WKYC Names Virgil Dominic Interim ND

Gannett Co.’s NBC affiliate WKYC Cleveland (DMA 18) announced Thursday that veteran newsman Virgil Dominic will serve as the station’s interim news director. He is replacing current News Director Rita Andolsen, who has taken on a new role as director of advocacy and community initiatives working closing with Gannett corporate and 20 other Gannett broadcast stations.  A search is underway for a permanent news director.

“I can’t think of anyone better positioned to help guide our staff through the coverage challenges of the Summer Olympics and fall’s Prime Time launch than Virgil.  He began his career at WKYC as a main anchor and set the tone for the region’s rich history of journalistic excellence,” said station President-GM Brooke Spectorsky. “For the past six years, he has been with us as a talent mentor and consultant, and we see this as a continuation of that vision.”

Dominic studied radio and television journalism at the University of Tulsa and served in the U.S. Air Force as a public information officer. He honed his broadcast skills at the NBC affiliate in Oklahoma before coming to WKYC in 1965.

He moved to Atlanta in 1972 to turn around its ailing ABC affiliate and came back to Cleveland to work for WJW-TV in 1976.

He is a member of five halls of fame: Cleveland Broadcasters Hall of Fame; Cleveland Press Club; Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame; Associated Press Hall of Fame; and UPI Hall of Fame.  He also guest lectures at various colleges and universities.