Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

New WKYC Weather App You've been asking for it and now you got it. The new WKYC Weather app for IPhone and Android users is now available for FREE . You can get the latest hour by hour forecast, our exclusive HD Interactive radar, weather video forecast and more anywhere you are. Did we mention it's FREE? WKYC Meteorologist Betsy Kling explains how it all works and where you can get it so you can stay connected to Channel 3 Weather anywhere you go, day or night. And stay tuned, Channel 3 has some really exciting projects coming your way this year for when you are on the go.

By Frank Macek The crisp morning of January 28, 1986, was one that none of us will ever forget. The Space Shuttle Challenger lifted off on its doomed mission that ended just 73 seconds into flight. The white clouds of smoke looked remarkable and almost beautiful until we realized what we had just witnessed - the death of seven American heroes. Being the 25th flight, we had come to view shuttle liftoffs as routine. We never had an accident with the shuttle program, although we always knew in the back of our minds it could happen. On January 28, 1986, the unthinkable occurred and shook our nation to its core. It's a moment in history we will never forget about what we were doing or how helpless we felt watching tiny fragments of shuttle debris falling from the sky, remarkably peaceful it seemed as they each floated to the ocean surface. Your blogger was still at James A. Garfield High School in Garrettsville, Ohio, and felt so helpless an...

Special to the Director's Cut By Ryan Nakashima, AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES - The nation's largest cable TV company, Comcast Corp., was set to take control of NBC Universal on Friday after the government shackled its behavior in the coming years to protect online video services such as Netflix and Hulu. The deal's closing was to occur shortly before midnight EST Friday, Comcast spokesman John Demming said. The takeover gives the cable-hookup company 51 percent control of NBC Universal, which owns the nation's fourth-ranked broadcaster, NBC; the Universal Pictures movie studio and related theme parks; and a bevy of cable channels including Bravo, E! and USA. The combination had raised fears that Comcast might abuse its control of NBC Universal to favor its most valuable customers: the 23 million who rely on it for cable TV service and the 17 million who pay for Internet connections. But the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission imposed c...

The Cleveland Indians and WKYC have announced their 2011 schedule for games to be broadcast on free, over the air television. For the complete 2011 Indians Schedule, click on the following link (pdf):  2011 Schedule The following games will be seen in high defintion on WKYC-TV 3. Friday, April 1st @ 3:05 pm (vs. Chicago White Sox) - home opener Sunday, April 3rd @ 1:05 pm (vs. Chicago White Sox) Sunday, April 17th @ 1:05 pm (vs. Baltimore Orioles) Sunday, April 24th @2:10 pm (at Minnesota Twins) Sunday, May 1st @ 1:05 pm (vs. Detroit Tigers) Friday, June 10 @ 7:05 pm (at New York Yankees) Sunday, June 12 @ 1:05 pm (at New York Yankees) Wednesday, July 6th @ 7:05 pm (vs. New York Yankees) Saturday, July 9th @ 7:05 pm (vs. Toronto Blue Jays) Sunday, July 17th @ 1:35 pm (at Baltimore Orioles) Sunday, July 24th @ 1:05 pm (vs. Chicago White Sox) Tuesday, July 26th @ 7:05 pm (vs. Los Angeles Angels) Saturday, July 30th @ 7:05 pm (vs. Kansas City Royals) Wednesday,...

By Frank Macek Time for another behind the scenes look at what's happening at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center. The "Director's Cut Blog" is officially 4 years old this week. We kicked off our first articles in January 2007 and have been cranking out updates as frequently as time permits - which somedays - is tough. We are still amazed at who reads our blog and we get emails from those coast to coast. You may have seen a brand new toy we are using on the air called "Mobile 3." It's one more tool in our newsgathering arsenal that now allows us to go to places where live shot trucks can't. With high speed wireless networks, we can literally take a camera attached to a backpack and transmit in real time back to the station and in high definition for use on the air. This system has been used recently to bring you live traffic updates during snowstorms from inside moving cars. Also we recently were able to get right into the heart of the Fairport...

