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Broadcasting |
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| Dick Clark aired after our "Dance show" on WITI-TV's schedule. I assisted with recruiting guests from area high schools to dance live from a dirt
floor barn in Port Washington.
Those were the days when cameras had to cook before air-time. Sometimes, like at one Saturday morning football game, it was so cold outdoors, we moved WTMJ-TV's three cameras into Shorewood HS men's room to warm-up. Facing a row of mirrors; broadcasting live; were scenes no one should see on TV. This - in 1959. |
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Still broadcasting in 1960, I went to college enrolled in Electrical Engineering, but soon found out that differential equations could make or break an engineering career that resulted in changing majors to
Journalism/broadcasting in 1962. At that time, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee was establishing an FM radio station, WUWM. That drew me into helping with programming. I became its Community Affairs Director with outreach to commercial stations, International forums, industry, and Marquette University. On air, I co- hosted with Letha Peterson an all night Jazz show for Milwaukee's "submarine races' enthusiasts. For campus updates I hosted not only "Campus Calendar" - events at both UWM and Marquette University - but also, Sandra Petri and I, co hosted a weekly hour program "Stop Looking & Listen" that additionally aired on WEMP-AM, WTMJ-FM-TV, and WISN-FM. With co-hostess, Sandra, we announced live-on-air UWM's annual Homecoming Parade, later live radio coverage of July 4th fireworks at Lake Michigan's waterfront - disaster! My radio debut happened on WRIT-AM radio as a sometime host for "The Other 98" - in 1960 - 1964. As an alternate "sock-hop" host for Terrill Methaney (Mitch Michaels) who continuously over-booked engagements - like three or four each weekend night; my experience expanded to (1) earning money, (2) slight celebrity, and (3) exhausted. |
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From these early broadcast beginnings a classmate found a sponsor - Marshall & Illsley Bank (Now, US Bank) who produced a public service show concentrating on those kids who were not in nightly news. "The Other 98" was video taped at WISN-TV for broadcast on Thursday nights. It also had radio air-time on WRIT-AM and WOKY-AM as a teen-talk format. About that time, fall of 1963, I was invited as a private E-1 recruit from Reserve Artillery Battery F, 351st Training Regiment to experience military service during that Viet Nam era, January 1964. Entering Military service in 1963, I was sent to Fort Knox for basic training only to be tasked to produce troops activities for a James Bond thriller - "Gold Finger".It took six weeks to film those scenes while I trained my company of recruits as its Platoon Guide C-12-3 and "Pussy Galore" flew around the gold vault. She was the only principal actor that appeared on location. Others performed their scenes in Switzerland. "Other 98" Executive Producer, Gertrude Pulicher, CEO of Marshall & Illsley Bank, requested we do a piece on basic training while there. It aired in April 1964. Miss Pulicher, was mentor to about twenty of us contributing with in-studio and remote community stories "98" was focused on kids who accomplished or had untapped potential worthy of media exposure overshadowed by those two-percent in news stories for wrong-doing. While researching potentials of an Army basic training story I learned of a special person who caught our attention. Two of our teen-girl contributors, asked me to meet this shy, young, tall -skinny, talented, black teen living not far from where I grew up. Back then, I was an anomaly having befriended several young people from Milwaukee's black community. "Oprah" was as unique as her name to us from our "white Protestant-Catholic-Jewish community. We met in her granmom's kitchen somewhere around 16th and Burleigh Streets. Our goal was to encourage her to appear with us on "The Other 98". After meeting with Oprah, yes, it's her, in autumn that year, I left final production and interview with video (2") to our teen-girl associates as I went off to Fort Knox. Concurrently trying to do a piece on military training for youth while trying to complete basic I kept contact with Gertrude regarding progress on our "Oprah" story. No photos or video to follow.... Our paths never crossed again. We both have had resounding impact on those "98%" of youth - from honor, patriotism, to mentoring youth world wide. |
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Another young man, Bill Plante (now with CBS) was starting his career at WISN-TV about that time as a "Weather in the Weather" reporter transformed into a news man after a winter Blizzard almost blew he and his set off a roof-top stage setting one very bitter winter night. We teased each other a lot back then. He as well as Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, Peter Storer, Ruane Hill, Walter Cronkite, Jack Parr, Steve Allen, George Burns & Gracie, Frankie Avalon, Leo Kissel, and Cliff Conley were my early media mentors. |
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In 1965, my broadcast experience landed me a gig at New York's World Fair as manager and announcer for that 10 week show netting Fair Organizers over $82
million in profits over previous year.
We performed six free shows a day, seven days a week. Anybody who was anybody around the world visited our 30 minute show - rain or shine. Our 50 Florida hostesses made everyone feel friendly as our 23 gals and 14 guys skied 26 minutes in a 1/4 mile tank, 3.5 feet deep holding 1 million gallons of water. During that summers' Labor Day weekend, 16,000 or more attended our six-shows a day before I left to return to studying instead of taking that show around the world. Ah! hindsight - not really! It was a precursor for my global travel in all five of my concurrent careers. Visit the show. |
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A great accomplishment was broadcasting, then packaging 49 hours live, Pope Paul VI's fifth Church Music Conference in Chicago and Milwaukee. The year - 1966. We had two weeks to prepare. Interviews with International guests in 17 languages were aired as conferences and workshops continued for five days. Our 16 staff members did a terrific job. Experiencing another global event bringing Church Hierarchy to Milwaukee introduced all of us to advancing public radio through public relations and much hard work. You can read more about it in a letter from Richard Snow of Bernard Ury PR. |
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| As regional editor/PR/Marketing for The Bendix Corporation, weekly audio reports were produced along with marketing videos for its Avionics and Aerospace Divisions in Fort Lauderdale and at Cape Canaveral. I edited 8 movies for Transpo '72, several Apollo launch videos, plus remotes at more than 8 manufacturing plants within My 12 division region. |
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Returning from New York my part-time military assignment changed to an SRF unit, 961St Combat Engineers requiring drills every Tues-Thurs-Sat & Sun as on-call to go to Viet Nam. Call never came, but it began an exciting, rewarding, and never dull concurrent career. In Michigan, our WXYZ-TV documentary won two local Emmys, next to a family of PSA's and combat readiness awards for my commands in Reserve. Desert Storm's video "Answering the Call". after action report highlights importance of Reserve units, training, and military deterrence through readiness and resolve. You can view stills of my military productions over 34 year career in uniform - part-time as a Reservist and National Guardsman. Many were produced to motivate our troops, support their families, promote training, and introduce doctrine to Commanders, Congressmen, Senators, Teachers, and media. |
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Even in retirement, I still get involved with broadcasting around the world when setting up new companies with young people eager to learn entrepreneur management skills.
Using its technology to produce website businesses for associates, teaching Compliance Law for professionals, and producing campaign spots for local candidates including personal appearances on some stations. I've appeared on more than 220 radio and television stations on three continents as guest and interviewer/producer. |
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Dom
Gajard Robert Wagner
