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This is Lean Local
All
Right?
This is the show where we do what we say in our title.
We lean local into the community here.
And not to say other issues aren't important.
We're very concerned about what's going on, obviously worldwide.
We're concerned about what's going on in Madison and just everything that's going on.
But I just don't think this community spends enough time on what's going on locally.
And our next guest is, you're going to love her.
She's been in the media, in and out of the media for 30 years here in Green Bay.
But something we'll get to has the media changed.
the media doesn't spend, in my opinion, enough time on the local issues.
And in their defense, they only have so much time.
I mean, a half-hour TV news thing is a lot of commercials, maybe 10%, more than that, probably 10 minutes of it.
And then, of course, we're in Green Bay, so the Packers take up their fair share, and then the sports, and then the weather.
the national news and there's just not enough to talk about what's going on locally.
So we've had some great guests on here.
I interviewed a lot of the politicians who were running for office, both city council and county board, and they liked it.
They got some exposure and I liked it because they got to learn a little bit more about them.
We've had people from downtown Green Bay, of course we've had the mayor and other people on here, and it just gives people or listeners a chance to kind of
maybe spend uh sometimes some serious time half hour 45 minutes listening to what's going on locally and the reason I so wanted you on here first of all we're friends I've known you forever um and um we're gonna just take a step back from the week to week um and I want to take a look at Green Bay over a longer arc you know and
I'm not aging you, I'm just, but
Right.
That is a cool thing.
And you're right.
It wasn't perfect for everyone.
Right.
And we talked a little bit about that.
I've had some people on and they don't feel like they benefited like they were hoping they would.
But look, take that all away.
It's like, wow, you hosted the Olympics.
I mean, you hosted the NFL draft.
That's just a feather in your cap that not a lot of people get.
Yeah.
So, and we did it.
It was successful.
It was safe.
The NFL did very well.
Nobody
I was up in the Big Bear Mountains in California.
And we rented what ended up being like a hut with two cots, about $200 a night, because it was in the woods and it was on a lake.
And I kept thinking of our property up north in Wisconsin.
I'm like, people have no idea what we have here in Wisconsin, the outdoor recreation, the lakes, the waters, the rivers.
And it was just such a comparison.
And my family, being from Sean and my family who's back here, so ultimately I'm like, you know what?
I want to go back home.
it doesn't really compare to this, but we went out to like Maine for leafing, to look at the leaves.
And that was expensive.
I mean, it just, because we went in October when everybody else, everybody from Boston was up there, and it was just crowded the hotels, even the, like the Hampton Inn was like 300 bucks, but it was fun.
But we have that here.
I worked there and I'm like, okay, this is cool.
A couple of garages were kind of cool, but it just, we have that right here.
And like you talk about, you know, you're out in the wilderness
I've told you this before, but I've been in every state.
And I like the fact that I've done that.
And it's not like I've driven through.
I mean, to be in a state, I've stayed there, stayed overnight.
And then I try to see what they're kind of known for.
And Philadelphia is known for a million things.
And then I get a coffee cup.
So I got
coffee cups of everything from
Well, and you remember back, you know, I keep going back farther, but the first Super Bowl, but the 90s Super Bowl, when all the national journalists were coming here, they just wanted to talk about, there's nothing to do there, but football and beer.
No, no, no, no.
And so I was, you know, I was saying, we have world-class entertainment.
We have it and those weren't the stories they wanted, but.
Anyway, I did a commercial forum when I was mayor and I was standing in front of Lambeau Field with a football and spinning the football saying, you know, it was, it was, we're more than football, a lot more than football.
And they did this really cool thing on, you know, some of the theater, some of the, obviously a lot of these doctors, healthcare people.
I mean, if they can leave the OR and be fishing in a half hour, they can't do that everywhere.
That's funny to kind of date a little bit.
So when you look at Green Bay, are there some standout moments that you think about that maybe changed us?
And I'm thinking like a Super Bowl has I think that opened some people's eyes.
I think we had actually there's a little
I think some people moved here after the Super Bowl, if I remember right.
