Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

Michael Jackson's father, Joe, marked the one year anniversary of his son's death in Cleveland on Friday. While here, he stopped by the Channel 3 News studios to discuss his feelings on Michael and his family's loss. Our flipcam was in the room during his interview.

CLEVELAND - WKYC-TV won top honors for best evening newscast at the 41st Annual Emmy® Awards, Lower Great Lakes Chapter. The station garnered five Emmys and 19 nominations. The Emmy® is an award that recognizes excellence in media production for broadcast and multiple media platforms. It is the highest award given in television. The awards recognize outstanding achievement by individuals and programs broadcast throughout the 2009 calendar year. WKYC Winners include: Channel 3 News at 6, 11/3/09 Category: Newscast - Evening - Market 1-20 Carrie Young - Producer Project AED Category: Continuing Coverage Romona Robinson - Anchor Eric Mansfield - Anchor/Reporter Monica Robins - Anchor/Reporter Rita Andolsen - News Director Danielle Fink - Assignment Manager Kim Wendel - Web Reporter Hardball Cash Category: Business/Consumer Tom Meyer - Investigative Reporter Sarah Montgomery - Editor To the Moon: Ohio's Journey Category: Documentary Jeff Reidel - Producer/Wr...

Michael Greene (left) & Dick Russ (right) CLEVELAND - Veteran reporter Dick Russ (pictured right) and photojournalist Michael Greene (pictured left) won top honors at the 2010 Cleveland Press Club 2010 Excellence in Journalism Awards. Russ, already a Press Club Hall of Fame Inductee, and Greene won first place in the television general news category for their coverage of accused Nazi John Demjanjuk's forcible removal from his home and subsequent deportation. Former WKYC reporter Mike O'Mara and Assignment Manager Danielle Fink took second place honors in the television spot news category for their coverage of the West 89th St. multiple murders. The 32nd annual event was held at the Marriott Downtown at Key Center in Cleveland. Entries were received from a variety of daily and non-daily newspapers, radio and television stations, internet sites, and trade and business publications from across Ohio. Competition categories included: daily newspaper, non-daily newspa...

You just never know who might stop by the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center. Sportscaster, actress, host and model Lisa Guerrero was in town and popped in to have a quick chat with WKYC Morning Anchor Mark Nolan. We can't tell you just why, yet - but could something be brewing in Lisa's future? Click on the video to watch what she had to say.

Editor's Note: The following article is interesting about the introduction of 3DTV broadcasts that debuted last Friday with ESPN's coverage of World Cup in South Africa. I thought you might enjoy getting some first thoughts from our partners at USA Today - Frank --- Special to the Director's Cut Bog By Edward C. Baig, USA Today Three-dimensional TV is a kick. At least, I think so after watching World Cup soccer in 3D. I felt like I was inside the Durban soccer stadium, where Germany routed Australia, though South Africa is halfway around the world from ESPN's Bristol, Conn., headquarters, where I watched on an off-the-shelf 46-inch Samsung LED 3D TV. Especially on close-ups and replays, the 3D broadcast added depth and perspective that's impossible to duplicate on the two-dimensional TVs we've watched for years, even high definition. But obstacles remain before 3D goes primetime in homes, starting with the fact that new 3D TVs aren't cheap. The Sam...

The old WKYC analog antenna By Frank Macek Construction crews were busy at the WKYC Transmitter site in Parma on Sunday as they lowered the old Channel 3 antenna to the ground. The antenna provided our analog and original digital signal until the switch to all digital television one year ago on June 12th, 2009. A new tower was built last year to accomodate our move to digital channel 17 (from channel 2) and to also support WVIZ's new digital antenna. Analog Channel 3 was the official "night light" station in the Cleveland market and remained on the air broadcasting information about the switch until June 20th when the signal was turned off permenantly. Ham operators should finally be able to rest comfortably knowing that the interference caused by our signal on some of their amateur radio ham bands at 6 meters will not be returning according to WKYC Transmitter Engineer Dave Kushman. Dave tells the Director's Cut Blog that some wer...

