NFL Elimination Picks: Week 4 - RESULTS

Only 2 people left. I told you this would go fast.

Chris Kunz, Videographer - Jacksonville
Sarah Montgomery, Editor - New Orleans
X - Dawn Ermler-Fischer, TD - Minnesota
X - Brian Crane, Sports Producer - Denver

weekendmorningshow@wkyc.com

Will The Orange Jacket Work?

Bruce brought in his orange jacket on a dare from Kim, but he can't fit into it anymore. During our live chat on wkyc.com...chatters wanted Kim to put it on. She did! Will it bring the Browns good luck today and get their first win? Here's the other question, if they win will she wear it every Sunday? She has loved the Browns since she was a kid in Smithville, so probably!

Sunday Show Promo

Down on the Farm

Education can come in many different forms and experiences. For "city kids" sometimes a visit to the country is quite a lesson. There is a great opportunity to learn about farming and rural Ohio at Ramseyer Farm near Wooster. They are celebrating Wooster's bicentennial with a giant ten acre corn maze.

I grew up a couple miles away in Smithville, and have watched this fall festival grow each year. You can pick out a perfect pumpkin, go for a hayride and even go pumpkin bowling! While my two boys have benefitted greatly from living in a city and having so much culture at their fingertips, there's also much to learn at a place like Ramseyer's.

For more information go to www.ramseyerfarms.com

Happy Pumpking Hunting! Kim

Browns Predictions and the Orange Surprise!

So we want to hear from you this morning, chat with us live during the show! Give us your predictions of the score as the Browns take on the Bengals. Already it has been a long season for Browns fans...with NO wins! The Bengals have had the same awful start, so there is hope.



Here are our predictions:

Kim: 10-3 Browns Win!!
Caitlin/Producer: 21-10 Browns
Greg/Director: 17-14 Bengals
Jeff: 28-14 Browns
Elwood/Editor:24-18 Bengals
Jessica/Floor Director: 27-21 Bengals Win, Quinn Plays
Bruce: 31-21 Browns
Matt/Director: My heart pick, Browns win big. My actual pick, Bengals 24-17

Here's what the Bengals don't know, Bruce has a good luck charm for the Browns...but a warning: you may want to adjust the color on your TV!

Kim's Book Picks

We're starting a new segment on Saturday mornings, I've wanted to do this for a long time...one of the best parts of being a parent for me is finding great children's books.. so every Saturday, we'll have some suggestions for parents and grandparents. We'll also have some celebrity book picks and suggestions from you.

So first, in honor of this lovable bear's 40th birthday...My favorite book as a child... "Corduroy" by Don Freeman. The story of a bear no one wanted but finally found a home.

Next, Jamie Lee Curtis' book "I'm Gonna Like Me"...A silly but great book about self esteem...Jamie Lee Curtis has become one of my favorite authors.

Then, "Elmer" by David McKee...The patchwork elephant...who wants to fit in but decides it's better to be yourself.

Finally, "Leo The Late Bloomer" by Robert Kraus...A great book that talks about how kids develop at their own pace.

If you have any children's books picks to suggest...
Email me at kimwheeler@wkyc.com

What's on Matt's DVR? (Thursday)

Thursday, September 25th
8:00pm - Smallville - The CW HD
I'm a big Superman fan, though not the weirdo comic book collector kind of fan. I just like the character, love the movies, and really got into this show a few years back. It's gotten a little "out there" in the past few seasons, but they do just enough to bring me back for more. We'll see what happens this season.

9:00pm - The Office - WKYC-HD
THE funniest show on TV. Can't wait for the new season to begin tonight! Check out the previews below to get you ready.







9:00pm - Grey's Anatomy - ABC-HD
Honestly, this is recorded for my wife, but I do watch it with her occasionally. It's not bad. Not really my type of show though.

12:35 am - Late Night with Conan O'Brien - NBC-HD
Tonight's guests: Julianne Moore, Zachary Levi, and Jakob Dylan with Norah Jones

New Saturday Segment Coming: Bookworm Buzz

One of my favorite things as a mom and education reporter is reading children's books to my boys at home or to a class when I visit a local school.

So, every Saturday morning between 9am and 10:30 on Channel 3 News Today, I'll highlight some of the wonderful children's books for parents, grandparents and teachers to share with their favorite kids. Some old and some new...

The Today Show will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Don Freeman's classic "Corduroy" on October 2. On that day, Jumpstart's Read for the Record will encourage hundreds of thousands of children and adults to read, "Corduroy" across the country. This book is very special to me, it was my favorite book as a child. Both of my boys have loved the little bear's adventures through the years, too.

