NORFOLK, Va. — Sometimes, the more things change...the more they stay the same.
WTKR has seen a lot over its 75 years of existence, but it's home — 720 Boush Street in Norfolk — has always been the same.
From the marble in the lobby walls to old technology hidden in plain sight, history is never too far away. Just through the station's front doors, the Howard E. Mills Auditorium features a stage and seating for a live studio audience.
Today, it hosts lifestyle broadcast "Coast Live," but its history goes back to the very beginning.
Recently, the man for whom the auditorium is named returned to the station for the first time in a decade and toured the space where he once spent time.
“We’ve had everything happen in here," said Howard E. Mills, who became known as "Dad" during his 40 years at the station.
The now-87-year-old began at what was then WTAR in the early 1960s, but even before, Mills can recall the variety shows, children's content and commercials filmed on the auditorium stage, often with an audience sitting in the seats.
“Laverne Watson, I think he did the 6 o’clock news, but he blacked out two of his front teeth and did the Cousin Tibbles (character)," said Mills of one of the earliest programs in the auditorium's history.
From "Hometown Hoedown," WTAR's different studio spaces would house other programs like "Jungle John," "The Mildred Alexander Show," and "People, Places and Things" with groundbreaking journalist Becky Livas.
But Mills says the energy that once filled the auditorium would go dormant for a long time. Over the years, it became a makeshift mailroom and was once converted into a conference space.
Then in the 1990s, the New York Times bought WTKR and tasked Mills — the station's Vice President of Operations and Director of Digital Operations — with a big job.
“We tore everything out and made the auditorium back (to what it was)," recalls Mills.
Once the remodel was nearly finished...a surprise for "Dad."
“(They) called me into the big auditorium and had the whole staff in there and dedicated it to me, the Howard E. Mills Auditorium, which was a shock," said Mills, who admits he was never big on that kind of attention.
But with a new name, came a new life for the auditorium. Mills served as floor director for a new program in the late 90s called "Live at 9 a.m." hosted by current News 3 anchor Kurt Williams and the late Jane Gardner.
“I tell you, she was unflappable. This was a live show, no teleprompter, in front of a live studio audience," said Williams, before acknowledging the whiplash-like nature of the show's content. ”One day, we would be talking about a sewing convention and the next we’d have a rock band out here.”
The ratings for the show were not good, despite having some big-name guests; Patti LaBelle, Charlton Heston and attorney Johnnie Cochran to name a few.
“She had some gum and said ‘what am I gonna do with it?,'" recalls Mills of the LaBelle visit. "Some guy said, ‘Give it to me!’ He shocked us. He chewed it!”
Consistent viewership losses to The Jerry Springer Show prompted a change.
"They said, 'Let’s move it to 10 o’clock' and we changed the name to 'Morning Break' because a name change always leads to ratings," said a sarcastic Williams of the doomed show that was canceled a short time later.
Fast forward to 2016, the auditorium was once again remodeled to host a new lifestyle show called "Coast Live," which has called the stage home ever since. It marked the return of host April Woodard to WTKR.
“It’s very personal because I knew Howard Mills. I used to call him ‘Dad,'" she said. ”Two weeks after I graduated from college, I started here. To be back, it’s just an honor and a privilege."
After co-host Cheryl Nelson's departure a few years ago, Chandler Nunnally moved from a behind-the-scenes director role into the seat next to Woodard. The two have worked together since.
“I think [the stage] is a lot smaller than people would expect," said Nunnally. A lot of people are surprised at how many seats we have in the studio audience that we don’t get to fill very often.”
The live audience has become more regular as of late, though, with the show's launch of "Coast Comedy Live," a regular showcase of local comedians.
“A whole different type of energy," said Woodard.
And countless new faces experiencing the Howard E. Mills Auditorium, just as so many others have done over 75 years.
“Tim Reid from WKRP in Cincinnati and Sister, Sister. said he was at a dance show (here)," Woodard said of a conversation with the actor who lives in Hampton Roads. ”It’s great hearing stories from people who have been in this area for a while, who come back and say they have memories in this studio."
