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Podcast: The State of Spanish Radio: Its Future and Relevance
Monica Armenta (NM Broadcasters Assoc.) is joined by SDC Broadcasting’s Matt Martinez and Radio Ink and RBR+TVBR publisher Deborah Parenti to talk about Spanish-language radio; its growth, its challenges, and why it’s one of the most vibrant and resilient sectors of broadcasting.
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WBA joins DC fly-in to keep AM radio in every vehicle
Your WBA was in Washington D.C. this week, along with broadcasters representing 30 other states, to call on Congress to pass the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. The bills in both houses of Congress have overwhelming bipartisan support. The House bill has more than 300 cosponsors and the Senate bill has 60 cosponsors. Broadcasters…
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YP of the Month ‘excels in leadership’
A producer at WEAU-TV in Eau Claire, Melanie Walleser, is the WBA Young Professional of the Month for the month of July. The WBA Young Professional of the Month is a nominee for the WBA Young Professional of the Year Award. The award seeks to recognize young broadcasters who have made a significant impact on…
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Jowett Fellowship recipient wants radio to excel with video
A multimedia videographer at Woodward Community Media is the recipient of the Rick Jowett Fellowship. Logan O’Leary says while Woodward has a strong radio tradition, they’re forging a new path forward to also making it a reliable video production company. As the sole videographer for the company, he wants to grow the effort into a…
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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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Storytellers hone their photojournalism skills
Course introduces Rick Jowett Fellowship A two-day photojournalism course in Madison brought together more than 40 visual storytellers who began the event with a remembrance of long-time WBA photographer Rick Jowett. The event introduced the creation of the Rick Jowett Fellowship which will be used to assist aspiring professionals, dedicated career professionals of WBA member…
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WBA staff celebrates anniversaries
Late summer is a time for celebrating anniversaries for the WBA staff. Three staff members marked work anniversaries in July and August. Michelle Vetterkind, President and CEO 22 years on August 28 Linda Baun, Vice President 11 years on July 17 Liz Boyd, NCSA/PEP Coordinator 12 years on July 19 Congratulations and thank you for…
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Officials shouldn’t block social media users
In an age where major public policies are announced and debated through platforms like Facebook and Twitter, the courts are increasingly barring public officials from limiting people’s access to social media. In late July, a Virginia judge ruled that public officials do not have the right to block people who disagree with their views from…
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Eagle River station raises money for VFW
An Eagle River radio station held a summer event to raise money for the VFW/American Legion Post. WRJO’s second annual Pooler Bear Plunge added a 5K run to this year’s event. Thirty-nine plungers jumped into a pool filled with water, two tons of ice, and an inflatable flamingo. The event was hosted by the Eagle…
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Targeting Millennials requires research, strategic thinking
Without question, the most sought-after generation – and the least understood – is Millennials. If you’re a Baby Boomer or a Gen Xer, there are more of “them” than there are of “us.” And yet, professional managers often ascribe qualities and attitudes to Millennials that are simply inaccurate. Simply put, every workplace needs an influx…
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Long time Madison broadcast engineer dies
A long time broadcaster engineer in Madison died just short of his 84th birthday. Donald Lee Moran got his first formal training in radio during his service in the Korean War. He attended the Wisconsin School of Engineering. Moran was chief engineer at WBEV-AM in Beaver Dam before accepting a position at WKOW radio and…
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Fake Grammar is only fit for Fake News
The English language is not an easy communications device to master. Learning it can be confusing and frustrating. I remember my college German language professor telling us how his English speaking German colleagues complained how they found many of the rules to be contradictory and silly. So it’s not surprising that the rules of English…
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Media Scholarship Sponsored by the WBA Foundation
APPLICATION PROCEDURES The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Foundation offers two $2,000 scholarships and two $1,000 scholarships to assist students enrolled in media related educational programs at Public or Private Colleges/Universities, Broadcast/Media Schools and Wisconsin Technical Colleges. Students who meet eligibility requirements are encouraged to apply for these scholarships. The deadline for application is 4 p.m., Friday,…
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Open records requests also open to public
Did you know that when you file an open records request with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, that request is itself a public record? The DOJ is now posting regular reports of who has filed open records requests with its office. If you’re a reporter, you might want to take this into consideration whether you…
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Beno appointed to committee promoting business, marketing in education
Broadcasting education advocate and WBA Hall of Famer Ken Beno has been named to the Wisconsin Department of Instruction’s Business, Marketing and Information Technology Advisory Committee. The committee promotes the recognition of business, marketing and IT coursework as students transition to post-secondary education and promotes work-based learning and skill-oriented curriculum. Beno has made presentations at…