We want your help, give us your suggestions for favorite books for children. We'll even bring you some celebrity book picks.

Email us at weekendmorningshow@wkyc.com
See you Saturday, Kim

What's on Matt's DVR? (Wednesday)

Wednesday, September 24th
8:00pm - Knight Rider - WKYC HD
I did not watch the movie that they showed last spring, but based on my love of the old Knight Rider, I'm willing to give this new show a try. Check out the preview below.



9:00pm - 'Til Death - CBS HD
I really enjoyed this show last season even before the arrival of the shows newest character, Kenneth, played by J.B. Smoove, best known to me in his role on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Ever since his arrival on the show last season, it is a must watch each week for me. His character appeared on the show as Eddie's "little brother" in the Big Brothers and Sisters program, even though he is now in his late 30's. J.B. Smoove's "Kenneth" is one of the funniest character on tv.

9:00pm - Swingers - HDNet
Everyone needs to see Swingers at least once. I'm recording it because I'm money and I don't even know it.

10:30pm - Lewis Black's Root of All Evil - Comedy Central
It's funny, but it's hard to explain this show. Tonight's topic: Strip Clubs vs. Sororities

12:35 am - Late Night with Conan O'Brien - NBC-HD
Tonight's guests: Jamie Pressly, Little Britain, and Lenka

What's on Matt's DVR?

Here we go, a brand new feature on the blog, and I will attempt to be honest as I report what it is that I record on a daily basis on my DVR. You can't be more honest than revealing what you take the time to record in the privacy of your own home.

For the record... I have AT&T U-Verse which allows me to record up to 2 HD shows at a time and up to 4 shows total at one time. Let me catch you up with my recordings so far this week.

Sunday, September 21st
11:30am - Browns Pre-Game Huddle - WKYC-HD
This one I'm at the station directing, so I record it so that I can watch it as a viewer at home later. I record a lot of the "non-news" shows that I do and it allows me to see what I like and don't like about a show. It's how I come up with a lot of my ideas. What do I want to see as a viewer? By the way, if you haven't checked out the show in HD yet, it's a must. There a whole part of the show you don't even see at home when you are watching the 4x3 cut.

9:00pm - Dexter - Showtime-HD
I had to re-watch last season's finale to catch up before the new season kicks off next week. Can't wait to see what happens in the new season. Will Dexter's co-workers and sister figure out who he really is? It should be fun.

10:00pm - Entourage - HBO-HD
I love this show! I've been a fan from the beginning. This season has started with Vince down and nearly out of the business and trying desperately to find his way back in. Even resorting to doing an appearance at a Hollywood brat's "sweet sixteen" birthday party for cash. It should be an interesting season.

Monday, September 22nd
8:00pm - The Big Bang Theory - CBS-HD
This show was a nice surprise for me last year. Cleverly written, entertaining characters and a cute girl next door. I'm looking forward to the new season, and the first new episode didn't let me down. Sheldon is one of the funniest characters on TV.

8:30pm - How I Met Your Mother - CBS-HD
I was a late arriver to this show so I don't know the history. I really got into it the last couple of seasons and I'm looking forward to another funny year. Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) is very entertaining in this role as he has been in several other roles. (Doogie Howser, MD, Stark Raving Mad)

9:00pm - WWE Monday Night Raw - USA-HD
I've been a wrestling fan since I was 8 years old, and I've watched it ever since. The nice thing now is that I can record it and then zip through it quickly to see if anything entertaining happens. I really should quit watching it, but I'm always curious what they'll do next. I'm hooked, what can I say?


Here we go with tonight's recordings - Tuesday, September 23rd

5;30pm - Pardon The Interruption - ESPN (show not produced in HD)
This is a daily recording and it is the extent of sports coverage that I get during the week other than here at the station. I love to listen to Tony and Wilbon argue over things that don't matter one bit in the real world. It's highly entertaining if you've never checked it out. However, thanks to the fact that the put the show rundown right on the screen, it's definitely a record/then watch show so you can skip over all the topics you're not interested in. They've made it very convenient to zip through it.

8:00pm - 90210 - The CW-HD
I know this is pathetic, but my wife and I were fans of the original, and we decided to check it out. It's actually not bad, it's just an updated version of the 90's hit. It's crazy to see how high school kids have evolved in a relatively short period of time. This is so far out of the norm for what I watch, but there's just something about that zip code.

