FAIRMONT - Cable television got its start in small towns like Fairmont, where viewers could only access one or two channels.
"Fairmont had cable 25 years before New York City did," said Steve Winzenburg, a television aficionado. "Now Fairmont seems ahead of its time, but back then, people didn't want to pay for TV."
Winzenburg, a 1973 Fairmont graduate, has spent the past 30 years researching television. He'll speak on "How TV Changed Our Lives" at the Martin County Historical Society's annual meeting on Sept. 16. To reserve a $15 ticket for the dinner, call (507) 235-5178 by Sept. 9.
When he speaks at Red Rock Center for the Arts, Winzenburg will talk about growing up in Fairmont and the town's media history. He'll also share stories about his career path and some of the interesting people he's met along the way, celebrities like Mary Tyler Moore and the actors who played Beaver Cleaver, Eddie Haskel, Greg Brady, Ellie Mae Clampett and more.
"I love to do radio, but I love to research TV, and I'm not really sure why my career went in that path," he said.
His first experiences in radio were as a high school student on Fairmont's legendary Annabelle Webb show, and co-hosting a weekly live drama called "Time for Terror" on KSUM. He also worked part-time at Nicholas Theatre and wrote for a brief time for the Sentinel's sports department, before leaving Fairmont to earn his bachelor and graduate degrees.
"I've worked at 16 different radio stations and right now I'm managing two college stations. ... I've constantly been in radio. I know where that inspiration comes from," he said, crediting Webb.
Television, however, and the impact it has on our society is what inspired him to become an author and a teacher, working as a communications professor at Grand View University in Des Moines. Among the books he's written are "Watching TV Talk Shows," "TV Programming Perspectives" and "TV's Greatest Sitcoms." He's also been published in The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Newsweek and more.
His expertise in the field has led to his own television appearances, including on CBS Evening News, ABC Nightline, Good Morning America, CNN, A&E Biography and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.
"I really feel it's important for people to understand the impact of television on society and on individuals," Winzenburg said. "Most of us treat television like an appliance. It's just something we turn on and it's no big deal. But TV has a big impact on us."
His students have shown him that. From his own childhood, Winzenburg doesn't have many strong memories of watching TV, except going to a friend's house to see The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. His students, however, usually have a different story.
One of his class assignments is for students to go without television for three days and then write about the experience.
"It's heart-breaking," he said. "In these papers, they spill their guts about their upbringings, how their parents used television as a baby-sitter, how can't go to sleep without the TV on, how very insecure they are without television."
"... When they end their exercise with me, they all use the same words: 'I'm addicted.'"
Winzenburg does not lecture them on the sins of television, but rather encourages them to gain control of what and when they watch.
Martin County Historical Society's annual meeting begins at 6 p.m. Sept. 16. To place a reservation, call (507) 235-5178. The event is open to members and non-members alike.
