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As
leaders of the most-watched television station in Ohio, the
WEWS management team has reason to celebrate. |
Station
Known For Firsts Celebrates First 50 Years
Address: 3001 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Phone: 216-431-5555
FAX: 216-361-1762
After spending 50 years with someone, you'd probably know that
person pretty well.
Maybe that's why Ohio's very first television station is
still a half century later Ohio's most-watched television
station. NewsChannel 5 knows Cleveland.
The state's largest ABC affiliate has built lasting local
ties, making it the continuous share-winner in one of the nation's
largest television markets. Leading the way in both ratings and
local news, WEWS's innovative and diverse local programming forces
the 17-county market to become increasingly dynamic.
NewsChannel 5 boasts many "firsts" and other distinctions,
both in the local market and nationwide. A quick look at the station's
long history emphasizes that WEWS's success stems not from an ability
to do the same thing over and over again, but from the foresight
to predict changes in technology and attitude and respond quickly.
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Euclid
Avenue has been home to Cleveland television station WEWS since
the early '50s. |
AT A GLANCE
Brand Name: NewsChannel 5
Employees: 210 full-time, 10 part-time workers
Market: 13th largest in U.S., with 1.4 million households
across 17 counties. Less than 20,000 are without television sets.
News Format: The news department produces six daily newscasts
and three weekend news programs, plus updates and special segments.
Many anchors have long-term contracts with the station. Ted Henry,
longtime news anchor, recently signed a 10-year contact with WEWS.
Distinctions: NewsChannel 5 was the first television station
in Ohio, airing its first broadcast on Dec. 17, 1947. Some of the
station's original programming became the blueprint for today's
talk, music and news shows. In fact, The Morning Exchange was the
pilot program for ABC's Good Morning America.
THE BEGINNING
On Dec. 17, 1947, with a flicker of light and a small identification
card reading, "WEWS Cleveland," began a broadcasting era for a station
that knows how to be a forerunner and a front-runner. Being Scripps'
first foray into broadcasting, the new station's call letters were
chosen to honor Edward Willis Scripps, whose first newspaperThe
Penny Press in Clevelandbegan the Scripps communications empire.
Because so few network or syndicated shows existed, programmers
had to fill the airwaves with locally produced, often-live shows.
Since sporting and news events lent themselves to live coverage,
WEWS broadcast parades, official ceremonies and sporting events
like hockey, football and baseball. In the first year of programming,
the station's line-up included the 1948 World Series.
Pioneer Programming
As the television industry evolved at a staggering pace, and more
households had television sets, WEWS continued to focus on original,
local programming. Many of these shows sparked programs that are
still the staple of today's television diet:
The One O'Clock Club, hosted by pioneer broadcaster Dorothy
Fuldheim and Bill Gordon, popularized a format that has catapulted
many of today's popular talk shows into the spotlight.
Upbeat, a blend of musical performances geared toward the
younger generation, was truly pioneer programming. Alongside American
Bandstand, Upbeat was a TV hot spot where future stars of the rock
music industry said their first hellos to show biz. Upbeat's appeal
was so widespread that the popular show was syndicated in more than
one hundred markets across the country.
The Morning Exchange, launched in the early '70s, became
a blueprint for Good Morning America and other national television
programs. The unique format of the two-hour, live show that combined
news with entertainment was appealing to broadcasters and the public
alike. In 1996, The Morning Exchange celebrated its 25th anniversary,
and is the longest-running program of its kind in the country.
The continued strength of WEWS's local programming, paired
with a hefty and profitable network affiliate presence, makes NewsChannel
5 a veritable powerhouse in Greater Cleveland. Although other stations
are becoming increasingly aggressive in both programming and marketing,
tightening the stakes in the race for the news audience, WEWS maintains
its position as the news leader and continues to be the audience
favorite when "the big story" hits.
WEWS TODAY
NewsChannel 5 has kept ahead of the times. Armed with the latest
equipment and technological advances, WEWS's battle for the lion's
share of the market has met with uproarious success. The station
produces more local news and programming than any other station
in northwestern Ohio, with co-anchors Lorna Barrett and Ted Henry
heading up a team of award-wining journalists. Dubbed "Ohio's Most
Watched Newsteam" in a book by Fred Griffith, co-host of The Morning
Exchange, the title is one few would dispute. The team's success
recently led benchmark anchor Henry to sign a new 10-year contract
with the station.
The News
Six daily newscasts, three weekend news programs and daily reports
on The Morning Exchange mean NewsChannel 5's coverage is accessible
and up-to-the-minute. Last July, the station became the first in
Cleveland to offer an aerial perspective of breaking news stories.
A helicopter equipped with Skyvision technology helps WEWS deliver
the story when competitors can't even get there.
Local Programming
Greater Cleveland (including Akron) has experienced tremendous
growth in recent years. During Cleveland's bicentennial celebration
in 1996, media flocked to the city that had been accused in the
past of being, well, less than dynamic. But with the advent of what
seemed to many like a cultural and athletic revival, the city has
become something of a "media darling," able to boast attractions
like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the two-time American
League Champion Cleveland Indians, the Cleveland Cavaliers, a major
Indy-car circuit race, the WNBA's Cleveland Rockers, and a slew
of museums and theaters.
