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(SLOW POLKA PLAYING)
(PIGS OINKING)
>> MIDWEST CASH HOGS TODAY
TO 51.50.
(CATTLE MOOING)
THE CATTLE FUTURES ARE MIXED
WITH AUGUST UP 20 AT 69.50.
>> THERE'S A LITTLE TOWN IN
WISCONSIN, SURROUNDED BY BEAUTY
AND MUSIC IN THE AIR, POLKA
MUSIC...
>> YOU'RE LISTENING TO THE POLKA
STATION, WIBU, BOB DANIELS
HANGING AROUND WITH YOU.
>> ...19 HOURS A DAY.
>> WE'RE NOT POINTING ANY
FINGERS, BUT HERE ARE THE
OLD-TIMERS, COME ON IN THE BARN
GUYS.
(POLKA MUSIC)
>> THE COWS LISTEN, AND THE MILK
FLOWS.
THE PEOPLE LISTEN, AND THE GOOD
TIMES FLOW.
GOOD TIMES, THAT IS, FOR
EVERYBODY EXCEPT LEE HARRIS, WHO
BROUGHT POLKAS TO WIBU IN
POYNETTE MORE THAN THREE YEARS
AGO.
♪ I NEED A POLKA TO GET ME
THROUGH THE DAY... ♪
>> I GAVE THEM SOMETHING THEY
DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE, AND NOW I'M
TAKING IT AWAY, AND IT'S NOT
EVEN A BAD PERFORMER BY LOCAL
STANDARDS.
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE
AUDIENCE IS A SUBSTANTIAL
NUMBER, BUT IT'S DIFFICULT TO
MARKET.
♪ POLKAHOLIC!
POLKAHOLIC! ♪
THERE'S 200,000 IN THE AREA:
35,000 TUNE IN TO THE STATION,
165,000 DON'T.
FROM A PRACTICAL STANDPOINT--
AND I HAVE TO PUT FOOD IN MY
MOUTH OUT OF THIS RADIO
STATION-- I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE.
>> GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND
GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO THE
ESSEN HOUSE SHOW HEARD LIVE ON
WIBU, BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
>> SO, HARRIS BRINGETH THE
POLKA; NOW HE IS ABOUT TO
TAKETH AWAY.
(MAN YODELING)
MOST OF THE LOYALISTS HERE AT
THE WEEKLY SUNDAY NIGHT REMOTE
HAVEN'T HEARD ABOUT THE COMING
CHANGE.
>> I REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU
FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN,
IT'S VERY COMMANDING.
CARRY ON FOR A LOT OF YEARS
HERE, BECAUSE THIS WHAT IS WE
NEED IN WISCONSIN, YOU KNOW.
HAPPY SONGS MAKE HAPPY PEOPLE.
>> WANT ME TO GO GET YOU A
KNIFE?
>> BUT BACK AT THE STATION, BOB
DANIELS KNOWS THE HOURS OF
NUMBERED FOR POLKAS.
>> HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?
>> I'M SAD, VERY SAD.
>> BOB'S MORNING SHOW WILL
CONTINUE AFTER THE FORMAT
CHANGE, BUT THE OTHER DISC
JOCKEYS WILL BE REPLACED BY
THIS.
>> (VOICE ON SPEAKER): FROM
MARSHALL TO MIDDLETON, GOOD
MUSIC STATION A.M. 1240,
WIBU.
>> INSTEAD OF USING TAPE OR SOME
OTHER KIND OF MEDIA, THE AUDIO
FOR THE COMMERCIALS AND THE
STATION IDENTIFICATIONS IS
RECORDED ONTO THE HARD DRIVE OF
THE COMPUTER.
SO ON THE HARD DRIVE IN THIS BOX
IS ALL THIS AUDIO INFORMATION.
IT'S TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE TO SET
UP A MONTH'S WORTH OF
BROADCASTING AND WALK AWAY FROM
IT.
IT WILL ROLL.
