Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

Are you looking to do a little spring cleaning? Why not help the local Goodwill by donating your clothing and household items at any Cleveland or Canton store this Saturday, April 30th. Donated items help the Goodwill continue to operate critical programs for those most in need. Your donation can help you win a $4,000 window makeover.

As you probably know from our earlier posting, WKYC's Romona Robinson was only one of four reporters in the nation who were invited to the White House on Tuesday to sit down and talk with President Obama. Our field producer, Amanda Subler, was with Romona and had the flipcam in hand. She set us back some video that we thought we share "behind the scenes." Romona in Washington, D.C. for her interview with the President Romona & Producer Amanda leaving the White House This is where reporters from like NBC News stand outside the White House and give their live reports on NBC Nightly News, MSNBC

Romona interviewing President Obama at the White House Channel 3’s Romona Robinson will sit down with President Barack Obama at the White House tomorrow morning, April 26th. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for me to ask him the questions that are important to all of us here in Northeast Ohio,” said Ms. Robinson. “Channel 3 viewers want to understand the issues and hear what’s being done about jobs creation in Ohio, the price of gas and the impact of Senate Bill 5. Romona will have a special three camera interview with the President in the morning and anchor live shots from the White House for the early evening shows. The interview will then air during the 6pm, 7pm and 11pm newscasts tomorrow night. “I’m looking forward to speaking directly with President Obama and discussing the issues that face our region,” added Ms. Robinson. The Emmy Award winning anchor has lead WKYC’s 6pm and 11pm newscasts since 1997.

Time Warner says changes made to its system Tuesday night have impacted some viewers ability to see the Channel 3 signal. According to Time Warner the changes impact the HD signal on sets connected directly to cable. The company recommends that impacted viewers re-scan to make sure they are receiving the 3.1 HD signal. The analog signal for Channel 3 has not been impacted by the system changes.

Jennifer Lindgren By Frank Macek In this "Get to Know Team 3" feature, we finally had the chance to sit down with WKYC Multimedia Journalist Jennifer Lindgren who joined Channel 3 in August 2010 from WTLV in Jacksonville, Florida, and WLTX in Columbia, South Carolina . As a multimedia journalist, Jennifer is a one woman band who shoots, edits and fronts her own packages as television continues to move in this new direction of journalism. Her stories have received recognition along the way. She's been the recipient of a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for writing. In the past couple of years, the South Carolina Associated Press has honored her work for general assignment reporting, as well as the Florida Society of Professional Journalists for feature reporting. Here is what Jennifer had to say during a recent conversation with the Director's Cut Blog: Question: Tell us about some of the positions you held at your earlier stations. Jennifer: I...

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) and Channel 3 are teaming up to help "Pack the Bus" with several ways you can help the Harvest for Hunger campaign now through Friday, April 15th. RTA will be collecting non-perishable food items along with cash donations for Harvest for Hunger through Thursday at Tower City. Rapid customers who pass through Tower City on their daily commute can drop of items in the morning on their way to work on all three days. RTA representatives will be on hand to collect food items and cash from 6 – 9 am. This customer drive is in addition to what RTA’s employees are already doing throughout the organization, at all garages and offices, to help those in need through the Harvest for Hunger campaign. Organizers say the most needed food items are: peanut butter, tuna fish, canned vegetables, beef stew, canned soup and cereal. In addition, cash goes even farther; with each dollar providing food for four nutritious meals. On Frida...

The Cleveland Browns' 2011 preseason opponents were announced, and the list features matchups against three teams that qualified for the 2010 playoffs, including the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. For the third consecutive year, the Browns will open their preseason campaign against Green Bay as they host the Packers on the weekend of August 11-15. For the 10th consecutive season, the Browns will face Detroit in preseason action, when they welcome the Lions to Cleveland Browns Stadium during the weekend of August 18-22. Cleveland then travels to Lincoln Financial Field to face the Philadelphia Eagles on the weekend of August 25-29. It will be the first preseason meeting between the two clubs since 2006. The Browns will conclude the preseason September 1-2, when they travel to Chicago to meet the Bears. The contest marks the eighth straight year that Cleveland and Chicago have met in the preseason finale Here are the games you will see exclusively on WKYC an...

