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Tag: WKYC

  • WKYC Hires Meteorologist Mark Johnson – Cleveland Scene

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    Just as snow is starting to fall in Northeast Ohio, Mark Johnson is officially back to report it.

    Six months after he was let go by News 5 Cleveland, Johnson will return to local TV as a meteorologist at WKYC, the station announced on Monday. He’ll be talking weather every weekday at 5, 7 and 11 p.m.

    “I’ve spent my life forecasting Northeast Ohio’s ever-changing weather,” Johnson said in a statement. “And I’m thrilled to be back doing what I love most in the community I call home.” (Johnson didn’t respond to a request for additional comment.)

    He had spent the last few months working for Tegna, WKYC’s parent company, doing work in other markets.

    News 5 directors were tight-lipped about apparent “ethical concerns”—loosely tied to businesses Johnson was allegedly promoting —around why they fired Johnson, one of Cleveland’s most beloved TV personalities after decades at the station. He was hired there in 1993.

    But Monday, none of it mattered. As Johnson is back doing what he loves most.

    “We are excited to welcome Mark to the WKYC weather team,” Julie Flynn, a news director at WKYC, said in a statement. “His broadcast experience, accuracy in forecasting and popularity throughout Cleveland speak to both his expertise and his genuine dedication to serving the region.”

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    Mark Oprea

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  • Stephanie Haney Is the New Host of Ideastream’s ‘Sound of Ideas’

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    Ideastream

    Stephanie Haney, the lawyer-turned-journalist who worked for WKYK for six years, begins hosting Ideastream’s Sound of Ideas program on September 2.

    Stephanie Haney, the legal expert turned journalist who most recently worked at WKYC, is the new host of Ideastream’s “Sound of Ideas” program, the company announced in a statement this week.

    Haney, who led “Verify” and “Legally Speaking” segments for the local NBC affiliate from 2019 until earlier this year when her contract wasn’t renewed, has delved into digital scam cultures and a wide range of local topics for TV and streaming audiences.

    On the Sound of Ideas, Ideastream’s flagship news program which is broadcast on WKSU’s 89.7, Haney will have a slightly different platfrom.

    “I’m honored to join Ideastream and take on the role of Sound of Ideas host,” Haney said in a press release. “I look forward to engaging with our listeners, amplifying diverse voices, and fostering meaningful dialogue that both informs and inspires.”

    She follows a roster of some notable and memorable hosts, including Mike McIntyre, Rick Jackson, and, most recently, Jenny Hamel.

    After working for years as a fashion model, Haney pursued legal studies, graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She went on to get degrees in political science and criminology from Ohio University, then a master’s in journalism from the University of Southern California.

    In 2019, Haney joined WKYC, where she developed her “Verify” series, in which she often used invited guests to highlight a range of scams in the modern world—email phishing, AI phone calls, “fake discount” voicemails supposedly from Spectrum.

    “Part of my job will be to talk about the issues you care about,” she said in a recent post. “So tell me, ‘What isn’t getting covered enough?’”

    She’ll be on Monday through Thursdays at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on 89.7, on YouTube and on the Ohio Channel, or wherever podcasts are listened to.

    Haney’s first show will be September 2.

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    Mark Oprea

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  • Hollie Strano Says She Was Fired From WKYC for ‘Sharing Recovery Journey Publicly’

    Hollie Strano Says She Was Fired From WKYC for ‘Sharing Recovery Journey Publicly’

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    WKYC

    Hollie Strano is apparently out—for good—at WKYC.

    WKYC anchor Hollie Strano, who fell from grace last November after she was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, announced today on social media that she has been fired. It was her stated opinion that she was let go for being too transparent about her road to recovery.

    Strano’s announcement comes nine months after she signaled to worried and/or critical Clevelanders that she would be seeking treatment for alcoholism.

    “I am sad to share that after 22 plus years of dedicated work, WKYC and Tegna decided to terminate my employment after I shared my recovery journey publicly,” Strano posted on Instagram on Monday.

    “I believe the actions of WKYC and Tegna demonstrate the stigma surrounding addiction,” she added, “that so many in our community experience every day.”

    On Thanksgiving Day last year, Strano flipped and crashed her SUV on Peninsula Road, driving about 70 mph in a 35 mph zone. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the crash. Cuyahoga Falls Police clocked Strano with a 0.244 BAC—nearly three times the legal limit.

    Strano pleaded guilty in Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Court to a single OVI charge. Her license was taken away for a year, and Strano had to attend a week-long intervention program. She was also direly scrutinized in the court of public opinion.

    Days after WKYC suspended Strano, she checked herself into a rehab program, and framed the choice to do so as a signal of divine intervention. Three months later, Strano returned on air.

    “As tragic as it was, and as cliché as it may sound,” she wrote on Instagram in November, “I believe that [the crash] had to happen to me to put me on the healing journey of sobriety and introspection.”

    In the months following, Strano kept up her public-facing positivity through regular postings on social media, with several photos apparently taken by case workers themselves.

    “I never knew something so hard would lead to so much joy,” a post from April read. “To all of you fighting your own fight, please know happiness is on the other side.”

    As of Monday afternoon, neither WKYC or Tegna commented on or confirmed Strano’s account.

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    Mark Oprea

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