About Kent Wieland

www.wkar.msu.edu

Kent Wieland
TV Station Manager
TV Programming Operations.
Phone: 517 432-9527 extension 415
Email: Kent@wkar.org
Room: 516 CAS

More About Kent Wieland

From May 23, 2006, updated May 29, 2007

Have a conversation with Kent Wieland, WKAR-TV's TV station manager and programmer, and you'll quickly discover one thing – the man is passionate, and it carries into all levels of his work.

Wieland, who came to WKAR from WDCQ, the public television station licensed to Delta College in University Center, Michigan, helped lead that station's conversion to digital television and was responsible for programming its five analog and digital channels. That experience will be invaluable as he assists WKAR in expanding its own digital transition and expands its multicasting capabilities.

So, after completing the complex digital transition at one station, why would Wieland possibly want to jump into the fire and do that again?

"I enjoyed it," he says with a smile on his face. "It challenged us and stretched learning the new technology and applying it to programming.

"Programming is not changed by the virtue of technology," he continues. "Technology allows us to do more. There are different ways to transmit that information and broadcasting is only one. Part of what I enjoy about programming is not just the act of programming but the challenge of making programming work most effectively and efficiently. It's like putting a puzzle together and even though the next picture is somewhat the same, it's also very different."

Wieland explains that WDCQ was an early adaptor of the digital technology and much less had been tried at that time. Everyone was creating this new television world simultaneously. Some ideas worked and some were less successful. "There was no blueprint, no preconceptions," he says. "It was 'How do we think it should be done?'"

Ten years ago, the thought of watching television on one's computer was a dream, and the iPod and podcasting weren't even developed. Now, Wieland recognizes these are all ways to deliver programming, often making them more convenient.

"Public broadcasting is a provider of programming. That's the product, and WKAR delivers very good programming," he explains. "The market dictates what we do. FCC can mandate the switch to high definition but can't make the people buy the sets. We are non-commercial but still serve the marketplace, and even though the medium and methods may change as new technologies emerge, the programming must remain consistent."

Wieland's passion for the benefits of technology is clear from the start. His personal computer is filled with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of program offers for public television programs, and he said he rarely prints out information unless it makes sense to do so. He is also a one-man super-advocate for TIVO, which is a television time shifting device.

"TIVO is good for public television," he says enthusiastically. "We want people to watch the programming – if they want to record the whole schedule and watch whenever it works for them, that's great. It's not so good for the commercial broadcasters," he continues, acknowledging that TIVO can eliminate the commercials. "Our product is programming, not commercials. And anything that allows viewers to watch more of our programs reminds them of the services we provide."

He is an equally strong advocate for locally produced programming, reflecting the various communities the stations serve. One of his charges at WKAR will be looking at the schedule and seeing if programs work in their current time periods. Would moving a program to a different time bring it a bigger audience or make it more convenient for those who are most likely to watch? Wieland will look at both national and local programs to see what's working and what might be improved.

One such example was the successful move of QuizBusters from two airings -- on different days at different times each week -- to a back-to-back presentation at a consistent Sunday afternoon time.

"I believe local programming is important and should be prominent in the schedule," he says, explaining that any locally produced program is far more expensive than any program buy from PBS or other sources.

"If it's important enough for the station to produce, it is important enough to put in a place where it's going to be seen," he says.

For Wieland, one of the selling points of a job at WKAR was the opportunity to move his family to the Lansing area and to be part of the Michigan State University community. "Lansing is a nice area to bring up a family," he says. His children, Hans and Nicholas (both in elementary school) and his wife, Becki, will now are able to take advantage of the university community at MSU.

"A university has a lot to offer families and the community," he says, sharing that he is excited about being part of this region.

He's also looking forward to working with MSU students. "I had lots of interaction with students at Delta College and taught TV production, editing, shooting, history – I enjoyed it thoroughly. Students are wonderful. They remind you what you liked about this business and why you got into it." Working with students helps you regain an appetite for it; that's part of the appeal about being at a university."

Kent Wieland is mindful of the "public" in public broadcasting. "Public broadcasting should reflect the public," he says. "Not everyone will like every show we have, but throughout the week, there is something for everyone, whether it's a niche program, like a cooking show, something educational like American Experience or a broader-appeal program like a performance. I love it when people say "I was flipping past with my remote and they name a program they saw and say it was really great." They understood they were learning and enjoyed it."

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