Amanda Barren WKYC News Director Rita Andolsen announced Friday that Amanda Barren will be joining the Channel 3 News team as a multi-media journalist (MMJ). Amanda comes to WKYC from WSAZ-TV in Charleston/Huntington, West Virginia, where she has worked since January of 2006 as a reporter, anchor and producer for the NBC affiliate. Before that, she was an anchor, reporter and producer at WJET-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania; WTAP-TV in Parkersburg, West Virginia; and WOUB-TV/Radio in Athens, Ohio. Amanda is no stranger to Ohio. She grew up Bainbridge, just east of Cleveland, in northeast Ohio. She also attended Ohio University in Athens and received her Bachelor of Science degree from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism in June 2002. She tells the Director's Cut Blog, "I am truly excited to come home and do the job that I love, at the station I grew up watching! Getting back to Cleveland has always been my goal, and now it’s my reality. I look forward to tellin...

Here's another one of those fun, behind the scenes adventures of television news people in case you haven't seen it. NBC's Flint, Michigan affiliate WEYI had an unexpected guest drop by the set of their live newscast this morning. The morning show team heard some noise coming from behind the set and quickly found the source was "Rusty" the raccoon. News anchor Elizabeth McFarland watched on as weatherman Brian Hughes, wearing oven mitts borrowed from a cooking segment, shooed Rusty away. At first the raccoon actually went further into the building, but after about 20 minutes, Rusty finally made it out safely. ">

On Monday, June 14th, WKYC will air a "Moms Like Me" special broadcast at 5 pm in place of Dr. Phil - a show dedicated to topics from our highly popular website cleveland.momslikeme.com , just for northeast Ohio moms. Hosted by Channel 3 News anchor Romona Robinson, the show will feature reports from Monica Robins, Kim Wheeler, Maureen Kyle, Dick Russ and "Moms Like Me" Site Manager Jacquie Chakirelis talking about everything from sunscreen to coupons, things to do with the kids through the summer months, how to avoid work at home scams and where the best consignment stores are to shop. Plus, Romona sits down for a one-on-one interview with sassy WZAK/93.1 DJ Kym Sellers, and her very private struggle with multiple sclerosis. The disease hasn't stopped Kym although she can no longer walk, but she continues her very busy schedule. WKYC Meteorologist Betsy Kling will talk about her blog on "Moms Like Me", her daughter Josie, and how to...

Congratulations to WKYC's Tom Meyer, The Investigator , who was honored with two #1 finishes in the Ohio Associated Press Broadcaster's contest for Best Investigative Reporting and Best Continuing Coverage for 2009. Tom's 1st place entries include: Best Investigative Reporting for "Pills without Penalties" - This was a 2-part investigation into the Ohio Pharmacy board and how it fails to discipline pharmacists, even if those mistakes prove to be deadly. Best Continuing Coverage for 28 stories on Cuyahoga County Corruption - Tom's coverage included 14 stories that were exclusive stories and the result of our own investigations.

By Frank Macek As you have likely read, the push is on by the major broadcasting groups to get the mobile digital television business up and running as quickly as possible. For companies like Gannett, WKYC's parent, the push is a very important one to help ensure television and electronic media's long term viability in whatever form it can be delivered. This not only includes traditional forms of content being available over the air, on cable, satellite, in newspapers on on the internet, but also having material available on mobile devices for consumers to take anywhere. In April of this year, 12 major TV station groups created the Mobile Content Venture (MCV) to develop a plan that is sustainable and profitable for a new national mobile content service by utilizing existing broadcast spectrum to enable member companies to deliver content to mobile devices, including live and on-demand video, local and national news from print and ...

