As general manager of TV station WWRD — better known to viewers as RTV 32 — the Vandalia resident decided Springfield would make a good home for his station.
While still technically licensed to Centerville, RTV 32 has opened a studio in the former Credit Life Building downtown, and wants to position itself as “Springfield’s hometown television station.”
“The station’s really never taken roots,” Hulsmeyer said.
“We like Centerville very much, but Centerville is a part of Dayton,” he added. “When we took over the station, it was clear we needed a new home.”
While Springfield was chosen for a number of reasons, chief among them, he said, was the fact that Springfield no longer has any commercial TV or radio stations of its own.
“People in Springfield consider this their own market,” he said.
Maureen Fagans, executive director of the Center City Association, called the move of Hulsmeyer’s station to Springfield a “step in the right direction.”
“He is committed to getting the word out about what’s going on in the community, for the community,” she said. “He was a wonderful partner during Holiday in the City.”
The station — which so far only employs Hulsmeyer and a number of subcontractors — recently produced a half-hour special on this year’s Holiday in the City event.
Other local programming includes the Sunday show “Our Town, Our Time,” and coverage of high school sports with play-by-play from Lee Riley and Gary Littell, both of whom worked for the now-defunct Springfield country radio station Kiss Country.
Fagans is happy to welcome the station’s studio and offices to downtown Springfield.
“They recognize that downtown is the heart of the community,” she said.
Hulsmeyer took over operation of RTV 32, which is seen on Time Warner Cable channel 22, in October 2011.
Before becoming an affiliate of the Retro Television Network — which airs such programs as “Highway to Heaven” and “I Spy” — WWRD floated adrift in a sea of paid programing and religious shows.
“It was a TV station that wasn’t really being run,” Hulsmeyer said. “Somebody had a great idea, just poor execution.”
He called managing a TV station “a lifelong dream.”
“Our goal isn’t to come in here and play TV,” he said. “This is the big time. We’re serious about making a great television station for Springfield.”
About the Author