By Frank Macek It's time for another behind the scenes look at what's happening at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center. Your blogger has plenty of news to report in this exciting edition...although some of it is not good. As you have been reading in the Plain Dealer and elsewhere on-line, WKYC has announced some on-air changes including the departure of long-time Channel 3 News weekend anchor Jeff Maynor and WKYC Meteorologist AJ Colby. Jeff joined WKYC in 1993 after spending seven years at WEWS/TV and eight years at WJW/TV in Cleveland. Most recently, Jeff anchored the weekend 6 & 11 PM editions of Channel 3 News, although much of his time was spent on the weekend morning show with co-anchor Kim Wheeler before the great recession forced WKYC to move to one anchor show formats in most dayparts. Jeff's last day at WKYC was Sunday, April 6th. Meteorologist AJ Colby will also be leaving Channel 3 at the end of May. AJ first worked at Channel 3 as a freelancer begin...

The game didn't end up as we wished, but it was a fun day at Progressive Field for everyone. Here are some videos we shot during today's Opening Day Special on Channel 3: In the control booth as the end of Tribe Talk draws to a close. Al Wohl calls it like a conductor. Take a look at what went on behind Amanda Barren's live shot: At look at what Caitlin is doing as the field producer at the party deck: Romona is joined by Matt Underwood and Rick Manning: Producer Caitlin shows you some of the prep work before the home opener special, out on the party deck: Romona goes one on one with Indians Chairman and CEO Paul Dolan: Jimmy and Romona getting ready for the Channel 3 pre-game show from Progressive Field:

As the 2011 baseball season gets underway, the Cleveland Indians will spend this season honoring the life and career of pitcher Bob Feller, who died December 15, 2010. WKYC will share a special memorial service at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland on Thursday at 11 a.m. live on wkyc.com Feller joined the Cleveland Indians without having played in the minors. He spent his entire career of 18 years with the Indians, being one of "The Big Four" Indians pitching rotation in the 1950s, along with Bob Lemon, Early Wynn and Mike Garcia. He ended his career with 266 victories and 2,581 strikeouts and led the American League in strikeouts seven times and bases on balls four times. His fastball was nicknamed "the Van Meter Heater." He pitched three no-hit games and shares the major league record with 12 one-hitters. Feller was the first pitcher to win 20 or more games before the age of 21. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of...

Brennan Donnellan Brennan Donnellan is joining the Channel 3 News team as Managing Editor of News and Digital Content beginning April 4th as Channel 3 strengthens our committment to be a leader both on-air and on-line. Most recently, Brennan served as Business Development Director of nSixty, a company using video sharing to connect brands, fans and customers in the Cincinnati area. His strengths include reinventing old brands, finding underserved audiences and narrowly targeting their needs. Brennan has an extensive television resume including stints as News Director at WLWT-TV/Cincinnati and WSTM-TV/Syracuse, Assistant News Director at WHDH-TV/Boston, Executive Producer at our Gannett sister station WXIA-TV/Atlanta and News Producer at WVEC-TV, WBNS-TV and WSYX-TV. While at WLWT, Donnellan was responsible for making wlwt.com the areas #1 tv news source in the Cincinnati market. He is originally from Springfield, Ohio, and and studied at Ohio University.

Channel 3 continues to be your local choice for late news and we are excited about that. Click on the video to see how Channel 3 News is doing even more to "Keep You Connected"...

By Frank Macek It's time for another behind the scenes look at what's happening at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center. Spring is sprung and we've got plenty going on with the launch of our brand new "News @ 7" show with Robin Swoboda and Chris Tye. The show launched on Monday and is getting plenty of feedback about the new format and approach we are taking to covering news at 7 p.m. Some folks don't like change, of course, but we feel the time is right to mix it up a little bit. The new show features more interviews and discussions on subjects that affect our communities. And, we are getting out into the neighborhoods more and featuring more in-depth reporting about our suburbs and features you may never have noticed. Our goal is to cover both the positive and negative aspects that communities face in these economic times and how they share similar issues with their neighbors. Our hope is to help Cleveland and northeast Ohio move forward by getting some s...