The Old Brooklyn Cub Scout Troop 45 visited the Channel 3 studios on Wednesday evening as they fulfilled their requirements to get a merit badge. Your Director's Cut Blogger was happy to give them a tour of the station, as they enjoyed a behind the scenes look and watched Channel 3 News at 7 pm from the control room. Betsy Kling grabbed the flipcam as we had a little fun. If you are part of a group who would like a tour of Channel 3, you can contact me at fmacek@wkyc.com Individuals are welcomed also, as time allows. Click on the video to watch what Betsy shot:

WKYC was presented a special award from the Salvation Army of Greater Cleveland Thursday evening at the Bertram Inn & Conference Center in Aurora for our ongoing support of the organization. The award was given to the station at its annual fundraising dinner. WKYC Vice President and General Manager Brooke Spectorsky and his wife, Micki Byrnes, Vice President of Marketing and Promotions for WKYC, accepted the award on behalf of the station. The Salvation Army continues to see the need grow for its services which include emergency food and utility assistance.

By Frank Macek May Sweeps came to an official end Wednesday Night...and despite some stiff network competition and a struggling NBC Network, WKYC proves once again our newscasts are the #1 choice for local viewers at 6 & 11 PM. The biggest headline was Channel 3 News at 11 PM beating Fox 8 News at 10 PM, despite American Idol. WKYC was #1 in late news (which includes the 10 & 11 PM news time periods) in Adults 25 to 54, Men 25 to 54 and Women 25 to 54. Channel 3 News at 11 PM is anchored by Romona Robinson, Betsy Kling and Jim Donovan. The show is produced by Amanda Subler and directed by your blogger, Frank Macek. In a head on race at 11 PM only, WKYC was #1 at 11 pm in ALL demographics. The return of Jay Leno to "The Tonight Show" also had a major impact on late night viewing, as Jay was #1 in all key demos for his time period...beating Letterman, hands down. Channel 3 News at 6 PM also held on to its #1 position on early newscasts with ...

Wednesday, May 26th, was another fun filled day of learning about weather over at Progressive Field in the second of Channel 3's annual Weather Education Days. Kids from all over the area take this exciting field trip to the ballpark to observe weather experiments in motion. Were you one of the 8,000 Northeast Ohio students who came down to join us this morning for the program, then the Cleveland Indians/Chicago White Sox game? Did WKYC snap a photo of you and your classmates? Check out our  PHOTOGALLERY

Special to the Director's Cut Blog By David Bauder, AP Television Writer NEW YORK -- NBC says it will devote much of its time on newscasts Wednesday [May 26th] to discussions of immigration. NBC's "Today" show, "Nightly News" and "Dateline NBC" will explore the issue along with sister networks including MSNBC and the Spanish-language Telemundo. MSNBC will devote portions of every show to immigration. Telemundo's morning program will air from Arizona, the first time the show has gone on location. The issue has taken on new import recently with the passage of an Arizona law requiring authorities to question people about their immigration status if they are suspected of being in the country illegally. NBC says the coverage will include release of a poll on American attitudes toward immigration.

It's the end of an era tonight on NBC. After 20 seasons, "Law & Order" airs its final episode at 10pm. Coincidentally, one of the show's biggest and most famous fans, also makes an appearance on the series farewell. Lindsey Vonn fulfilled a lifetime dream with Olympic gold at the Vancouver games. Tonight, she lives another dream...appearing on her favorite show, "Law & Order." "The first time they said action, I was shaking really bad," recalls Vonn. That's because Vonn's been watching "Law & Order" since she was a kid, alongside her lawyer parents. But the Olympian's appearance also comes in what's turning out to be "Law & Order"'s final episode. Last week, NBC canceled its flagship drama after 456 episodes and a record tying 20 seasons. "When you got up from watching our show, you not only got a full story, you learned something too," says series star S. Epatha Merkerson. ...

NBC Newsman Tom Brokaw at John Carroll University Special to the Director's Cut Blog By Chris Tye UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- Tom Brokaw came to Cleveland to honor his friend, the late Tim Russert, by giving the commencement address to Russert's alma mater, John Carroll University. Before he left, he gave the class of 2010 a progress report on the work world they're trying to join. "You are leaving the sanctuary of learning and innocence in a season of uncertainty and anxiety. Daily, there are painful reminders that the economic model that defined your life turned out to be too much of a house of cards," he said. He spoke with Channel 3 News about a variety of topics before his speech about the challenges facing the class of 2010. "A lot of young people are moving back home and living in their parents' home for awhile until they can deal with this tough economy. Marketing people are calling some of these 20-somethings 'neo-frugalists.'...

