However, my recent visit to Erie was for an entirely different exhibition of bears at Drenched Fur 8! Drenched Fur is an event that brings together the bear community from Erie and surrounding areas for socializing, entertainment and an excursion to the Splash Lagoon water park!
Of course, a trip to Erie made my eyes light up with the possibility of visiting some of my favourite TV stations! Luckily, I was able to arrange a tour of the WICU facility which houses the longtime NBC affiliate as well as WSEE and WBEP! So stay tuned for my recap of this rollickin' road trip that's part travelogue, part TV-log! (All television pics are from my reception in Markham, unless otherwise noted!)
MARCH 30, 2012
My travel companions included Chris, Mark and Mr. A and we were ready for mayhem!
We drove through Buffalo, NY and I immediately recognized their downtown core from previous visits as well as stories I've seen on TV! (Compare with the second pic seen via Buffalo's WGRZ, RF33 on Feb. 22, 2012.)
We also passed by Buffalo's PBS affiliate WNED, which has a large Canadian support base and shows lots of quality programming!
We reached Pennsylvania a couple of hours after crossing the border, and I did my best Vanna White impression at the rest stop pictured below.
Soon we were in Erie's downtown area and I was snapping away at anything I recognized from television. We passed Calamari's, which I remembered from a commercial I saw on WICU (RF12) back on November 12, 2009! (Love that sassy octopus!)
I also got to see the famous Warner Theater as well as an Erie bus! Check out the pics from when I saw both on Erie's WQLN (RF50) back on June 22, 2010 and October 10, 2010 respectively.
I was extremely grateful to WICU's News Director Lisa Adams for arranging a tour for my group! I had seen the station briefly during an impromptu road trip in 2009, but always hoped for a more in-depth look at the station!
I was floored when I saw this amazing carpet with the logos of all three stations on display.
We began the tour with the awesome Katie Keenan guiding us through the building. I was also jazzed that reporter/anchor Vince Slomsky joined us for our look at the station! At this point during the tour I got to meet legendary WSEE sports anchor Gary Drapcho. (I've seen Gary on many WSEE newscasts including the one pictured below from June 10, 2010.)
I totally a-door-ed the way the station logos were presented at this entryway! (During the tour Vince Slomsky asked how often I pick up WICU, and I said that it comes and goes depending on the weather. To my surprise Katie Keenan mentioned that she can occasionally pick up Canada's CITY-TV!)
Ever since I was young, I've loved NBC, so it was neat to see this giant display on the wall with WICU's station ID! (In fact, WICU was one of the first "far away" stations I remember catching as a kid, and my first TV Garth post was about the station!)
My group got the chance to sit at the Post normally filled by WICU's anchors! Compare with a pic from WICU seen back on June 14, 2010 with Rob Wilson, Amanda Post, Kevin MacDowell and Mike Ruzzi.
Shortly after, I was very excited to get a pic with Amanda Post and Vince Slomsky! I might look calm on the outside, but I was squealing with glee on the inside!
Amanda went onto the news set to do a live promo, and Mr. A insisted I tell our group the pun I used on my blog once, which went, "Amanda Post doesn't sit on the fence about the issues!" (Check out the pic below from when I saw Amanda on WICU back on October 29, 2009!)
Not too far from the WICU set is the area where WSEE's newscasts are presented! Compare with a broadcast I saw on WBEP (RF12-2) back on August 2, 2010 with Gary Drapcho, Scott McDonnell and Joey Stevens.
Speaking of Joey Stevens, he no longer appears on WSEE, but he's still very popular on Lilly Broadcasting's One Caribbean Weather channel. Joey's sassy sidekick is Bob The Parrot.
Mr. A asked if we could see Bob, and they were gracious enough to give us the bird! (In honor of Bob, I also drank plenty of Parrot Bay Rum that weekend!)
We got to see the various control rooms used at the station, and met some of the talented folks that keep the broadcasts running smoothly!
I enjoyed getting to see all the monitors showing the various feeds of each station sent out to satellite and over-the-air viewers. (There are even separate feeds for WSEE, which has a local version and a Caribbean-targeted version.)
We also got a quick glimpse of how local commercials would be inserted into syndicated fare like Rachael Ray. (As a side note, I loved his jacket!)
Throughout the building there were amazing framed photos of historical moments from both WICU and WSEE. Below is a picture of the "35 Live" trucks that were being introduced in WSEE's newscasts.
The idea of a small market like Erie getting a full powered TV station was so radical in 1949 that Life magazine did a profile on WICU!
I was amazed at all the vintage station materials I was able to SEE! The picture below features an ad talking about WSEE coming to cable in Warren County in the mid-1960s!
