By Kris Leonhardt
Editor-in-chief
Part V in our series on WBAY’s history
As the country entered the “Golden Age” of television, what had been viewed as just a communication tool was realizing its full potential as an entertainment and mass education medium.
Some also viewed television as a tool for reuniting the family, as they gathered around the TV set to watch their favorite shows.
“When we initially started, almost all of our programming was national, taking from primarily CBS, also the Dumont Network. Our number one show was I Love Lucy, which was number one in the nation,” said WBAY historian, Ted Miller.
“Also, coming over from radio, we had Eddie Jason.
“The only female executive we had in our ranks was Helen Day; she was the traffic manager. So, she would set the schedule, make sure the commercials were scheduled, make sure everything was running properly. Basically, she would work out what’s running every minute.
“Then they found out she was a homemaker (and) gave her a cooking show. They gave her a homemaker show that debuted in 1955.”
Helen Day’s show featured “What’s New To ‘Day’” and she became a local celebrity marketing sewing machines, furniture and other products through contests and advertising.
“I think it became part of Eddie Jason’s show. It became A Day with Eddie Jason, and this is before you had daytime talk shows like The View or Regis and Kelly. Before all of these morning talk shows, they were doing it. They were cooking, showing off recipes, showing off local products. ‘Check out this recliner; check out this vacuum cleaner; check out this oven from your local Electrolux dealer.’ They were doing product demonstrations; they’re bringing in guests and talking about the new exhibit at the Neville Museum,” Miller explained.
The television station’s reach led to increased opportunity for marketing events on a larger scale, giving it a visual appeal, as the station began to hit its stride.
“I think around 1958, we started doing the expos. As far as I can tell, the first one was a WBAY boat show. Around 1958 I don’t know that for sure,” Miller added.
“They’re no longer WBAY; PMI took them over a few years ago. So, they’re just the Green Bay Boat Show, the Green Bay Home & Garden Show, that type of thing. But we ran them for 50-60 years, I think. We had the Home & Garden Show, RV & Camping Show.
“In 2006, we started the Pet Expo. In 2005, we started the Big Boys Toys Show; that last two years — monster trucks and barbecue grills and stuff like that.
“There was a WBAY Sports Show sometime in the 1960s; I don’t have any records on that, only a sign that says, ‘WBAY Sports Show at Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena; You could win this 1964 station wagon.’ So, there were other shows.”
According to a report from Washington and Lee University, television set ownership grew from 9% in 1950 to 87% in 1960.
Next week: Expanding programming