Norbertine TV/Radio Legacy Collection

Broadcasting equipment including a desk, chair and phone

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Studio interior with desk and equipment

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

WTAQ transmission building exterior

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Abbot Pennings speaking into a microphone

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey

WHBY’s dedication of a new transmitter station

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Transmitting tower maintenance

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

WHBY exterior

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Six men posed with transmitting equipment

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Interior of WHBY radio station

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Employee seated at desk in WHBY

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Maintenance crew assembling new radio tower for WTAQ and WHBY

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Record player and broadcasting equipment from WHBY

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

WHBY Broadcasting room filled with equipment

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

WBAY Radio Television Exterior

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Two people in the radio recording booth

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Interior of radio control room

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Inside of the transmitter

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Employee inside the interior of Appleton WHBY master control

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Two employees inside main studio of Appleton WHBY

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Three employees inside main studio of Appleton WHBY

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Interior of transmitter

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Interior of transmitter

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

WBAY-TV mobile equipment

Photograph included courtesy of St. Nobert Abbey Archives.

WBAY-TV mobile equipment outside the studio entrance

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

WBAY-TV Test Pattern

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

Three employees in the WBAY-TV booth

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

A technician repairs WBAY equipment

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

An employee in the WBAY-TV booth

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

Two employees at a counter behind the scenes at WBAY-TV

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

Employee sets up a still-life under studio lights

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

WBAY-TV station office interior

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

WBAY-TV station interior equipment and darkroom

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

Smoking employee working in WBAY-TV booth

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

Employee at dressing room mirror

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

WBAY-TV studio floor

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

Exterior of WBAY-TV Station

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

Reporter interviews woman for WBAY-TV news

WBAY-TV prop department

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

Two employees in the WBAY-TV art department

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

Employee at the WBAY-TV switchboard

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

Four employees in WBAY-TV station office interior

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

WBAY-TV Station ID card

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

WBAY-TV Station ID card

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

WBAY-TV Network Difficulties

Included courtesy of WBAY-TV. For more information on items held in their archive, please reach out by phone at 920-432-3331.

Fr. James A. Wagner, O.Praem.

WHBY Radio Station in Boyle Hall

Two radio announcers pose next to a microphone

WTAQ (exterior) on 3rd Street, West De Pere

Fr. James Wagner, O.Praem. (left) with students

Fr. Ignatius Van Dyke, O.Praem., and student Cletus J. Collum with broadcasting equipment

Student Radio Station WSNC

Daniel Van Sistine (Right Standing)

Daniel Van Sistine (right) and another student in radio studio.

Father Gosz visits WBAY-TV in March 1967

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

WHBY interior with record players and piano

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Fr. Wagner signing the first contract with CBS, 1936

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Rate card for WHBY radio from 1932

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archive.

Fr. James Wagner,O.Praem. broadcasting

Photograph included courtesy of St. Norbert Abbey Archives.

Workmen holding wire and an antenna.

The Norbertines and St. Norbert College played an instrumental role in the inception and evolution of local TV and radio in Green Bay, WIsconsin.

WHBY was an experiment of the SNC Physics Club. Student Cletus Collum’s interest in electricity and the new phenomenon of radio broadcasting sparked similar enthusiasm in Fr. Van Dyke. After securing a governmental license, they began building the apparatus. The following year, a speech amplifier and microphone were purchased, and in 1926, a transmitting station named WHBY opened in Boyle Hall.

This archival collection utilizes documents, photographs, and audio/visual recordings to tell the story of the intersections between St. Norbert College and WTAQ and WHBY radio and WBAY tv stations.

Special thanks to St. Norbert Abbey and WBAY-TV for their additions to this collection.

Browse the Norbertine TV/Radio Legacy Collection:

History of St. Norbert College and Radio in Green Bay (WTAQ & WHBY)

Photographs of Radio and TV Through the Years (WTAQ, WHBY & WBAY-TV)

SNC & WBAY-TV History

Digital Commons @ St. Norbert College