When you look at the demographics, the growth,
when you
Oh those I want to just say a little bit not in my notes.
I was in Indianapolis last week for a wedding and It took I've been through that tour before but my son-in-law was with me and had never been through Lucas Stadium So we took the tour and I will tell you that if Green Bay's got so much going for but what we have really going for us We have great tour guides.
I mean those guys are you know, they
They embellished the story a little bit maybe but they talked about I ran into the coach in the hall and they just really know their football this person that gave us the tour couldn't name a quarterback on and the Colts team and we're like and then she said They had a concert that was coming in.
She said so it's under renovation right now.
They're taking down those.
Oh, this yellow things that were like goal post.
Yeah.
Yeah, they're taking we're like, okay
We're from Green Bay.
We expect much better at knowledge
of the
Oh, yeah.
going
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We're talking with Connie Thelman about kind of some of the changes she has seen as someone who's been in the media for over 20 years.
I'm gonna digress for just a second.
What did you do in the media?
I mean, I know but It's okay that us interviewers know the answers to our questions.
We just still ask anyway, so
I was I started actually started at channel 26 before they were NBC they were Fox I went to channel 11
as a reporter.
And then I worked my way up to, I was the Morning Show Live reporter, I was the weekend anchor, I was the nine o'clock news anchor.
I've done every job that there is to do in local news.
And then it was, most recently I went back to Channel 5 after my daughter left for college and it was a weekend anchor there for several years.
Would you, I'll stand on this for just a second, would you encourage a, I teach at our local college here and
I'm more in the business thing and I always encourage students to get into business.
I think it's great.
It's great opportunity.
It's good for the soul.
There's so many upsides to business.
I love the entrepreneur.
What's your feeling on the media for a 21, 22-year-old?
Well, it depends on what you'd have to define media because when I went in as a journalist, a reporter journalist,
If you love journalism and you want to do journalism, I think it's it's a great career.
It's a tough career And you're not gonna make money and that's the thing I want I want to be honest with people There's a lot of people I found you know going back to TV after so many years that were what they wanted to be was more of a social meeting influencer and That whole journalism part was kind of going by the wayside, right?
so
You know, I was the dinosaur in the newsroom saying, you know, you got to pick up the phone.
You got to show up at city council meetings.
You have to be.
You can't do journalism through text and email.
So I would say know what you're getting into and, you know, and decide which path you want to take.
It is.
And it was hard for me to get you.
See get used to I don't want to say back in my day, but you know now it's all digital and so If there's no more scooping the competition by not having your story you don't want anybody to know what your story is You know we used to stop by the phone booth and call back to the station Because we didn't want the other stations to pick up the scanner traffic on her bag phone and let anybody know what we were on now You go out on the story and the first thing you do is post it
Post-a-social where am I what am I doing right and it's you know,
And you can say, well, no, it's better now because there's always these streaming avenues that people get into.
There's more news, but the voter turnout isn't what it used to be either.
And I just wish people would be more engaged.
Now, I still get the newspaper every day.
I'm
one of those guys.
I get a couple newspapers.
I
But I do like the paper, and I listen to some podcasts, and obviously listen to your show, Lean Local.
I think that's, I mean, not Lean Local, WGVW.
I like...
I like timeless hits.
I was gonna say oldies, I got scolded for that when
I used to work for you.
Well, it's, you know, having been in the media for so long helps, because I know people, I know who to ask, I know where to go.
And I have a really good feel for what I think people in this community want to know about.
And I have the freedom
to cover the stories that I want to, which is different than when you have an assignment editor and
you
when it comes to, you say, you kind of know what people want.
And I think that's because of who you are, but someone who's new, like, how do you know, how do they know what people want?
Because sometimes I watch a story and I'm like, did anybody, I mean, where did this come from?
And then I think, maybe it's assignment editor.
They still do that sit in
They cared about the you know the the chimp with the teddy bear Yeah, but in Green Bay and this part of you know growing up in Chano too.