CLEVELAND – The Public Relations Society of America, Greater Cleveland Chapter, is awarding WKYC-TV’s Brooke Spectorsky and Micki Byrnes the 2011 John W. Hill Award for outstanding leadership for internal and external communications by chief executives. The honor will be presented on March 16 at PRSA’s Hill Lighthouse Young Awards ceremony. The award is the highest honor an organization’s leader can receive for communication practices. Spectorsky, Senior VP Gannett Broadcasting, and Byrnes, VP Advertising and Promotions, are the first couple to win the honor in the history of the Hill Award for Cleveland PRSA. Brooke and Micki will be recognized for exceptional strategic communications outreach initiatives including: WKYC’s leadership role in emerging content delivery platforms, including broadcast, web, social media and mobile. As a result of their work, WKYC, one of 22 Gannett-owned television stations, is considered a leader in emerging platforms for the corporation’s broadcast...

By Dave Summers WKYC Reporter CLEVELAND -- We've been forecasting deep snow and treacherous conditions well before the Weather Channel came to town, but you know when the Weather Channel commits it's resources to a live location, it's going to be big. The travel crew set up in front of Progressive Field downtown. They thought it would be appropriate, since Opening Day is just three weeks away. Meteorologist Mike Seidel of the Weather Channel has for 20 years forecasted the dreary in lovely little towns all over the country. Now he's in ours. Seidel and his team have had a busy winter season, with 22 days on the road in January. This is his seventh straight day this month. "We're looking for six to ten inches of snow," Seidel said. The crew will work the night shift, sleep a few hours, then get back up for what is expected to be a blustery morning commute. As gigs go, Seidel enjoys Cleveland, even under a foot of snow. "You got a lot to ...

Matt Granite By Frank Macek The latest addition to the Channel 3 News staff is Matt Granite who joined us in February from our Gannett sister station in Buffalo. Matt is our "Ways to Save" guru and produces the weekday 4:30 a.m. morning show on Channel 3. We recently sat down with Matt over a delicious cup of coffee and asked him a few questions that will help you get to know Matt better. Here is what Matt had to say to the Director's Cut Blog in our "Get to Know Team 3" feature. Question: What stations have you worked for during your career so far? Matt: In grad school I worked for WYCC-TV, a PBS Station in Chicago and went on from there to work as a Washington D.C. Capitol Hill Correspondent for WCAX-TV (Burlington, VT). Unfortunately, the weather wasn't cold enough for me so I relocated to Minnesota and worked for KXJB-TV and KVLY-TV (Fargo, ND) as the morning show producer and live reporter. I then moved to Buffalo (WGRZ-TV) where I developed ...

We are often asked why, during our severe weather coverage, do we send reporters out in the storm to bring you a first hand account of the conditions. Well, our colleagues at WXIA in Atlanta have finally put into words and pictures the answer to this question: Because we can. Here's a behind the scenes look from one reporter's perspective.

Gannett Co., Inc., parent company of WKYC-TV, today launched a new corporate brand strategy and national advertising campaign that elevates the company’s corporate identity and supports its unique portfolio of trusted brands, powerful network of broadcast, digital, mobile and publishing properties and unmatched local-to-national reach. The new tagline, “It’s all within reach,” captures the benefits Gannett provides for consumers, business customers and employees. Through its portfolio of trusted brands, Gannett gives businesses the opportunity to engage targeted audiences on any platform – TV, local and national newspapers, online, handheld devices and even in a specific elevator in a specific building on a specific street. “We have significantly changed our business and portfolio over the last several years. Our brand launch represents the natural evolution of that transformation,” said Craig Dubow, Gannett’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Today, Gannett offers consumers a...

Special to the Director's Cut Blog By Joelle Tessler, AP Technology Writer  New Internet video services from companies such as Netflix and Apple are offering a glimpse of a home entertainment future that doesn't include a pricey monthly cable bill. To challenge the cable TV industry's dominance in the living room, though, online video services need popular movies and TV shows to lure viewers, and access to high-speed Internet networks to reach them. Yet they have had no rights to either -- until now. To win government approval to take over NBC Universal last month, cable giant Comcast Corp. agreed to let online rivals license NBC programming, including hit shows such as "30 Rock" and "The Office." Comcast also agreed not to block its 17 million broadband subscribers from watching video online through Netflix, Apple's iTunes and other rivals yet to come. Those requirements aim to ensure that the nation's largest cable TV company, with nea...

