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End of an era and new beginnings: WTMJ Radio leaves after 80 years for new location

ESPN Radio signed off for the last time Wednesday. The legacy they leave behind will not be forgotten.
Posted at 5:55 PM, Sep 28, 2022
and last updated 2022-09-28 22:35:40-04

MILWAUKEE — ESPN Radio signed off for the last time Wednesday. It was a big moment for all of us, as TMJ4 News has shared a building with all of the radio staff.

The legacy they leave behind will not be forgotten.

WTMJ Radio was the place for your news and entertainment.

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Listener Roger Kryscio of Greenfield remembers coming to the studios with the boy scouts when he was seven.

"We parked in the front of the building and walked in and they had an auditorium," Kryscio said.

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He watched live shows. Today, he is 82 years old.

"If they wanted you to applaud, they'd put out the signs for applaud, and it was early entertainment before there was TV," he shared.

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"There were literally curtains that would go up, there were musicians, and there were actors and actresses. It became the WTMJ and WKTI radio studios," said Steve Wexler, Vice President of the radio station owned by Good Karma Brands.

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Wexler recalls what it was like when he first started in the building in 1977.

"Everyone had turntables where the music would be played. The telephone technology changed," Wexler said.

RELATED CONTENT: WTMJ Radio leaving Capitol Drive location after 80 years

Brenda Serio arrived a year later. Serio says when she arrived, there were no computers, and smoking indoors was still the norm.

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WTMJ Radio is leaving its location on Capitol Drive after 80 years.

She recalls meeting Star Trek's Leonard Nemoy in Radio City, "I saw Gordon Hinkley interviewing Spock. He did sign a little napkin he had with me and I still have it."

"I'm excited about what the future holds," said Wexler who showed us the finishing touches to the new ESPN studio.

From here on out, you can see them broadcast live from the Third Street Market Hall at The Grand.

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