You kind of know in this area to me the Packers the weather sports drive the bus There's there's big big issues there because they there are huge influence on the community.
I wanna, when we come back, we gotta take another quick break here, and this is where we get to our news, but I'm gonna talk to you a little bit about changing demographics, the changes in education, and whether you see those is just how you see them from a media standpoint.
I mean, neighbors see them from a different angle, and maybe politicians do too, but.
You've had this cool view of the city over this arc, and I really want to touch on education and the changing demographics.
And we'll be right back.
We're talking with Connie Feldman here on Lean Local, and we're going to take a quick break.
I want to thank a few sponsors.
I don't have enough time when we get back.
And we'll pick that up with some sponsors, some dentures, and then we'll be back.
All right, welcome back everybody to Lean Local.
This is the show again where we are talking about what's going on here locally.
And we've got a really interesting perspective with our guest today, Connie Thulman, who has been part of Green Bay her whole life, but has lived other places, other countries, and keeps coming back to Green Bay.
And we're going to get to kind of what she saw that others didn't.
And I'm going to get her opinion on things that were on the right track.
Like, you know, the next 10 years, what is someone who's been here that has reported on this community?
Where do they see us going?
But before we do that, I want to thank a couple sponsors, you know, cost a few bucks to bring this show to you.
We have obviously a producer and we've got some editors that come into play here and they need to be paid.
And the way they are paid is through our sponsors.
And we have a couple just anchor sponsors that have been with us really since day one.
They're friends of mine, but they're more importantly, they're friends of this community.
First, Nicolet Bank.
Nicolet Bank, which started in 2002, and has just grown to be a very second largest bank in the state.
They've made a big acquisition down in Iowa, and that's a bank that understands people.
They understand banking.
I mean, you know, if you go to the wealth management or you buy a house or you buy a car or whatever you're gonna do, they get the X's and O's of banking.
But what I like about Nicolet is they just, they go to extra step to really be a community-minded bank.
And they've done so much, city deck, you know, their names on the city deck, they help us with that, Bay Beach, the new community shelter, they're just a great bank.
And, you know, I mean, money's money, but you know, banking,
that relationship can really make a difference, especially if things aren't going good.
You know what I mean?
Banks love you, but it's like I had a business, and you get good years and bad years, and in tough years when they're there and say, look, this is what we should do, then they do it, that's cool.
So, love them.
And the other, and that's just good, nickelabank.com, and they've got everything on there.
They have employees, everything you want to know about them, where to get your car loan, savings, checking, anything.
And then the other company that's been very good to this community, and again, personal friends of mine, is Pella Windows and Doors of Wisconsin.
They've
I know they're with you on WGVW, and they've been with Lean Local.
And that's a company that, it's amazing that if you go to their building and just expand it again on French Road in Dupier, the beautiful building, 41.
They've got a great building there.
And they honor the history of Mr. Van Halen to Mr. Caliwirtz and starting and just how they've grown that company to a very large company right now.
And that's a very successful company.
And again, they just do things the way they did it when they started.
It's free consultation on your house and you know my house and you've been there You know, it's 115 years old and windows and doors are a little bit different
than house in the
It's free.
They look at different styles and and the quality and what I like the other thing I like about them is they didn't only sell you the windows they install them and installation is it's you know, like you buy good ingredients But the chef really puts
it all
good for
You want to have windows on both sides.
They came through.
So anyway, great company.
They've done many other things in the community, but I just think they're great.
So anyway, thank those two sponsors.
Back to you, Connie Feldman.
So are there things in the media?
This is kind of a couldn't really come up with the right wording for this question.
that you saw that the community didn't see?
Not that it was the emperor with no clothes, but you know what I'm saying?
Was there something that's like, wait a minute, are we doing this right?
Do you think we ever put too much emphasis on the Green Bay Packers and maybe not enough on something else?
Did we ever lose
TV is dictated by broadcast television, dictated by what people want to see.
That's why there's a lot of emphasis on the package, that's what gets ratings, that's what people want to see.