12:35 am - Late Night with Conan O'Brien - NBC-HD
This is also a daily record. I always zip through this to see what Conan is up to. It's my favorite show to put on while I'm doing other things around the house.
Tonight's guests: Billy Bob Thornton, Aasif Mandvi, and Kenny Shopsin

With a new baby, I rarely find time to watch tv, but when I do, these are the shows that I'm honestly watching. "What's on your DVR?" is really laying it out there. Think about it, could you be that honest with people? Check back tomorrow for my Wednesday recordings.

To suggest a recording to Matt... CLICK HERE

NBC Web Traffic Gets A Boost

Thanks to 3 completely unrelated events, NBC received huge traffic boosts on CNBC.com, NBC.com and iTunes, according to THR, sourcing Omniture data. The 3 events were the rollercoaster week on Wall Street, the "instant classic" Sarah Palin/Hillary Clinton skit on SNL (which surpassed even "D-in a box" in terms of page views) and the return of NBC shows on iTunes that racked up record usage and download numbers for the company:

- CNBC.com enjoyed 1 million uniques for the first time last Monday with 14.6 million page views.

- The Palin/Clinton skit has been viewed 4.5 million times on NBC.com alone, thanks in part to YouTube's diligence in removing unauthorized uploads.

- NBCU has sold (or given away) more than 1 million downloads on iTunes since returning to the platform on Sept. 9; Heroes, The Office and SNL are among the top sellers.

Source: Cynopsis: DIGITAL 9/22/08

NFL Elimination Picks for Week 3 - Results

And then there were 4...

X - Jeff Maynor - Cleveland
X - Jess Starr, Production Assistant - Cleveland
Chris Kunz, Videographer - Seattle
X - Julie Ocepek, "Julie at the Desk" - Cleveland
X - Jerry Johnson, Master Control - No Pick
Sarah Montgomery, Editor - Buffalo
Dawn Ermler-Fischer, TD - San Francisco
Brian Crane, Sports Producer - NY Giants
X - "Intern Tiana" - New England
X - Danielle77, Loyal Webchatter - New England

Email them to weekendmorningshow@wkyc.com

Bruce's Trivia: Sunday, September 21st

Answer: C.) St. Elsewhere

Show Promo, (I mean Promos): Sunday, September 21st

Today's promo is a "two-parter" thanks to a battery malfunction on the Flip camera.
Enjoy, and we'll see you at 9am!

Part I



Part II

Tune in Sunday mornings at 11:30am for Browns Pre-Game Huddle here on Channel 3. Dave Chudowsky will get you set for the big game and Jim Donovan and the Point After crew weigh in on the day's key matchups.

This week, the Browns (0-2) travel to Baltimore to battle the hated Ravens (1-0).


The best place to get ready for all the action is right here on Channel 3 with Browns Pre-Game Huddle. Sundays at 11:30am.

Schedule Changes For This Weekend

Due to NBC's live coverage of The Ryder Cup this weekend, Channel 3 News Today will not be on this coming Saturday morning, and Channel News Midday will not air on Saturday and Sunday.

Channel 3 News Today will air from 9-10:30am on Sunday, and you can still catch a live edition of Browns Pre-Game Huddle on Sunday morning at 11:30am as we preview the Browns first road game of 2008 against the Ravens.

Behind The Scenes: Race For The Cure (Part 3)

We had a very successful "Race For The Cure" special this past Saturday morning. I hope that you enjoyed my look behind the scenes as I prepared for the special last week.

Here is a little behind the scenes video to wrap things up. In the first couple of videos, you can see me in the control room with producer Jon Adkins, and Caitlin Kollar and Susan Moses who were answering phones and helping to communicate with the crews in the field so that we knew where on the course the leaders of the race were located.

In the last video, you can get a look off of the back deck here at Channel 3 as the runners passed by on the shoreway. Enjoy!







Matt Babb, TD/Director WKYC
mbabb@wkyc.com

For more information on the 2008 Race For The Cure... CLICK HERE

NFL Elimination Picks For Week 2 - Results

Jeff Maynor - NY Giants
X - Bruce Kalinowski - New Orleans
Jess Starr, Production Assistant - Pittsburgh
Chris Kunz, Videographer - NY Giants
Julie Ocepek, "Julie at the Desk" - Green Bay
Jerry Johnson, Master Control - Arizona
Sarah Montgomery, Editor - NY Giants
X - Brandi Paulson, Editor - No Pick
Dawn Ermler-Fischer, TD - Green Bay
X - Dave Chudowsky, Channel 3 Sports - Seattle
Brian Crane, Sports Producer - Pittsburgh
X - Greg Klinc, Production Assistant/TD/Director - Seattle
"Intern Tiana" - Pittsburgh
Danielle77, Loyal Webchatter - NY Giants

