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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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New chairs to lead WBA Awards Committee
The WBA Awards Committee will be under new leadership after this year’s awards gala. Kelly Radandt, Woodward Radio Group, and Dean Maytag, retired from WISN-TV, will be co-chairs of the committee that oversees the annual awards contest and gala. The committee was previously co-chaired by Lindsay Wood Davis and Tom Bier who oversaw tremendous growth…
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WBA Awards: Another Record Year!
It gets more difficult each year to believe that the WBA Awards program has grown again, setting yet another record, but it has happened again! Growing by almost 100 entries from the previous year, the WBA Awards for Excellence program had 1,783 entries submitted this year. Wow! Again! One oddity among this year’s entry totals…
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Keep your newsroom updated on Amber Alerts, other state-issued notifications
When an Amber Alert or Silver Alert is issued or canceled in our state, the Wisconsin Department of Justice provides notice to broadcasters and other interested parties via its Wisconsin Crime Alert Network. Alerts are issued primarily via email. Your newsroom is hopefully receiving these notices from the state. WBA reminds you that if your…
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WBA renews American Red Cross partnership
The WBA has renewed its agreement with the American Red Cross to help raise funds and awareness for major Red Cross disaster relief efforts in the state. The partnership, called “WBA Saves The Day,” was formed in 1998 and has been renewed every year since. Through the “WBA Saves The Day” partnership, WBA member radio…
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Station collects 20,000 books for food pantries
A group of stations in northeast Wisconsin collected more than 600 books in 2016 for children visiting food pantries. The annual Children’s Book Drive conducted by Nicolet Broadcasting stations has now collected more than 20,000 books over the last ten years. The books are given to children who visit food pantries in Door and Kewaunee…
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Gilman Halsted, retired WPR reporter, named Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog
Gilman Halsted, a retired Wisconsin Public Radio reporter who produced award-winning examinations of the state’s criminal justice system, has been named the 2017 recipient of the Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award. Over the course of two decades, Halsted became a familiar voice to WPR listeners, working for six years in the Wausau bureau before moving to…
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Get to know WBA leadership: Steve Wexler
Steve Wexler began his broadcast career with Journal Broadcast Group in 1977 as an intern at WTMJ-AM while attending Shorewood High School. He hosted on-air programs on both WTMJ-AM and WKTI-FM in the late 70’s and early 80’s before leaving the company to become an on-air talent and program manager at Hearst Broadcasting’s WISN-AM in…
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Committee votes on changes to online court records
A committee convened by the director of state courts is reviewing issues regarding the state’s online court records system: Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, or WCCA, which most people refer to as CCAP. The committee is the third convened to ponder changes to the system, the other two being in 2000 and 2005. Those committees resulted…
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Eau Claire station uses live network musical to promote local arts
An Eau Claire television station used the NBC live production of the musical “Hairspray” to promote the local performing arts culture. WEAU aired a panel discussion titled “Theater in our Community” after the musical aired Dec. 7. The station invited performing arts volunteers to talk about the importance of a vibrant local arts scene and…
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112,000 lbs. of food collected by pair of TV stations
Two TV stations in Milwaukee worked with the Brewers Community Foundation and Hunger Task Force the day before Thanksgiving to collect more than 112,000 pounds of food from viewers. CBS 58 (WDJT) and Telemundo both did live news segments as well as live cut- ins throughout the day The “Thanksgiving Drive Thru Food Drive” was…
