NTA Cleveland Chapter News - April 2003

NTA NEWS is distributed via email. Hard copy editions are no longer available.

New Name for National Community Service Awards

The National Community Service Awards is now known as the Public and Community Service Awards. If you’re interested in entering a story into the competition, the deadline is July 28th. A ceremony and luncheon will be held later in October at the Essex House in New York City.

For more information, you may contact Don Weir donweir@natasonline.com at the national office.

Let Your Design Define Our Newsletter

Your graphic arts department could be the one that gives Cleveland NTA a new look! Get your creative juices flowing and send in your ideas. From the colors to borders to lettering, what will make our newsletter stand out? You can help decide that! One submission per station, please. Send in your ideas by April 30th. A committee of NTA members will select the winner. The winner will be announced at the April NTA meeting. Your design will debut for the June newsletter, just in time for the Emmy Awards.

Cleveland Branding & Production Agency Making its Mark
in the States and Abroad

Submitted by Ann Gallagher and Maritza Saulny

Einstein Creative recently brought James Taylor together with the Dixie Chicks for a special episode of Country Music Television’s Crossroads. The show highlights an artist and a popular group the artist believes inspired them the most. The Dixie Chicks and the legendary Taylor paid homage to each other by performing several of each other's tunes on stage in Nashville. Einstein also handled the post-production effects and composting for the Dixie Chick’s music video of the their recent hit cover of the Fleetwood Mac song “Landslide.” The video is currently airing on VH1 and CMT. The Dixie Chicks Crossroads segment is airing on CMT.

Einstein created, produced, and executed a genre-branding effort for CMT that names the various blocks of programming in day parts. Director Craig Cleek directed both the creative and musical effort that combined live action film and colorful 2 and 3-D animation into opens and bumps.

The company also recently traveled to Moscow for a 10-day film shoot, as part of a re-branding effort for the RTR TV Network in Russia. The shoot was directed by Einstein's Director Craig Cleek and produced by Neil Van Harte. It included locations such as Red Square, the Bolshoi Theatre and the Russian countryside. The scenes were then combined with a newly created logo design and subsequent ID animation for each of the seasons. One of the many creative challenges the team had was turning a summer scene with horses running in an open field, into a winter snowstorm scene with intricate visual effects and compositing. The effort proved successful utilizing the technology of Henry and After Effects.

MTV3 in Helsinki, Finland now has a new look, thanks to Einstein Creative. The branding and production company has researched, created and executed a complete re-branding and launch of the show. The effort, directed by Einstein’s Craig Cleek, involved a two-week film shoot, with more than 15 locations. The Einstein team also executed an intensive logo design effort and full network animation package. The package included a very unique promotion look for both news and entertainment, complete with a definitive graphics language for each genre. The ratings have increased at MTV3 since the re-launch, making it Finland's #1 network.

RTV6 Anchors Join Emmy Award Winner Peter Marshall for "Friendly Feud"

WRTV6 anchor Martha Weaver and chief meteorologist Kevin Gregory, know their Indiana history. They recently proved it during a game of “Friendly Feud,” with Emmy Award Winner and former Hollywood Squares host, Peter Marshall.

Weaver and Gregory were among several local celebrity contestants during the January Intro 2003, a fundraiser for the Marion County Mental Health Association that also honors the General Assembly. Other local celebrities included Mary Beth Schneider; the Indianapolis Star and Amos Brown; the Indianapolis Recorder. “Friendly Feud,” tested the contestants’ knowledge of Indiana history.

“The team’s memories of Lake Monroe, Indiana landmarks and Orville Redenbacher popcorn helped seal our victory,” says Gregory.

Gregory joined the RTV6 news staff in August 1989. He has a B.A. in Telecommunications from Purdue University where he was a Big Ten tennis player for the Boilermakers. He’s a member of the National Weather Association and has received the NWA Seal of Approval. Gregory has also been host to the Emmy award-winning program, “At The Zoo.” He is currently chief meteorologist for “The News at 5, 6 and 11” on RTV6.

Weaver joined RTV6 in October 1995 as a general assignment reporter and later became anchor on the Saturday morning edition of the news on RTV6. She currently anchors “The News at 5, 6 and 11” on RTV6. A native of Anoka, Minnesota, Weaver graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Olaf College.

Surviving News Director Calls It A Wrap

Television is an industry where moving comes with the territory. From on-camera to behind-the-scenes, to management, moving is synonymous with television. So when a news director comes along and survives 35 years in the same position, one can’t help but ask what’s the secret. An Indianapolis News Director can now claim the coveted title as the longest-tenured news director in the country. Lee Giles, Vice President and News Director of Lin-owned WISH-TV 8 (CBS) started with the station in 1963 as the station’s first editorial director. He became news director three years later.

This month, Giles announced he would hang up his news hat of breaking news and this just in on May 30th. Giles has survived seven each, owners and general managers. “Timing is everything in our business, and this seems to be the time that’s right,” Giles said during a meeting of News 8 staff.

Giles’ marathon at WISH-TV is definitely a sharp contrast to what the normal life span is for a news director. A March 2001 study by Missouri Journalism Professor Vernon Stone says news directors are typically a newsroom's oldest person, but the average ND stays in one place only three years. Giles is the exception to the rule.

Honored in the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame, he is the recipient of the prestigious Radio and Television News Directors Foundation’s “First Amendment Service Award”.
Former NBC and WISH-TV news anchor Jane Pauley, hired by Giles, presented him with this award in March of 2000.

Prior to becoming news director, Giles served in various other positions at WISH, including anchor, State House reporter, and managing editor. After May 30th, he plans to stay on as Vice President until later in the year. “Even though my 35th anniversary is May 1st, I’m not about to walk out after 40 years during a May sweeps.”

From the Editor: Cynthia Barnes Since NTA reignited the newsletter last fall, we have begun to see more submissions from our colleagues. We’ve kept you posted on seminars and important reminders. We’re excited about your interest and ask that you pass on that energy. If you have a story, share it with NTA members via your newsletter. You might be surprised at how you could inspire others to let their creative energy flow. Regards, Cynthia Barnes, Editor

Send news articles and comments to news@natascleveland.org.