WDAY-Z Alumni & FORUM Friends

Attendance was light but lively at our Fall 2024 luncheon. Our next luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 11:30 A. M., at the Fryn' Pan. Mark your 2025 calendar. Have a great winter! Hey, at least our blizzards are hurricanes. Prayers and best wishes go out to our Florida friends and family as "Milton" approaches. 

Our attendance was good at our May 21, 2024, luncheon. 11 of us attended. And we were delighted to see John & Karine McLaughlin present. They're now hail from Iowa but have summer lake property in Minnesota. So glad they could make it in. John urged us to share memories from the "good ol' days" and we did! Lots of fun visiting about names, events, fun and interesting times during our years at WDAY-Z. John was the Farm Director at WDAY back in the 60s and 70s and, today, his son is the head meteorologist at a principal Iowa TV station. Known as "Johnny Mac," he's a professional colleague of John Wheeler, Chief Meteorologist at WDAY-Z tv.  You can see who was there and photos of same by taking a look at the Photo-sheet I prepared. To see that PDF simply click here. click here. 

L-R around the table: Me, Scott Onstine, Terry Dullum, Eric Swee,Jack Zaleski, Jim Shaw, Lance Lee, Jim Hetland, Marilyn Hetland, Jackie Hvidston and, not pictured because he was taking the photograph was Colburn! He is pictured below in a shot I took myself when he and Jackie gave that wonderful presentation of stories behind some of his photos:

Colburn Hvidston III - Forum Photo Chief (retired)

As we go through the winter, I will attempt to send "the list" an update as to events, people, etc., and include a PDF of one of my Mike Notes Reprise newsletters, produced between 2008 and 2016. All issues of the Reprise newsletter as well as photographs, some audio recordings, and interviews can be found at this location on my blog at www.Wordchipper.com . To find this place on my blog, simply click on the TAB at the top of the page "WDAY-Z Alumni & Friends." Thanks for attending...keep in touch and adios amigos, at least for a while! 

Scroll down for older items from our archive: 

WDAY Radio's new studios on Fargo's west side along I-29 (north of the Flying J.) To view those photos of an absolutely modern-day radio studio, click here.


For Thomas Evanell's article on the 100th Anniversary of WDAY in a 2-page PDF, click here.   You can make type larger by click + button your keyboard or, on a PC, "Ctrl and the + sign." (Copyright 2022 Forum Communications, All Rights Reserved)


L-R (July20, 2021): Jim and Marilyn Hetland, yours truly, Cole Carley, Jack Zaleski, Lance Lee and his grandson, Eldora Dresser and Barry, Scott Onstine, Howard Campbell, and Jim Shaw.
Photo and item submitted by Larry Gauper 7-20-2021  - 


Click on some photos for larger images
Here's a photo of the April, 2017, attendees:



Well-attended reception in celebration of Howard Campbell's 90th Birthday on April 5, 2017, in the food court at West Acres Shopping Center. Watch Kevin Wallevand's outstanding video coverage of the celebration by clicking here.  It appears Howard had a fantastic day and everybody had a great time!

Sadly, our colleague and friend, BOB ARONSON, passed away during 2018. You can still hear a clip from WDAY's "Jay Thomas Show" which features an interview with Bob regarding the Florida hurricane was going on at the time, 10-6-2016. Bob was reached at his Florida home in Jacksonville. He reports on what was happening as he and his family prepared for the hurricane and he banters with his grand niece, Kerstin Kealy, co-news-anchor on WDAY-TV. To hear the audio file of that interesting appearance by Bob, click here


For those of you not on Facebook, where the following post and photos below appeared after the May luncheon, I'll re-post that info here along with three photos:

Our WDAY-Z Alumni & Friends luncheon was held on May 17, 2016, at the Fryn' Pan Restaurant and our gang welcomed a couple of new friends to our fold. In the third photo below, on the left is Colburn Hvidston III, the now retired photo chief at the The Forum; then Conrad Rose, retired WDAY-TV videographer and photographer (a luncheon regular), and, on the right, the subject of numerous photos by those two shutter bugs: retired Fargo Municipal Judge Tom Davies. What a dynamic trio! 


Colburn even contributed a door prize which was by former WDAY-TV newsman and KVRR-TV news director, Jim Shaw, shown in the first photo below (Jim currently writes a column for The Forum and appears on WDAY Radio Friday mornings at 11:00 AM with Sandy Buttweiler). The door prize was a pillow emblazoned with a photo from WDAY Radio's past: (L-R, front) Little Joe Samness, Harry Jennings (former Forum staffer) and in the back row: Warren "Dutchy" Gerrels, Don "Axel" Wardwell, Dorothy "Linda Lu" Fandich and Les "Esty" Estenson. A fun time was had by all. Come back soon, Colburn and Tom, and keep up your excellent record of attendance, Conrad!  (Click on each picture for a larger image).




MORE PHOTOS from today's luncheon will be in the next WDAY-Z Mike Notes Reprise newsletter...possible in the August, 2016 issue.

 Below is a photo showing some of the 21 attendees we had at our March 15, 2016 luncheon. More photos coming in the May, 2016, Mike Notes Reprise.



Below are two photos from our January luncheon, with 22 attendees! Great turnout. In Feburary, the Fryn' Pan moved us to a larger room that's worked out perfectly. Thanks to everyone who attended! Let's keep it up, gang!

Click on picture for larger image.
Click on picture for larger image.
Plan to attend! Maybe you're currently working for a WDAY-WDAZ-TV or WDAY Radio or you're a retired employee OR someone has moved on to another job OR you're involved in media, ad agency OR production work OR work for another media outlet in the region or state, whatever! Join us in sharing some memories each month. I worked at WDAY in the radio copy and commercial production area and did some TV voice-overs from 1967 until 1975.

Lunch is "dutch" - the gratuity is included on your check.  While there is no buffet, as such, there is a "soup and salad bar" that accompanies a sandwich order. Browse the Fryn' Pan's full menu by clicking here.

Note: Unlike our former venue, we must spend, as a group, at least $50 to have the room. So we need YOUR attendance!

I try to produce an occasional PDF newsletter called Mike Notes Reprise. ALL of our monthly newsletters I've produced so far are stored below. You can read them - using Adobe Acrobat Reader which is most likely on your computer - or after you OPEN an issue, note the little "down arrow" at the top of your screen. If you click on that arrow, you will download the document to your computer or other digital device. You'll also find a number of audio files and photo essays, below.

Mike Notes Reprise newsletters:
AUDIO FILES:
Forum article on WDAY Radio's 100th anniversary by Thomas Evanella, The Forum.
Here is link to two-page PDF of the story, copyright Forum Communications 2022, All Rights Reserved. Click + button for larger type or, on a PC, "Ctrl and + sign."
To read the article, click here.


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