WHBY is celebrating 100 years of broadcasting this year, having debuted on April 5, 1925, from St. Norbert College in De Pere as northern Wisconsin’s first commercial radio station. To mark this milestone, WHBY will feature year-long broadcast and digital content, kicking off with a celebratory event on April 4 at the Junior Achievement Center on the Fox Valley Technical College campus in Appleton.
Originally a music-based station with some news and sports programs, WHBY transitioned to its now-signature news and talk format in the 1950s, nearly 25 years after its debut. Since then, the station continues to pride itself on delivering trusted news and meaningful conversations that keep the local community informed and engaged.
“There is a tremendous amount of pride that comes with celebrating 100 years of broadcasting,” said B.J. DeGrooot, Brand Manager of WHBY. “The incredible communities that make up northeast Wisconsin are the fabric that have gotten us to celebrate a century of service. We’re here because of you, and recognizing WHBY’s historic past invigorates our present team and provides motivation for the future. I cannot thank those who’ve paved the way for WHBY enough, and our current team for embracing Woodward Community Media’s core values that guide us forward. As we embrace our past and present, I’m excited for the future of WHBY as a leader in local community media.”
The public is invited to join WHBY’s 100th Anniversary Kickoff Celebration on Friday, April 4 at the Junior Achievement Center on the FVTC campus in Appleton. The event will feature live broadcasts of the station’s weekday local shows, starting with AM Fox Valley with Dave Edwards, followed by Outside the Box with Ben Cominos, Focus Fox Valley with Hayley Tenpas, and concluding with Your News Now with Jonathan Krause. Attendees can enjoy breakfast from Simple Simon Bakery and lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with Chef Jeff and FVTC’s Chefs Gone Grillin’. Guests are encouraged to stop by, meet the team, grab exclusive station swag, and celebrate this historic milestone with WHBY.
WHBY’s 100th anniversary celebration will continue with broadcast features and digital content highlighting each year of the station’s history from 1925 to today. These features will run on-air from March 31 through August 15, offering listeners a chance to learn more about WHBY’s evolution over the past century. “Celebrating 100 years of WHBY is incredibly meaningful to me,” said Kelly Radandt, General Manager and 35-year employee owner. “WHBY has been a constant presence in Appleton and the surrounding communities, witnessing our area’s growth and being a part of its story. For decades, WHBY has been more than just a radio station; it’s been a trusted friend, a reliable source for news and information, and a vital connection point for our community. Our past, present, and future employee owners have created something really special here that will continue to evolve and carry on for another century of service.”
