professional life — one that combines storytelling, community impact, and a continued connection to Ohio television. At the center of her current journey is Storyglow Studio , a creative content firm she founded with a mission to help nonprofits and purpose-driven organizations tell their stories with authenticity and heart. Storyglow Studio is built on the belief that powerful storytelling can inspire action. Sara and her t...

As you know, several WKYC staffers have left during the past year due to economic reasons and have moved on in their careers. We get emails almost weekly about where these folks have landed and we thought we'd share some of those with you. So, here's our latest list: Abby Ham - WBIR/Knoxville Carole Sullivan - KGTV/San Diego Lydia Esparra - WOIO/Cleveland Obie Shelton - City of Cleveland Clerk of Courts Spokeman Eileen McShea - WEWS/Cleveland Joy Benedict - WEWS/Cleveland John Kosich - WEWS/Cleveland

Since have a feeling our "Where Are They Now?" feature is going to be greatly expanding in the coming months, we figured we get in touch with one our personal favorites, who left WKYC right before your Director's Cut blogger started at WKYC - Meteorologist Larry Cosgrove. We both share one great love - THE WEATHER. Larry is now living in Houston and we speak regularly on our Facebook accounts. So, I asked him to tell us a little about what he has been up to since leaving WKYC. THE PAST: From November 1991 into January 1994, I worked (at various times) as either the weekend or morning/noon meteorologist at WKYC. Among my favorite times at Channel 3: the severe weather coverage of the summer of 1992 (I actually did a live, phone-in report from a pizza restaurant in West Amherst dealing with a tornado that ultimately hit Hopkins Airport) and the Blizzard of March 1993 (a marathon which secured a 17/33 rating/share for WKYC). I still remember my days in Cleveland fondly, and ...

Time flies in television in so many ways. Therefore, we feel another in our series "Where Are They Now?" is long overdue. For this month's feature, we located one of the easiest of the Channel 3 alumnists to be found - Virgil Dominic. Virgil is back at Channel 3 working behind the scenes with our talent and news management as a consultant this time around. If there was ever a "TV Dad" I wish I had, it would be Virgil. His career as taken him to many locales, but ultimately found Cleveland as home. Virgil has done it all over the years from anchor to sales, to General Manager of WJW and now a consultant. We recently asked Virgil to tell us, in his own words, what he has been up to over these many years that go by so fast. THE PAST: I served as the main anchor at Channel 3 from 1965 to 1972. In addition to doing the 6, 7 and 11 PM newscasts, I also did a national radio show, NBC News on the Hour, at 5 PM each day and a local radio newscast on WKYC AM at 5:30 PM. I...

Time for another in our series of "Where Are They Now?" features on the Director's Cut Blog where we catch up to some Channel 3 alumni as they continue their careers across the country. Ben Holbert was one of Channel 3's reporters who also worked for a period of time as a reporter on our "Akron Canton News" when it aired on WVPX, Pax 23. We talked to Ben recently and here's what he had to share. THE PAST: I spent 25 years in broadcasting. I was pleased to work with every commercial television station in Cleveland. I served as a featured news reporter at WKYC-TV, PAX 23 in Akron, WOIO-CBS/WUAB-TV; WVIZ-TV, Cleveland Television Network in partnership with WEWS-TV. I began my broadcast career in 1980 as an vacation relief engineer at WJW-TV (formerly WJKW-TV). I also spent nearly three years at WJMO-radio 1490-AM as a news anchor/news reporter and talk show host. THE PRESENT: Most recently, I served as Chief Communications Officer for the Cleveland Metrop...

We have so many alumnists from Channel 3 that we want to get caught up on a few more of those who have moved on and been quite successful. As you may know, WKYC has always been an excellent stepping stone for those making their way to either the NBC network or other larger market cities. In fact, WKYC was often considered a training ground for the network stars of tomorrow. Rick Jackson is one such person who has done very well for himself since leaving the station. Rick is a friend of the Director's Cut blog who asked him to take a few moments and reflect on his career so far, in his own words. THE PAST: I reported news at WKYC from September 1983 until April 1986, serving as a general assignment reporter and as the substitute morning news anchor whenever the inestimable Del Donahoo took time off from his morning duties. During the second half of my tenure, I was paired with Tom Beres in what were called "Greater Cleveland" beats. Neither of us ever did stories inside th...

