Milwaukee and Seattle lose longtime public broadcasters

Two pubcasting deaths of note:

— Art Langlas, "Mr. Auction" both behind and in front of the camera for Milwaukee Public Television Friends, died Wednesday (Oct. 26) of complications after surgery. He was 65. As auction director, Langlas raised $1 million a year over the past decade for the Wisconsin station. "He was the face of the auction," said Mike McKenzie, who now oversees the annual weeklong fundraiser. "When he was out in public and someone recognized him, he really got a kick out of that." Ellis Bromberg, MPTV general manager, noted that the Great Channel 10 Auction "is still an event in southeastern Wisconsin, and it is an event because of him." MPTV says it's the top auction on PBS in the nation, based on net revenue.

— Terry Denbrook, a longtime public broadcasting engineer in Seattle, died Sunday (Oct. 23) after a long battle with cancer. He was 66. He was chief engineer at KUOW-FM, Puget Sound Public Radio, for 35 years, beginning in 1976, and also spent five years at KPLU. “Over this time he helped guide KUOW into the 21st century,” the station said in a statement, “by pioneering HD radio multicast services and expanding its reach throughout western Washington. Terry’s engineering expertise did not stop at KUOW, as he often helped out those stations in need.”A comment on Denbrook’s passing on Seattle’s Society of Broadcast Engineers page reads, “Just looked at your transmitters, old friend. They continue to percolate. You will be missed.”