Radio Milwaukee has again partnered with the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project on a eight episode second season of award-winning podcast “Be Seen” documenting the state’s LGBTQ history. Nate Imig, Radio Milwaukee’s director of digital content, and Michail Takach, curator for the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, will both return as co-hosts for the podcast. Season one of “Be Seen” received a silver award from Milwaukee Press Club for Best Original Podcast in 2022.
The season’s first six episodes will be released every Tuesday through June 27, with two bonus episodes dropping after Pride Month is over. The stories will also be shared in Radio Milwaukee’s “Uniquely Milwaukee” podcast each week.
Episode 1: Season Preview (May 23) Hosts Nate Imig and Michail Takach give listeners a preview of season two of the podcast with clips of what to expect from upcoming episodes.
Episode 2: Bobby Rivers (May 30)Bobby Rivers, a national television host and entertainer who had his own celebrity interview show on VH1 in the late 1980s, reflects on beginning his career in Milwaukee and working at WQFM and WISN 12. The episode will feature archival audio from Rivers’ interviews with Meryl Streep, Robin Williams, Debbie Reynolds and more.
Episode 3: Milwaukee Pride Parade (June 6)
Milwaukee’s pride parade is celebrating its 20th anniversary, after being sidelined for several years due to the pandemic. The episode features an interview with Parade President Jim Melotte and Chuckie Betz, who is pictured in the “Be Seen” podcast logo and recalls the first pride demonstration in Milwaukee, a radical act of protest.
Episode 4: Saturday Softball (Beer) League (June 13)
2023 marks the 46th anniversary of gay softball in Milwaukee. In this episode, we talk with Kurt Baldwin, Brian Reinkober, Tommy “Southsider” and long-time SSBL board member and ally, Mona Garcia. Interviews represent teams from past and present Milwaukee gay bars This is It, Harbor Room, D.I.X., Fluid and Woody’s.
Episode 5: Donna Burkett (June 20)
The story of the first lesbian couple – Donna Burkett and her partner – to seek a marriage in Milwaukee County. When denied, they filed a lawsuit in Federal court, received extensive media coverage but ultimately lost their case due to an attorney error. Michail shares the narrative behind this story with archival audio from Burkett.
Episode 6: Old Timers Party (June 27)
A Wisconsin tradition ended by the pandemic, for decades the “Old Timers Party” would unite the women of Milwaukee’s shuttered lesbian and women’s bars to drink and share stories. The events three main organizers – Mary Connell, Lois Ratzow and Carole Pecor – are all interviewed in the episode.
Episode 7: Unsolved Mystery (June 30)
Carla Mitchell shares the story of the unsolved murder of her uncle James “Jimmy” Spencer, allegedly stabbed by his mentally ill and controlling older partner, Wally Whetham, owner of the Black Nite, in 1967. Steve Schaffer from the Wisconsin Historical Society shares in the research he conducted with Michail, including insight into the original case files.
Bonus Episode 8: Historical Marker (October)
Season one listeners will remember the story of the Black Nite and the archival audio from Josie Carter. This year, the site of the Black Nite will officially be recognized with a plaque from the Milwaukee County Historical Society. Michail speaks to the journey to receiving this recognition and the legacy it leaves for generations to come.
