KWQC Chief Engineer to broadcast final Bix before retirement

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - For the past four decades, KWQC has provided live, exclusive coverage of the Quad City Times Bix 7 to viewers across the globe.

It takes the entire team at KWQC to make the broadcast go well, and nobody has been more valuable to the team than Chief Engineer Doug Bierman.

"I think what I enjoy the most is just the watching the show, and when it finally goes on the air, and it’s just going really well, and you’re just kind of proud for everyone’s accomplishment,” Bierman said.

KWQC Chief Photojournalist, Mike Ortiz, said in the early morning chaos of the Bix, Bierman is getting multiple calls to troubleshoot things so the race can air.

“For every call and every problem, Doug always has the answer," Ortiz said.

He’s been putting the Bix on the air every year since 1985.

“It’s changed so much due to technology, but in the old days, you had all the camera locations you were bringing in, and you had to keep those all straight and patch them into sources,“ Bierman said.

As technology changed, Doug quickly adapted, and he did it all without a college education.

“I guess you could say I was a hobbyist, and when I decided to go into electronics repair, I did a lot of studying on electronics and electricity,” Bierman said.

After making the Bix go for forty years, Doug is ready to slow down and pass the torch.

“When he told me he was gonna retire, I kind of thought what are we gonna do now?“ Ortiz said.

Bierman’s retiring in August. He and his wife raised 3 children in the Quad Cities, and he’s looking forward to spending more time with family in his retirement.

“I’m gonna miss the people and I’m gonna miss the challenges, the everyday challenges,” Bierman said. “I think that’s what I’m gonna miss, I’ve got to find something to keep me challenged. ”

All of us at KWQC will miss the special way Doug conquered every challenge.

“Just a kind, gentle man who gave it everything," Ortiz said.