Bazil O’Hagan had a long broadcasting career in the South Bend area, as President and General Manager of Michiana Telecasting Corporation. He also served as the Chief Engineer of WNDU Radio and TV, and created Golden Dome Productions, a versatile and ambitious television production unit.
O’Hagan was born September 24, 1928, in Detroit, Michigan. In 1950, he earned a Technical Engineering degree from DeForest Technical School in Chicago, becoming a licensed engineer by the FCC.
His first job was at WBBC-Radio in Flint, Michigan, where he worked as an engineer. One year later, in 1951, O’Hagan moved to Lansing, Michigan, to be a station engineer at WJIM-TV. A year later, O’Hagan directed the construction of WBKZ-TV in Battle Creek, MI, one of the nation’s first UHF television stations.
In 1956, O’Hagan was hired as the Chief Engineer at WNDU-TV, a television station in South Bend, Indiana, that was affiliated with NBC.
In 1980, O’Hagan worked his way through the ranks and was given the title of President and General Manager of WNDU’s parent company, Michiana Telecasting Company, which he held for 13 years until his retirement.
At WNDU, O’Hagan sought out students at Notre Dame’s journalism department, training them first as interns before hiring them as employees. O’Hagan established a teaching program for the students to learn how to produce their own programming and gain experience in television.
Most notably in O’Hagan’s career was his creation of Golden Dome Productions, which he felt he was prouder of than anything else. Golden Dome Productions provided a platform for creative productions and cutting-edge media. Every week for half an hour, Golden Dome Productions produced a program on international public affairs issues that was shot all across the world.
In 1984, O’Hagan earned his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame and was President of the first Executive MBA Class.
O’Hagan was inducted into the Indiana Broadcast Hall of Fame and was involved in the Indiana Broadcasters Association, and was a member of the NBC Affiliates Board.
As well as his developments in the world of broadcast, O’Hagan was also an active member of his community. He served as Board Chairman of Goodwill Industries and St. Joseph Care Group, was President of the United Way and a member of the first board of Holy Cross College. At Holy Cross, O’Hagan implemented a tutoring program.
He retired in 1993 after a 37-year long career at WNDU. After retirement, O’Hagan volunteered for 11 years as a tour guide at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame.
O’Hagan passed away on February 21, 2017. Throughout his extensive career, he created an environment that fostered creativity and innovation.
