In 2022, the Best of the Midwest Media Fest Significant Community Program Award was awarded to Kenosha Voices. The Kenosha Voices series began more than a year ago with the idea of interviewing the owners and workers from the “lost industries” that once formed the economic backbone of Kenosha.  “The Kenosha County Historical Society had been discussing doing an oral history project for decades and coming out of the pandemic, it just seemed like it was time,” said Chris Allen, executive director of the Kenosha History Center. 

“The project quickly evolved,” said Allen.  “Once we started airing the program on Kenosha Community Media (KCM) channel 14 and on our YouTube channel, there was so much interest in the project from people beyond that group.” With KCM providing the technical expertise, more than 60 interviews have now been completed with a wide assortment of people -- teachers, small business leaders, politicians, and people who grew up in Kenosha and have memories to share. “There is no insignificant story,” said Allen.  “They are all important in their own way.” 

Allen serves on the KCM board of directors, so he was aware of the technical services KCM could contribute to the project.  Late in 2021 he began talking with Media Coordinator Jason Rimkus.  Two volunteers at the History Center were also involved from the start.  After interviewing each other, Karl Frederick, who worked for the Kenosha News for 40 years, and Bob Lichter, who worked at Peter Piersch, a manufacturer of fire trucks, turned to interviewing. 

“I think what has made the series so engaging is that we are bringing primary sources in front of the camera to talk about what it was like to be on a factory line building engines and what it was like to be in front of a classroom of kids.  When you hear a story from a first-person perspective, it’s powerful.  People can relate to it.  And it sparks memories.  They think, ‘I remember going to the Thompson Strawberry Farm!  I remember watching the ships come into the dock!” They remember the good old days.  We’re sharing their history.  They worked alongside these workers we are talking with.  They remember these same businesses.”

The first weekly episode of Kenosha Voices debuted on February 11, 2022.  Allen says, “Oral history is difficult at times.  It can bring up difficult subjects.”  It can also go in unexpected directions.  Before sitting down in front of the cameras, Allen and his volunteer team do a pre-interview.  “We go in with a set of questions reflecting what we think they will want to talk about and find they want to talk about something completely different. And it’s fascinating.  And that’s what we go with.” Allen also said he’s learned the value of talking with people from different walks of life who have all lived through the same history, but from different vantage points.  “Kenosha is a very diverse community so it’s important to talk with people from all backgrounds.  What’s been interesting is that we get stories from people who were working in the very same building, but the stories about their experience are very different.”

In 2022, the Best of the Midwest Media Fest Significant Community Program Award was awarded to two programs produced by member media centers. The first, Oregon Life, is a social media series produced by Frank Caruso of OCA Media. The second is Wastewater Treatment Plant Virtual Tour produced by Kevin Bargender of Wisconsin Rapids Community Media. Both programs illustrate the important role community television plays in meeting critical community information needs and building community identity.

You may not think an hour-long program on a wastewater facility could hold your attention, but Kevin’s feature, deftly moderated by Ryan Giefer, Wastewater Superintendent, is a fascinating, highly visual tour that takes the mystery out of what happens to our liquid wastewater when it leaves our properties.   The video, posted to YouTube in late January of 2021, has generated more than 285,000 views worldwide and has evoked praise for its accuracy, wonder at the conscientiousness of city employees, and gratitude for how the process protects the environment. The piece has also inspired a new generation of civil servants: 

“I'd passed my licensure examination for Sanitary Engineer about one month ago and decided to take the path of Wastewater Engineering Field and this presentation inspired me and created a passion in me to enhance my skill and to explore wastewater engineering to become effective in this field. You guys showed me that I chose the right path for my career. Thank you for doing an excellent job in your work.” 

 In his recommendation for the award, Joe Bachman, Director of Wisconsin Rapids Community Media, a department of the City of Wisconsin Rapids, also conveyed some sad news about the narrator, Ryan Giefer. “Unfortunately, this video comes with tragic context. In November 2021, Ryan Giefer, the main narrator of the tour, passed away. We here at Wisconsin Rapids Community Media are deeply saddened by this and we believe this video is a great way to honor his legacy.  This video is not only a testament to the hard work of our city employees and residents of Wisconsin Rapids, but a tribute to a Wastewater Superintendent whose words will live on for decades to come through this impactful video.”  

Oregon Life produced by Frank Caruso, OCA Media, was designed to be a weekly social media feature.  “As COVID limited some of our programming content,” said Paul Zwicker, Director of OCA Media, a non-profit PEG media center for the Village of Oregon, “short form storytelling like Oregon Life was increased and shared on a nearly weekly basis in 2021.”  The image-rich features range in length, but central to them is the interview in which community members inevitably talk about what motivates them. “Our producer Frank Caruso consistently finds residents whose stories are both uplifting and entertaining,” said Paul.  For example, Arlan Kay, Prairie Burn Manager of Prairie Burn, inspires the audience to think about the value of Lerner Conservation Park, “What many people call the swamp – the wasteland…it is not.  It’s a very valuable piece of nature that is in the heart of the village.”  Donna Gehin, Alterations Specialist, explains to Frank, “Making people look nice is what I love to do.”  Gene Vanden Bosch, State Director of Bugles Across America, looks back on playing taps at funerals – sometimes for friends, “You’re honoring them, and you get through those 24 notes and make sure you do the best job you absolutely can do in their honor.”   Each feature is captivating for different reasons.  We learn about the people, and we learn about what they love to do.

The Oregon Life series is given the credit for increasing OCA Media’s Facebook subscribers to nearly 2,000 – quite an achievement for a media center serving a village with a population of 11,000.“I am nominating this program for a number of reasons,” said Paul to Wisconsin Community Media.“Perhaps most importantly is the impact this program has had on community recognition of Oregon Community Access (OCA Media).”By increasing the audience for OCA Media generally, Oregon Life is paving the way for OCA Media to serve the information needs of the community in many, many other important ways.

-Mary Cardona