Remembering Tom Scanlan
It is with heavy hearts that we report the passing of the man responsible for bringing local television to Northeast Michigan.
Tom Scanlan lost his year and a half long battle with cancer on June 1st in Tucson, Arizona. With the financial banking of several investors, Scanlan and three of his air force buddies built WBKB-TV in Alpena in 1974, signing the CBS affiliation agreement in September of 1975.
Following his years as general manager of WBKB–TV, Tom went on to become the owner of Scanlan Communication Group with the acquisition of WBK/WGTQ in Traverse City. In 1996 he built two more TV stations in Marquette and Calumet, MI.
Tom is a retired colonel from the U.S. Air Force, past President of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and was inducted into the MAB’s Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2013 he received MAB “Lifetime Achievement” award, which is the Michigan Association of Broadcaster’s top honor.
Curt Smith, a former general manager of WBKB-TV, along with Peter Neumann and Tom Diesinjer helped build WBKB-TV, calls Tom a brilliant broadcast pioneer and a friend of 49 years. The four have remained friends and reunited as recently as 2015 in Alpena to celebrate the 40th anniversary of WBKB-TV, where Scanlan was interviewed.
“I remember getting the letter from the FCC and it was just…I was speechless. I called these guys up on the telephone and I said lets go!” Said Tom Scanlan, founder.
Tom is survived by his wife Sue, son T.J., daughter Jessica and several grand children.
