Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

CLEVELAND -- WKYC's sports anchor, Jim Donovan, as well as managing editor, Dick Russ, will be among those formally inducted into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame at a dinner reception this evening in Westlake. Former WKYC investigative reporter, Paul Sciria as well as columnist, Regina Brett, and photographer William Wynne from The Plain Dealer are the other inductees. Jim Donovan came to Northeast Ohio as a weekend sports anchor in 1985 and has gone on to be arguable Cleveland's most prominent voice in sports. Donovan has been the radio play-by-play announcer for the Browns since their return to the NFL in 1999. He has covered the Summer Olympics in 1992 and 1996 and World Cup soccer in 1994. Dick Russ has proven to be one of Northeast Ohio's most versatile broadcasters. He has worked as a reporter, anchor and now managing editor at WKYC-TV 3. Colleagues say Russ' talent with words has always set him apart from his peers. Russ is also a member of the Oh...

Special to the Director's Cut Blog By Gary Levin, USA TODAY Viewers are tuning in to the major networks this fall. Ratings are up 2% after years of steady declines. New hits, big gains for some returning shows and comparisons with last fall's strike-hobbled start have helped. But the biggest factor: "There's much more DVR recording this year than in the past, which has had an impact on all the numbers," says ABC prime-time research chief Larry Hyams. A fourth of young-adult viewership is now recorded, though ratings among ages 18-49 are flat. Starcom Media analyst Sam Armando says the season is off to a decent start: "People are aware of the shows and are checking them out." But overall, cable is down, partly from news networks' post-election drops. AAmong the networks: -- Top-rated CBS is up 6 percent (and flat among young adults), thanks to big gains from the seventh-season wonder "NCIS" and a strong launch for its L.A.-based s...

By Frank Macek It's time again for an edition of "Notes from the Newsroom" as your blogger shares some of his thoughts on our little corner of local broadcast television. --- Thanks to everyone involved in our station wide event called "Heroes Help Northeast Ohio" that took place all day on Thursday, October 22nd. Over 17 bins of food were collected and lots of cash that will provide for over 30,000 meals for our local needy. Also, 312 coats were received for area childen and a room full of toys will delight northeast Ohio children this holiday season. A big thank you from all of us at WKYC, the Cleveland Foodbank, "Coats for Kids" and "The Salvation Army" and to WKYC producer Jon Adkins who made the day so successful. Surf in tonight (Tuesday) to WKYC.COM from 7:30 until 8 p.m. for a webcast followup to the "Road to Reform" special that aired on WVIZ last Friday Night and WKYC on Sunday morning hosted by WKYC Senior Politica...

Special to the Director's Cut by Gary Levin, USA Today Five weeks into the new TV season, it's clear that few new shows are tanking in the ratings. But breakout hits are elusive, too. The top new show is CBS' "NCIS: Los Angeles." The spinoff follows the original "NCIS," which has eclipsed CSI to become TV's No. 1 drama. "L.A." and "The Good Wife," also on CBS, Fox's "Cleveland Show" and "Glee," and ABC's "FlashForward," "Modern Family," "Cougar Town" and "The Middle" are doing well enough to earn full seasons. (Cleveland has already been renewed for next season.) CW's "The Vampire Diaries" also is expected to keep going. "All in all, the networks are in decent shape" with new series, says CBS scheduling chief Kelly Kahl. "It feels a little more optimistic to me than it has" in the past. That's not to say TV doesn...

Our partners at USA Today are tracking the success of this Fall's television season. For the first month (September 20th through October 18th), the following graphs show where the main networks are standing:

By Frank Macek It's time again for an edition of "Notes from the Newsroom" as your blogger shares some of his thoughts on our little corner of local broadcast television. --- WKYC is gearing up for our station wide event called a "Heroes Help Northeast Ohio" that will benefit several different groups this holiday season. From 5 am until 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, you can stop by the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center to make your donations to help benefit the Cleveland Foodbank, Salvation Army and Coats for Kids. WKYC will broadcast live throughout the day on WKYC and SportsTime Ohio's "All Bets Are Off with Bruce Drennan" show. We'll even have the Perry High School Marching Band to play for us during the morning hours. And, you'll be able to see our live, all day web stream at http://www.wkyc.com/video/livestream/channel3news.aspx . Please come and make this year's outreach to the community our biggest yet! WKYC, WVIZ/PBS & 90.3 WCPN...

