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2026 WBA Awards for Excellence Rulebook available now
Hello Wisconsin Broadcasters, On behalf of your WBA Awards Committee, we hope you have had a great first half of the year, and that you have been saving your potential entries for this year’s contest. You are a part of the largest state broadcaster awards program in the nation, and we can’t wait to see…
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Ambassador program extends to second UW campus
The WBA campus ambassador program is expanding to a second campus after its pilot year at UW-Oshkosh. Two students at UW-Whitewater will serve as WBA ambassadors starting in the fall semester. The ambassador program was launched in 2025 on the UW-Oshkosh campus with two students: Dylan Przybylski and Jacob Link. The students acted as representatives…
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Wisconsin Broadcaster available now
The September/October issue of Wisconsin Broadcaster is now available. Highlights from this issue:
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Shockleys establish Young Broadcasters Development Fund
WBA Hall of Famers Terry and Sandy Shockley are the founding grantors of the newly established Young Broadcasters Development Fund, aimed at inspiring career building in the broadcast industry. “Our mission with this fund is to inspire and motivate young people to pursue a career in broadcasting,” Terry and Sandy Shockey said. “The rewards are…
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Student scholarship competition underway
Do you know a student who could use assistance with educational expenses? The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Foundation offers three $2,500 scholarships and one $1,500 scholarship. Students who meet eligibility requirements are encouraged to apply for these scholarships. The application process is online. It’s available on the WBA website at wi-broadcasters.org/scholarships Students who have completed at…
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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…
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Sen. Johnson joins cosponsors of Local Radio Freedom Act
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson is joining five members of the Wisconsin House delegation in supporting the recently reintroduced Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA). The resolutions in the House of Representatives and the Senate oppose “any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge” on local broadcast radio stations. Representatives Bryan Steil (R-WI-1), Ron Kind (D-WI-3),…
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Weekly Radio Addresses discuss state budget, personal property tax
This week’s Weekly Radio Addresses from Wisconsin’s Capitol discuss the recently signed state budget and the vetoing of a bill that would have eliminated the personal property tax. 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.…
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Veteran Wausau DJ shares advice, stories, ideas for radio newbies
“Morning radio is the place to be!” And no one knows that better than WIFC’s Dave Kallaway. His radio career spans four decades, with nearly three in his current role. “We were allowed to listen to the radio in high school, in typing class, and that’s where I first got the bug that radio might…
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How to safely connect with viewers on social media
Social media is an incredible tool for connecting with your audience. But the line between sharing and oversharing is a fine one. Sara Maslar-Donar is the anchor of WKOW’s Wake Up Wisconsin Weekend morning show and reports for the weekday morning show. She was also recipient of the WBA’s ‘Best Online Personality” award, placing second.…
