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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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Coverage of WBA Foundation U.S. Senate Debate
WBA Media Advisory 2016 U.S. Senate Debate WBA Carriage List 2016 U.S. Senate Debate (as of 10/13) Debate panelists Debate Transmission Details (as of 10/11)
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New role at WBA
My first solo shift on the radio was in the late 90s at WRST-FM in Oshkosh. I was hosting Jazz Directions. The station still today plays jazz every weekday afternoon. I loved hosting that show, and I’ve loved all the experiences in broadcasting I’ve had since then. Some background: Before I left school, I was an…
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WBA Foundation to Sponsor U.S. Senate Debate
Market/Moderator/Panelists Confirmed The 2016 U.S. Senate debate between Senator Ron Johnson and challenger Russ Feingold will be held at 7PM CDT on October 14, 2016 at the WLUK Fox 11 Studios in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The one-hour debate will be offered statewide to Wisconsin television/radio stations for live and/or delayed broadcast. “The WBA Foundation (WBAF)…
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Less Than Surprising Social News
Did you know that the most recent presidential debate was the most tweeted in history? Should we be surprised by this? I’ve failed to understand the point of articles like these. Social media is adding users every day. Some faster than others. So, when a big social event happens, why would we be surprised when…
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Youth
My enthusiasm for the future of broadcasting always crests this time of year. This is the week my students start showing up to take me online class through UW-Whitewater, Journalism for the Web. We no longer have to emphasize to students the challenges facing traditional media. They’re well aware, but they’re interested in getting into this business.…
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Internships: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
As I write this column in the middle of reviewing our summer internships, I was inspired to look back on the past 5-years of the best and worst of our students’ experiences. Like most journalism and communication programs, at UWRF we encourage students to participate in multiple internships. Journalism students take internships during their junior…
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Millennial Insight from a Millennial
At the WBA Summer Convention, the Young Professionals held a seminar on Millennials. So who exactly is a Millennial? Each generation has a name, and it’s grouped by years. The Silent Generation are those individuals born from 1928-1945, Baby Boomers from 1946-1964, Generation X from 1965-1980 and Millennials from 1980-2004. Millennials have surpassed Baby Boomers…
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Should we scrap website comments?
Should we scrap website comments? NPR just did. The arguments against website comments are as follows: They’re uncivil. They add little value. They deter voices that might provide valuable viewpoints. They are provided by a small fraction of the total number visitors to a website. Proper moderation take away valuable staff time I can’t object to these…
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Are FB Changes Actually Hurting?
Facebook has released a series of algorithm updates lately, but have they actually affected broadcasters? This article suggests that broadcasters have been mostly left unharmed by the changes. “…the changes have not had a noticeable effect on local news outlets publishing on their Facebook pages — in fact, many markets are seeing their best engagement numbers of…
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Police and Fire Turning to Facebook
Newsrooms are used to getting news releases sent to their inboxes from local police, fire and other public service offices. But more of those agencies are now turning to Facebook to distribute public information. It’s easy to understand why. By using Facebook, they can reach the public and the media at the same time, while…
