Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

Special to the Director's Cut Blog from wkyc.com Safety concerns during antenna installation mean we will be off-air for a significant amount of time.As we continue installing our brand new antenna, today brings another big moment in this project. One that means we will be off the air for several hours Saturday. Starting around 8 a.m., crews will be adding and/or removing more wiring on our tower. This work will position them near our auxiliary antennas, which emit dangerous levels of radio frequency signals. To protect the workers during this phase of construction, we have to power down our signal. We will have the signal restored in time for our 6 p.m. news. Because the work they will be doing is time-consuming, we will be dark for several hours. This will impact anyone using an antenna or whose cable/satellite provider receives our signal over-the-air (including Dish and DirecTV), meaning you will not be able to watch us during this period of time. IMPORTANT NOTE: ...

Time for another installment of "Throwback Thursday" which takes a look back at some of the historical milestones at Channel 3. The time machine takes us 10 years in the past to 2009 with a timeline of some of the biggest moments of that year at WKYC. February 16, 2009: WKYC-TV enters a video pool sharing agreement with WOIO-TV & WUAB-TV/Cleveland. March 5, 2009: Conan O’Brien visits WKYC-TV after being named new host of the “Tonight Show.” March 17, 2009: Longtime WKYC-TV and WTAM-AM personality Tom Haley dies at age 88 on St. Patrick’s Day at Lakewood Hospital after a brief illness. March 23, 2009: WKYC-TV parent company Gannett announces that because of bad economic conditions, all Gannett employees (include WKYC-TV employees) will be required to take a week of unpaid leave in April, May or June of 2009. April 3, 2009:  Carole Sullivan departs WKYC-TV and follows her husband, Mike Sullivan, to San Diego. She was previously the co-anchor of “Chann...

We are always on the look out for classic WKYC gems. This time, we flashback to October 3, 1982, for Action 3 News at 11 pm Nightside with Leon Bibb, Sheryl Browne, Paul Edmunds on weather and John Henk with sports. Enjoy!  

Time for another installment of "Throwback Thursday" which takes a look back at some of the historical milestones at Channel 3. The time machine takes us 50 years in the past to 1969 with a timeline of some of the biggest moments of that year at WKYC. April 7, 1969: “NBC Newsday 90” debuts from 6 to 7:30 p.m. with anchor Virgil Dominic, Wally Kinnan (weather) and Jim Graner (sports). Ron Becker will aid Dominic with the news. 6 to 6:30 p.m. is the top local news, national headlines, weather and sports. At 6:30 p.m., “The Huntley-Brinkley” airs. At 7 p.m. the local news continues with activities of nearby cities like Akron, Canton, Massillon and the like. June 1969: WKYC-TV General Manager Arthur Watson departs the station to become president of the radio division of NBC in New York. June 1969: Neal Van Ells returns to WKYC-TV and becomes vice president and general manager. He was previously at KNBC-TV/Los Angeles and WKYC-TV station manager from October 1965 until M...

Time for some more classic Channel 3 photos. This batch features some of our various news anchor teams over the year here at WKYC. All pictures are courtesy of Bob Keyes. If you have any pictures you would like to share for the blog, please email me at fmacek@wkyc.com     Weeknight Team: (Back) Al Roker (weather), Mona Scott (weather) (Front) Doug Adair (anchor), Amanda Arnold (anchor), Tom Ryther (sports)     Weekend Team:  (L-R) Leon Bibb (anchor), John Henk (sports), Sheryl Browne (anchor), Paul Edmunds (weather) (L-R) Steve Taylor (sports), Connie Dieken (anchor), Tom Sweeney (anchor), Terry Burhans (weather)

Special to the Director's Cut By Ann Geyser, wkyc.com The final total is in and 399 animals were adopted from 24 shelters and rescues to families across Northeast Ohio. The goal was simple: find forever homes for as many dogs, cats and other animals living in shelters across Northeast Ohio. We hit a home run. This year, final numbers show that 399 animals were adopted from 24 shelters and rescues on last Saturday. Brianna took home a dog from City Dogs in Cleveland. She told our Dorsena Drakeford that when she met the dog she adopted, he licked her face and she knew right there and then, this would be her new forever friend. Clear the Shelters was a nationwide effort, started by NBC and Telemundo stations across the country. This was the fifth year for the event and since it started, over a quarter-million pets were adopted to loving homes. Last year, WKYC and local shelters and rescues were able to get 347 pets adopted and this year, we added dozens more t...

