Changes At 3001 Euclid

The folks at Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 are no strangers to change, and here comes a big one…

SAM STEPPING DOWN: Vice president/general manager Sam Rosenwasser, who took over the top post at WEWS in 2010, is stepping down next month.

It’s been no secret that Rosenwasser has been battling health problems, but he all but brings the medical X-rays to Plain Dealer television writer Mark Dawidziak:

Rosenwasser’s health crisis began when his intestines were punctured during surgery for hip replacement.

“That led to peritonitis and a three-month stay in the hospital,” he said. “I was unconscious for several weeks, and there were 11 operations in 18 months. And it was a heavy-duty rehab. I had to learn how to walk and talk again. It has been a lot. This is an extremely competitive business, and you have to be running at 100 percent.”

(Our photo comes from a screenshot of a 2013 WEWS promotional video on YouTube)

As we heard earlier Monday, and posted on social media…

Can confirm that Sam Rosenwasser is resigning as @WEWS GM 12/15. Has battled health problems, feels now is time to leave w/ND-eng in place.

— Ohio MediaWatch (@ohiomediawatch) November 17, 2014

….Rosenwasser tells the PD’s Dawidziak that new personnel, including the appointment of a new news director, give him confidence to be able to step away from 3001 Euclid:

Rosenwasser’s announcement was made two months after Jeff Harris became the news director at Channel 5. Although Harris has spent the last six years as the news director at KMGH Channel 7 in Denver, he’s no stranger to Northeast Ohio. A Cleveland native, he is a graduate of Cleveland Heights High School and Cleveland State University.

“We have a great team in place right now,” Rosenwasser. “So the timing feels right.”

“eng” in our early Monday afternoon tweet refers to the hiring of a new chief engineer.

In his four and a half year tenure steering the Good Ship NewsChannel 5, the station has easily seen the most change of any of the four major TV newsrooms in Cleveland.

But…we dial back to 2010, to our very own item about Rosenwasser’s profile by then-Plain Dealer media writer Julie Washington, just months after he came to Cleveland out of retirement from Tampa:

Julie certainly approaches the turmoil at 30th and Euclid, calling Rosenwasser “the latest” general manager in a position that’s had a lot of turnover.

There will certainly be no celebrations breaking out at 3001 Euclid due to the well-liked Rosenwasser’s departure next month.

If there will be more stability at WEWS, it will have to come from Scripps appointing Rosenwasser’s successor…and then, basically getting out of his or her way.

Rosenwasser’s last day, as noted in our tweet and by the Plain Dealer, is December 15th…

EXIT TWO: One thing not noted in the Mark Dawidziak article…the “NewsChannel 5” weather staff is about to lose one team member.

OMW hears that weekend meteorologist Trent Magill is heading out. We don’t know his new destination, but Magill is reportedly heading for a weekday weather gig in another market.

Magill came to WEWS three years ago, and leaves the building on December 4th…

AND A NOTE: We are again slower than usual, as, well, Life has once again Intervened with a vengence away from the Mighty Blog.

And of all the times that has happened in our history here, that may be a huge understatement.

As such, with our priorities turned to things much more important than keeping an eye on media news, we’ll be here when we can.

We’re not invoking the H word here (hiatus) or asking for sympathy…just patience.

As usual, you’ll generally find more timely media news items on our social media presence…since that takes much less time to handle.

We’ll try to get here, eventually…