UTICA-ROME -- Longtime local media personality Bill Keeler is making another comeback. This time, he's back on TV, with a cooking show that'll premiere this Saturday on NBC affiliate WKTV.
According to the Utica Observer-Dispatch, the show is called "Plate Night" and it'll air Saturdays at 7pm. Each week, Keeler will visit two local restaurants. At each restaurant, a chef will show viewers what it takes to prepare an existing menu item, and then an original "chef's creation." The latter of the two dishes will then be made available on that restaurant's menu for a two-week trial period. Recipes will also be posted on the show's website (which, as of Thursday night, still appears to be very much under construction) at www.platenight.com.
Keeler has maintained a low profile since March 2011, when his online-only "MOVA Radio" show went on hiatus, a decision Keeler says he was forced to make after losing two staffers. In addition to the online show, Keeler had been running multiple online radio streams, along with the online newspaper, Utica Daily News. He said he didn't have time for his own show because he had to spend so much time overseeing other parts of his company. Before making the jump to netcasting, Keeler had hosted his show on 92.7 The Drive (WXUR) from 2007 to 2010.