Special to the Director's Cut Blog By Dave Summers   PARMA -- If you can't find your favorite show this weekend, don't adjust your television set. The trouble may be...22 thousand miles above the earth. Last month Intelsat lost control of its communications satellite called "Galaxy 15". Since then it has been floating eastward and this weekend or next, it is expected to drift into the orbit of another communications satellite. That could interfere with cable programing across the U.S. Cable networks that could be affected are MTV, Discovery Communications, Comcast Network groups, and A&E Television. Cox Communications in Parma says there is no need to panic here in Northeast Ohio. "We don't anticipate needing to use our contingency plans but we do have them in place to make sure our customers are taken care of. We will do anything in our power to keep service on for our customers," Cox Communications Programing V.P. Tim Tanda said. W...

By Frank Macek The Director's Cut Blog gets regular emails from students about doing internships at WKYC as many of our readers are interested in getting into the business. So, your blogger thought this would be a good chance to take a look at internships at our station or those offered by other broadcast stations. For those aspiring to work in television news, an internship program is essential on the "must do" list of projects while you are going to college, a community college or a broadcasting school, like the Ohio Center for Broadcasting. Most station programs require students to get credit for participating in their programs, so you shouldn't wait too long to apply. Stations can only handle a limited amount of students during each term. The biggest benefit of interning in an economy that's challenging for both pros and graduates fo find work is getting your "foot in the door." Sometimes, that is half the battle. Make sure whi...

CLEVELAND -- The sun was shining as more than 3,000 students from Northeast Ohio spent the morning at Progressive Field for WKYC's Weather Education Day. WKYC Meteorologists Betsy Kling, Hollie Strano and AJ Colby, with Meteorologist Bruce Kalinowski joining them from back at the TV station's weather center, spent the morning making learning fun for the students. WKYC Weather Education Day was held before the Cleveland Indians took on the Kansas City Royals on the field. Click to check out our photo gallery of today's big event

As part of the WKYC Information Center, several of our staff members are doing a little bloggin' of their own. Here is another new blog to check out when you get a little web surfing time. Indians on Deck - STO Producer Mike Bachmann has a cool look behind the scenes of the Indians Pregame Show with Al Pawlowski. For more blogs from the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center: CLICK HERE Many of our staff members also have profiles on Facebook. You can sign up for a free account and join our Fan Pages to interact with many of us online about the station and the news stories we cover. Check out our main WKYC page: http://www.facebook.com/WKYC.Channel3

From: Richard (city unknown) Q: I hate that Channel 3 runs Indians games in place of other NBC programming when the Indians aren't that good this year - and haven't been for several years. It really annoyed me when hockey was supposed to air or was joined in progress. A: As the over the air television home of the Cleveland Indians, we are under contract with the Indians to carry 20 games per season. Unfortunately, the station can only pre-empt so many hours of regular NBC programming. So, we must carry mainly afternoon games on the weekends and select games during primetime we felt would be the most interest to our viewers. Whether the Indians are contenders or not, we hope you can appreciate being able to receive some of the games free on broadcast TV. The options are not pretty for those without cable or satellite. Go Tribe! --- Have a question for us? Email us anytime: fmacek@wkyc.com

From: Betheny in Cleveland Q: I noticed your new interactive radar on your website. I love it, but think it's too big. Could you make it smaller? A: We are currently experimenting with all the new weather tools we got with our recent upgrade to all HD weather. As part of that, we are putting the Interactive HD Radar right on our homepage only when severe weather threatens the area. We have received many comments for people grateful that it's easy to find and easy to use, so we hope you'll give it a chance. Again, we are building our website to better serve you when the weather turns bad, so we don't have to cut in as much and interrupt your regularly scheduled programming like the other stations do. --- Have a question for us? Email us anytime: fmacek@wkyc.com

