TRACKS BIOS - SEASON 8

Spencer Christian - Host

Spencer Christian, a broadcasting professional who has been with ABC Television since 1986.  Spencer Christian, Host of Tracks AheadHe joined KGO-TV, San Francisco as the weather anchor in January 1999.  He moved to ABC7 after nearly 13 years with Good Morning America - based in New York - where he did the national weather reports in addition to traveling throughout the United States and abroad reporting on a wide range of topics from current events to human interest stories.

Spencer's time in New York actually spanned 22 years, Including 13 years at GMA and nine years at WABC TV, the ABC owned station in New York, where he served as weatherman and sportscaster from 1977 to 1986.  For a brief time, Spencer also hosted WABC‑TV's Good Morning New York.

Prior to his years In New York, Spencer was weathercaster in Baltimore from 1975‑1977, where he also hosted Spencer's World, a weekly, half-hour talk show.  He began his television career in 1971 in Richmond, Virginia, as a news reporter covering state and local politics, the public school system, and landmark cases for the Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals.

While in Richmond, he won the Better Life Award for his reports exposing abuses in Virginia's nursing homes; and, in Baltimore, he won an Emmy Award for a special series of reports entitled Does Anyone Here Speak English? focusing on declining language skills among America's youth.

A veteran of the US Army Reserves with a Bachelor of Arts Degree In English and a minor in journalism from Hampton University, Spencer taught English at the Stony Brook School in Long Island, New York, for one year before, launching his television career.

He is a native of Charles City, Virginia; and was inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame in April 1993, and was named Virginian of the Year by the Virginia Press Association in July 1993.

Spencer devotes a good deal of his time to charitable and community-service organizations such as the March of Dimes, Special Olympics, the American Cancer Society, Big Brothers, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, the United Negro College Fund, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and others.  In addition, he has served as the ABC Network's spokesperson for children's literacy, and has worked as a mentor in a number of service-to-youth programs.  He has also had the honor of working with Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter on Habitat for Humanity, and he was the emcee for former President Carter's 75th birthday celebration in October 1999, in Americas, Georgia. .

Spencer is the author of a series of children's books under the general heading "Spencer Christian's World of Wonders."  The first four books are titled: "Can It Really Rain Frogs?" "Shake, 'Rattle and Roll," "What Makes the Grand Canyon Grand?," and "Is There a Dinosaur In Your Backyard?"  Education and literacy continue to be among Spencer's passionate concerns.

A wine enthusiast and collector since 1977, Spencer at one time maintained a private collection of more than 1,600 bottles of fine Wine.  From January 1995, to December 1999, he hosted Spencer Christian's Wine Cellar, a lively and informative program which aired on HGTV (Home arid Garden Television) and on the TV Food Network. Spencer continues to be a serious wine enthusiast and visits California's wine country regularly.

Spencer is also an avid sports fan.  He played varsity baseball in college and actually had a tryout With the Baltimore Orioles In 1968, his junior year in college.

David Baule - Exec. Producer & Director

David Baule joined Milwaukee Public TV in 1968.

He was the Instructional Chair of the TV & Video Production Division at the Milwaukee Area Technical College, and the computer network administrator for the television stations.  David has received numerous awards for the Tracks Ahead series, as well as an Emmy for Technical Achievement.  He is also responsible for authoring the after market DVDs.  "I have enjoyed trains since I was a child," David says.  "It has been great fun to combine work with my hobby."  He has been an avid American Flyer collector for many years, and says that all the traveling means there isn't much time to work on his own high-rail layout.  David holds degrees from Marquette and Iowa State Universities.  He is also holds multiple Microsoft technical certificates.  He enjoys bicycling, train collecting, computers, traveling, and reading.  David retired in 2006, but continues work on the Tracks Ahead series.

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John McKay - Videographer

John joined Milwaukee Public TV in 1981.

He is a production supervisor for the television stations, and brings thirty years of experience to the Tracks Ahead series.  He has received an Emmy for his videography on the Tracks Ahead series.

"Taping the series allowed me to really become familiar with the new high definition digital technology," says John.  "It is truly amazing what you can see and do with this new format."  John holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin and University of Miami.  He enjoys riding his motorcycle and is an avid Pez collector.