CLEVELAND -- WKYC-TV and WKYC.COM are proud to announce our brand new instant text messaging system for iAlerts, breaking news, severe weather and more. Now you can get our alerts direct to your mobile phone or device faster and easier than ever before, with WKYC's new text alert messaging system. Get breaking news updates along with other local information sent to you as a text message. The best part is you can select only the messages you wish to receive. Our iAlerts are broken down by individual schools. Our severe weather alerts are only for the counties you select. Our other features are only the ones that interest you. You can choose from the following categories: News - Be alerted when important local and national news happens. Severe Weather Alerts - Stay updated when severe weather is in our area. Daily Weather Forecast - Get the daily forecast sent to you each morning. Friend to Friend - A friendly monthly reminder for women's health....

Special to the Director's Cut Blog By Gary Levin, USA Today Viewers with DVRs are catching up with series in record numbers, brightening the picture for TV networks by easing yearly declines. In new Nielsen data for the season's premiere week, many shows scored substantial gains from viewing delayed one to seven days after they aired. The lift, bigger than ever, blunts early fears several top returning series had plummeted. Grey's Anatomy added 3 million viewers, climbing 17% from its initial total, and two others - CBS' The Mentalist and Fox's House - added nearly as many. In all, 36 shows added 1 million or more viewers, and ratings for 14 programs shot up 20% or more. And it shows how DVRs - now in one in three homes, up from 27% last fall - not only shift viewing but also increase it; owners watch far more TV than those without. Yet because viewers can skip commercials, networks can't charge advertisers for many of those extra viewers. (Ad buyers do...

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 ...

Shopping for a flat-screen TV? Buying one with the Energy Star sticker could land you a cheaper electric bill. Energy Star-certified televisions are usually about the same price as comparable models, if not cheaper, and also save on electricity. California is even close to banning the sale of energy-guzzling TVs. Frankie's Sports Bar and Grill in Uptown Dallas is hoping to guzzle less power by switching some sets to more energy-efficient models. "Our electric bill is anywhere from $6,000 to $9,000 a month," said Joel Hill. He said the bill is just the cost of doing business. "We have to have the game on and have it on in a lot of places," Hill said. Oncor said the sports bar could save energy and money by switching to Energy Star-certified televisions. "You are going to save about 30 percent compared to your old TV right now," said Jeamy Molina an Oncor spokeswoman. Hill said the bar has recently added several energy-efficient flat-screen T...

You've got a new flat-screen high-definition TV and HD cable box-but there's a good chance you're not even using the high-definition technology your TV was built for. The culprit isn't your TV though: check the cables. Most people don't know that the type of cable running between their TV set and cable box has such a big impact on picture quality. Simply upgrading from composite video cables to HDMI or component cables (for only about $15) will make a huge difference in the clarity. The folks at the Geek Squad say the same clarity can be achieved with your TV and home theater's audio system by replacing analog wire with a coax or optical cable. Our sister station, KARE explains:

CHIBA, Japan -- Japan's big name electronic manufacturers are readying flat-screen TVs that can show high-definition movies and video games in 3D for launch next year. At the country's biggest consumer electronics show that opened Tuesday just outside of Tokyo all the major makers displayed 3D prototypes. Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. said they would bring their first models to market next year. The companies are plowing ahead even before there is much content available, with corporate spokesmen saying only that preparation is under way. Demonstrations at the exhibitions were mainly short clips of movies, nature scenes and sports. Source: The Associated Press

Last year WKYC helped the Cleveland Foodbank pull off their largest one day food drive in foodbank history thanks to everyone's generosity in dropping off canned food items during our one day event. This year, we are aiming to make the event even bigger and beat last year's total."Heroes Help Northeast Ohio" will be held on Thursday, October 22nd, from 5 am to 7:30 pm in front of the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center, 1333 Lakeside Avenue in Downtown Cleveland. WKYC staffers will be on hand all day to collect items in a drive through that will be easy and convenient. In addition to collecting food, WKYC will also be collecting new or gently worn coats for our annual "Coats for Kids" campaign we hold each year with our radio partners. Plus, we'll accept holiday gifts for the Salvation Army. We need everyone's help in the community to be part of the Hero Army and make the day a complete success. Please encourage your kids' schools or neighbor...