By Frank Macek It's hard to believe the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center is a decade old after we moved in December 2000/January 2001. In that time, we have celebrated the good times with Cleveland - and the bad. Our first major experience in this "new" building was September 11th as the nation was stunned by the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. Your blogger remembers the chaos of the moment and how emotional we all were. Some of our colleagues were in shock. But, we had a job to do - to bring a Cleveland perspective to the day that changed our nation. And we did. Other memorable moments covered from here include the SuccessTech shootings that occurred right next door to our studios. Imagine the shock of arriving at work that day to find how difficult it was to get into work. All the roads were blocked and police were everywhere. Other exciting events we covered include a major August blackout that left many states in the dark and the great recessio...

You'll find cleaner, streamlined pages. The home page and section pages have fewer distracting colors so you can get straight to the news, weather and sports headlines or find your favorite section with ease. Photo galleries and videos are easier to find on the home page. And you'll find them embedded more prominently in articles, making it easier to navigate all our coverage. On wkyc.com, the focus will be on content -- headlines, stories, photos, videos and graphics. But even with the best design intentions, we might have missed something. So, if you are having any issues, have a suggestion, or have something to say about the site please tell us. You can comment right here on this article, send an email to us, newsdesk@wkyc.com , or talk to us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WKYC.Channel3 The conversation on wkyc.com will improve, too. If you have accounts for Facebook and wkyc.com, you'll be able to log in to WKYC with your Facebook information. One less p...

In a first for network reality competitions, NBC’s new series “The Voice” (premiering spring 2011), will bring the audition experience to viewers at home by allowing users to showcase their talents online via a new interactive tool available on NBC.COM ( http://www.nbc.com/thevoice ). While the show’s casting team is searching the nation, working with music industry experts and hosting casting calls in an effort to find the nation’s top talent, “The Voice Online Audition Tool” takes the process one step further -- allowing the show to find potential contestants right in their own homes via the use of a personal computer and a webcam. "This unique interactive online experience that provides immediate feedback and scoring is an evolution in the casting process. This technology will exponentially expand our reach but, of course, only the best of the best will make it on to the show," said Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming and Production, NBC. ...

Robin Swoboda One of Northeast Ohio’s most respected and well-loved personalities returns to her journalistic roots with a new station and new assignment. “I am happy to announce that Robin will be anchoring our 7pm newscast, along with current reporter Chris Tye,” said WKYC President and General Manager Brooke Spectorsky. “I know Robin’s experience, community knowledge and warm sense of humor will bring a unique perspective to our newscast. You’ve seen Chris substituting for anchors Mark Nolan and Romona Robinson over the past few years; he’s got great energy and strong reporting skills. Together, Robin and Chris will be a dynamic team.” “When I started as an evening anchor in 1986, I never would have imagined the course my on-air life would take,” added Robin. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it all; from local shows to network programming to the Morning Exchange. But my first love has always been news, and I feel that’s where my strongest contributions will be. I’m truly excited to j...

Bob McBride, courtesy The Washington Post The Director's Cut Blog has learned that former WKYC Anchorman Bob McBride passed away February 1st in Alexandria, Virginia, at age 84 following a stroke. Bob abandoned plans to retire from the Washington TV scene when he received the call to come to Cleveland and join Doreen Gentzler on the anchor desk at WKYC in 1986. According to his obituary in The Washington Post , Doreen Gentzler remembers Bob fondly. "He was a really good guy, a gentlemen with a friendly world for everyone. He had a good sense of humor and never took himself too seriously." Ironically, Gentzler would later move on to WRC-TV/4 in Washington D.C., the same station Bob had worked before coming to WKYC. Bob was born in Chicago and graduated from the Fork Union Military Academy in Virgina in 1943. He is survived by two daughters and a grandson. His wife, the late Cythnia Martin McBride died in 2007.

Carson Daly Carson Daly, host of NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly,” will host NBC’s compelling new vocal competition series “The Voice,” from the hit-making reality show pioneers John de Mol, Mark Burnett and Warner Horizon Television. The announcement was made by Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming and Production. “Carson is the perfect choice to host this exciting new series owing to his credibility, popularity and relevance in both the music world and social media,” said Telegdy. “As he has demonstrated on his late-night show, Carson has the knack of recognizing new talent, which is a key component in ‘The Voice.’” "I have a true appreciation for authentic, raw talent and 'The Voice' is all about finding that," said Daly. "Having worked in the music industry for many years, I am looking forward to hosting 'The Voice.' This is a show based strictly on vocal performance -- giving all kinds of talented singers the oppor...

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...