Sunday, September 22, 2024
Continued from previous week
“On my arrival at WLUK, I saw a copy of Standard Rate & Data, the broadcasters’ national ratings book. Printed on the spine of the thick periodical, which published current ad rates for all television stations in the country, was an advertisement which read, ‘The Land of Milk and Money — Green Bay, Wisconsin,’” Former General Manager Tom Hutchison recalled.
“The slogan was created by Haydn Evans, the longtime general manager of WLUK’s strongest competitor, WBAY-TV.”
By then, Evans was gone from WBAY and serving as a consultant for WLUK.
“By the time Post went to get money for the WLUK building, the company was cash poor but somehow managed to borrow $300,000 to complete the building.
“Operating profits for 1966 were $160,000, but when the corporation adjusted for the interest payments, depreciation and amortization, taxes were paid on less than $10,000.
“There would be no additional capital for programming, staff or equipment. Starting the very first month, we had to figure out a way to take in more money than we spent.”
While state legislators were still working on a statewide educational network, WLUK would be ahead of the trend.
WLUK’s Russ Widoe began producing a series of 64 15-minute video tapes that taught fourth-grade students how to read music.
Widoe — also known locally as “Colonel Caboose”— was later named managing editor of Northeastern Wisconsin In-School Television and left WLUK.
Shortly after Hutchison’s arrival, a union was organized.
“WLUK was the only station in the market with a union. Employees in engineering, production and the photo shop were represented, and the Post was one of the few companies unfazed by dealing with union members,” Hutchison explained.
“The contracts were with the telephone company’s union, the Green Bay Chapter of the Communications Workers of America, and were for terms of three years. We seldom had any grievances filed, and none of those led to arbitration.”
Hutchison said the most significant idea they had involving the employees “was not only a morale booster, but added to the station’s revenue.”
The plan was that any employee with an idea for a show was asked to come forward with the concept and cost projection.
“The ideas started coming in, and several significant programs were developed,” Hutchison said.
“Don Schunke, a sales service coordinator, hosted the annual ‘Letters to Santa’ show that was fully sponsored by Mills Fleet Farm stores. On the show, Don would read letters from kids in the days leading up to Christmas. One season after the final show, I stopped in the studio to ask how many letters had been received. It was a giant bag full. I was told we didn’t read all that mail, but each week randomly selected a few letters to read over the air.”
Hutchison had staff read through the remaining letters to make sure there were no letters from youth clearly in need.
Finding one from an eight-year-old boy in Iron Mountain, Mich., asking Santa to bring his sister a doll “because she had never had one” and that if there was anything left could he “please get a little wagon,” something needed to be done.
After contacting a friend in Iron Mountain and finding out the family’s true need, Hutchison and the station had a bunch of toys for the siblings delivered to the home on Christmas Eve with a note that read, “Thanks for writing — Santa.”
To be continued
Many thanks to Dan Spangler, Jay Zollar and Juli Buehler of WLUK and Tom Hutchison for their assistance with this article.
