An announcer and producer at Woodward Community Media in Appleton, Zach Zelinski, is the WBA Young Professional of the Month for the month of November.
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 their stations and communities. A subcommittee of the WBA Board of Directors will select the Young Professional of the Year, who will be recognized at the 2026 WBA Awards Gala on May 2 at the Madison Marriott West.
Zelinski was nominated by Woodward Director of Broadcast, Kelly Radandt who wrote that Zelinski is an unsung hero at the company.
“He is one of those silent people in the background who doesn’t get the accolades but without him we wouldn’t function as well,” Radandt wrote. “He has saved (the company) dollars by catching when something isn’t running right, getting us back on the air at midnight and being available at a moment’s notice to fill in.”
Nominate a YP of the Month here.
Here’s more about Zach:
Company: Woodward Community Media
Position: Producer/Announcer
Years at station: 13
Started in broadcasting (year): 2012
- How did you get into broadcasting?
During my senior year of high school, I interned at 1570 AM The Score with show host Justin Hull and ever since then I had a desire to be in broadcasting. A year later I was hired part-time and then promoted to full-time in another four years. I started out as a board operator for sporting events, now I’m the main backup for multiple talk shows and a lot of behind-the-scenes roles.
2. How do you view the role of young professionals in broadcasting?
Young professionals will always be playing a pivotal role in broadcasting by bringing new ideas as the way of broadcasting changes like video streams and social media, though still learning from those who paved the way for us and keeping an open mind with everything in broadcasting. When we ever hit a bump on our careers, asking for guidance from people with experience will go a long way.
3. What advice would you give to other young broadcasters?
Once you find that drive in your career, keep pushing yourself and don’t be afraid to try a new role. Opportunities that have opened for me came from wanting to improve my skills and trusting my abilities to try different roles. Also, always air-check yourself because the fastest way to improve is listening/watching your past broadcasts even if you might not like hearing yourself!
4. What does the future of broadcasting look like to you?
As technology changes and along with the audience’s interest, people will always want that personal connection with broadcasters from the way they tell stories to having trust with the hosts and reporters. As long as that connection with the viewers/listeners is cared for, the future will be strong for broadcasting!