NBC, the peacock network, should get a full-scale preening at the hands of its new entertainment chief once the Comcast Corp. takeover is complete. Comcast has said that it's appointing Bob Greenblatt, the programming executive who transformed Showtime into a pay TV powerhouse, to head NBC Entertainment.  Bob Greenblatt Comcast on Tuesday gained approval for the $13.8 billion acquisition of NBC's parent company, NBC Universal, from the Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department. Exactly what Greenblatt will do is unclear, but he's a widely respected programmer in Hollywood, known for taking risks that pay off. At Showtime, he shepherded onto TV hit shows such as "The Tudors," "Dexter" and "Weeds," all of which have gone on for multiple seasons. NBC, the fourth-ranked broadcaster, has only recently lived through the debacle in which it put host Jay Leno's talk show on at 10 p.m. on weeknights, and replaced five hours a...

Special to the Director's Cut Blog By Joelle Tessler, AP Technology Writer WASHINGTON - The federal government on Tuesday gave Comcast Corp., the country's largest cable company, the green light to take over NBC Universal, home of the NBC television network. Comcast is buying a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal from General Electric Co. for $13.8 billion in cash and assets. The Justice Department said it reached a settlement with Comcast and NBC Universal that allows the companies to proceed with the deal, subject to some conditions. The five-member Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday voted 4-1 to approve the deal. Michael Copps, one of the commission's three Democrats and an opponent of media consolidation, voted against the deal. With the transaction certain to transform the entertainment industry landscape, both the FCC and Justice Department are attaching conditions to prevent Comcast from trampling competitors once it takes control of NBC's vast m...

WKYC's Romona Robinson Congratulations to WKYC/TV 3  6 & 11 PM anchor Romona Robinson who has been selected as one of the five 2011 Women of Achievement Award recipients presented by the YWCA Greater Cleveland. This year marks the 35th year the organization has recognized exceptional female leaders in our community by presenting them with the Women of Achievement Award. Romona Robinson tells the Director's Cut blog, "The YWCA Women of Achievement award is one of the highest honors one can receive in Greater Cleveland." "I've spent 20 years in Northeast Ohio trying to be a voice for those who aren’t heard, working  to help bridge the racial divide and  to inspire and encourage young women and children to reach their potential," Robinson added. The criteria for those given the award include a demonstration of outstanding leadership qualities, as well as excellence in accomplishments and commitment to their career and community. Women chose...

Special to the Director's Cut Blog By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer LAS VEGAS - Being able to watch live TV on the go sounds like an appealing idea. Indeed, Audiovox Corp. says its RCA-branded portable, battery-powered televisions sell well. But there's a problem: people return them at extremely high rates. Why? "If you move, you lose the signal completely," said Audiovox Electronics president Tom Malone. That's because digital TV signals are designed to be received by stationary antennas. If the antenna starts moving, the signals become gibberish. The solution is a new type of TV signal known as Mobile DTV that TV broadcasters are starting to roll out. Many cities already have a couple of stations live. Audiovox said this week that it will build receivers for those signals into its 7-inch and 9-inch portable TV sets this year, joining several other manufacturers in trotting out Mobile DTV gadgets at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las...

Check out our tour group from Wellington High School who stopped by the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center on Friday to see how television is done in a real life, real time environment. These kids are studing production and you are bound to see them on TV or behind the scenes in the near future at a television station near you - maybe even Channel 3. If your high school have a production class and would like to visit Channel 3, just let us know. You can contact our blogger Frank Macek anytime:   fmacek@wkyc.com

We think our "Good Company Today" staff and talent had a little too much time on their hands over the holidays as we found some fun shots of hosts Andrea Vecchio, Michael Cardamone, Fred Griffith and Joe Cronauer. Click on their Facebook page to view the entire photo album at the following Facebook link: http://on.fb.me/fD6t6q Be sure to catch "Good Company Today" weekdays at 10 a.m. on Channel 3 following the "Today Show."

