PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – WJHG General Manager Ulysses Carlini, Jr. celebrated 50 years of working in television on Friday.
His journey in the industry began by following in his father’s footsteps — a broadcast television pioneer in Nebraska.
“My father was the owner/operator of a small television station in Nebraska. At the young age of about 12 years old he said ‘Hey I’m gonna take you with me to the television station today to clean the bathrooms.’ So, that’s how I got started,” Uly said.
The son of Georgine and Ulysses Sr., Uly Jr. worked his way up at his dad’s station. From custodial work to studio cameras, developing film to splicing slides. You name the job, Uly did it.
When Uly went off to college he continued to help his dad’s station back home.
“I went to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, with a broadcast journalism degree at the time,” Uly said. “I would shoot as a photographer and a reporter and send videotape back to the TV station in North Platte. Jump in my car, drive to the airport, and physically hand my tape over to the pilot who was flying to North Platte.”
After graduating, Uly worked at a couple of different stations in Nebraska. In 2014, Gray TV asked if he’d like to become the General Manager of a station in sunny Florida.
“So I mentioned to my wife Panama City Beach Florida. She said ‘Did you say beach? You’re going to take the job right?’ I said absolutely honey,” said Uly.
Uly credits his 50 years of success to the people he works with.
“We have a great staff, that’s where it starts. You’ve gotta have great people. Those who have a shared vision of serving each other and serving our viewers, working hard, and giving our best every day,” he said.
He says like in any profession, the people are at the heart of the work.
“Having the right people on your team here, or anywhere you work, makes such a big difference. Creating a good culture in the building is so important,” Uly said.
The industry has changed over 50 years, but Uly says one thing remains constant: his love for telling the stories of those in his community.
“When I started, we were shooting slides, developing slides, and a lot of film. Everything now today is instant. Technology is amazing,” he said. “Making it to where you evoke emotion of those who are watching, and you can do that in so many ways. But obviously informing viewers of things that are going on, telling people’s stories, that’s just a lot of fun.”
Uly says that his biggest support system comes from inside his own home.
“Having a spouse on the other end allows someone like me to do what I do. There are a lot of long hours, a lot of tough decisions. It’s not always the easiest. I truly appreciate my wife Diane standing beside me and handling things at home so that I can do what I need to do at the office,” Uly said.
Uly says he’s proud to have followed the lead of his father, a member of the Nebraska Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.
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