One thing I wondered about, coming from Chano, moving to Green Bay and grip on the Wolf River and moved to Green Bay, it shocked me.
I had no idea you couldn't swim in the Fox
yeah
carbon paper that the PCBs were going to the water and it's like, okay, we got to clean this thing up and
that was extremely expensive, very political.
But that, I don't know that that story got the credit it deserved because you can, I mean, you used to eat fish out of there, you turn green, you know, now it's, you can, people fish out of there and they, they, they say the fish is healthy and they, they took a lot, a lot of PCBs out of there, they capped the ones that they, that they couldn't disturb, that they didn't want to disturb.
So yeah, I mean, I think the reason you don't see,
Swimming in the rivers because of the current.
I mean, that's and that's very active.
You really want to see one of those coal ships combined?
That can come back and that will.
It's just, there's a lot of moving parts to that, right?
There's the hole you got to test it every day, right?
Just like they do with the beaches along the lake.
But it's not without a cost too.
I mean, it's just priorities on any city, right?
We're gonna do this or we're gonna do that.
those
But one of the things that I got to do a little bit out of was, you know, find the hidden story.
And I still want to do this, you know, find the hidden story in any community, send me to any community you want.
I'm going to find it, you know, the local people will know I did a story on the last remaining barber, I think, in Bear Creek.
But these are phenomenal stories.
And they speak to the people of Wisconsin, which is
you know, the Green Bay area, it's one of our greatest assets.
Yeah.
The other thing with the stories that maybe overshadowed a little bit is, and we started when we talked about the NFL draft, I wish we would have leaned into a little bit more of our community.
Like, you know, they get up there and, you know,
The fans love the Packers, but that is not breaking news.
And the Packers love the fans, and that's not breaking news
But instead of having a Packer introduce a football player and then have whoever the commissioner rolls out, whatever, the commissioner there, it would have been cool.
I thought it would be called like Dr. Hunsinger, who is the director of the medical college, would have introduced the recipient and say, look, this is Dr. Hunsinger from
the medical college right here in Green Bay.
tournaments
And look, they never came to me for advice, and I think it was a very successful draft, but my concern with the draft, and I've told many people this, is
I just think Green Bay could have gotten even more out of it.
And I steal that from Robert Hornetschek, who's over at Paul's pantry now.
It was his stand up when he was doing a lottery story and he compared the odds to your odds of winning the lottery, your odds of this.
And that was.
He was standing in front of Lambeau, but that puts, you know, a snapshot on how often.
And again, I just don't want other stuff lost.
Right.
And I, you know, I love the Packers like anybody, right?
I go to games, but so I want to talk about a few things here.
One of them is just a realistic outlook, like 10 years.
I mean, you've been here 30.
What do you see in the next 10 years?
But before we do that, in the stories you covered,
So Green Bay is in Brown County.
We're one of 24 municipalities in the county, right?
There's really two cities, us and DPR.
There's nine villages, and then there's a whole bunch of townships.
Tell me from your view, do they get along?
Is it Procule?
Is it collaborative?
I think for the most part I think they support each other.
I think everybody wants what's best for the greater, you know area You know, you were talking to me a little bit about education And I wanted, you know, we're talking about my daughter who's at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland now
She went to Green Bay Public Schools all through, and she soared, and she went to Preble High School.
And when I was reporting, and Preble was, all that stuff was going on, I was like, you know, they're getting a bad rap, because the teachers there are excellent, they're excellent educators, and they really set her up for success.
But one thing happens like that, and it dominates the news for, and that's what people know Preble High School for
I spent a lot of time in high school.
She's always liked an American man and just the social studies or some leadership class, whatever politics, but you always hear this stuff about probably so crowded.
Oh, guys crowded, crowded.
And you know, there's more students there than there are at St.
Norbert College, which is a true statement.
I mean, probably is bigger than St.
Norbert College, where I went.
I don't want to leave education because I want to talk to some statistics that I'm not crazy about, but I want to talk to you a little bit about how you see education thriving in our community here.
We're going to be right back.
