Paul Buehler learned every production position he could at WOUB and had a long, versatile career

His mantel is filled with five regional Emmy awards for work done at TV stations across the country, but Paul Buehler says those awards wouldn’t be there without the strong foundation he got as a radio and television major at 51�� working at WOUB.

“I think my WOUB experience meant the world.”

Buehler grew up in Berea, Ohio near Cleveland, and knew he was interested in working in radio and television. He toured several college campuses, but when he got at Athens, he knew he had found his home.

“When I got to campus, I was blown away,” said Buehler. “And one of the main attractions for me was that 51�� had an active professional television/radio station where students could participate. That was a big draw for me. I knew that at 51��, I would be able to do work in the field and have something for my resumé when I got my diploma.”

As a freshman, Buehler got involved with the dormitory radio station on West Green located in James Hall. But during his sophomore year, the radio and television major started working at WOUB TV.

“I started off as a booth announcer,” said Buehler. “And then I gradually worked my way into floor directing, master control audio, lighting and staging, and running studio camera. I worked on WOUB’s NewsWatch and a public affairs television show WOUB produced called Lock, Stock and Barrel.

When Buehler graduated in 1978, his first job was as a studio manager in Lake Charles, Louisiana. After about six months in Lake Charles, he was offered a job to come back to Ohio at WBNS TV in Columbus.

“I was offered the floor director position at WBNS,” said Buehler. “Interestingly, I was replacing another WOUBer, Mark West. I was floor director for the local news and the Ohio State coaches shows.”

Eventually Buehler would move into a shooting and editing role for WBNS’ local magazine-style program called Front Page Saturday Night. At this point in his career, Buehler thought he ultimately wanted to be a director. But at WBNS that all changed.

“The directors at WBNS had a box of Maalox tablets strategically positioned between their office and the control room, so they could just grab a handful on the way in to direct a show. That’s when I steered my goals away from TV directing,” said Buehler with a laugh.

In 1981, Buehler left WBNS and moved to Wilmington, Delaware to work at a commercial production company called Angeli Film and Videotape. After about three and half years, Buehler moved back into television accepting a position as a videographer/editor at WJBK in Detroit, Michigan. At WJBK, Buehler worked on a few different local magazine-style shows. During his four years at the station, Buehler met and married his wife, Holly, which led to his next career move.

“Holly was offered a job in Washington D.C.,” said Buehler. “So, we left Detroit. I did some freelance work for a while, and then accepted a job as an editor at a company called Professional Video Services. After about five years there, I got back into television at WTTG.”

During his many years at WTTG, Buehler worked on studio shows like America’s Most Wanted, a magazine news show geared towards tweens called Not Just News and on the morning news before retiring.

“I had a great career,” said Buehler. “Because of 51�� and WOUB, I understood the value of doing crew work. I learned every position I could at WOUB and the more positions you knew or were familiar with, the more valuable you were in the industry.”

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