This week is our first installment of "Throwback Thursday" which takes a look back at some of the historical milestones at Channel 3. The time machine takes us 40 years in the past to 1979 with a timeline of some of the biggest moments of that year at WKYC. January 15, 1979: Al Roker joins WKYC-TV from WTTG-TV/Washington D.C. as weeknight 6 & 11 p.m. weather anchor and replaces Bob Zappe. Roker was supposed to debut a week earlier, but he waits until WKYC-TV’s new weather radar system was installed and tested. Al is credited with naming the weather computers “Ethel & Fred” after the characters Ethel & Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy”. January 19, 1979: Leon Bibb joins WKYC-TV from WCMH-TV/Columbus as a general assignment reporter. He is Ohio’s first black anchor. January 27, 1979: Leon Bibb and Sheryl Browne become the new co-anchors of the weekend evening editions of “Action3News” along with weatherman Ron Allen and sportscaster Paul Warfield. May 25, ...

A state-of-the-art media lab that gives students a real world taste of the news business was unveiled Wednesday, August 14, 2019, at the I PROMISE School in Akron -- and the very first person to sit down for an interview was LeBron James. James is back in his hometown to help unveil several new amenities at the I PROMISE School, including the Kaulig Companies Media Lab, an experiential learning center designed in collaboration with WKYC. Inside the media lab, James took part in an exclusive interview with WKYC's Amani Abraham alongside Matt Kaulig, chairman of Kaulig Companies Limited, which sponsored construction of the fully equipped broadcast facility. The lab will provide students hands-on learning opportunities to report news and create content on both broadcast and digital platforms. Check out exclusive video of the new media lab: Watch Amani Abraham's exclusive chat with LeBron and then a quick tour ...

This Saturday, August 17th, bring the whole family and join the Channel 3 Weather team—Betsy Kling, Michael Estime, and Matt Wintz—for a special Weather Education Day at the Great Lakes Science Center in downtown Cleveland. This exciting event is the perfect opportunity for kids and adults alike to learn more about the science behind the weather in a fun and engaging environment. Throughout the day, our weather team will be on hand to share their expertise, answer questions, and present live demonstrations that explain how weather works—from thunderstorms and tornadoes to snowstorms and sunshine. You'll get a behind-the-scenes look at how meteorologists forecast the weather and the technology they use every day in the WKYC Weather Center. It's an educational experience that brings science to life, especially for students who may be curious about careers in meteorology or STEM fields. In addition to meeting the Channel 3 Weather Team on Saturday, visitors can also explore all ...

It’s a good news/bad news kind of thing.  The good news is that the reconstruction of our antenna will take a major step forward today as a helicopter lifts the final section to the top of our tower. The new WKYC antenna waiting for a flight to the top of the tower on Tuesday The bad news is that while this takes place, we will have to shut down our transmitter periodically throughout the installation.  This means that folks who receive our signal via an antenna or digital converter box, and some cable and satellite customers, will not be able to watch WKYC or our subchannels during these down times. We do apologize for the signal loss and would like to remind viewers that the frequency switch that necessitated all this tower work was mandated by the FCC. Thousands of stations across the country are affected by this transition, including many here in Northeast Ohio.  We are doing everything we can to get back to full power as soon as possible and ...