Well, it was fun while it lasted... for 1 week! Good luck to the rest of you, and make sure that I have your picks for next weekend. Email them to weekendmorningshow@wkyc.com

Director Matt

Bruce's Trivia: Sunday, September 14th

Sunday Show Promo

Behind The Scenes: Race For The Cure 2008 (Part 2)

Ok, now that I have all of the camera positions straightened out, and things in the field seem to be squared away, it's now time to concentrate on the "in-house" portion of our coverage. These are the elements that I'll need in the control room to pull off a smooth broadcast.

Here is a small list that I've compiled of elements that I'll need...
1. Race For The Cure Show Open - This is pretty self explanitory. It's the beginning graphical element of the show. This will be made by one of our graphic artists, Steve Shirilla, who has worked with me in the past on Race For The Cure. The only change in the open this year, is that I asked that he make it in High Definition so that we can run it at the highest possible quality. To do this, Steve will use Adobe After Effects and render for me a targa sequence that I will import into our "X-Clyp" player which is an HD playback device that we use for all of our news wipes (the things that go "woosh" during the news).

2. Race For The Cure Transition - This will be a graphic element that I can use to transition from one source to another. For example, if Monica tosses in to Jennifer Murphy, then I can use this element to switch between the 2 sources. It's just a little nicer than a cut. This will also be made as a targa sequence and played back from the "X-Clyp" player.

3. Race For The Cure Copyright - This is the last element that will air in the broadcast to "stamp" the show as property of WKYC and Gannett. This just needs to be updated from 2007 to 2008, made in HD and then rendered as a targa sequence also for playback out of the "X-Clyp" player.

4. Race For The Cure "Ribbon" Effect - This is a graphic element that I actually saw in the promo that is currently running on air for Race For The Cure. It's a pink ribbon that sits at the lower 1/3 of the screen and says "Race For The Cure" on it. I liked it, tracked down who made it, and now have it available for use during the show. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to use it yet, but I'll figure it out by Saturday.

5. Race For The Cure "HD Flag" Effect - This will be an element that I'll use to cover up the "HD" flags that you see at home on video that is not HD. Instead of the black and gray "HD" that we normally run on Channel 3 video, it will be a pink and white graphic just to make it a little more fitting for the broadcast.

That's a quick look at some of the "in-house" elements that I'm going to need for Saturday. As of this moment, Steve is still working on getting them to me, hopefully by tomorrow, and I can guarantee you that I'll be very busy between the 7pm and 11pm newcasts on Thursday getting these elements ready for air.

I'm sure I'll have one or two more tricks up my sleeve for the broadcast, but I can't tell you everything that I'm up to. You'll just have to watch on Saturday morning beginning at 9am in WKYC.

Matt Babb, TD/Director WKYC
mbabb@wkyc.com

For more information on the 2008 Race For The Cure... CLICK HERE

Behind The Scenes: Race For The Cure 2008 (Part 1)

As I was preparing for WKYC's coverage of the 2008 Race For The Cure, which airs this Saturday beginning at 9am on Channel 3, I thought it might be fun to share with all of you what it takes to get a show like this ready for air. So, here goes...

First up, we held a meeting about a month ago to go over the course layout, etc. Next up, we had to figure out how many cameras it will take to cover the action, and also where should I place the cameras to bring you the best angles of the race.

If you check out the course map below, you can see what we've decided to do. The camera positions are indicated on the course map below with the pink "X's".

Here is what each camera's responsibility will be on race day.


X(1) - Location - Starting Line
Function - This will be the camera that shoots Monica Robins, the anchor of the show. It will also be able to shoot the start of the race.

X(2) - Location - Starting Line
Function - This camera will be for Jennifer Murphy, who will be sideline reporting, and running in the race. Monica will be able to "toss" as they say in the business to Jen for a report before the race starts, and then this camera will be strictly for race coverage after that.

X(3) - Location - Back deck of the WKYC Studios
Function - This camera will be able to show the runners as the move east and west on the shoreway. We picked this location for 2 reasons... 1) It's a nice shot off of the back deck and 2) It's very functional because the runners pass by this camera twice during the course of the race.

X(4) - Location - East 55th Street Bridge over the shoreway
Function - This camera can get runners moving in several different directions on the course as well as "bump" shots of Lake Erie. Bump shots are beauty pictures that you see going into and out to commercial breaks. Also, Jennifer Murphy will stop at this camera during the race to give us an update on how things are going out on the course.

