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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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Thrive through pandemic by ‘turning setbacks into comebacks’
Years ago, when I was member of the National Press Photographers Association, I attended a conference that featured guest speakers who shared stories of their careers and examples of their work. One featured speaker resonated with me with a simple but effective message that has stuck with me ever since. He had pursued a career…
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Weekly Radio Addresses discuss pandemic recovery, lawsuit
This week’s Weekly Radio Addresses from Wisconsin lawmakers touch on Gov. Evers’ Badger Bounce Back plan and the GOP lawsuit involving the “Safer at Home” order. These addresses are available for Wisconsin broadcasters to use as they see fit. NOTE – for equal time purposes, through the November elections, the Addresses will be provided by…
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Baldwin, Johnson sign letter asking for support for broadcasters
Wisconsin Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson have both signed a letter asking the federal government to help local broadcasters through the purchase of advertising. The letter from Senators Daines (MT), Manchin (WV), and Barrasso (WY) asks the Office of Management and Budget to use federal funds to purchase advertising to help local broadcasters continue…
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How advertiser needs have changed due to COVID-19 (and how broadcasters need to respond)
When the impact of the pandemic began to hit around mid-March, broadcasters got hit hard by cancellations, as their clients shut down their businesses. Bills stopped being paid as everyone struggled to try to figure out what it meant. A month later, we are seeing signs some clients are beginning to think about what their…
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Madison radio veteran dies
A radio veteran who spent most of his life in Madison has died in North Carolina. John Rustad, 82, was in the final stages of Alzheimer’s and receiving nursing care when he died from COVID-19, according to his obituary. He died April 14. Rustad was born in La Crosse and spent most of his career…
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News, sports personality leaves legacy in Racine
A man who spent 36 years providing news and sports reporting in Racine has died. Gary R. Suhr, 86, died Monday in South Milwaukee. Suhr started his broadcasting career at WFHR in Wisconsin Rapids before moving to WRJN in Racine in 1962 were he retired in 1998 as the station’s news and sports director. According…
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Veteran Milwaukee TV journalist dies
A veteran journalist with a long career at WISN-TV in Milwaukee has died. Mike Anderson started at WISN-TV in 1981 and retired in 2017. “Mike Anderson was a transformative figure in the history of television news in Milwaukee,” WISN-TV News Director Ben Hart wrote. “In his storied career, he broke class and color barriers and…
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WBA Hall of Famer remembered for leadership, love of sports
WBA Hall of Famer Mike Elliott had a career in radio that spanned more than 50 years and a love of sports that he used to inspire those he led through his amazing career. Elliott died Monday. He was 82. Elliott started his career at WACE radio in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1954, where he was…
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6 Wisconsin House members sign letter seeking support for local media
Six of Wisconsin’s members of the House of Representatives have added their names to a letter [PDF] asking the Trump administration to consider federal spending on advertising be prioritized for local media outlets. Representatives Dingell and Upton from Michigan, and Representatives Flores and Veasey from Texas, are lead signers on the letter to the White House.…
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ESPN station makes temporary flip to COVID-19 programs
A sports talk radio station in Milwaukee is making a temporary change to air programming related to the COVID-19 pandemic. SiriusXM’s Doctor Radio (channel 110) and its public service channel 121, “Coronavirus: What You Need to Know” will air on 540 ESPN (WAUK-AM) beginning Monday. The programming change will preempt ESPN network programming until further…
