Nobody realized it at the time, but when Robin Swoboda jumped from WJW Channel 8 to WKYC Channel 3 in early 2011, it sparked a year of unprecedented volatility in the Cleveland television market.
Since that move, changes have kept coming at a dizzying pace.
Indeed, there were more major anchor changes during that one-year span than during the previous 15 years. Perhaps the biggest was when Romona Robinson ended her 15-year association with Channel 3 in late 2011, moving over to Channel 19 as the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. co-anchor.
And there's more on the way. Wilma Smith announced two weeks ago that she'd be wrapping up a 35-year Cleveland television career, retiring from Channel 8 in May.
Last week, Channel 8 announced it would be adding a 4 p.m. newscast this fall, rehiring meteorologist Melissa Mack, who left in 2009 for Boston's WBZ Channel 4. The dominoes clearly haven't stopped falling.
But the dust has settled a bit after all the seismic shifts that rocked the Cleveland stations between the February sweeps period of 2011 and 2012. Those strategic times are when ratings determine how much stations can charge for advertising.
So with this year's February sweeps in the rearview mirror, who benefited from this ongoing game of musical anchor chairs? Data provided by the Nielsen Co. suggest traditional Cleveland news champ Channel 8 remains strong in most of the time periods in which it schedules news, and hard-charging WOIO Channel 19 is winning the noon and 11 p.m. news races with the demographic most prized by advertisers, viewers 25 to 54.
That means Channel 3 and WEWS Channel 5 are the stations left playing some catch-up within that primary demographic. They are, for the most part, but the news isn't all bad for their newscasts.
Channel 3 is a solid second in the 25-to-54 demographic at 6 p.m., and if you look at total households, Channel 5 actually wins at noon and 11 p.m.
"It's an extremely competitive landscape," said Jill Manuel, news director at Channel 5. "And at the same time, it's a market where familiarity is important. Viewers don't like change, and they're comfortable with people they know. So it's important to remain consistent and patient. Stick with the plan. We have some new people in place, and viewers are getting to know them and like them."
It's also a world where a year and a few ratings points can make all the difference. But now, Channel 8 and Channel 19 are happiest with the February numbers being reported by Nielsen, and that's because it's a world driven by that 25-to-54 group.
Anchor changes were fast, furious
For those requiring a refresher course on all those anchor changes, here's a recap: Channel 3 hired CBS News veteran Russ Mitchell to replace Robinson, later bringing in Sacramento newscaster Kris Pickel as co-anchor.
After a 13-year gig at Channel 8, 10 p.m. co-anchor Stacey Bell left in November 2011 to join her husband, New York Jets running backs coach Anthony Lynn, in New Jersey. She was replaced by Channel 8 morning anchor Tracy McCool. Channel 8 has yet to name Lou Maglio's new co-anchor, replacing Smith, on the 6 p.m. newscast.
Channels 3 and 5 have replaced morning anchor teams. At Channel 3, Swoboda first was teamed with Chris Tye on the 7 p.m. newscast, but when Mark Nolan decided to leave the Gannett-owned Cleveland NBC affiliate after 18 years, Tye replaced him as morning news co-anchor. Tye was partnered with new hire Erin Kennedy, and sports anchor Jim Donovan replaced Tye at 7 p.m.
At Channel 5, morning anchors Kimberly Gill and Pete Kenworthy did not have contracts renewed. They were replaced by Macie McInnis Jepson and Mike Dunston. Chris Flanagan became the Scripps-owned ABC affiliate's 11 p.m. co-anchor in November 2011.
With the arrival of Robinson, Channel 19 also reshuffled its anchor teams. A recent addition, ESPN reporter George Smith, became Danielle Serino's 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. co-anchor this year.
Robinson and Denise Dufala co-anchor the 6 and 11 newscasts, a move that is paying off handsomely for Channel 19.
Comparing February 2011 to this February, Channel 19's Monday-Friday ratings average is up 38 percent at 6 p.m. in the 25-to-54 demographic and a whopping 93 percent at 11.
