The TV Footwear Has Dropped

In which we finally tell you the local TV item we’ve been hinting about for weeks…the appointment of a new news director in Cleveland.

In what could be the very definition of a “long awaited announcement”, as expected by This Corner and everyone in local TV news, Tribune Fox affiliate WJW/8 “Fox 8” has officially named assistant news director Andy Fishman as its new news director.

No, not “acting” news director or “interim” news director…that happened a ways back.

The Plain Dealer’s Mark Dawidziak explains to the outside world what everyone in local media already knew, including your Primary Editorial Voice(tm):

Fishman has been the Cleveland Fox affiliate’s interim news director for the past six weeks.

A graduate of Orange High School and Ohio University, Fishman has been with the station for 20 years. He replaces Sonya Thompson, who became the director of news projects for Channel 8’s parent company, Tribune Media Group.

And as it turns out, Sonya Thompson’s new office is still in the Fox 8 building…on the third floor, in the office formerly occupied by now-retired anchor Wilma Smith.

During this time period, with Thompson no longer news director up until Wednesday’s announcement, we’ve talked to a lot of “Fox 8 News” employees and former employees, and Fishman has pretty much gotten the “thumbs up” from all of them.

He tells the PD’s Dawidziak that he’s getting input from everyone:

Fishman said he has been having one-on-one meetings with members of the Channel 8 news team. He has been asking them two questions.

“The first is, ‘What can I do for you?’ ” Fishman said.
“The second is, ‘What can you do for me?’ No matter how well we’re doing, we always can do better. We always need to keep assessing how to provide more relevant content in more meaningful ways to our viewers — how to make stronger connections in an ever-changing TV and media landscape.

Fishman’s 30 years of experience include a stint at 3001 Euclid, home of Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5.

And OMW has heard there was interest at “NewsChannel 5” in bringing Fishman back for the news director opening that was eventually filled by Cleveland native Jeff Harris, who left Scripps’ sister station in Denver.

But….Fishman hung in there at 5800 South Marginal/Dick Goddard Way, and his day has come as the top news boss of the market’s top-rated newsroom…