NEW YORK -- Add "Saturday Night Live" to the shows making sport of David Letterman's difficulties. But in the hands of "SNL," Dave got off pretty easy. On Thursday, the late-night host acknowledged having sex with women who worked for him and told viewers he was the victim of a blackmail attempt. On SNL's "Weekend Update," anchor Seth Meyers dubbed the extortion attempt by a CBS News producer "a stupid human trick." Meyers added that the would-be blackmailer was threatening to reveal embarrassing details of Letterman's personal life, then gave a joking example: After sex, Dave would say, "Stay tuned for Craig Ferguson." Fellow TV hosts Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon are among comics who already had zinged Letterman on their shows. --- Source: The Associated Press, Frazier Moore, AP Television Writer

PHILADELPHIA -- Shares of Comcast Corp. are diving after reports surfaced that the nation's largest cable TV provider is in talks to purchase a stake in NBC Universal. Comcast has called some of the reports inaccurate but stopped short of denying that talks were held. General Electric Co. owns 80 percent of NBC Universal, which includes several cable channels plus the NBC and Telemundo networks, the Universal Pictures movie studio and a chain of theme parks. The other 20 percent is owned by the French media conglomerate Vivendi SA. Shares of Philadelphia-based Comcast were down $1.17, or 7 percent, to $15.71 in morning trading Thursday. GE fell 26 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $16.16. Source: The Associated Press

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 ...

Special to the Director's Cut By LYNN ELBER, AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES -- Changes are afoot at "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" involving original cast member Vincent D'Onofrio and newcomer Jeff Goldblum. According to two people close to the production, D'Onofrio is poised to leave as a series regular early in the ninth season on USA Network next spring. The people asked that their names not be used because they were not authorized to speak publicly about casting. Goldblum, who joined the series last season, may remain as lead detective and could be joined by Saffron Burrows, replacing Julianne Nicholson. Deals with Goldblum and Burrows have yet to be signed, one person said. USA Network and series producer Wolf Films declined comment. "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" has seen cast turnover before: Chris Noth co-starred for three seasons. Source: The Associated Press

Special to the Director's Cut Blog By LYNN ELBER, AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES -- NBC says Conan O'Brien hit his head during a stunt for the "Tonight Show" and the production was halted. The accident occurred Friday. O'Brien was being examined at a hospital, according to a person close to the production. The person, who lacked authorization to discuss details of the matter, spoke on condition of anonymity. Through NBC, O'Brien issued a statement to demonstrate that he was able to joke about the incident. O'Brien said that he recalled "enjoying the play with Mrs. Lincoln," and the next thing he was aware of was being served cookies and juice. A repeat of "Tonight" was shown Friday, NBC said. Source: The Associated Press --- Conan shares his experience Monday on the "Tonight Show"

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. --- No news is good news, so they say in this business. Fall continues where summer left off at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center - not much new - which is why we've been a little scarce in doing a regular edition of "Notes from the Newsroom". The biggest thing going on right now is Fall Premiere Week(s). So far, we've seen mixed results for NBC with their schedule. The Jay Leno Show has fallen from its huge premiere on Monday, September 14th, but is still helping NBC and WKYC in the 10 pm hour. The always important final quarter hour of Jay's show (10:45 - 10:59 PM) has been a good lead-in for Channel 3 News at 11 PM in the demographics we need for our advertisers. It's funny how the tabloid news programs have been calling for the show to be cancelled. While I personally don't believe w...

Kids are back in school. Football's returned. Leaves are beginning to change. And in another sure sign of fall, NBC's studio 8H is busy once again for this week's season premiere of "Saturday Night Live". "I've got the super butterflies and I'm sick to my stomach all the time," said the show's head writer, Seth Myers. "The nightmares. Yeah, the nightmares are back," chimed in co-star Andy Samberg. But the SNL gang's coming off a dream season. A Presidential campaign that sent buzz off the charts and brought in the show's biggest audience in more than a decade. "We had so much fun last season, the hardest part, to be honest, was last season ending. We had all that momentum," Myers said. Now, the challenge is to top themselves. "It's a tall order, as orders go," Myers said. "Not Manute Bol tall, but Michael Jordan," added Samberg. "It's Jordan tall. Yea,"...

Editor's Note: The Director's Cut Blog through WKYC and Gannett's new Content One, now has access to all the resources of both our newspaper and broadcast divisions. As a result, our blog will be able to bring you many more timely and interesting feature articles about new technology has it relates to television and broadcasting in addition to our regular articles about what's happening at WKYC. ----- Special to the Director's Cut Blog By Kim Komando With football season here, maybe you're eyeing your old televisions and considering new sets. Before you buy, learn about the latest developments in television technology. Your choices aren't limited to LCD and plasma. A slew of new technologies are hitting the market: LED TVs Sony, Sharp, Samsung, LG and Toshiba all make LED TVs. These are really LCD sets. However, they use light-emitting diodes for backlights. Other LCDs use cold cathode fluorescent lamps. LED backlights provide clearer, crisper i...