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Jose Lozano - Videographer

Jose was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and has over 15 years in a wide variety of television news, corporate and instructional communications and education/public television.  He joined MPTV in November of 2005.  Jose attributes his love of trains to his experiences while studying in Europe.  He has a B.A. in Broadcasting and Electronic Communication and minor in Criminology and Law Studies from Marquette University.  Jose enjoys his free time with family and catching live sports with wife and best friend, Bridget.

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Gail Grzybowski - Audio Engineer

Gail joined Milwaukee Public TV in 1991.  As a production engineer, her primary responsibilities are field and post-production sound capture and editing.  She is responsible for the conversion of the audio in season 6 to the surround sound format.  Gail says that she caught the audio bug at age 7, after her father would bring home old reel-to-reel tape recorders from garage sales.

She is a Wisconsin native and loves to capture sound. "Ever since I was a little kid, I thought that sounds were really a nifty thing," says Gail.  "The job that I have has allowed me to capture and manipulate sound to enhance the video story."  She has received two Emmy's for her work with sound engineering.  Gail holds a degree from the Milwaukee Area Technical College and has interned as several recording studios in the Milwaukee and Chicago area.  Gail is a musician and is accomplished on several instruments, but loves the keyboard.  She is an animation enthusiast, and enjoys kayaking and biking, with an occasional bungee jump thrown in.

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Dan Jones - Producer/Writer

Dan Jones, one of the writers for Tracks Ahead, has been involved in broadcast journalism for more than twenty years. He's been a videographer, a producer, an anchorman, a reporter and a writer. He's won numerous awards for his work, including an Emmy Award from the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Arts & Sciences. His favorite part of working on the Tracks Ahead series is writing stories about historic logging railroads. "I'm a student of history, and I'm always in awe of the incredible amount of backbreaking work that our forefathers put into building this great country."

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Brooke Maroldi, Producer/Writer

Brooke Maroldi has been a writer and independent documentary filmmaker for over 20 years.  Working on Tracks Ahead is a way for her to relieve some of the painful memories from when her mother sold the family’s Lionel train set when she was away at college.

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Jason Pinkowski, Editor

Jason joined MPTV in September of  2005 as a member of the editing team.  His editing experience includes over 15 years working for post production houses and corporate video clients.  He holds an AS degree in Telecasting from the Milwaukee Area Technical College.

Jason also has a connection to the hobby of model railroading. His uncle was a huge model railroading fan with an elaborate layout in his home. When Jason was  a child, his uncle built he and his brother a 16x16 ft layout in their basement. The layout included some models of  Milwaukee favorites such as Allis Chalmers and the Schlitz Brewery.

Jason's hobbies include home brewing, playing music and just relaxing with his wife Katie and their menagerie of pets.

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Thay Yang - Graphics

Thay joined Milwaukee Public Television in March 2000 as the station's Graphic Coordinator.  His responsibility is to create and design the station on air look and identity through various types of media.

His background includes live broadcast news graphics and production for local FOX and CBS station affiliates.  He holds a bachelors degree in Illustration and Visual Communication from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design.  Thay's hobbies are painting, drawing, fishing and most of all, relaxing with his little girl and beautiful wife.

Tracks Home Up Explore Shopping Travels Television Contacts

Current Underwriters

               
          
 

Past Underwriters

   
Kalmbach Publishing Co Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago BRIO Corporation
World's Greatest Hobby Marklin Microtrains
Kato Trains Coachyard Decals Raildreams, Inc.
Eaglewings Iron Craft Wm. K. Walthers Minnesota Commercial Railroad
Trains Unlimited Tours Nordco  
   

Tracks Home Up Explore Shopping Travels Television Contacts

Current Underwriters

               
          
 

Past Underwriters

   
Kalmbach Publishing Co Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago BRIO Corporation
World's Greatest Hobby Marklin Microtrains
Kato Trains Coachyard Decals Raildreams, Inc.
Eaglewings Iron Craft Wm. K. Walthers Minnesota Commercial Railroad
Trains Unlimited Tours Nordco