"The biggest change, obviously, was the addition of Romona Robinson, and that gave us an immediate bump," said Dan Salamone, Channel 19's news director. "And not only has that growth been sustained over the last year, it has spread to other time periods. We're obviously very pleased with those noon numbers. There's positive momentum across the board."
Over the same two-year span, Channel 3 has slipped from first to third at 11 in the 25-to-54 demographic and from second to third in terms of total households. Part of that decline is NBC's abysmal February showing in the prime-time hours.
"We've unquestionably lost some of our momentum as NBC has lost its momentum," said Brooke Spectorsky, Channel 3's president and general manager. "The November sweeps book was better. February was about as difficult as it gets for us. Even there, the 6 and 7 p.m. newscasts are doing fine. Morning is a different matter. We have issues there."
And part of Channel 19's success is the steady performance of the CBS prime-time programming.
"CBS is a great partner, no doubt," Salamone said. "However, to be fair to us and to brag a bit, if you look at our demographics, we jump a bit from the CBS shows leading in to us. It all goes back to content, and we think we're doing a good job."
Some might argue Channel 3 has run into a streak of bad luck and Channel 19 is enjoying a run of good luck.
"Maybe, but you have to recognize the luck as an opportunity," Salamone said. "Did we anticipate that Romona would be available? Of course not. But we recognized it as good fortune when it came along."
Stations' revolving doors keep spinning
The arrival of Robinson, an anchor with 25 years of experience in Cleveland, also fueled Channel 19's efforts to change the sometimes-raucous tone of its in-your-face newscast. It allowed Channel 19 to grow up a bit.
"We don't want to lose our edge, but, yes, we have toned down the rhetoric and attitude," Salamone said. "We still put the emphasis on shorter stories, more stories and aggressive reporting, but, even before Romona arrived, there was an effort to make a more traditional newscast."
Channel 3 favors an even more straightforward approach.
"Our anchors are real reporters, and I think we shine on the big stories," Spectorsky said. "And even though Russ and Kris have done a great job introducing themselves to viewers, they're still very new to the market. In a market that doesn't like change, we knew it wasn't going to be easy, and we've had a tough time getting out of the gate."
Look for Channel 3 also to bolster its reporting ranks. Several veteran journalists have left the station because of lifestyle decisions. They include: Paul Thomas, who left in 2011 to become a full-time dad; Eric Mansfield, who left last year to become executive director of university media relations at Kent State University; and Dick Russ, who left this year to become vice president of resource development for a nonprofit corporation.
Akron native Sara Shookman joined Channel 3's reporting team in June, and the station named a new news director, Brennan Donnellan, in December.
"We're not finished yet," Spectorsky said. "We have some fine-tuning to do, but we think we're on the right track."
Channel 3 isn't the only Cleveland station to have lost high-profile reporters. Channel 5 reporter Curtis Jackson moved to WKRC in Cincinnati. Channel 19 didn't renew contracts of Lynna Lai and Sharon Reed. Lai was hired by Channel 3; Reed is with KMOV in St. Louis.
Sailing through all the changes has been Fox affiliate Channel 8, winning at 4:30 and 5 a.m., 6 a.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Its 10 p.m. newscast puts up a significantly higher number than the 11 p.m. newscasts on channels 3, 5 and 19. Noon is the only time period in which Channel 8 isn't No. 1 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
"It's the right balance of news and homegrown personalities," said Greg Easterly, Channel 8's president and general manager. "Consistency is the key. Change is inevitable, so you have to make it a natural progression for the viewers. For that, you need depth, and that's something we've always prided ourselves on. So when Stacey Bell left, we had someone, Tracy McCool, the viewers already knew."
Spectorsky agrees: "Channel 8 has done a very good job for a very long time. They're the leaders in this town, and I don't mind recognizing who the leaders are. They're the target, and we've got work to do."