The Milwaukee Gay/Lesbian Cable Network (MGLCN) was a volunteer group that produced regular
and special programming on gay and lesbian issues for Milwaukee's public access cable
channel. MGLCN was aided by the Milwaukee Access Telecommunications Authority (MATA), a
non-profit corporation created to provide citizens with access to Milwaukee's cable system.
Specifically, MATA provided MGLCN with the equipment, facilities, training, channel space,
and support necessary to produce and cablecast its local television programs. MGLCN
executive producers included Mark Behar and Bryce Clark.
From late 1986 to mid-1987, MGLCN produced a number of special programs. The first of these
consisted of scenes from the Clavis Theatre's production of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart, which was cablecast December 22, 1986. Other
special programs included the 1987 annual awards program of the Cream City Business
Association, Minnesota legislator Karen Clark on Wisconsin's gay rights law, and U.S.
Surgeon General C. Everett Koop on AIDS.
In May 1987, MGLCN approached the Cream City Foundation (CCF) with a request for $400 to
finance the premier episode of its first regular program, Tri-Cable
Tonight. The show was described as "cable television series exploring the color
and diversity of Milwaukee's Gay and Lesbian Community." CCF responded with a grant of
$3,000 to fund the first six episodes and committed to raising additional funds to assure
continued development of the program. MGLCN agreed to operate as a subcommittee of CCF's
Development and Public Relations Committee (it became a full committee in March 1988).
The first episode of Tri-Cable Tonight aired October 27,
1987, and Milwaukee joined the ranks of only ten other cities in the United States with
regular gay/lesbian programming. The program combined in-studio news presentations,
interviews, and discussions with on-location coverage of community events. Anchors included
Juana Sabatino, Rick Poplawski, Graham Haines, and Michael Lisowski. Regular features
included Dr. Terry Boughner's "GayStory," a monthly discussion of homosexuality in history;
guest editorials by Ralph F. Navarro; legal advice by attorney Stephen Byers; film reviews
by Rick Poplawski; Nancy Neutz's "My Little World," a feature on issues of interest to
lesbians; and a Lesbians of Color (LOC) feature with interviewer Lula Robinson. In addition
to covering local events, the program covered events of statewide and national significance,
such as the National March on Washington D.C. for Lesbian/Gay Rights on October 11, 1987;
the Democratic National Convention in 1988; efforts by the Rawhide Boys Ranch to exempt
itself from Wisconsin's civil rights law; and the Names Project Quilt. The program concluded
in December 1989. During its two-year run, Tri-Cable Tonight
earned many awards, including first place in the 1989 Hometown USA Video competition,
several MATA awards, and the Cream City Business Association's President's Award.
In 1990, MGLCN launched two series. Yellow on Thursday was a
comedy program that aired on an irregular basis from June 1990 to October 1991 and consisted
of five, thirty-minute episodes. The New Tri-Cable Tonight
consisted of moderated panel discussions on a specific issue. Topics included racism,
homophobia, safer sex, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, and the AIDS Quilt. The program lasted
from November 1990 through March/April of 1992 and consisted of twenty-eight episodes.
Episodes are a half hour long.
