The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page A004

before the news was shut down. Akron might have kept its own stations and newscasts if the Nielsen ratings provided ratings separate from Dayton, a smaller city than Akron, has its own stations. But that stopped in the 1960s, when Akron was shoved into the same ratings market as Cleveland stations, hurting its pitch to advertisers because the numbers tilted toward the high-population areas to the north. Indeed, some viewers would watch ABC programs on WAKC, then say in ratings reports that they had been watching WEWS, the ABC affiliate in Cleveland. newsroom Years before the final blow, ownership changes hinted that the news would not last that WAKC was seen to outsiders as simply a way to reach Cleveland TV audiences, never mind what was needed in Akron, or Canton.

Mark Williamson, who was an anchor and news director during his 17 years at the station, points to the Cleveland conflict as one of the biggest problems for WAKC. (And it remains a major reason why an Akron newscast has not been sustainable in more recent years.) Local groups would look past WAKC and curry favor with the Cleveland stations, said Williamson, now coordinator of communications for Akron Public Schools. were the shiny package with all the lights and the bells, and we were a brown bag with written on But you often see underdogs called scrappy, and that was certainly the case with WAKC. did an amazing job with what we had to work said Williamson. Going against the pretty-people cliche of TV, he said, hired bald people, I hired people that were overweight, I hired people with thick glasses.

If you could tell a story and had a good personality and a sense of humor, you had a good shot at working there. I wanted people that were was almost like all sort of in it said meteorologist Mark Nolan, who would go on to work for WKYC and now WOIO (Channel 19). He recalled people into a tiny newsroom, all relatively young and for good video an audition instead of was not really said Ferguson, now with WNIR-FM. you tried to put out the best product each night. The whole group worked together to put the product on.

If you needed something, calls to be made to get a score or whatever, everybody pitched in. I know if you have that we learned a WAKC was a proving ground for journalists who would go on to bigger things. Nolan remembers getting trained by Mark Johnson, now with WEWS. CNN anchor Carol Costello is also a WAKC alumnus. It was the first job for many coming out of college, or those with job experience but none in TV before.

Johanna Perrino, now overseeing Wadsworth Community Television, was among those who went from college to WAKC, first as an intern then full-time in production. She recalls the station as close-knit group of with Costello calls it little dysfunctional family that functioned really As Ferguson indicated, people would work where they were needed; Perrino learned editing, she said, from Billy Soule, host of the music program on the station. production person quit or left or something and he was like, he know my name here and edit my Yes, there was a learning curve. Costello said. She was covering an Akron school board meeting with a veteran photographer, Mike Kell, and it was not going well.

had to do a standup for TV, and I keep messing she said. poor photographer is there, holding all this heavy equipment. And I keep up and mes- up. I must have done 12 takes and I said, it! not doing this And Mike grabbed me by the arm and said, made me stand here for an hour while you messed up. going to effing do this And I did it perfectly the next But it was a chance.

paid very said former reporter and anchor Eric Mansfield. you were on the air every night, at a network affiliate, on the same stories as the big Cleveland stations. It was a great place to learn your craft so hopefully you could move up. And boy, we learned a Team spirit could make for good times, Perrino said. favorite nights were election nights.

We were there until ungodly hours of the night until election results came in. Everyone was out and about. editing like crazy, doing cut-ins and teasers, and live, and our Out of the shadows However long a shadow the Cleveland stations cast, the Akron station tried to break through. The Beacon Journal reported in 1953 that the station a over all locally received television rivals in the reporting of the Korean (war) You could blame some of that on boosterism, since the Beacon Journal owned a large piece of the TV station and its radio siblings until 1976. But then you listen to Mansfield, who as much as any reporter has been man in Akron, at WAKC, WKYC and that 2000s local newscast.

Mansfield, now executive director of media relations at Kent State, said in 1993, he was covering a hostage situation in Cuyahoga Falls for WAKC, collecting exclusive footage from the scene. 5 wanted our Mansfield said, was always a big debate because our competitors but also our ABC In this case, WAKC did not give the footage to WEWS, forcing it to buy the package from a service. And there was still no respect for the Akron station, Mansfield said. had their anchor dub my script word for word and reran the package. I was offended, but at least my stuff was good enough for And, of course, good enough for Akron.

While many of the WAKC veterans have remained in the area, others took opportunities out of town, because they wanted to keep working in TV news and to advance their careers. Costello has spoken of how much she felt at home in Akron, of how stories she did here have stayed strong in memory for 30 years. But when the radio stations were sold, the only TV job WAKC had to offer was as a weather girl, she said. She worked in local radio for a bit but moved on when a good TV job opened up in Toledo. And then, one day, the newscast itself was gone.

And local TV news, when you can find it, is now basically borrowed space in a Cleveland telecast. Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, Ohio. com, Facebook, Twitter and the HeldenFiles Online blog. You can contact him at 330-996-3582 or A4 Akron Beacon Journal Ohio.com INFORMING. ENGAGING.

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10,000 miles per year allowed and thereafter. 10,000 miles less miles on vehicle for all courtesy transporation vehicles. Sale ends WAKC Continued from Page A1 With razor in hand, Channel 23 anchor Mark Williamson reviews story order with intern Heather Weber in 1991. Akron Beacon Journal file photo At left, Channel 23 reporter Carol Costello in 1986. At right, present-day Costello, now a CNN anchor.

Costello, a Kent State journalism alumna, began her career at WAKR-TV. Akron Beacon Journal file photo Mark Williamson, communications director at Akron Public Schools. ED SUBA Beacon Journal Eric Mansfield, Executive Director of University Media Relations at KSU. Mansfield was a reporter- anchor at WAKC-TV. Akron Beacon Journal file photo.