In 1959 Eliason and his wife, Freda, moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1960, Eliason became interim director of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin chapter of Youth for Christ. In May 1961 the organization went on the air with Voice of Christian Youth, a 30-minute youth-oriented radio show over WBON-FM in Milwaukee. Soon after the ministry had expanded to a full broadcast day, resulting in 1970 in VCY purchasing WBON for $315,000 and renaming it WVCY-FM. In 1973, Eliason led the Milwaukee Youth for Christ chapter out of the national organization, renaming it "Voice of Christian Youth." Now known as VCY America, it is a Christian broadcasting ministry based in Milwaukee. VCY currently oversees 15-20 stations mostly across the Upper Midwest, depending on the source, not including its Internet site or a 24-hour-a-day, seven days a week, television station in Milwaukee, which is WVCY-TV, launched in 1983, as well as several "translator" and "satellator" stations. VCY America also provides programming via satellite to stations around the country. The ministry is funded through listeners' and supporters' donations. Eliason was a prominent on-air personality for the network, with duties including being one of the regular hosts for the network's morning public affairs program, VCY Today and the afternoon news program, Crosstalk. Eliason also provided the voiceovers for the network's overnight music program, Music 'Til Dawn, which features "mostly conservative, ministry-oriented inspirational music", where tunes are interspersed with verses from the Bible and commentary. In 1978, Eliason established the Voice of Christian Youth school, a private Christian K-12 School at 3434 W. Kilbourn Avenue, Milwaukee. In the early 1990s, the Voice of Christian Youth School merged with Faith Christian Academy and the name of the school was formally changed to Badger State Baptist School, and was relocated to 1170 W. Windlake Ave, Milwaukee. In 1983, Eliason started WVCY-TV on Channel 30 in Milwaukee. In September 1994, the WVCY-TV board rejected a purchase offer of $10 million from CBS as part of that network's attempt to find a new station in the market.
Crosstalk
In 1976 Eliason started Crosstalk, a radio talk show he hosted. Vic also sat in on various days for the network's nationally broadcast weekday afternoon public affairs program, Crosstalk, which is taped and rebroadcast every weekday evening; one of those broadcasts is also replayed at noon on Saturday as Best of Crosstalk. Topics range from "the economy, the political scene, the continuing moral collapse of our nation, legislation that affects the family, or the state of evangelicalism.".
Controversy
Julie Brienza
After discovering UPISupreme Court reporter Julia Brienza was a lesbian and had written a free-lance article on "hate radio" for The Washington Blade, a gay newspaper in Washington, DC., Eliason began a national campaign that resulted in Brienza's employment being terminated in April 1990. After Brienza was fired, Eliason stated during his radio show that "'Christianity has triumphed". Later in 1990, Brienza filed a US$12.75 million lawsuit against UPI and Elison for "unlawful job termination" based on her sexual orientation. To settle the case, in April 1995, Eliason's insurance agreed to pay Brienza $255,000, and Eliason issued a statement that gays and lesbians have the right to work in the media. Eliason said "My concern in this matter from the very beginning has been objectivity in journalism, not the sexual preference of any individual in the media."
Eliason was vociferous in his opposition to Rembert Weakland, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Milwaukee from 1997 until 2002, "whom Eliason regarded as a "liberal" for his views on homosexuality and sex education". Weakland's eventual retirement was overshadowed by revelations that Weakland paid $450,000 of diocesan funds to a former male lover to prevent a lawsuit, along with the ongoing Catholic Church sexual abuse cases hidden under Weakland's leadership which ended up bankrupting the Archdiosese of Milwaukee.
Personal
Eliason was married to Freda M. Eliason, and the father of three adult children - Andrew Carl Eliason, who is employed as an engineer at VCY; Ingrid J. Schlueter, former producer and co-host of the Crosstalk radio talk show on the VCY America Radio Network ; and Lisa C. Turner, both of whom formerly worked at the radio ministry. Eliason was the recipient of an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree given at the 74th Annual Commencement exercises of Bob Jones University in May 2001. He was also a licensed pilot. He died of cancer on December 5, 2015 at the age of 79.