X(5) - Location - Outside Cleveland Browns Stadium
Function - This camera can get a nice angle of the runners as they pass in front of Browns Stadium. It's a beautiful location, and also covers a part of the course that no other camera can see as the race comes down to the wire.

X(6) - Location - Finish Line
Function - The first of our 2 finish line cameras will stay focused on just the finish line. It is also the camera that we will be streaming live on wkyc.com so that you can see every single runner cross the finish line. You can watch for your loved ones at home thanks to this camera.

X(7) - Location - Finish Line
Function - Kim Wheeler will be at the finish line on this camera and her function will be to interview runners as they finish the race. She'll be talking with the first male finisher, the first female finisher, and also the first survivor to finish the race among others.

In addition to all of these angles, and weather permitting, we will have our chopper flying over the race to get the beautiful high angle shot that we all love. I really hope it doesn't rain. The chopper shots really add to our coverage.

That just about covers the camera portion for our Race For The Cure special. I'll have much more tomorrow on some of the other elements that I still need to finalize here in the building for Saturday's coverage.

Matt Babb, TD/Director WKYC
mbabb@wkyc.com

For more information on the 2008 Race For The Cure... CLICK HERE

Kim's Road Trip: Bobcats vs. Buckeyes Game

Kim Wheeler attended the Ohio University/Ohio State football game this past weekend in Columbus. Check out our media player to the right to see the fun time that Kim had with her family at the game.

NFL Elimination Picks for Week 1 - RESULTS

X - Matt Babb, TD/Director - San Diego
Jeff Maynor - New England
X - Kim Wheeler - Cincinnati
Bruce Kalinowski - N.Y. Jets
Jess Starr, Production Assistant - New Orleans
Chris Kunz, Videographer - Philadelphia
Julie Ocepek, "Julie at the Desk" - Pittsburgh
Jerry Johnson, Master Control - Carolina
Sarah Montgomery, Editor - Tennessee
Brandi Paulson, Editor - Pittsburgh
Dawn Ermler-Fischer, TD - Chicago
X - Caitlin Kollar, Producer - Indianapolis
X - Mike Bachmann, Producer, Indians On Deck - Detroit
Dave Chudowsky, Channel 3 Sports - Pittsburgh
Brian Crane, Sports Producer - Dallas
Jerry Welch, Robotic Camera Operator - Buffalo
X - Dana Golston, Tape Room Operator - Tampa Bay
"Intern Tiana" - N.Y. Jets
X - Mike Solomon, WKYC Legal Analyst - San Francisco
Danielle77, Loyal Webchatter - Pittsburgh

*For The Record... Matt's Super Bowl Picks Indianapolis vs. Dallas (Champion - Indianapolis)

Well, it was fun while it lasted... for 1 week! Good luck to the rest of you, and make sure that I have your picks for next weekend. Email them to weekendmorningshow@wkyc.com

Director Matt

Bruce's Trivia: Sunday, September 7th

Bruce's Trivia: Saturday, September 6th

Weekend Morning Show NFL Elimination Picks!

Follow along as the crew of Channel 3 News Today weekend attempt to stay alive in our version of the NFL eliminator. If you are not familiar with it, here's how it works...

1. Select 1 team that you think will win in Week 1. If they win you move on to the next week. If they lose, you are out.

2. Now in Week 2, you select another team that you think will win, however, you cannot select the same team again. You can only use a team once during the season, and the winner is the last person standing.

The crew will submit their picks to me, Director Matt, and I will post them here on the blog. If you would like to participate, email your picks to weekendmorningshow@wkyc.com and I'll attempt to post them as well.

This is just for fun!

Channel 3 News Today Promo: Saturday, September 6th

FInd out what's coming up on Channel 3 News Today this Saturday morning with producer Caitlin Kollar and Meteorologist Bruce Kalinowski from the Channel 3 studio.

WKYC's Browns Coverage Kicks Off Sunday Morning

Three fixtures of Cleveland sports coverage return this weekend to WKYC. Get ready each Sunday morning with Dave Chudowsky on Browns Pre-Game Huddle at 11:30am.

Then after a long day of watching your favorite NFL action, check back with Dave and WKYC for Browns Tonight following Football Night in America and Channel 3 News.

Finally, you can wrap up your Browns week with Jim, Sam, Tony, and Doug on The Point After, Mondays at 7pm. WKYC is your official Cleveland Browns station!