Special to the Director's Cut Blog By Jay Gray, NBC News The center of the technology universe is in Las Vegas right now. The annual Consumer Electronics Show is underway, revealing a first look at the coolest, cutting edge TVs, gadgets and gizmos that we will all be drooling over in the next few months. It is a first hand look at the future, technology that many believe will begin to reshape our lives. "Habits will change, families will change," says TheNewSimple.com founder and Today Show technology editor Paul Hochman. A big part of that change is the tablet computer, a slim touch-screen that some say will replace the laptop. 80 new tablets are being introduced at this year's consumer electronics show, along with every accessory and application you can imagine. The way we watch TV is changing as well, and so is the set itself. 3-D has exploded and there is talk of soon being able to watch without glasses. Video conferencing has also taken a huge step for...

A panoramic view of the Channel 3 Newsroom thanks to a cool Android app called "Photaf" taken by multi-media journalists Barry Wolf and Matt Babb. Cool stuff! Your blogger is even spotted in the bottom picture! Click on either picture for a larger view.

This is a group of classic Channel 3 Promos from the 1980s and early 1990s thanks to Dan Klintworth, a former WKYC colleague, who is currently Marketing Director at WBTW-TV in South Carolina. This latest batch includes cameos from Jim Donovan, Steve Browne & Terry Burhans, Paul Orlousky and our "3 Believes Campaign." Feel free to post your own comments and share your memories. Just click on the videos to watch. If you can't view them on this page, CLICK HERE

Hosts Carrie Young and Jonathan Adkins WKYC's hot new social media show "Flash Mob" will air its second episode following "Saturday Night Live" on Sunday morning, January 16th, at 1 a.m. The show features hosts Carrie Young and Jonathan Adkins along wtih several behind the scenes staff at Channel 3 looking at trends in social media and viral video as WKYC continues to be Cleveland's social media leader on Facebook, Twitter and wkyc.com On this new episode of  “Flash Mob”, we’ll have a look at the technology behind the colored lights on the Terminal Tower, we’ll take a trip to a Twitter bakery, you’ll meet another WKYC Facebook “Friend of the Day” and we’ll teach those who don’t know about it, a little about FourSquare. We’ll also have a wrap up from the from the Consumer Electronics Show, and we’ll look at a cool new gadget that makes transferring photos from your digital camera a breeze. The first airing of the show in October was the most watched...

NEW YORK - NBC can thank bad weather for its ratings win last week. The most-watched show was last Tuesday's special edition of "NBC Sunday Night Football," which had been postponed two days by the blizzard. It was seen by 23.7 million viewers. Then NBC scored again five days later with another, regularly scheduled "Sunday Night Football" broadcast. Ranking second for the week, that game was seen by 19.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen Co. figures released Tuesday. It was enough to give NBC an overall win in prime time. But CBS could claim 11 of the week's top 20 broadcasts. CBS took the runner-up spot in prime time, followed by ABC and Fox. Among evening newscasts, NBC's "Nightly News" was on top, as usual, followed by "World News" and the "CBS Evening News."

Tuesday is usually a day off for NFL players, but the Philadelphia Eagles host the Minnesota Vikings Tuesday night in a nationally televised game that was switched from Sunday night due to an impending blizzard. You can catch the game right here on WKYC starting at 8 p.m. The decision to postpone the game at Lincoln Financial Field was made Sunday amid the threat of a storm that eventually dumped about a foot of snow in the Philadelphia area. The storm was accompanied by high winds. "The discussions with the league were all about public safety. That was paramount," says Don Smolenski, Eagles chief operating officer. "That, I think, in the end really was what drove the decision." This is the first NFL game played on a Tuesday since 1946.