One of the things I hope to do this time around with the Director's Cut Blog is to create a collection of photos and videos from years past. This time, Bob Keyes who worked worked at WKYC as a jack of all engineering trades, provided us with these pictures we hope you enjoy. If you have any pictures you would like to share for the blog, please email me at fmacek@wkyc.com Coming up Thursday, August 15, on the Director's Cut Blog, we'll go back in time and share the top happenings from 40 years ago at Channel 3! Don't miss it as part of our new "Thursday Back Thursday" series. Anchor/Reporter Dale Solly with Director Kim Hollett in "A" Control at 1403 E. 6th Street David Patterson in Hollywood with Bob Mackey Doug Adair and Dave Patterson promo for "Action 3" News at 6 p.m.

WKYC Channel 3 President and General Manager Micki Byrnes announced today that investigative journalist Rachel Polansky will join the growing WKYC team. “As journalists, investigative reporting and breaking news that matters is at the heart of what we do each day,” said Byrnes. “I’m thrilled to announce that Rachel will be joining our investigative news team.” Over the last three and a half years at NBC affiliate WBBH in South Florida, Rachel has uncovered fraud and corruption and influenced change in local and state laws. “Rachel’s tenacity, hunger for purposeful storytelling and desire to right what’s wrong is impressive,” said Director of Content Adam Miller. ““We are looking forward to Rachel’s impactful reporting and multi-platform contributions as she works to ultimately strengthen the Northeast Ohio community” Rachel Polansky  "I am so happy to be joining Channel 3’s investigative team, working among some of the best journalists in the business,” said ...

TEGNA announced Thursday morning the company has officially closed on the purchase of WTHR-TV/Indianapolis and WBNS-TV & WBNS-AM/FM from the Dispatch Broadcast Group. "WTHR in Indianapolis and WBNS in Columbus are the dominant TV stations in their markets, with an excellent reputation for outstanding local journalism," said Dave Lougee, president and CEO of TEGNA, in an email to company employees. WBNS-TV/Columbus will join WKYC-TV/Cleveland and WTOL-TV/Toledo in reaching more than two-thirds of the television households in Ohio. . @WTOL11Toledo and @wkyc have a very special message for their new Ohio neighbors. Welcome @10TV and @971thefan to the @TEGNA family! pic.twitter.com/QUyjOQfNwm — TEGNA (@TEGNA) August 8, 2019 WBNS Radio is the flagship home of Ohio State athletics and other major sports teams across Ohio. TEGNA paid $535 million in cash for the stations in a previously disclosed announcement on June 11, 2019.

WKYC Channel 3 President and General Manager Micki Byrnes announced today that Northeast Ohio native and DailyMailTV correspondent Stephanie Haney will return to Cleveland to join the WKYC team. “Lawyer, writer, producer, host…Stephanie brings a unique skill set to Channel 3,” said Byrnes. “She’ll drive engaging new content to all of WKYC’s platforms.” Stephanie Haney  Stephanie is an Emmy-winning correspondent from the nationally syndicated magazine show DailyMailTV. Her additional on-camera credits include hosting roles on The Travel Channel, and guest appearances on OWN, TNT, Spike, NFL Network, Fox Sports, and The History Channel. She's been published by The Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, DailyMail.com, and POPSUGAR to name a few.   She is licensed to practice law in both Ohio and California. She moved to Los Angeles after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. ...

By Frank Macek We have gotten many phone calls and emails from those of you who live in our outlying areas of northeast Ohio wondering why you've suddenly lost WKYC using their over the air antenna. This coming after we asked you to rescan your television sets last Friday. WKYC Technical Engineers Randy Betke & Chris Rieithmiller  firing up the new transmitter in Parma on August 2nd, 2019 The good news is this is temporary. On August 2nd, WKYC made the transition to a new digital channel with a brand new transmitter as part of an FCC mandate following a spectrum auction that allowed television stations to give up their channels or move to new ones. As of Friday, the now "virtual" Channel 3 moved from digital channel 17 to digital channel 19 and this is when you would have likely lost us if you use an over the air antenna and live in an outlying area away from Cleveland. During this transition phase, we are using a side mount antenna on the main tower...