We're talking with Connie Thelman, who you know.
I'm Jim Schmidt.
I'm your host.
Maybe you don't know me, but she's
been around for
We love that.
You're listening to Civic Media.
Find the latest news, information, and archives of all your favorite shows on the Civic Media website, civicmedia.us.
I'm here with Connie Thulman.
And let's use this final segment to leave the listeners with a fair way to think about where Green Bay is now.
And again, I just think you've had such an interesting perspective on our community, being in the media and living here 30 years on and off and living other places, other cities, other countries.
What does a thriving Green Bay actually look like?
Do you think we're thriving?
And that's question one, sorry to interrupt you, I shouldn't be doing that.
And then what's it gonna take or where do you think we should
You know one thing I think about when I think about Green Bay thriving.
Look where the downtown Green Bay area is now as compared to where it was 20 years ago, 30 years ago.
You know, I look at the events they have down there.
I feel like Green Bay is more inclusive than it used to be.
That's nice to hear.
Is it as inclusive as other parts of the country?
No, absolutely not.
But from where we were to where we are now, I think we're heading in the right direction.
I love the idea of the events of bringing people downstairs.
I love the culture of some of those events, Art Street.
The Whitener, we have world-class performances.
And I just did a story, I think Martina McBride has come into the Meyer Theater.
We have so much going on, and I like to celebrate that.
Those are cool things.
But it's still, it's good.
Is it great?
Like I'm saying, in the next 10 years, I mean, you're young, 10 years go so fast.
Do you see us being here?
Do you see us being totally different?
Some of these communities that, you know, I follow this stuff pretty close, but some of these people like double in 10 years, you know, I mean, taking us from 100,000 to 200,000 to be the size of Madison, I don't know that.
I
There are all the suburbs kind of joined with the city, you know, that happens a lot.
And you just become like the greater Green Bay community.
And you have, I don't know that that would sit real well here, but you have a like a
you take these, there's 60,000 people that call themselves Green Bay that don't live in Green Bay.
Like if you take Bellevue and Ashwabana and so if you would consolidate that and have one council and one, I wouldn't call him a super mayor, but one, it's not a county executive because the county does these other 20 municipalities, you know, like these.
farming communities.
But to have a, and Louisville has, this has been done successfully in a lot of places.
I'm just gonna mention Louisville, I know that mayor.
But that would be cool.
Cause then you'd have one kind of metropolitan fire department, one metropolitan police department, one metropolitan city council.
And it would just be a community of 160,000 people versus 100,000 with 60,000 people.
Like, I think that would be cool.
And I do see that.
Let me ask you, I mean, do you see that happening?
Okay, that answered that.
Next.
No,
that makes a
I mean, that's huge.
Instead of, we talk about how much sports the Packers dominate the news, but take that sports and capitalize on it.
on people's interest in it and coming here and I think that could be, I think Green Bay is, I've always laughed when I've been in Appleton because people have, to me, some type of, like Appleton is so cosmopolitan and compared to Green Bay, you're Appleton, Wisconsin, I mean, really.
And I would look at Green Bay and the things we have going on here now.
And I would argue, and that's come a long way in the past 20 years.
I would like to see that continue to grow.
And I think Appleton, again, can regionalism work?
Like I'm a big fan of that because like a regional airport, I think would be awesome, you know, and instead of Appleton and Green Bay, and just become a bigger, better,
And, quite honestly, more efficient.
To have all these police forces and all these fire departments and all these schools, if you can solid it.
And I'm not saying bigger is always better, but bigger, if you manage it right, can be better.
There's efficiencies that come through there.
You're really bringing the best of the best when you're 165,000 versus 107,000.
I think we could really, we have a lot of talent here right now.
I'm saying we
don't, but we
Okay, a couple more things on the future I want to talk to you about, but we're running out of time here on the Lean Local broadcast, which is on WGBW, and we thank them for airing this.
If you stick around, we're going to go to the Green Bay Way, which is a podcast and something that it's not the same rules.
We can swear.
No,
I
that.
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