'Real' dress rehearsal

March has not disappointed! In a recent entry I sensed an exciting month ahead....and it's been absolutely nothing but action-packed!

On a personal note, I recently had a day off...yet work always seems to weave into the course of the day, even an off day.

During my day off, a very rainy day, I needed to drive over the Valleyview bridge not once, but twice! Holy cow. In light of the fatal accident just a few weeks ago, it is quite frightening driving over that bridge, let alone in a torrential rain storm. Even during off time, newsie events loom in the back of an assignment editor's mind!

I usually work every St. Patrick's Day --St. Pat's Day 2011 off the charts. OK, let me preface what I am about to say with this --I understand St. Paddy's Day can be crazy, zany, with thousands of obnoxious drunk people everywhere. But for some reason, 2011 stepped it up a few notches. I can not believe the constant calls on the scanners for public intoxication, people just laying in the streets passed out, broken limb calls, and then shortly before 6pm, a massive fight broke out in front of Tower City. A Cleveland Police officer broke his foot as patrol cars from everywhere zoomed to Public Square.

We were in the thick of things but honestly, it actually sounded much worse than it was....at the time, it seemed it could go either way and balloon into something much worse. After the fact, it was a typical St. Patrick's Day melee.

Closing out the week with a bang! OSU vs UTSA at Quicken Loans Arena! OSU blew the covers off this game winning 75-46. And with all of the NCAA festivities in town, wkyc took the Friday 11pm show on the road. Romona has been ill much of the week with an awful virus. (Sidebar --the news desk has been receiving call after call all week long asking where Ro is --she's just been sick everyone!! She will be back very soon!!)....

So the new 7pm team of Robin Swoboda, Chris Tye, Jim Donovan, and Betsy Kling had a 'real' dress rehearsal leading up to Monday's 7pm debut. Robin anchored from the studio as Chris Tye, Jim Donovan, and Jennifer Lindgren were all live outside Q Arena for various OSU /Sports stories. Add in Betsy and Maureen back in studio and you have a blockbuster show! The 11pm news rocked big time. It was so fun to watch and be a part of the entire production.

Perfect end to what has been a pretty perfect week so far......

Be sure you get outside this weekend to witness the Superbig Moon! A big end to what has been an enormously successful week!

'I was featured in a Tom Meyer story'

This is quite funny! And when I shared it with Mr. Meyer, he laughed!!!

While most started St. Patrick's Day Festivities at their local Irish pub, I began attending Mass and then off to the tax man to have my deceased Mother's taxes complete.


The only appointment my Aunt could get with her tax guy was of all days, Wednesday, St. Patrick's Day!

I had to work so I had no special plans before or after work.

The day cruised along just fine.

At the end of our tax appointment, my Aunt's tax guy, who she has known from birth, asked her if she saw him on tv?

My curiosity peaked.

She of course has to say, 'my niece works in tv.' He says, 'I was on Channel 3. I was featured in a Tom Meyer story.'

You can go either way with that statement, and honestly, I did not know which way to go?

I just nodded and waited for more details whether this was a 'good' story or a 'bad' story!

Usually during the news, one of my tasks is to get an overview of not only what we are doing, but keep my eyes on the competition. In order to do this, I listen to us. Not actually seeing but just hearing the stories, I had not gotten a visual of this guy in Tom Meyer's story.

The tax guy went on to say he was in Meyer's story on comparing Tax Preparers, which ones are better, which ones may be a rip-off.

And it WAS a good story.

Fortunately, my Aunt's guy was the best one who was on the up and up!

I came into work and told Tom Meyer the story--including, at first, how I was not sure if this was a subject he was chasing down (foe) or friend! He knew exactly who I was speaking of, said 'friend' and got a real chuckle out of it.

Former Channel 3 personality passes away

One of the most popular personalities here at Channel 3 passed away Tuesday morning.

Tom Haley succumbed after a bout with the flu which developed into pneumonia.

A pioneer in the broadcasting business starting his radio career in the early 40's, 88-year-old Haley appears to be most well-known for the time he co-anchored "Today in Cleveland" with another Channel 3 icon, Del Donahoo.

"Today in Cleveland" aired from 1981 to 1998. A wonderful way to wake up each morning in Cleveland--to fun, laughter, entertainment, humor, news of the day, weather, movie reviews, Tom's bad jokes, Martha's coffee, Tom & Del squabbling, Hank the Rooster, 'The Haley Shuffle,' and then Haley ringing the big bell to make sure everyone was awake!

It was a sad day when that show went off the air. We continued getting calls and emails for months and months! Tom and Del were kind enough to give me their cow step stool as a priceless memory. Their huge following consisted of a dedicated fan base who pledged their allegiance to not only to "Today in Cleveland" but to Channel 3.

I'm awfully lucky to have had the experience to work with both Tom and Del (still see Del in the office during the week).

Haley, at times, could appear quite intimidating. But, once you got to know him, he was a pussycat underneath his gruff exterior.

A true broadcasting legend, the likes of which they do not make anymore. They broke the mold!

Tom gave great advice, mostly by example exhibited in his many talents and versatility in this business (from writing, producing, on air, interviewing, voice overs, radio, television, hosting...).

Haley received the high honor of being inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle in 1991.

It's quite telling that Mr. Haley would pass on one of his favorite days of the year. A proud Irishman, he and Del would participate in the Cleveland St. Patrick's Day Parade every single year greeting their many fans with pride exuding from Tom's eyes for his heritage, his family, and at the time, his station.

Haley had 7 daughters, 9 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements have not been released yet.