MCTV: 11 years of laughs, tears, and sports years ago
Sports reporter
To most Marion residents it's Channel 22.
In reality it's Marion County Television-WTVN — the Marion County leader in student broadcasting.
Going on 11 years, the station, known as Warrior Television, has been broadcasting football, volleyball, and basketball games, Christmas concerts, and more for Marion County residents.
All through countless hours of volunteering and hard work.
The football team that started it all
The 1994 football season was a memorable one for Marion High School fans. It started with pre-season hype, mixed in a game with Wichita Collegiate where ESPN showed up with its cameras, and concluded with an appearance in the Kansas 3A state championship game.
It also marked the birth of MCTV, and endless Sunday nights of Warrior football games.
Chief Judge of Eighth Judicial District Court and Marion Warrior fan Mike Powers knew that team was special.
"It was pretty evident in the pre-season this was going to be a good football team," he said.
When the buzz started to spread around town a local couple decided to broadcast what everyone was talking about.
The start of a station
Janis Maggard's son Chuck played on the '94 MHS football team. So when her boss at Hurst Communications, (the cable provider before Galaxy) suggested a local sports channel, she thought it would be a good idea.
Earl Hurst had used equipment of his own to broadcast local football games in his former hometown, and offered the equipment to Janis for Marion games.
Janis talked to her husband Dennis about putting the football games on TV, and he agreed to help.
He wasn't the only one.
The Maggards approached Powers to help with announcing, along with Mark Gabbard and Kevin Hoffer.
So when the station officially started, Powers did the color, Gabbard the play-by-play, and Hoffer was the analyst.
It was the start of careers for three announcers Powers says have "no journalistic integrity."
Not that they are rude, crude, and lacking sports knowledge. But because, Powers says, they make no bones about who they are rooting for during games: it's the Marion Warriors and no one else.
As far as negativity on the broadcast? Well, according to Powers there usually isn't any.
"Positive, positive, positive," he said.
And a little bit of humor.
Powers said all of the station's announcers know they aren't big-time, but still love what they do, and love cracking jokes. Sometimes they lead to letters from officials and other schools letting them know how funny they are.
"I'm still waiting for someone to send a letter saying, 'Boy you guys know your sports'." Powers said with a laugh. "But if you can't be good you might as well be funny."
Janis thinks they do a fine job with their sports knowledge.
"They don't try to pull it off as professionals," she said. "But they know their stuff."
While everyone hears Powers and his signature calls during football games, and Jerry Smith and his intensity during basketball games, there are others who keep the station's wheels turning.
For instance, Kevin Fruechting, who works the behind-the-scenes cameras for football, mainly running the replay cam. While he does help announcing other sports, he's been doing behind-the-scenes work for football since the station started.
"It's kind of no glory and all work," Powers said of Fruechting.
Then there is Bob Good.
A Marion Elementary employee who used to put together highlight films after each football game and season.
"He just did some phenomenal highlight films," Janis said of Good.
Highlights, along with the games, the kids would watch over and over again at each other's houses.
"There was hardly a Saturday afternoon that didn't go by that we didn't have half the football team in that living room watching that game; re-living the whole thing," Janis said.
The old school way
Even ESPN started small. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that MCTV started that way as well.
The original announcers' booth wasn't really a booth at all - it was the stands.
Everyone stood at the top of the bleachers with a microphone and no head set. In time the crew began borrowing scaffolding from people they knew around town to use for away games.
"We used to run around and get whatever we could get," Dennis Maggard said.
Announcing from the stands wasn't the only makeshift part of the job.
In the beginning only varsity football games were aired, and then programming from Hurst Communications continued.
How did the station air those games? A little different than they do today.
The footage was on a VHS tape, and had to be transported up to the cable tower every Sunday night. Numerous volunteers, including the Maggards, Powers, and Scott Birk, the station's cable tech, would walk up to the tower and place the tape in its slot.
When the game was over, someone had to trek back up the tower, take out the tape, and reset the channel to its original programming.
"It was a pain," Gene Winkler said.
Now, thanks to Winkler, they don't have to walk up to the tower in rain or shine to show the event.
Combining Forces
Two years after MCTV started, Winkler, who owns G&J Video in Marion, and the station decided to join forces.
It seemed an obvious decision since Winkler already filmed games for MHS coaches.
"It ended up we were sitting right next to each other," Winkler said. "We were both doing the same thing, so why not get better."
And that's what they did.
Winkler joined the group and brought his "video expertise" to the station.
Now the games are broadcast on DVD format from his studio at G&J. No longer does anyone have to trek over to the tower to broadcast the games.
Along with games that run continuously every Sunday and Wednesday night, the station airs parades, ads, and even birthdays of local residents.
A time for change
Like everything else in the world, the station has changed over time.
The Maggards hung around for a year or so after Chuck graduated, but finally gave way to other parents.
Gabbard and Birk have both moved away. Dozens of parents have come and gone.
Powers now does play-by-play for football, Ed Wheeler does color, and Kevin Hoffer is the analyst.
Casey Case of Case & Son Insurance started just helping out behind the scenes, but now is the official sideline reporter for football games.
Jay Smith, owner of Gambino's Pizza, handles the sideline camera for football games, taking over for Powers' wife Judy two seasons ago.
It isn't just the faces that have changed. The format has changed as well over the years.
Instead of just football, the station now shows basketball, volleyball, Marion Middle School games, wrestling, parades, plays, church events, and Christmas concerts.
Winkler said in time it may even show some spring sports games.
"So far they just haven't worked in the schedule," he said.
A lot of help along the way
All of the changing faces haven't hurt the station because of one reason: New help comes every year.
While Powers, Hoffer, Fruechting, and others have been there from the beginning, the help they have had from parents and volunteers has been overwhelming.
Powers said there was no way he could mention every parent who has helped along the way, mainly because there have been too many to count.
One volunteer is especially appreciated. The "anonymous cookie lady" furnishes cookies each week for the football broadcasters. She is the mom of a player, but has asked for the announcers to not mention who she is on the broadcast.
Little things like that have helped them make it through these past 11 years.
That and the fact they are crazy about sports and the city of Marion.
The biggest part of why they are still running strong Winkler said, is the community support. Without it, the station is done.
One hundred percent of the money the station makes is from local sponsors. Their money pays for equipment and upkeep of the station.
That's why when most of MCTV's cameras were stolen last fall Winkler was worried the station was in trouble.
Instead they used money from their savings account to pay for the products that weren't insured. Now, everything is insured, in case it happens again. Money that was to be used for upgrades went to replacing the lost equipment.
Winkler said since the sponsors keep coming in, they still may be able to purchase a product that allows them to "draw" up plays on the screen during instant replays.
"Just like [John] Madden," he said.
Still going strong
With the outpouring of community help and dedication of countless volunteers, MCTV is going better than ever.
According to Powers it wouldn't be here right now if not for Janis and Dennis.
"They are the George and Martha Washington of this whole thing," he said.
That may be so, but the Maggards know without the help of parents, including some whose kids have graduated, and other local volunteers, the station they helped start wouldn't be here today.
"Obviously they're doing it because they really enjoy it," Janis said.
That, and the cookies.
If you'd like to help keep MCTV running strong by donating money, contact Gene Winkler at (620) 382-2115.
