A pioneering broadcast engineer who served a long career in Milwaukee has died. WBA Hall of Famer Jim Wulliman died Nov. 8. He was 98.
Wulliman served as Director of Engineering for the Journal Broadcast Group, including WTMJ-AM, WKTI-FM, and WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee. Prior to that, he was responsible for the design and construction of Milwaukee’s public television stations, WMVS-TV and WMVT-TV, and served as their chief engineer and assistant director of operations.
During his career, Wulliman was very active in the National Society of Broadcast Engineers and is well known as the “father” of the world renown SBE Certification Program, begun in 1977 as the industry’s standard to test and measure the qualifications of broadcast engineers.
He served as SBE’s Director of Certification for many years, was the Milwaukee SBE Chapter’s first President, and was the President of the National SBE. He also has received the SBE’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was inducted into the WBA Hall of Fame in 1998.
In his obituary, his family wrote, “We are proud to know that he was liked and respected as not only technically knowledgeable, but a ‘quiet manager’ who was friendly, professional, and supportive of his engineers’ own growth in the field.”
Wulliman served in Europe in WWII. He and his wife Virginia were married for 75 years. They moved to Arizona after he retired.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that mourners consider a donation to Green Valley, Arizona food bank or La Posada Life Foundation/Holiday Gift Fund.