As you may have heard recently on my social media pages and wkyc.com, the WKYC Studios have added three new faces to the Channel 3 family including Jay Crawford, Mark Naymik and Mike Polk Jr. All three have recently made their debuts on the air and will be expanding their roles in the coming months. Let's do a quick introduction to all three. Jay Crawford Jay Crawford is returning to his Ohio roots to join the WKYC Studios as host of a new noon show that will debut next month, then become host of the new 5 p.m. newscast that will come sometime in 2020 on Channel 3. Jay is originally from northwest Ohio where he graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1987. Jay Crawford For viewers of ESPN, you'll know him best for his on-air work on several different shows over the years. In 2003, the sports network came calling and Crawford launched his popular show "Cold Pizza" that became ESPN’s "First Take" in 2007. Within five years, Crawford was ...

Special to the Director's Cut Blog Published from wkyc.com You might have to rescan your TV starting today, Aug. 2, in order to watch WKYC programming after we fired up our brand new transmitter and changed digital channels at 12:39 a.m. Friday morning as part of a FCC and government mandate for some televisions across the country. Today was our turn! Need help? We're hosting a free phone bank until midnight Friday at 866-393-2525. This project may affect antenna customers based on things like the type of TV or antenna you have, the position of the antenna, your house's location, the construction of your house or atmospheric conditions. (Cable, satellite and streaming customers will be unaffected.) Below we rounded up some frequently asked questions regarding a rescan. What is it? If you watch TV with an antenna or use a digital convertor box, this will affect you. On Friday, Aug. 2, you’ll need to re-scan your TV so you can keep watching WKYC on 3.1, Justi...

As we head into August, I have decided to bring back the Director's Cut Blog that features a behind the scenes look at the WKYC Studios. Since our last post March in 2018, I have gotten near weekly requests urging me to consider bringing back the blog. Many of my readers have said they found it useful in not only learning more about the current happenings of Channel 3, but also the history behind the station. Even though idled for more than a year, the blog continues to receive a significant number of views per day. Our alums have enjoyed finding out what's new since they left the station. Our viewers like to hear what's happening inside the station and behind the scenes. And, I like to give some opinion on topics that matter to me as a broadcaster and for our industry. Today is a very exciting time for our business, our local television market and most importantly -  our television station. One of my main focuses moving forward will b...

The 40-year anniversary of the Great Blizzard of 1978 is was this week as you probably know. The blizzard dumped extensive amounts of snow over Northeast Ohio starting Jan. 25, 1978, though some snow had already fallen across the region, making conditions even worse. Snow drifted 20 feet or higher in some spots. The storm shut down the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes region for two days, forcing 45 National Guard helicopters to execute 2,700 missions across the state as thousands of people became stranded. Fifty-one people were killed during the storm, according to the National Weather Service . Back then, WKYC was branded as Action 3 News. Take a look back at some of the memories of that great event.

In 1981, local radio station employees became aware of a large number of children missing school in the winter because they did not have warm coats. That November, Coats for Kids – Cleveland was founded when the radio station began soliciting donations of new or like-new winter coats, according to Coats for Kids – Cleveland. That first campaign filled the studio, and subsequent campaigns brought in even more coats, along with monetary donations used to purchase new coats. This year, WKYC and Discount Drug Mart are proud sponsors of the campaign. The campaign continues in most NE Ohio counties, including Lake, Geauga , Cuyahoga, Lorain and Medina. Coats for Kids - Cleveland conducts an annual collection campaign of new and like-new winter coats in all sizes – infant to adult. Each year, from November thru early January, collection bins are in place at area malls, other local businesses accept coat donations, and area organizations conduct coat collection campaigns. List o...

The City Club of Cleveland announced today it will host a debate between Democratic candidates for Ohio Governor on Monday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m. The debate (produced in collaboration with WKYC and Ideastream) will take place at the Westfield Insurance Studio Theater on Euclid Ave. WKYC's Russ Mitchell will co-moderate with Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler. Four of the Democratic candidates for governor plan to attend: *Former State Rep. Connie Pillich *State Sen. Joe Schiavoni *Former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton *Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley Ohio Supreme Court Justice and fellow Democratic candidate Bill O'Neill, who raised eyebrows Friday with a Facebook post describing his sexual history , is not scheduled to attend at this time. All four debating candidates have publicly condemned O'Neill's remarks , and O'Neill later told WKYC's Monica Robins he will likely drop out of the race . Tickets to the debate are free to the public and can be obtained...