NBC has announced its 2010-11 primetime schedule that is highlighted by five new comedies, seven new drama series and one new alternative program, including shows from such innovative hit-makers as J.J. Abrams, Jerry Bruckheimer and David E. Kelley, among others. The high-quality series include new comedies such as "Outsourced," Love Bites," "Perfect Couples," "Friends With Benefits" and "The Paul Reiser Show." The new dramas are "The Cape," "Harry's Law," "Outlaw," "Undercovers," "The Event," "Chase" and "Law & Order: Los Angeles." The schedule features all-drama lineups on Mondays and Wednesdays and five comedies on Thursdays. Tuesdays will continue to combine the similar appeal of "The Biggest Loser" with "Parenthood," and Fridays will team "Who Do You Think You Are?" and the new series "School Pride" with "Dateli...

With some recent changes to the way we are able to run the Director's Cut Blog, we have a new RSS feed address. Please update your readers if you currently get the blog in this fashion. Our new RSS feed is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/WkycsDirectorsCutWithFrankMacek

NEW YORK -- The venerable court-police drama "Law & Order" has been axed. NBC announced Friday that the show would end its historic 20-year run on May 24. The show starred an ensemble cast of S. Epatha Merkerson, Jeremy Sisto, Anthony Anderson, Linus Roache, Alana De La Garza and Sam Waterston.

NEW YORK -- NBC says it is renewing its cult favorite "Chuck" for another season and has ordered four more new series for the upcoming season. The fourth-place network has been aggressively rebuilding. Even before NBC officially announces its new fall schedule on Monday, the network has publicly committed to 11 new scripted series. The new series announced Friday includes one comedy that sounds something like one of its classics. "Friends With Benefits" is about a group of friends in their 20s as they navigate the dating world. New NBC dramas include "The Cape," about a framed cop who turns into a comic-book superhero. Jimmy Smits will star in "Outlaw," about a Supreme Court justice who quits the job to work as a lawyer representing the "little guy." "Harry's Law" stars Kathy Bates as a disillusioned lawyer who starts a new practice with a young man out of a rundown shoe store.

By Frank Macek Time for another behind the scenes look at what's going on behind the scenes at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center. Our best wishes to Michael O'Mara who leaves Channel 3 News to become Vice President at Hennes Paynter Communications - a crisis management company. Mike started his news career on March 14th, 1977 and winds it up today, April 30th, 2010. We'll definitely miss Mike's journalistic experience and flair. May sweeps are underway. Sweeps started Thursday and run through Wednesday, May 26th. Channel 3 has a "Must See" May all planned for you. So be watching. The Director's Cut Blog has learned that Fox 8 will become a news competitor with a 7 p.m. newscast launching soon. We certainly welcome the competition. But remember Fox 8, Monica and Eric play hard and we'll be playing to win. Remember the 7 PM Anchor Olympics? Bring it on! The April sweeps period was another good one for Channel 3 News. We continue #1 at 5 a.m., 6...

Congratulations to a number of my colleagues here at Channel 3 who were nominated for 18 Emmy nominations on Thursday evening. Our sister network, SportsTime Ohio received six. The winners will be announced on June 19th at the 41st Annual Emmy Awards Gala at the Hilton Garden Inn. Newscast - Evening *Channel 3 News at 6 - Rita Andolsen, Romona Robinson *Imperial Murders - Julie Ocepek, Monica Robins, Eric Mansfield *Channel 3 News at 6 Weekend - Carrie Young Newscast - Morning/Daytime *Channel 3 News Today 5 AM - Eric Vrobelm, Mark Nolan, Brooke Whitney, Hollie Strano, Meghann Brutoczky, Maureen Kyle General Assignment Report (Within 24 hours) *Serial Killer Survivor - Michael O'Mara Breaking News *W. 89th Murders - Romona Robinson, Eric Mansfield, Tom Meyer, Danielle Fink, Mark Smilor Continuing Coverage *County Gone Wild - Tom Meyer, Sarah Montgomery *Project AED - Eric Mansfield, Monica Robins, Kim Wendel, Danielle Fink, Romona Robinson, Rita Andolsen *Imperia...