Longtime Cable 9 Executive Director Retires
Macedonia native Jeff Cole attended Nordonia High School where he was a stand-out wrestler, placing 6th in the state in 1977 and 4th in the state in 1978. He was instrumental in the team’s stunning 1977 State Wrestling Championship.
Jeff attended Louisiana State University on a wrestling scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism in 1982. He was hired here at Cable 9 that same year, and subsequently spent the next 38 years helping to transform hometown video Cable 9 into a nationally recognized and regionally respected local television station.
Beyond his duties as Executive Director, Jeff was passionate about promoting high school wrestling on television, and covered the Ohio High School State Wrestling Tournament for 19 years. He also organized and hosted the Cable 9 Wrestling Tri for Nordonia, Aurora and Twinsburg High Schools for twenty years. He expanded high school sports coverage to include a myriad of both boys’ and girls’ athletics. Jeff will continue on as the color commentator for what will be his 40th and final year of Friday Night Football in 2021.
Beyond sports, Jeff hosted other popular local shows, including “Coach’s Close-Up” and the long-running Mayors’ Reports. He produced “Network Nordonia,” “Buzzcutz,” “Summit County Government Affairs,” “Working Today,” “Making Sense With Your Money,” “Public Matters” and “Philanthropy Today.” Jeff directed the popular show “Moore Movies” from 1988 to 2020, and served as staff liaison for several community access programs throughout the years. He was responsible for countless in-studio and on-location local interviews and feature stories.
Member communities of Aurora, Macedonia, Northfield Center, Reminderville, Sagamore Hills, Twinsburg and Twinsburg Township all invited Jeff to council meetings for commendations throughout the Fall of 2020, some in person and some virtually due to COVID-19 constraints. The tributes were touching and personal; his storied achievements made this corner of northeast Ohio a better place to live and his co-workers will miss him!