>> A COMPUTER DUBBED "JOCK IN A
BOX," AND THIS, A NEWLY
INSTALLED SATELLITE DISH THAT
WILL LINK WIBU WITH A HIGH-TECH
PARADISE IN DALLAS, TEXAS.
>> WE HAVE EIGHT RADIO STATIONS
IN ONE PLACE HERE.
(OLDIE PLAYING)
(RAP MUSIC PLAYING)
(BALLAD PLAYING)
>> SATELLITE MUSIC NETWORK,
WHERE HARRIS HAS TURNED TO SOLVE
HIS PROBLEMS.
>> SATELLITE MUSIC NETWORK IS A
SERVICE-- FULL-TIME FORMAT
SERVICE TO ABOUT 1,000 RADIO
STATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
>> ROBERT HALL IS VICE PRESIDENT
OF PROGRAMMING FOR SMN.
>> HERE'S LUTHER.
(LUTHER VANDROSS SONG PLAYS)
>> THEY TAKE OUR MUSIC, THEY
TAKE OUR DISC JOCKEYS, AND
BASICALLY PUT IT ON LOCALLY AND
RUN 24 HOURS A DAY, A LOT OF
THEM.
>> AND THE GREAT MUSIC JUST
CONTINUES ON AND ON AND ON.
>> STARDUST IS THE FORMAT WIBU'S
LEE HARRIS CHOSE TO REPLACE ALL
THOSE POLKAS, MUSIC FROM THE BIG
BAND ERA, THE 40'S, THE 50'S,
THE SOUNDS BEFORE ROCK 'N' ROLL.
>> WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BIG PARTY
HERE EVERY SINGLE DAY.
(COWS MOOING)
>> AND THE POLKA POINT JUST
WITNESSED A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET.
>> IT'S JUST HOURS TO THE
SWITCH, AND LEE HARRIS,
ANTICIPATING LISTENER OUTCRY,
PREPARES A MEMO TO DANIELS, HIS
ONLY REMAINING FULL-TIME JOCK.
ONE POLKA AN HOUR.
>> NO MATTER HOW MUCH THE
CALLERS BEG AND MOAN, IT'S ONE
PER HOUR, PERIOD.
CALLERS WHO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH
THIS SHOULD BE INSTRUCTED TO
CALL ME AFTER 8:30 A.M. OR OFFER
TO SELL THEM THE RADIO STATION,
CURRENT ASKING PRICE $475,000
CASH.
♪ UNTIL THEY TOUCH THE GREEN,
GREEN GRASS OF HOME ♪
>> NORMALLY, WIBU WOULD BE
PREPARING TO SIGN OFF AROUND
MIDNIGHT.
BUT TONIGHT, WITH A FULL MOON,
AND MOST OF ITS LISTENERS SOUND
ASLEEP, IT STAYED ON THE AIR.
HOWEVER, POYNETTE'S POLKA
STATION HAD CHANGED ITS TUNE.
(SONG ENDS)
>> WELL, HERE GOES.
THIS TECHNICALLY WILL DO IT.
>> WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
>> I'M PULLING THE SWITCH THAT
WILL TAKE US OFF OF LOCAL
CONTROL AND THROW US ON TO
DALLAS.
IT'S DONE.
>> SO YOU JUST DISCONNECTED
POLKA.
>> I PULLED THE PLUG ON POLKA.
>> HERE COMES THE FIRST SONG ON
THE NEW FORMAT.
(ORCHESTRA PLAYS)
I WISH I COULD TELL YOU WHAT IT
IS, BUT I DON'T KNOW.
SOUNDS PLEASANT THOUGH.
♪♪ IF I RULE THE WORLD
EVERY DAY WOULD BE
♪ THE FIRST DAY... ♪
(PHONES RINGING)
>> GOOD MORNING, WIBU.
>> YOU'RE NOT TOO THRILLED ABOUT
THAT.
>> NO, WE'LL STILL PLAY SOME
POLKA, BUT NOT ALL THE TIME.
(PHONES RINGING)
♪ AND WE'D SING OF THE JOY