WKYC Channel 3 announces expanded roles for Christi Paul, Betsy Kling

Christi Paul joins Russ Mitchell, Betsy Kling and Jim Donovan on "3News at 6" starting June 12. Kling will also co-anchor WKYC's 11 p.m. newscast starting in July.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- WKYC Channel 3 has announced a series of programming changes, including new co-anchors for Russ Mitchell on the 6 & 11 p.m. weeknight newscasts.

The changes impact every daypart, beginning with Carmen Blackwell moving from the 5 p.m. broadcast to the morning show, “GO!”, alongside the current team of Maureen Kyle, Dave Chudowsky, Hollie Strano and Danielle Wiggins. The program airs weekdays from 4:30-7 a.m.

At 4 p.m., “What’s New” is being rebranded as “3News at 4″ and will be anchored by Laura Caso, Isabel Lawrence and Matt Rascon.

“I’m excited to help viewers jumpstart their evening routine, catching viewers up on the news they may have missed during the day and sharing the top stories that their families need to know,” Caso said in a press release.

It will be followed by “3News at 5,” formerly known as “What’s Now,” anchored by Christi Paul and Jay Crawford, who moves from 4 p.m. back to his old timeslot. The newscast will also feature investigative reports by veteran reporter Lynna Lai.

“We’re looking forward to using this hour of programming to feature more in-depth reports, impactful investigations and tangible takeaways that leave our community both well-informed and inspired,” Lai said.

Meteorologists Matt Wintz, Jason Mikell and Payton Domschke will share weather forecasting duties during the 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. hours.

Paul, who arrived from CNN last summer, becomes Mitchell’s new co-anchor on “3News at 6,″ joining a team that also features Betsy Kling on weather and Jim Donovan on sports.

“We love Northeast Ohio and understand the issues and challenges that our community faces on a daily basis,” said Mitchell, now in his 11th year at the station.

Caso replaces Kling on “Front Row,” the station’s 7 p.m. newscast co-anchored by Donovan. The longtime 3News sports anchor announced last week that he’s battling leukemia again but vowed to be on the air as much as he can.

“But there are going to be periods of time where I might not be with you,” he said. “That might be for a day, might be for a longer period of time. We’ll just have to see how the treatment plan goes and see how I react to it all.”

Finally, Kling trades places with Caso at 11 p.m., assuming the co-anchor chair next to Mitchell on “What’s Next.” Wintz and Donovan round out the late-night news team.

“I’m looking forward to returning to the late news to join Russ at the anchor desk and all of you at home,” Kling said. “‘What’s Next’ isn’t just the name of a newscast-- it’s the compass for our coverage. Whether a weather forecast or the news and stories that impact our hometown, the future is changing, and we need to look toward it.”

Most of the changes take effect on Monday, June 12. Kling, however, won’t be joining the 11 p.m. broadcast until July after taking some time off.

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