CLEVELAND: Panelists will discuss the current transformation and the future of news for traditional mainstream radio, television, and print at noon on Thursday, November 30, 2006, at The City Club of Cleveland. Denise Polverine, editor-in-chief of cleveland.com, will serve as moderator for this first in a series of four programs.

Responsible for managing the direction of their respective news operations, our panelists will address their current transitions, and predict the future, for getting their news “products” delivered to consumers.

Panelists are as follows:

·         Mike McCormick, news director, WKYC-TV3

·         Tom O’Hara, managing editor, The Plain Dealer

·         Darren Toms, director of news programming, Clear Channel Cleveland

The Future of News Media is a four-part series, in partnership with the Society of Professional Journalists, Cleveland Chapter, that explores the changing state of mainstream media’s approach to delivering the news, how the public and journalists are responding to the news evolution, implications of media ownership, regulation and technologies for an informed democracy, and what media critics like and dislike about local news. Series participants will also attempt to predict the future of news and how consumers will want and use it.

Future programs include In Their Opinion: A Panel of Media Critics (January 18, 2007), News Media Ownership and the Implications for Democracy (February 15, 2007), and In Their Words: Teens as Media Consumers and Predictors (March 15, 2007).

Tickets for this City Club Special Program are $15 for members and $25 for non-members. Lunch is included. Reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance of the event. They can be purchased by calling The City Club at 216.621.0082 or visiting the website at www.cityclub.org.