Oakdale Video Producer is Taking Over TV Station

Schoolhouse Rock, Casablanca and Indiana Jones will preempt the regularly scheduled Oakdale City Council meeting replays and government programming on cable channel 16 in Oakdale Friday night through Sunday afternoon.

Mike Engstrom, a 15-plus year video producer for the city, is taking over the station, in part in to honor the memory of his younger sister who died May 3 of breast cancer, and in part to “surprise and delight” Oakdale residents who happen to be clicking through television stations.

“Instead of seeing a replay of a city council meeting or people learning how to golf, they’ll be like what? Bogart? Really? This is great!” Engstrom said.

Although there’s no official start time to the marathon, Engstrom estimates by the time he finishes his day job, picks up some hardware and DVDs and gets dinner, he’ll be ready to go at around 7 or 8 p.m. Friday night.

City Administrator Craig Waldron, who approved the takeover, said Engstrom caught him after a meeting with the idea.

“I said, well just as long as you use good taste and good judgment, go ahead and give it a shot; go for it,” Waldron said.

The theme that will tie together the various movies and shows is simple, Engstrom said: “Things that appeal to me.”

Viewers can expect movie classics like “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” and hits like  “Star Wars.” Saturday morning will feature cartoons like “The Pink Panther,” “Tom and Jerry” and "Rocky and Bullwinkle" he said along with “Schoolhouse Rocks”—a favorite of his sister’s—with songs like Conjunction Junction and I’m Just a Bill.

“Doesn’t everyone want to have their own TV station?” Engstrom said. “Isn’t this the best thing I could possibly do?”

Engstrom said he will fit in a little editing work on some videos he shot recently of the citywide cleanup day and Tanners Lake cleanup.

It’ll be more about play than work, though, Engstrom said.

“Really the idea is just to have a little fun,” he said, “and for me personally it’s to honor my little sister who died too young.”

Engstrom can be reached by email at m.engstrom@visi.com.