Special to the Director's Cut Blog By Doug Whiteman, Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to a state sales tax that applies to satellite TV but not cable. The Ohio Department of Taxation says Monday's ruling is not surprising because similar tax discrepancies have been upheld in other states. Ohio's highest court ruled 5-2 against satellite companies that complained the tax is unfair. The court affirmed a lower court's decision that the tax does not amount to unconstitutional discrimination because it's based on the different nature of the companies' business activities. Tax department spokesman John Kohlstrand says the tax generated $54 million for financially struggling Ohio in the most recent fiscal year. Attorneys for the satellite industry indicated earlier that an appeal was likely.

Channel 3’s morning news will move to a 4:30am start on January 3rd, it was announced today. “People lead busier lives, and viewing patterns have changed,” said WKYC News Director Rita Andolsen. “There is now a significant news audience beginning as early as 4:30 in the morning, and we want to serve their needs with the market’s best news, weather and sports coverage.” “The timing is right,” added Brooke Spectorsky, President and General Manager. “Given how actively this winter has begun, our viewers need weather, traffic and school closings even earlier.” Channel 3 News Today is anchored by Mark Nolan with meteorologist Hollie Strano. Reporters include Maureen Kyle, Darrielle Snipes, WTAM Traffic reporter Pat Butler, and Bloomberg business correspondents Jayne King and Angie Lau. Channel 3 News Today was awarded the 2009 regional Emmy for best morning newscast.

By Frank Macek Time for another behind the scenes look at what's happening at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center. We are fast approaching the end of another year - a much better year than 2009 was for many reasons. We are so happy the economy has finally started to move in the right direction, albiet very slowly. Not much new news to report from the homestead, which is about to celebrate it's 10th anniversary already. Seems like your blogger can remember slogging into our "not yet completed" control room in the middle of winter as we started moving some operations into the new building in December 2000. The first month was spent with the technical crew at 13th and Lakeside and the talent back in the old E. 6th street studio. Our first show with talent broadcasting here was in January 2001 on Super Bowl Sunday when Scott Newell and Kristin Anderson anchored. I'll share more memories in an upcoming article. As part of our 10th anniversary, the station receiv...

Check out our latest November sweeps proof of performance promo:

CLEVELAND -- It's that time of year! We want to see your holiday lights and share them with everyone! We want you to help us light up the season by sending us pictures of your holiday light displays. We'll even pick one each night to be featured on Channel 3 News each night at 11 p.m. There are several ways you can let us know about your own displays or those around your neighborhood. Upload your own holiday lights photos Upload your own holiday lights video Email us suggestions for display to feature on TV View holiday light photos from other viewers Happy Holidays for all of us at WKYC-TV, Channel 3!

Correction: We are reposting our Cleveland DMA Sweeps Dates after an error was made in the original document sent to us from Nielsen. July sweeps actually begin on Thursday, June 30th and not June 29th. By Frank Macek Many of our readers have expressed interest in ratings periods and when they occur in 2011. Most joke with us this is when you see the most sensational news stories on the air - and many times you are right. However, it is also a time when more time and effort are put into the stories that air, giving our audience an in-depth look at stories that don't get as much airtime regularly. Since Local People Meters were introduced locally in August 2008, television stations in our market (Cleveland, Akron & Canton) are now rated 12 months a year. You can print out a full schedule of sweeps dates for 2011 by clicking on the picture above or the button below:

Another year has flown past and our friends at the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences, Lower Great Lakes Chapter, asks us to remind you it is ready to accept your submission for the broadcast year of 2010. A couple of changes for this year's submission. First is the cost of entering with the new fee structure: $75 per name - member entry fee (up from $70) $175 per name - non-member entry fee (up from $145) $150 per name for an entry that exceeds five names (the fee is the same, but adjusted from entries that exceeded eight names) Second is the new contact information: NATAS, Lower Great Lakes Chapter 30400 Detroit Rd. Suite 304 Westlake, Ohio 44145-1855 Phone: 440-526-EMMY (3669) Fax: 877-268-6040 The 42nd Annual Emmy Award gala will be held on Saturday, June 18th, 2011 at athe Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Cleveland. For more information, visit NATAS at http://www.nataslgl.org/

