Green Bay public TV facility celebrates survival
Green Bay Press Gazette - Green Bay, Wis.
| Author: | Warren Gerds |
| Date: | Aug 15, 2005 |
| Start Page: | D.1 |
| Section: | Thats Life |
| Text Word Count: | 784 |
Document Text
The "Teen Connection" folks are holding an open house Wednesday to celebrate and say thanks.
"So many in the community helped us -- donors and people who went to the public hearing," says public TV producer Eileen Littig of Green Bay.
Littig is referring to April 24, 2002, when people gathered at Brown County Central Library to speak on behalf of the production facility that was facing closure due to budget problems at Wisconsin Public Television.
"What at the time looked to be a hopeless situation turned out to be a relatively successful grass-roots effort," says Paul Jadin, president of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.
The entity did not survive intact, but an independent organization came along to keep avenues open for Green Bay to remain a hub of documentary making: Educational Television Productions of Northeast Wisconsin.
"We were worried that if we lost this production facility that these kinds of programs would not be produced not only here but not be produced in the state because we have such a good track record," says William Hynes, president of St. Norbert College as well as of ETP-NEW.
"They can be produced elsewhere theoretically -- in Milwaukee or Madison -- but here is the place where the network and the traditions of doing this are aligned well."
Located at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the facility has turned out statewide "Teen Connection" broadcasts along with numerous documentaries on tough topics for three decades.
"They add value in providing stories about important issues -- Hmong families who have come to Green Bay, the changing diversity of Green Bay, teenage suicide -- and having those stories told by people who are directly involved," says Nancy Armbrust, ETP-NEW board secretary and vice president of education and community relations for Schreiber Foods.
Wednesday's event includes a meet-and-greet hour with hors d'oeuvres, a few brief remarks from key people and the showing of video highlights from the past year.
Of note, projects include the four "Teen Connection" programs broadcast statewide and the documentary "You Don't Want to Live in My House" made by inmates of the Green Bay Correctional Institution.
"The open house is primarily to let people know we're still here," says Dean Thomas, ETP-NEW executive director. "We made it through the first year. It looks like we're pretty much set on a contract for next year (with Wisconsin Public Television and UW-Extension).
Ahead, the center has a "Teen Connection" broadcast set for Oct. 18 on teens and prescription drugs. Among other projects, it's at work on a documentary on restorative justice.
"With restorative justice, you have a group of victims who talk to a group of inmates," Thomas says. "We're putting a face on crime, realizing that there are many victims in a crime, not only the victim and their family but sometime even the perpetrator's family.
Also on the horizon is a companion piece to "You Don't Want to Live in My House" involving the women's prison, Taycheedah.
Keeping the Green Bay facility going was important in two ways to Jadin.
"The programming that we've enjoyed here is first rate, first of all," he says.
The studio also is useful for other activity.
"When there were major statewide events that required some sort of weigh-in from Green Bay, it would have been nearly impossible to have everyone drive to Madison every time there needed to be an interview," Jadin says.
Had not 54 parents, kids, educators, public officials and everyday citizens spoken out in 2002, it's doubtful the facility would be operating today with the support of a nonprofit, tax-deductible 501C corporation.
"There were two years of functioning before that, basically with a handshake," Hynes says. "Now we're more formal. We have a 12-member board, and we have signed and sealed contracts with UWGB as our landlord and a master contract we are about to sign with Wisconsin Public Television and UW-Extension."
It's still not easy, notably the funding part. Some programs in production need a financial lift, and they're not all heavyweight programs.
One is on Ten Chimneys, the estate at Genesee Depot of Broadway theater legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
Also possible is a piece for the "In Wisconsin" series on the Green Bay East-Green Bay West 100th anniversary football game.
"That looks like something that would be really fun to do," Thomas says.
Warren Gerds writes about television and radio for the Press-Gazette. Write to him at P.O. Box 23430, Green Bay, WI 54305-3430 or e-mail wgerds@greenbaypressgazette.com.
If you go
* What: Educational Television Productions of Northeast Wisconsin open house
* When: 5-7 p.m. Wednesday
* Where: Production center at Instructional Services Building at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
* Admission: Free
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