A reporter in Georgia quickly became a part of the story while covering flooding in the south. Tom Regan was in a neighborhood devastated by raging flood waters when the story took an unexpected turn. It reminds us of the dangers associated with covering the news for our reporters and photographers where a seemingly routine event takes an unexpected twist. Take a look at the video below:

Special to the Director's Cut By Matt Kelley , USA TODAY WASHINGTON -- The FBI destroyed its files on former CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite two years ago under a policy that has been criticized by researchers for allowing potentially valuable records to be wiped out. A search of the agency's main index of the subjects of FBI investigations found some records tied to Cronkite's name were destroyed in October 2007, the FBI said in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by USA TODAY. Cronkite's death in July at age 92 made any FBI files about him available for release under the federal law. The FBI should have preserved records about Cronkite, who anchored CBS' newscasts from 1962 to 1981, said Scott Hodes, a former top lawyer in the FBI's records office. All FBI records on such a prominent person should have been saved under the FBI's policies, Hodes said. "You're not supposed to destroy records that are historically valuable,...

Here are some new weather promos currently airing on WKYC in high definition. If you haven't done so already, become a Friend of Channel 3 Weather on Facebook: CLICK HERE Promo #1: Betsy and Hollie Promo #2: WKYC Weather On-Line

It was another huge night for NBC Universal at the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards as the NBC network again won 16 combined Emmys, including five for "30 Rock," which was the most-honored series on any broadcast or cable network at this year's awards. "30 Rock" also claimed its third, back-to-back win as Outstanding Comedy Series giving NBC a win in that category for the past four years. NBC also tied HBO for the most wins of the evening with five. The awards, presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences at the annual Emmyfest at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, also proclaimed Tina Fey as the latest Emmy juggernaut to be recognized as she added two more Emmys to her trophy case for executive-producing "30 Rock" and for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Variety/Music/Comedy Series for her portrayal of then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on NBC's "Saturday Night Live." She won three Emmys last year for writing, producing and perfo...

Last night's Giants-Cowboys game on NBC Sports had the best overnight rating ever for a "Sunday Night Football" game. The Giants 33-31 victory, in the unveiling of the new $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium, earned a 16.5 overnight rating and 27 share (8:30-11:45 p.m. ET), the best overnight rating for a primetime NFL game in 11 years. CRUSHED EMMYS: For the third straight year, "Sunday Night Football" delivered a convincing victory while competing head-to-head with "television's biggest night," the Emmy Awards. While the Emmys were up versus a year ago, SNF still out-rated the Awards show on CBS by 65 percent (16.5 vs. 10.0). Head-to-head from 8:30-11 p.m., "Sunday Night Football" out-rated the Emmy Awards by a 71-percent margin (16.6/26 vs. 9.7/15). NBC averaged a 12.8/21 from 7-11 p.m. in metered-market households. It's NBC's highest Sunday average, excluding the Super Bowl and Olympics, since January 25, 2004 and the highest Su...

Editor's Note: It happens to even the best at some point in their careers. Viewer discretion is advised! ------- NEW YORK -- A veteran New York City news anchor flubs a line and an obscene catch phrase goes viral on the Internet. Ernie Anastos of Fox affiliate WNYW was bantering with the weatherman Wednesday night when he cheerfully dropped an F-bomb on the air. What he likely intended to say was, "Keep plucking that chicken." Anastos didn't appear to recognize the error, though co-anchor Dari Alexander's eyes bugged out after he said it. Videos of the mistake circulated widely online Thursday, as the phrase took on a life of its own. Fox isn't laughing, though. The vice president and general manager of WNYW, Lew Leone, says he's "disappointed" in Anastos' comment and the anchor will apologize on the air Thursday evening. Roll that beautiful bean footage: Source: The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Critics may not have loved Jay Leno's prime-time debut, but 17.7 million viewers tuned in to check him out. Nielsen Media Research says that's the biggest audience for a prime-time television show since the "American Idol" finale in May. Not only was Leno's debut heavily publicized, but he piggybacked on one of Monday's biggest stories. Leno had scheduled Kanye West, who was pressed to explain why he interrupted Taylor Swift the night before on the MTV Video Music Awards. That's a big boost for NBC, but the challenge will be to hold viewers. Critics were harsh, with Robert Bianco of USA Today slamming it as a "cut-rate, snooze-inducing, rehashed bore." On WKYC, the show did a 16 HH rating, 24 share according to the Nielsen overnight numbers. Source: The Associated Press, Nielsen