Marshfield Broadcasting Relives Golden Moments of Marshfield History

Before Twitter, before YouTube, before the Internet, there was Public Access Television. A game changer that gave ordinary people a voice in their local community. No longer did you have to rely on the interpretations of a newspaper reporter to learn what happened at the City Council, or wait for a sound bite from the local radio newscast. You could see it and hear it live on Public Access TV.

Today, while the remaining cash-strapped newspapers are struggling to hold an audience and radio talk shows focus on national and world issues, Public Access TV remains focused on local issues, events, and personalities.  

Over the last 50 years, Public Access Television in Marshfield has established itself as an information source for our city government, local events and community life.  During the month of May Marshfield Public Television (MPT) Channels 989 and 990 are paying tribute to Marshfield’s local history by resurrecting videos and programming hasn't been seen in more than forty years.   “I wish we could have digitized all our tapes sooner because the content is disappearing due to the age of the tapes,” said City of Marshfield Communications Director Tom Loucks.  “Unfortunately, some programs are still locked away on the old ¾ inch tape format and working players are pretty hard to find.”  

Long-time community producer Mike Weigel has been sifting through hundreds of videotapes and is in the process of digitizing them.  Mike said, “It's really fascinating to see. And for younger viewers, it's a chance to actually see those pivotal moments that shaped Marshfield.”  Dean Markwardt, a local resident and a community producer provided Marshfield Broadcasting with the videos he saved, which go back to the late 1970s and 1980s.  

Mike Weigel reporting on his show, It’s Happening!

Public access TV really became a part of the community in the 1990s and 2000s.  Mike recalled the impact that his series from 2005, It's Happening! had on viewers.  At that time, public access was still on channel 2. “Sometimes people would come up to me in the store and talk about the show. It happened to my hosts a lot, too. I remember one time a fan was telling me how much she appreciated the show and I asked which episode? She told me it was the one about the Hannah Center.  I had to think for a minute. ‘The Hannah Center?’ I replied. ‘That was six months ago!’  She remembered!”

“Hopefully, for our viewers, Marshfield Broadcasting’s history month will bring back a lot good memories,” said Tom.  “I hope this will also show people the real value of Public Access TV. Because without it, none of these golden moments would even exist.” 

Marshfield Public Access Television concert coverage on an SD television set.

Locally, you can watch these golden moments from Marshfield's past all through the month of May beginning on Saturday, May 7.  Channel 989, the City of Marshfield’s public access channel, will debut Marshfield Broadcasting’s carriage of historic programs with mini-marathons the weekend of May 7.  These mini-marathons will continue all month between normal programming.  Channel 990, the city’s educational access channel, will carry historic programming “wall to wall” all month. Channel 991, the city’s government access channel will continue with its current-day government coverage.  Anyone with Internet access can also watch the shows on-demand beginning May 9.  Marshfield Broadcasting is on Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV and on marshfieldbroadcasting.com. 

So, pop some popcorn, pull up your easy chair and relive some of Marshfield's golden moments. 

-- Mike Weigel, Community Producer and Tom Loucks, Communications Director, City of Marshfield

West Bend Community TV records Vazquez as she breaks a World Record in weightlifting

Jackie Vazquez, courtesy of Jackie’s Instagram account

On Saturday, January 22, West Bend Community Television helped Jackie Vazquez of The GYM WB by recording her World Record Attempt of The Heaviest Weight Lifted by Turkish Get-Up in one hour by a female.

Jackie broke the record and West Bend Community TV provided the record evidence in real time and a slow motion copy from two angles of the event that was submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records. The media center learned this week that her submission had been approved. She was able to raise $6,132.21 for the Youth Impact Club as well.

Max Alexander takes the reins at WDEE - Deerfield

WDEE Station Manager Max Alexander

The City of Deerfield officially passed the torch to a new generation this summer.  Deerfield TV has long been associated with Dave Lemke and Lyn Meyer.  Now UW-Whitewater graduate, Max Alexander is the new Station Manager.

Max took the reins in July, when the pandemic had slowed the production schedule at WDEE to a crawl.  While the station continued to cover village, township and school board meetings, community events had been cancelled and school sports were at a standstill.

That all changed with the beginning of the new school year.  High school sports are back on and Max has been busy covering football, girls volleyball, girls and boys basketball, and wrestling.  “He’s very good,” said Lyn.  “He’s got the education, he’s well-experienced, knows computers, and he has a brand new Tricaster to play with.  His first new toy!”  Lyn is particularly impressed with his comfort level with the Tricaster and his ability to multitask during a game.  “When he films basketball games, he’s got the controller for the gym cameras, he’s got a keyboard for the Tricaster, and another keyboard for I’m not sure what.  His eyes are going back and forth between all of them. He does a fantastic job changing the shots.  He doesn’t just pan back and forth.  He’ll take a close shot from underneath the basketball hoop and follows it with another interesting shot.  The close shots are constantly changing the view, which makes coverage much more exciting.”  Max has also been working on creating graphics for lower-thirds, intros, and outros to enhance Deerfield’s programs.

Max stepped into the Deerfield part-time position after working for a couple of years at Watertown TV, where he began working after he graduated from UW-Whitewater, and where he still works part-time for Media and Communications Director Lisa Famularo.  Between school and Watertown, he’s had a wide variety of experience.  “I’ve worked as camera operator and assistant director for some shows. My first sports camera work was with ladies tennis and I also completed a few video projects at UW-Whitewater including “Reaper of Death” and “Intranet.”  While at Watertown TV, Max entered two shows in the Best of the Midwest Media Fest and received a Merit Award for the drama Breath of Death and an Excellence Award for “Home Exercise,” a pandemic-inspired program that demonstrated how to stay fit even when you can’t go to the gym.

Lyn and Dave are still active with WDEE. After more than twenty years of building up the PEG TV station, both still want to be a part of it.  Lyn got involved in WDEE right at the beginning after he retired from a long career with AT&T as a central office technician in 1995 and took up driving high school bus part-time.  He leveraged his bus driving gig to boost sports coverage on WDEE.  “For fourteen years I’d drive the team – football, basketball, whatever -- to away games, film the game, then drive the team back home.”  Today, after retiring as station manager after nearly twenty years, Lyn continues to record Deerfield Township meetings and church services at St. Paul Liberty Church. 

Dave retired at 60 from the Dane County Parks Department after a forty-year career and founded WDEE with Fred Fry in 1998.  Dave is still the Chair of the Cable Commission and records village board meetings.  Fred Fry serves as secretary and comes in on Tuesday nights to schedule programs for the week.  Gerry Wichlacz, the multimedia teacher at Deerfield High School, who also got involved early in WDEE, continues to serve on the Cable Commission. His classroom is right across the hall from the WDEE studio where the station moved in 2002 when Lyn became station manager.  The studio is utilized by Gerry for video production classes and his students are encouraged to do production work for WDEE, particularly high school sports coverage. 

“I really appreciate that Max considers Deerfield his number one duty,” said Lyn.  It feels good.  Everyone else -- we’re in our 70’s.  It’s time for some young blood.  New ideas.  We’re very glad Max is here.”

• Mary Cardona