Here's a great full page announcement for Pro-Football coming to WSEE!
Mr. A snapped a great closeup of the vintage WSEE logo used in the ad. (Props to Mr. A for catching great shots I might have missed due to being awestruck by all the television goodness in the building!)
Soon we met with General Manager Pam Forsyth and Chief Engineer John Wilkosz who gave us some neat background information on the station. Pam showed us an amazing scrapbook loaded with historical items and photos about WICU. Below is a pic of a 1957 envelope with some great station branding on it!
I LOVED getting to see this vintage WICU promotional sheet showing their signal coverage map.
Here's another great retro ad with WICU announcing their coverage of 19 U.S. Counties and 8 Canadian Counties!
One more promotional item showed WICU's announcement of "No Snow this Winter" when they upgraded to a taller transmitter with higher power! (I asked John Wilkosz if there was a chance that WICU might boost their DTV power, and he mentioned it might be a possibility now that the Canadian transition has finished. He added that the Canadian co-ordination is usually what holds the process up.)
Pam told us a bit about the live advertising that WICU had in the 1950s. One example appears below, in which the gentleman would make his pitch for beer and then drink it on air! For more vintage moments from WICU, check out their amazing 60th Anniversary Blog which includes a retrospective on the station's history!
I was very glad that we took the time to peruse WICU's rich history that day!
I couldn't resist grabbing a pic with General Manager Pam Forsyth and Chief Engineer John Wilkosz. (Also check out Brian Williams sneaking into our group shot!) Before we left, Mr. A asked if there was any station related items they could give us. I added that I would even be happy with business cards. They went back and got us some AMAZING station swag, including shirts for us all to take home!
For good measure, I had to get one more pic with the awesome Vince Slomsky, whom I interviewed recently! Vince grabbed us a few of his business cards, which complimented our WICU swag very nicely!
I was beaming outside of WICU with my new shirt!
Here's a closer look at the WICU items we received. In addition to the shirts, we got Lilly notepads, WICU stickers, station pencils and business cards. Plus we all got reusable bags to carry our stuff in! I was in Heaven!
I was in such bliss I almost had to be dragged away from the station!
On our way back to the car, I noticed the station's news trucks and had to pose with them! Here's the "Green Machine" from Northwest Pennsylvania's CW!
I definitely like what I SEE over here!
12 News certainly had me covered that day!
On our way to the hotel, I spotted Braendel Painting & Services Inc, which I saw advertised on WICU back on July 11, 2010.
We also passed by the former WSEE building on Peach Street! It was neat to see their old location, especially with the retro looking slogan "A CBS Affiliate."
Country Fair is everywhere in Erie, much like Tim Hortons in Canada. Country Fair is a gas station / convenience store that heavily promotes their coffee. I still remember a funny ad I saw on WICU back in November 2009 where a Clay Aiken type appeases his ferocious boss with their "Roasters Cup" coffee.
MARCH 31, 2012
Drenched Fur guests settled in at the Bel-Aire Clarion Hotel, which was a very fun and welcoming place to stay! When digging through my TV G'Archives I was surprised that I captured an ad referencing the hotel on WSEE (RF12-3) all the way back on November 12, 2009!
My pals and I ate lunch at Long John Silver's that day, and I noticed a sign for Presque Isle State Park and Waldameer. Presque Isle is one of Erie's most famous attractions! Back on July 10, 2010 I caught The Insider on WSEE with Scott Bremner interviewing the fabulously named Abby Ashton about the park. As for Waldameer, I remembered an ad on WSEE showing passes for the water park offered by Lakeview Resale back on July 27, 2010!
After lunch, my group stopped at K-Mart to shop and I picked up a "Star Sapphire Wonder Woman" action figure. I also popped into the Giant Eagle grocery store next door and found TV Guide! (A U.S. road trip is not complete until I find TV Guide.) Check out the ad I caught for Giant Eagle on WSEE (RF16) back on November 12, 2009!
I was pleasantly surprised to see some CanCon In The US when we passed a Tim Hortons location! There were at least two locations I saw in Erie. Check out one of their ads I caught on WSEE (RF12-3) back on June 15, 2010!
Back at the Clarion Hotel I pulled out my portable Eviant digital TV and scanned for channels. I was able to pick up almost all local channels, including low powered RTV affiliate WLEP (RF43) which had a nice station ID on their "Classic" subchannel.
It was also neat to see Vince Slomsky anchoring WICU's 6pm newscast only a day after meeting him in person!