McLEAN, VA – TEGNA Inc. (parent of WKYC) today was named a top place to work for LGBTQ employees for the second consecutive year. The company received a perfect score of 100 on the 2018 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The CEI is a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. “TEGNA’s perfect CEI score represents our commitment to equality, a fundamental value of our company,” said Dave Lougee, president and CEO, TEGNA. “We must reflect the communities we serve and our diverse and inclusive workforce helps us inform, understand and engage with all of our audiences.” The 2018 CEI evaluated LGBTQ-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs and public engagement with the LGBTQ community. TEGNA received top marks in all categories, result...

Russ Mitchell Special to the Director's Cut Blog By: Dave "Dino" DeNatale Being inducted into the Press Club of Cleveland Hall of Fame after being in the area for only six years might seem out of the ordinary.  But then again, Russ Mitchell is no ordinary journalist. Thursday night, the WKYC Channel 3 anchor and managing editor will be a part of a Hall of Fame class that will include Joe Frolik, Janet Macoska, David Molyneaux, Carol Story, and former WKYC reporter Joe Mosbrook. Tom Moore of radio station WTAM 1100 will receive the 10th annual Chuck Heaton Award. The event will be held at LaCentre Conference & Banquet Facility in Westlake. "It's an honor," Russ told me in our conversation. "Cleveland is a wonderful town. When I came here, it was almost like coming to high school for the first time. You ask yourself all of these questions that lead to anxiety, 'will they like me? Will I like them? Will I fit in?' I knew wit...

WKYC announced today that it will begin airing the NBC owned Cozi TV channel beginning on Saturday, September 30, on digital subchannel 3.3 Cozi TV (stylized on-air as COZI TV) is an American digital multicast television network that is owned by the NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations division of NBCUniversal. The network airs classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s and include popular favorites like "Frasier," "Little House on the Prairie," "The Munsters," "Murder She Wrote" and "Columbo." The network originated as a local news and lifestyle programming format that was launched between 2009 and 2011 and was seen on digital subchannels operated by nine owned-and-operated television stations of the NBC television network in the United States under the brand NBC Nonstop. The sitcoms and drama series now appearing on Cozi are primarily from the NBCUniversal Television Distribution program library. The new stat...

By Mac Mahaffee Special to the Director's Cut Blog In the wake of Hurricane Harvey and now Hurricane Irma, WKYC Channel 3 is teaming up with Q104 and working with the Salvation Army to collect, transport, store and distribute supplies to survivors in Texas and Florida. On Tuesday September 19, we'll will be hosting a local supply collection here at our studios, 1333 Lakeside Ave. in Cleveland from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. United Van Lines local agent Andrews Moving Company will be on-site to help load and then transport donated supplies to areas in need. Pilot Flying J, the largest operator of travel centers in North America, is donating fuel for the trucks. We will be collecting brand new cleaning supplies, baby supplies and non-perishable canned goods.  Accepted donations include: Multiple sizes of diapers, including pull-ups Baby wipes Baby formula (powder only) Baby clothing detergent (powder only) Baby lotion Baby powder Baby bottles Bottled water Diaper-rash oin...

Wow! $121,258.84 was raised through WKYC's 24-hour Digi-thon, which benefits those impacted by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. We can't thank you all enough for your immense outpouring of support. Our first-of-its-kind Digi-thon began at 7 a.m. Thursday and continued through 7 a.m. Friday on WKYC.com and WKYC's Facebook page. Just because the Digi-thon is over doesn't mean you missed the opportunity to donate. You can still contribute HERE

When life gives you a busy schedule, it's hard to cross everything off of your list. So get your news and weather a little earlier!  Channel 3 News Today begins their 4:00 a.m. newscast September 5th with John, Lynna, Hollie and the whole team!