Soon after taking over as MMI director, Bruce Buehler, M.D., agreed to do a television interview with KMTV (Channel 3) about a child in Council Bluffs with herpes. The reporter, Trina Creighton, was impressed with how Dr. Buehler handled himself in front of the camera. She asked him if he would be willing to be a regular guest on her midday newscast.
This was the start of a relationship with KMTV that continues today. Over the years, Dr. Buehler has done of hundreds of interviews for the station on a myriad of topics. His ongoing television exposure helped create awareness of UNMC and its different programs.
For several years, Dr. Buehler hosted a KMTV health program called “LifeQuest,” which highlighted activities at the medical center. Today, Dr. Buehler can be seen on Tuesdays and Fridays on KMTV. His segment airs around 12:20 p.m. He squeezes in six phone calls from viewers over the course of five minutes.
Blessed with a resonant voice honed by being a radio disk jockey during college and an encyclopedic mind bolstered by one to two hours of daily reading of medical journals, Dr. Buehler is able to connect with people on just about any subject. “People ask why I do the television stuff. I tell them I do it because it can make a difference. I can’t tell you how many times people have come up to me, and said, ‘Bruce, I did what you told me to do, and it has changed my life.'”