When you think of Channel 3 Sports, you can't help but remember Thor Tolo. Thor was a weekend sports anchor who has a witty sense of humor (to say the least) and tons of energy. His travels took him through Cleveland to Pittsburgh to Seattle among other places where he is currently host on the afternoon drive show for KGNW, a Salem Radio station. We recently touched base with Thor to see what he's be up to and found he had a lot to tell us. So enjoy, another in our "Where Are They Now?" feature from the Director's Cut Blog. THE PAST: Having driven my U-Haul through the night on the last leg of a three-day journey from Laredo, Texas to Quincy, Illinois to take a sports reporter gig at the NBC affiliate there, I pulled into a Holiday Inn and phoned Laredo for my messages and got the voice of news director Paul Beavers offering me a round-trip flight from St. Louis to Cleveland to interview for the weekend sports anchor opening left by Jim Mueller or Wayland Boot or ...

This month, the "Director's Cut Blog" touched base with former WKYC reporter Joe Mosbrook. Although semi-retired, Joe continues to be one of our favorite, traditional journalists whose high integrity for the product and booming voice will forever have a place in the history of WKYC. I can't help but remember Joe standing in the snowy Ashtabula field in 1981 after our chopper at the time "Newshawk 3" went down and flipped over in near blizzard conditions. There was a calm and collected reporter and his photographer, Dave Hollis, doing a matter of fact feature on themselves. Although Joe doesn't mention it below, it was certainly one of the memorable moments in local television most folks working here still remember about Joe's career. (Watch the video below) We asked Joe to share, in his own words, a little about his past, present and future. THE PAST: I joined WKYC TV & Radio in March of 1967 and formally retired in April of 1998, although I cont...

Former WKYC chief forecaster Amy Murphy (formerly Hasten) is our feature this time around on "Where Are They Now?". Amy was a very popular part of WKYC's weather forecasting team during the 1990s along with Mark Nolan and Eileen McShea. After leaving Cleveland, Amy headed to Miami - then finally onward to Los Angeles where we find her these days. Amy Murphy joined the FOX 11 and MY 13 News teams in April of 2006. You can see her regularly on FOX 11 News Saturday and Sunday editions doing the weather. She is also a general assignment reporter during the week, reporting for "FOX 11 News at 10PM," "My 13News at 11 PM" and "Good Day LA" on occasion. Most recently Amy worked in Phoenix as the morning and noon weather forecaster and entertainment reporter. It was there that she earned two Emmy nominations for her coverage for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Amy's career has spanned the country from KUSA-TV in Denver, where she was t...

Former WKYC reporter and morning show anchor Art Edwards appears in this month's "Where Are They Now?" feature here on the "Director's Cut" blog. Art was here at the station for many, first starting as a general assignment reporter, than moving to the anchor desk where he co-anchored the morning & noon news near the end of his tenure with Jodine Costanzo (now in Pittsburgh at WPXI ). During his ' KYC days, Art was honored for his work on-the air and for his work on an hour long special called "Tough Choices" dealing with problems young adults face in life. The show won Art a regional Emmy Award. As everyone faces in this business, Art was on to new challenges in his career and headed south after leaving Channel 3. He landed upright at WNCN /NBC 17 where he would spend a little more than next four years bringing viewers the news in Raleigh, North Carolina. Finally it was time to head back to one of his Alma mater states where he attende...

This month, we feature former WKYC Medical Reporter Eileen Korey in our "Where Are They Now?" feature here on the Director's Cut Blog. Eileen first joined WKYC in 1984 as Medical Reporter and left the station in the summer of 1992. Eileen recently told us what's she has been up to lately. "I have been at MetroHealth as Vice President, Communications since January 2005, where I am in charge of a staff that handles internal communications, media relations, marketing, advertising, development communications, community relations, senior services, creative services (including audio and video production), diversity, and pastoral care. I am part of the senior team, reporting directly to the President and Chief Executive Officer. I am passionate about the work we do at MetroHealth and constantly impressed with the commitment of the people here. The patients and staff are inspiring, and I am tremendously fulfilled by my job. Before MetroHealth, I spent ten years in charg...

When you think back to Cleveland TV in the mid 1980s, the name Doreen Gentzler quickly comes to mind. Although, Doreen was only here at WKYC for 4 years, she had a big impact on local viewers and certainly deserves a place in our monthly Hall of Fame feature we call "Where Are They Now?" Doreen became the 6 & 11 PM co-anchor on "Channel 3 News" and had four male co-anchors in four years who she fondly remembers: Judd Hambrick, Leon Bibb, Dale Solly and Bob McBride. Through it all, she developed nice memories with each and got to cover some great stories about missing children and the John Demjanjuk trial in Israel. But soon, she moved on. After leaving WKYC-TV in late 1987, Doreen went to work at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia, which was a CBS owned and operated station at that time (today, it's an NBC station). In 1989, she moved back to her hometown of Washington D.C. and WRC-TV Today, Doreen anchors the 6 & 11 PM news on NBC 4 (see anchor desk picture) and h...