Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

LOS ANGELES - NBC's new hit series "The Voice" is getting the choice post-Super Bowl spot next year, the network said Tuesday. It announced that a special edition of "The Voice" will air Feb. 5 after the NFL championship game. NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt called the post-game slot the best showcase on TV and said the singing contest deserves the exposure. The network's early decision regarding an event eight months away represents a vote of confidence in the freshman program. "The Voice" features judges Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton and the gimmick of initially picking contestants sight unseen. It's been a bright spot for struggling NBC, scoring as the season's top-rated new series among young adults and a draw among all viewers. The series has the right "mass appeal" to match up with the Super Bowl, the year's biggest sports event, Greenblatt said. "The Voice...

By Frank Macek Once again, Channel 3 News is the area's top choice for news, weather and sports at 11 pm, according to the results of May 2011 sweeps that ended Wednesday. Channel 3 News at 11 pm outpaced all competition in the time slot for the all important Adults 25-54 demo, Monday through Sunday and improved the Monday through Friday lead-in from weak NBC programming by nearly 20%. Channel 3 News at 4:30 a.m. also led the pack in early morning news finishing #1 in Adults 25-54. In those same key demographics, WKYC ranked #2 at 5 a.m., #2 at 6 a.m., #2 at 6 p.m. and #2 at 7 p.m. Channel 3 News at 6 p.m. was the only newscast that saw month to month growth during the time period, while the other stations lost viewers in Adults 25-54  Channel 3 News at 7 p.m. was ranked #1 in Women 25-54. Channel 3 News Weekends from 9 to 10:30 a.m. retained its #1 position Dr. Phil finished #1 against stiff news competition at 5 p.m. in Adults 2...

Elwood Edwards, Photo courtesy of Ryan Haidet  By Frank Macek You may not know the face, but you certainly know the voice. If you have ever used America On-Line (AOL) mail, the man whose voice you hear is none other than Channel 3's Elwood Elwards. Elwood wears many hats here at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center as ENPS and Graphics Supervisor, Editor, Camera operator, audio man and more! Before coming to Channel 3, Elwood was quite busy working with AOL to record several phrases you hear on your computers including "You've Got Mail" and "File's Done." The folks from AOL were here at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center a few weeks ago to record a little video of Elwood. Click on the video to watch: You’re watching You’ve Got Elwood Edwards . See the Web's top videos on AOL Video

Jim Donovan Channel 3 Sports Anchor Jim Donovan announced today that he is leaving WKYC-TV on a medical leave of absence. Beginning next week, he will begin the process of a bone marrow transplant for treatment of leukemia. "While it's not our normal policy to discuss personnel matters, this is a unique situation and we want to make sure folks understand how much we love, respect and want to support Jim," said WKYC-TV President and General Manager Brooke Spectorsky. "He has been battling leukemia for over ten years, and in partnership with his medical team has undergone multiple treatments. Jimmy is a very private person, and has managed to keep his incredibly hectic schedule and job without most of our staff and viewers realizing the physical and mental effort involved. But now, it's time for him to try and beat this disease once and for all." "I've gone through a lot of treatment for close to 11 years and right now a transplant gives me the...

Ohio Governor John Kasich was in Cleveland today for an exclusive one on one interview with WKYC/TV 3, as we mentioned in our posting yesterday. We go behind the scenes as the Governor arrived at the Channel 3 Studios. Click on the video to watch:

Dick Ebersol Special to the Director's Cut Blog By Rachel Cohen, AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Dick Ebersol has resigned as NBC Sports Group chairman, an industry giant who helped launch "Saturday Night Live" and built the network into the home of the Olympics over the past two decades. "I had a long run and loved every bit of it," Ebersol said in a phone interview with The Associated Press on Thursday. Ebersol said he couldn't agree to terms on a new contract with Comcast, which merged with NBC earlier this year. The network said NBC Sports Cable Group president Mark Lazarus would take over for Ebersol. Ebersol ran NBC Sports since 1989, and his departure comes just three weeks before the International Olympic Committee opens bids on the next set of lucrative Olympic broadcast rights in the United States. "It comes as a complete surprise," said Richard Carrion, the IOC executive board member who negotiates U.S. rights. He said Com...

He’s slashing school and safety force budgets to balance the budget. Now, Governor Kasich takes your tough questions on the tough issues. WKYC 7 PM Anchor Chris Tye will sit down with Governor John Kasich on Thursday. The Governor will be joining us live in studio for an exclusive one-on-one interview. We'll stream the entire interview live on the website, wkyc.com , starting at 1:30 p.m. You can also post your own questions during the interview, or in advance on our facebook page at www.facebook.com/WKYC.Channel3 We'll have extended coverage of the interview Thursday night on Channel 3 News at 6, 7 and 11.

Special to the Director's Cut By Gary Levin, USA Today A new team at cellar-dwelling NBC is bent on reversing the network's fortunes with a new crop of shows with potentially broader appeal. The fall game plan includes The Playboy Club, a '60s-era soap about the famed Chicago hideaway and its ties to mobsters and celebrities; Prime Suspect, a remake of the British detective series starring Maria Bello (ER) in the role first played by Helen Mirren; and Grimm, a cop drama set in a world inhabited by fairy-tale characters. Programming chief Robert Greenblatt, the Showtime executive brought in by NBC's new owner, Comcast, says he sought "bold and original and attention-getting" shows to combat viewers' defection to cable. A big focus is comedy, where NBC has struggled by airing critically acclaimed shows with too few viewers. "We need to grow more comedies on our schedule and not just on Thursday, and we need to make the comedies broader,"...

 Getty Images: Scott Gries NEW YORK -- Meredith Vieira said Monday that she will leave NBC's "Today" show next month to spend more time with her family, and Ann Curry will replace her as host. The turnover at television's top-rated morning show was anticipated. Vieira replaced Katie Couric five years ago, and has talked about wanting more free time. Vieira, 57, has three children and her husband, author Richard M. Cohen, wrote a best-selling book about coping with multiple sclerosis and colon cancer. "Even as I say this and I know that it's the right thing, I'm really sad," she said, fighting back emotion as she made the announcement on the air Monday. Her co-host, Matt Lauer, said that Vieira "has brought class and dignity and talent and a joy of life to this show for the last five years." Transitions are unusual for "Today," as Vieira was still the newbie among the show's core four that included Lauer, Curry an...

Diversity in Northeast Ohio is so important to WKYC and 6 & 11 PM anchor Romona Robinson. That's why once again this weekend, Romona will serve as the Grand Marshall for the annual "Walk, Rock and Run." The event starts and ends at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland. All the proceeds benefit the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio's youth programs. The race kicks off at 8:30am, Saturday morning. You can register the day of the race, or in advance online at http://www.diversitycenterneo.org/ Come join us!

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...