All this activity gives WEWS plenty of opportunity for outstanding
local programming. A perpetual stronghold of the station's lineup
isremainsThe Morning Exchange. On the air for more than
26 years, the two-hour morning program is still hosted by original
host Fred Griffith, along with co-host of three years Connie Dieken.
Just a small sampling of other local programs shows that WEWS really
puts the "news" in NewsChannel 5:
Crimestoppers is service-oriented broadcasting that links the police
investigators and the community, giving broad exposure to crimes
or suspects in hopes that someone in the Greater Cleveland community
can provide leads or evidence.
The Investigators helps NewsChannel 5 stay the leader in
investigative and consumer reporting. In this hard-hitting segment,
reporters seek to not only expose problems in the community but
to find solutions. A recent re-positioning of station philosophy
draws greatly from the work of the investigative team, in which
WEWS affirmed its advocacy of solution-oriented action.
News broadcasts like NewsChannel 5 This Morning, Good Morning
Cleveland and Live at 5 throughout the day keep the top stories
up to date and allow thorough coverage of the action in Greater
Cleveland's communities.
NewsChannel 5 delivers what it promises in its positioning
slogan. It reads, "NewsChannel 5 is about the viewer and the product
that we deliver to that viewer. We air news that is important, that
fits into the viewer's lifestyle, news that makes sense and that
matters to the viewer."
Awards
It seems that WEWS put that slogan into action long before they
made it official, evidenced by the host of awards they've received,
including a Peabody Award in the 1950s, the first award to a television
station for local public service, numerous Emmy awards for investigative
reporting, an Edward R. Murrow award for spot news in 1996 and two
Iris Awards, one for the "best public affairs program" in its market
group in 1995.
NewsChannel 5's efforts have been recognized for excellence
by other prominent organizations including the Associated Press,
the Cleveland Press Club, the Casey Journalism Center and the New
York Festivals.
Community Involvement
A community initiative dubbed "Feedback 5" helps the station assess
their role in the community and learn how they can improve their
coverage or enhance programming. The program involves a year-long
series of small meetings, inviting feedback from people all over
Greater Cleveland. Efforts like this keep the station on target
while letting the community know how much its opinion is valued.
NewsChannel 5 targets its community involvement efforts to
actively bring about solutions. Programming like Crimestoppers and
special news segments augment community awareness and crime prevention
efforts. The station's year-long investigation of Cuyahoga County's
mishandling of abused and neglected children led to a recent overhaul
of the county's child welfare system.
It's doubtful that 50 years ago, anyone at WEWS could have
conceived what the station would grow to be, both as a broadcast
station and as a part of the community. But if they had, they would've
liked what they saw.
Two Among Many
A trip down memory lane at WEWS would include broadcast executives
Jack Howard, Jim Hanrahan, Don Perris and dozens of others whose
combined talents made and continue to make the station
a broadcasting powerhouse. Two are featured here.
A Pioneer and a Legend
 Many
women have followed in Dorothy Fuldheim's footsteps. But
no one has filled her shoes.
She was the first woman to anchor a newscast in the U.S., broadcasting
her opinions across WEWS airwaves when women had just barely gained
the right to express their views in the voting booth.
A fiery redhead who interviewed kings, presidents and celebrities,
she spoke with equal ease and grace to the local farmer or the adoring
listener.
For 37 uninterrupted years, Fuldheim was the nation's only female
news analyst, a public figure in high demand who did not even begin
her broadcasting career until age 54. Fuldheim remained on the air
until 1984, just past her 91st birthday.
And those later years were not idle. At age 88, Cleveland's most
popular television personage traveled to London to cover Prince
Charles' wedding, then straight to Cairo for Sadat's funeral, followed
by a stop in Ireland to interview the mother of IRA hunger-striker
Bobby Sands.
Known for flamboyance, fashion and rare genius, Dorothy Fuldheim
preceded a generation of female broadcasters who have yet to match
her achievements, but can gain confidence through her success.
A Leader in WEWS Tradition
 On
the job at NewsChannel 5 for less than six months, General Manager
John Lansing has already made quite a splash in the WEWS
talent pool.
Lansing came to NewsChannel 5 from Scripps-owned WXYZ-TV in Detroit,
Mich., where he worked as vice president and station manager since
August 1995. His appointment as WEWS's general manager in September
made him the sixth person to hold that title in the station's five-decade
history.
Not surprising, given his track record. Lansing's succession of
honors and awards well reflects his dedication to broadcasting since
age 17, when he landed his first job as a news photographer at WPSD-TV
in Paducah, Ky.
The year he joined Scripps, 1995, Lansing received the Alfred I.
Dupont-Columbia University Award for news investigation. In 1989,
he was named Gannett Television News Executive of the Year. With
a National Headliner Award, two national Emmy nominations, two national
commendations from American Women in Radio & Television and
a slew of regional honors under his belt, Lansing's first-rate record
is a perfect match for top-ranked WEWS.
Lansing's home life may be as challenging as his role at NewsChannel
5; he and wife Jean need lots of energy to chase after 2-year-old
twin sons, Jackson and Alexander. Lansing is also a visiting faculty
member at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg,
Fla.
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