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Broadcasters collect their WBA Awards for Excellence
Radio and television stations from across Wisconsin came together Saturday to celebrate their award-winning work at the 2026 Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Awards Gala. The awards were handed out at the Madison Marriott West in Middleton with 350 in attendance. Competition for this year’s awards was as strong as ever with 1,322 award entries. A total…
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WBA Foundation announces date for gubernatorial debate
The WBA Foundation Board will continue its 36-year tradition of holding statewide televised debates for Wisconsin’s voters by airing a general election debate in the 2026 Wisconsin gubernatorial race. Qualifying gubernatorial candidates will be invited to participate in a debate on Oct. 9 at 7 p.m., hosted by Milwaukee PBS. Radio and television stations from…
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4 to be inducted into WBA Hall of Fame in June
The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Foundation is proud to announce the 2026 WBA Hall of Fame inductees: Dave Magnum has turned a network of radio stations into a second generation legacy in Wisconsin. Kelly Radandt’s broadcasting career reflects a rare blend of strategic leadership, compassion, and unwavering dedication to people and community. Jeff Tyler’s career stands…
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4 to be honored as Local Broadcast Legends
Four Wisconsin broadcasters are 2026 WBA Local Broadcast Legends. Randy Allen, an on-air presence with deep knowledge of country music and unwavering professionalism which has made him a trusted companion to listeners throughout the Green Bay, Appleton, and Oshkosh markets. Dave Luczak, the voice Milwaukee woke up to, becoming one of the most trusted and enduring…
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WBA 75th anniversary Summer Conference agenda released
The preliminary agenda is now available for your WBA’s Summer Conference celebration of the association’s 75th anniversary will be held June 17-18 at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva. Registration is also open. The registration deadline is May 28. The hotel booking deadline is May 25. Speakers for this year’s conference include: Keynote: Curtis…
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Weekly Radio Addresses discuss election reform
This week’s Weekly Radio Addresses from Wisconsin’s Capitol discuss the topic of election reform. These addresses are available for Wisconsin broadcasters to use as they see fit. Here are the summaries from WisPolitics: — In this week’s Democratic radio address, Gov. Tony Evers talked about why he vetoed Republicans’ election bills. “These bills would’ve restricted…
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Public broadcaster was also teacher, consultant, mentor
A Madison man known for his work in broadcasting, teaching, nonprofit development, and consulting has died. Boris Frank died on Aug. 6. He was 89. According to his obituary, Frank graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in education and emphasis on speech and radio – TV communications. At the age of 23,…
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Allen retires from 40-year broadcasting career
Television executive Tom Allen has retired from the broadcast industry after four decades working in and managing local television stations. Allen retired in early August as a Regional Vice President with Quincy Media, where he oversaw the operation of Quincy owned television stations across Wisconsin and several other states. “I’ve been fortunate to have had…
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Portage man remembered for long career in radio
A Portage man with a long career in broadcasting has died. Robert “Bob” William O’Halloran died July 28. He was 69. O’Halloran started his broadcasting career at 16 at WPDR and went on to UW-Stevens Point, where he earned his degree in communications. From there, his radio career took him to WHBY, WNAM, WNFL, and…
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Spieker named regional engineer for NRG Media
NRG Media’s Wisconsin stations have named Brian Spieker as its new regional engineer. “Brian comes to us from the Fargo, North Dakota area where he worked for several large broadcasting companies,“ NRG Director of Engineering George Nicholas said. “He also has extensive remote and news and sports audio network programming experience as well. We look…
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Wisconsin Public Media remembers Director Gene Purcell
Wisconsin Public Media (WPM) is saddened by the death of Gene Purcell, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison division that provides statewide access to public media through Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) and PBS Wisconsin since 2018. Purcell passed away Saturday from injuries suffered last week in a traffic crash in Madison. He was 61. A…
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Weekly Radio Addresses highlight differing approaches to addressing workforce issues
In this week’s Democratic radio address, Gov. Tony Evers highlighted a $130 million investment in workforce initiatives aimed at boosting the state’s economic recovery. Meanwhile, In this week’s GOP radio address, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, discussed Republican lawmakers’ recent attempt to override Evers’ veto of a bill to cut off extra federal unemployment benefits.…
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89Q establishes mentoring studio
A Wausau radio station is setting up a new studio aimed to mentoring high school students as future broadcasters. “Our goal is to help them understand radio from a non-commercial, CCM perspective,” wrote 89Q (WCLQ) General Manager Coy Sawyer. The program is expected to launch in the winter and will be open to local students.…
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Broadcasters Clinic named ‘Best Educational Event’ by SBE
The SBE Wisconsin chapters and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association has won an award from the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) for the Best Educational Event for the Wisconsin Broadcasters Clinic held in October 2020. One nominator noted, “They have consistently put on a highly attended event that has a strong mix of classic material, cutting-edge…
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Why reporters should cold-call for more thorough storytelling
cold-call /ˈkōl(d) ˌkôl/ verb make an unsolicited call on (someone), by phone or in person, in an attempt to sell goods or services. Ah, yes. A very popular tool amongst the sales folks. Welp, I’m going to hijack the term and let you know cold-calling is something reporters can add to their toolbox too. How…
