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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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Support WBA Foundation’s new celebrity golf outing
The WBA Foundation is planning its first ever WBA Celebrity Golf Outing. Mark your calendars for Aug. 4, 2020 and plan to join us at SentryWorld Golf Course in Stevens Point. SentryWorld was recently ranked the number 34 best public course in America! A committee of WBA members has been working the past few months…
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Theme set, fees to increase for WBA Awards
Are you ready for an evening in Paris? That’s the theme for the 2020 WBA Awards Gala as decided by the WBA Awards Committee. The committee also approved fee increases for the 2019 Awards competition. The new fees are: Radio: $35/entry TV: $45/entry LPFM: $20/entry Other changes to the awards categories were also approved at…
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Hodges to lead stations in Bemidji
James Hodges has accepted the position of General Manager and Sales Manager for Hubbard Broadcasting‘s five station radio cluster in Bemidji, Minnesota (Paul Bunyan Broadcasting). One of the stations, KB 101, has won six NAB Crystal Awards and its morning host, Todd Haugen, has been a top five nominee finalist for a Marconi Award twice.…
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Digital myths don’t compare to realities
I spend a lot of my time inside of stations, meeting with sales teams, management, and even clients. One of the most frequent things I hear from broadcasters is denial that digital is a big thing – it’s a passing fad, broadcasting is free, and data plans are too expensive, and there’s not enough revenue…
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WBA website launches new member service, directories
The WBA website has launched a new member login to give members access to more member information, including a new member directory, and set the stage for future enhancements. There are now new public and member-only directories on the WBA website. The public “Find a Station” feature will be updated live and always up-to-date. As…
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President’s Column: FCC visits Wisconsin
Representatives of the FCC’s Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division visited Wisconsin in June as part of a two-state swing through the Midwest to talk to residents about consumer issues. WBA was represented at all the public meetings and local broadcasters promoted and attended the visits. Nelson family announces new scholarship The family of newly inducted…
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Broadcasters emphasize importance of local elections
It seems strange to be writing about voting and elections in the off-year of the election cycle. If it were an election year, politics would occupy much of our conversations, commercial time, and news content. State and federal elections are generally good for the broadcast industry, both in advertising revenue and news interest. Pundits would…
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WXRO switches to Hot AC format
WXRO-FM in Beaver Dam is switching formats to Hot AC. 95X will continue its morning show with Rick Armon, Sheri Sackett, and Thomas Rehfeldt. “The Barn Show” will move to WXRO sister station WBEV-AM.
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Wisconsin Broadcaster available now
The May/June issue of the Wisconsin Broadcaster is now available. You can download it here [PDF]. Highlights from his issue: WBA Chair Steve Lavin writes about the importance of local elections. WBA President and CEO Michelle Vetterkind highlights the major headlines from the WBA. New award recognizes young professionals A new celebrity golf outing…
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Storytelling workshop with international collaboration sends powerful messages
The act of collaboration or working with others as a team applies to many aspects of life and certainly the work that we as storytellers and educators do with our students and colleagues. The reasons for collaborating vary from using resources to sharing ideas, which can result in wonderful and unexpected outcomes. An international partnership…
