WJW anchor Wilma Smith is leaving the Cleveland Fox affiliate, she announced on Monday evening’s newscasts.

“I’ve loved every second I’ve worked here at Fox 8, and I’ve been in your homes for more than 20 years now, but I have decided that I want to spend more time with my gift from God, my husband Tom,” Smith said. “So I have decided to retire from the station at the end of May.”

Smith’s departure will cap off a 35-year career, all of it spent anchoring in Cleveland. She worked at ABC affiliate WEWS for 17 years before joining WJW in 1995.

“There are strong mixed emotions here, as you might imagine,” WJW general manager Greg Easterly told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Wilma is a big part of this station, but while we’re sorry to see her go, we’re happy she’s going out on a high note and for reasons we certainly all understand.” Read more

Last Thursday night, WKYC, the Gannett owned NBC affiliate for Cleveland, let everyone’s favorite gentleman lawyer from the 1980s live again.

The station pre-empted re-runs of “The Office,” “Law and Order: SVU,” and an original episode of “1600 Penn” with a two-hour “Matlock: The Legacy” starring Andy Griffith.

WKYC president and general manager Brooke Spectorsky told The Hollywood Reporter the move was made for two reasons: He said viewers still like “Matlock” and he felt the need to right what he saw as a wrong committed during the most recent Oscar show.

Read more

Courthouse News Service is reporting a high school teacher in Cleveland, OH, is suing CBS affiliate WOIO for defamation after the station reported he had child pornography on his school computer despite warnings from the man’s lawyer the information was false.

In a complaint filed by Georgio Sabino III naming WOIO, LLC and reporter Ed Gallek, “Sabino says, his ‘former legal counsel contacted defendant Gallek and informed him that child pornography was not found on any of plaintiff’s computers and that any statements to the contrary were and would be false and asked defendant Gallek not to air the broadcast.’”

The station posted a story on its website saying child pornography was found on a computer Sabino used at the high school while teaching. In the complaint, Sabino said the station removed it after a second conversation with his lawyers. Read more

Tony Gaskins, former reporter for Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS, died Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack Sunday.

Gaskins, who was remembered by colleagues for his deep voice and the unique way in which he said the word ‘news’ in his sign-off, reported for WEWS from 1988 until 2006.

During the station’s 5:00 p.m. newscast and on its website, WEWS anchor Leon Bibb remembered Gaskins as the consummate reporter.

Tony was the kind of reporter every news director wants on the street.  He could dig for the facts of a breaking news story, get the story written, meet the deadline for the story, and present it on camera in a calm and professional manner. From 1988 to 2006, Tony covered ever manner of story in northeast Ohio. Read more

Dick Goddard, the legendary meteorologist for Cleveland FOX affiliate WJW, will return to the air tonight after being gone for five weeks.

Goddard, who turns 82 later this month, took time off to have knee replacement surgery. He is three months away from celebrating 52 years as a Cleveland TV weatherman.

His first on-air duty will be a segment about dog and cat adoption. He will resume his weather duties Monday at 6:00 p.m.

Goddard debuted on KYW, which is now WKYC, May 1, 1961.  He moved to WJW on 1966.

[Cleveland Plain Dealer]

Cleveland police are looking for the vandal or vandals who threw what looked like a paving stone through a window at Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS late last night.

According to the station, “Employees said they initially thought the loud noise was gunshots and scattered out of the newsroom.”

No one was hurt in the incident. You can watch Cedra Mayfield‘s report on the vandalism after the jump. Read more

After 30 years at WKYC, Dick Russ is signing off from the Cleveland NBC affiliate.

Russ, who is an anchor and reporter as well as the station’s managing editor, has accepted a position with a non-profit that provides housing for people with disabilities. His last day at WKYC was Friday (video above).

“Dick had a knack for knowing what Clevelanders needed to know, how they wanted to hear it, and he knew they trusted him when he told them about it,” WKYC said in a statement. “We will miss Dick and wish him all the best.”

WKYC, Gannett’s Cleveland NBC affiliate, is being sued by radio ratings service Arbitron for infringing on its copyright in a joint venture the station had with internet streaming service Pandora.

According to allaccess.com, Arbitron claims:

“WKYC-TV has willfully and intentionally infringed ARBITRON’s copyrights by copying and distributing copyrighted audience estimates obtained from the ARBITRON Reports and Databases without authorization from ARBITRON. Moreover, WKYC-TV has infringed ARBITRON’s trademarks by willfully and intentionally using the ARBITRON Marks in its promotional activities. WKYC has falsely represented that certain audience estimates were produced by ARBITRON when, in fact, those audience estimates were not produced by ARBITRON, causing confusion in the minds of the public.”

In the complaint, Arbitron said a media kit used in the promotion of Pandora as part of a sales package by WKYC titled, “Bringing Local Internet Radio Advertising to Cleveland!” used reproductions of Arbitron audience estimates and station ratings, specifically a page titled, “Pandora in Cleveland – Demo Comparison” which quotes audience estimates for the Cleveland radio market from January to July 2011.

[mrweb.com][kurthanson.com]

Four meteorologists from local TV stations around the country will get the chance to raise up to $50,000 for charity by guessing what America thinks.

Amber Sullins, chief meteorologist for Phoenix ABC affiliate KNXV, Mark Johnson, chief meteorologist for Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS, George Flickinger, meteorologist for Tulsa NBC affiliate KJRH and Gary Lezak, chief meteorologist for Kansas City NBC affiliate KSHB will duke it out on TV game show “Let’s Ask America” next Thursday, January 31.

“Let’s Ask America” is a televised game show with four contestants playing over Skype.  The contestants must predict how Americans answered questions like, “What did commuters say is the most difficult type of weather to drive in?” The show is produced by Scripps and Warner Bros. Telepictures and airs as a replacement for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy in some markets. Read more

LIN Media has named Les Vann president and general manager of WJCL and WTGS, the ABC and Fox affiliates in Savannah, Ga.

Vann moves to Savannah from Cincinnati, where he has been vice president and general manager of WKRC for five years. He is also a former general manager of WTVH in Syracuse, N.Y., WLOS in Asheville, N.C., and WICD in Champaign, Ill.

“It is an honor to join one of the most successful and forward-thinking media companies in the country, which has a strong reputation of investing in its products, people and communities,” Van said in a statement.

Vann replaces Scott McBride as the stations’ president and general manager.