Channel 3 is having a Facebook face-off! From breaking stories and weather updates, to our goofy newsroom antics, we like to stay connected. And, we want some more friends to share the fun with ...and there's something in it for you! If we get 25,000 friends, our Mark Nolan must head to the beauty shop with me! He'll have enter the "pink" Diva room...for a mani-pedi! And if we get 30,000 friends, Romona will strap-on a tool belt and become a mechanic on Mark's Franken-truck! To friend WKYC, click on our Facebook page @ http://www.facebook.com/WKYC.Channel3

Larry Baker. Courtesy of the Beacon Journal Friday will be a sad day around the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center as longtime photojournalist, Larry Baker, caps his lens for the final time as a Channel 3 employee and heads into retirement. Like most videographers, you see their work everyday but rarely see them on camera or know anything about them. However, everyone in Akron seemed to know Larry Baker. Larry is the last our full-time crews assigned to Akron who will be greatly missed. Beacon Journal columnist Bob Dyer did an excellent article on Larry Thursday that truly captures the story of Larry's career better than I ever could. Please check out the article at: http://www.ohio.com/news/first/108874124.html Here is the video from his final day at WKYC. Click to watch:

At WKYC and Channel 3 News, we are launching a new effort to help keep us all safe. We are challenging all motorists to "Hang up and Drive". Many cities have laws that ban texting and talking on your phone while driving. But some drivers feel they won't get caught --and feel they won't be the ones involved in an accident. Before you head on out the road, take the pledge to "Hang Up and Drive" It's simple, log onto wkyc.com , click on the Hang Up and Drive button and download the pledge.   Look for exclusive reports coming up on Channel 3 News over the next several months about one of the growing dangers we all face on the highway and how YOU can be part of the solution.

News from WKYC's parent company on this Monday. Paul Saleh has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), Gracia C. Martore, president and chief operating officer, announced today. Saleh reports to Martore who was promoted to president and COO earlier this year and served as Gannett's CFO since 2002. "We are extremely pleased to have Paul join Gannett. He brings tremendous experience and an excellent track record leading the financial organizations of some outstanding companies," Martore said. "Paul will be a great partner with the senior management team as we continue to transform Gannett as a leading media and marketing solutions company." "As Gannett's CFO for the last eight years, Gracia has been a great partner to me and has done first rate work leading our financial organization during an extraordinary time," said Craig Dubow, chairman and chief executive officer. "Gracia ha...

NBC will reshape Thursday into all-comedy night and move its two "Law & Order" dramas as part of a midseason shake-up. The network is shifting "30 Rock" and the freshman series "Outsourced" to the final hour of prime time starting Jan. 20. The rest of the night's lineup, starting at 8 p.m. ET, will include "Community," newcomer "Perfect Couples," "The Office" and returning series "Parks and Recreation." "We were looking to add more comedy to our schedule and we believe the best way to do so is to expand our already successful Thursday night," NBC scheduling chief Mitch Metcalf said in a statement Monday. Tina Fey's "30 Rock" has been renewed through the 2011-12 season, NBC also announced. The novel approach of comedy in a spot traditionally held by dramas could help fight a 10 p.m. ratings weakness that has beset the major broadcast networks this season. Some of the blame go...

Gene Shalit NEW YORK - Gene Shalit has panned or praised his last movie for the "Today" show. The critic who's known for his bushy hair and mustache said Tuesday that he's leaving the show where he's reviewed movies for 40 years. The last time his "Critic's Corner" appeared on themorning show was in May, when he reviewed "Shrek Forever After." The "Today" show said it would air a salute to the 84-year-old Shalit on Thursday. Executive Producer Jim Bell says 40 years on the same show is "a feat unlikely to ever be matched." In a news release, Shalit says he wasn't retiring, and that he'll do work on the Internet and in commercials. --- Source: The Associated Press