One Erie channel that I haven't caught from home is low powered analog station W48CH, which is a TBN affiliate. It felt appropriate that they were airing a show about animals, since Drenched Fur was bouncing with sexy beasts!
At night, the Drenched Fur group got loaded into buses and headed down to Splash Lagoon!
Only days before my trip I saw an ad for Splash Lagoon on Rochester, NY's WHAM (RF13) on March 27, 2012!
I loved the cute penguin near the Lagoon entrance!
Splash Lagoon had some amazing water slides and the entire park was a lot of fun!
Between Splash Lagoon's mascot and the Lilly pads from WICU, I was croaking with joy throughout the weekend!
APRIL 1, 2012
Drenched Fur came to a close, but before we left Erie I insisted we eat at Hungry Howie's!
I had wanted to try Hungry Howie's ever since I saw this amazing ad on WBEP (RF12-2) back on July 24, 2009! A woman sasses around in a giant pepperoni costume and insists she's the star of the pizza! (Watch the ad here!)
Howie's unique flavored crusts were also a selling point for me! Butter cheese please!
Chris enjoyed his Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger pizza quite a bit!
Mark and Mr. A also liked their food, and the pizza I ordered was fresh and delicious. LOVED it! I also enjoyed the 3-Cheeser Howie Bread! TV Garth HIGHLY recommends Hungry Howie's!
Next to Hungry Howie's, I was surprised to find the studios for Time Warner Cable's Channel 2 Community Access Television which is also known as the "CAT"! (Love their logo!)
After we got on the road again, I squealed when I saw a WICU branded water tower!
I also spotted the Schultz Furniture Superstore which I saw advertised on WICU back on June 24, 2009!
The Amish Buggy was another familiar sight, since I had caught their advertisement on
WICU back on November 12, 2009!
One of the biggest highlights, though, was seeing Kali's Candy which is the home of the amazing Mr. Fudgie Fudge! (My jaw dropped with delight when I saw their ad on WBEP, RF12-2, back on November 12, 2010! Watch it here.)
Next to Kali's Candy, I was delighted to see Big Woodie's Fireworks which offers the most amazing combination of products: Pepper spray, stun guns and...sugar free fudge! (I have to give props to a You Tube video I saw awhile back that pointed out this hilarity! Also check out the ad for Big Woodie's that I saw on WBEP on June 30, 2011!)
Before leaving Erie, I also wanted to swing by the other TV stations in town! Here's PBS affiliate WQLN! (Check out the road signs at the right! I thought it was pretty cool that you have to drive down Sesame Street to reach the station!)
Here I am with the famous WQLN building, which I saw on the station back on August 3, 2010!
The other side of the station showcases their station ID (TV-54) and radio ID (FM-91.3)!
On our way to WJET/WFXP, we passed by the Bianchi Honda dealership which I remembered from a WICU ad I saw back on June 24, 2009!
The street sign for WJET/WFXP features their newly revamped logos, and if you look closely you can see WQLN's sign in the background!
Here I am outside of the WJET/WFXP building which still features their classic logos!
I was finally able to catch WJET after the Canadian DTV Transition took place last Summer, but I've only seen it a few times. Hopefully it'll JET through my area more often this coming Summer!
Speaking of WJET, Jill McCormick is now a reporter for the station! Jill is one of my favourite former WICU personalities, and earlier this year she gave a neat shout out to TV Garth on her Facebook fan page!
I couldn't help getting a little Fox-y in front of the WFXP side of the building! Compare their logo with the one I caught on the station back on July 27, 2010!
I also found Dave Belmondo's parking spot, which reminded me of the time I saw him anchor the 10 O'Clock News on WFXP (RF22) back on November 13, 2010!
I posed by the main entrance very quickly since I knew we had to JET back to Canada that day!
Soon after we left WJET/WFXP, I spotted the Presque Isle Downs & Casino, which I had seen advertised on Cleveland, OH's WEWS (RF15) back on August 2, 2010!
Here's a montage of all the goodies I brought back with me from Erie! In addition to the amazing WICU swag, I also picked up several TV magazines, a Wonder Woman figure, postcards, a copy of Erie Gay News, a brochure for the Lucy-Desi Museum and more!
Once more, I have to give a HUGE thank you to WICU's News Director Lisa Adams for arranging a tour of the station! It was a wonderful experience that is greatly appreciated! Thanks to Katie Keenan, Vince Slomsky, Pam Forsyth, John Wilkosz, Gary Drapcho, Amanda Post and all the other amazing folks we met during the tour! (Check out Lisa Adams below anchoring a newscast I saw on WICU back on September 23, 2010!)
Stay tuned to TV Garth for more road trips and television mayhem!
