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I was in a training session with some of the stationstaff in mid-August. I reviewed my notes this week totry to spark an idea for this column. I have to admit, Ihave a ton of ideas of topics to write, but I oftenstruggle as to whether the readers would care.

One sentence that caught my attention was,”Do wefully appreciate what we are today versusremembering what we were yesterday?”

I thought back to some of the audience numbers Icould quote to prospective media buyers when I broke into the TV salesbusiness back in 1996. They were huge. TV stations had one channelwith a variety of network, syndicated, and news programs that in oneprogram could deliver an audience that exceeded the capacity ofLambeau Field. I’m sure there were radio groups that could findaudiences that dwarfed the capacity of the large stadiums in their localmarket.

I quickly thought back to where I started my career. I started in the local

newspaper business. The day I started there were 400 employees andour Sunday circulation was darn near six figures.

Do I ever appreciate what we are today! There is no doubt, as localbroadcast radio and television broadcasters, our business model ischanging, but it is far from broken. Had we not changed we wouldbecome increasingly irrelevant. Innovation and technology haveallowed us to more efficiently and effectively run our operations. We areable to monetize our valuable digital and social media content thatwasn’t even invented back in the mid-90s. Our local broadcast radio andTV creative advertising messages delivered to the right audiences stillputs butts in seats, creates website visits, and makes the phones ring.Our news departments still hold public officials accountable and whensevere weather is approaching the market still trusts local broadcastersto keep them out of harm’s way.

And, I appreciate I can do this in the great state of Wisconsin thatprovides our employees with exceptional quality of life and a taste of allfour seasons. Your business interests are supported by one of the best, ifnot the best, state broadcasters associations in the country.

S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9

P R E S I D E N T ’ S C O L U M N

There are only a few weeks left tosubmit your nominations for theWBA Young Professional of theYear. We will recognize six finalizeand award the YP of the Year at the2020 WBA Summer Conference.The nomination deadline is Sept.30. Find a link to the nominationform under “Rapid Resources” on

the WBA homepage.

SBE National coming to Broadcasters ClinicPlanning for our award-winning Broadcasters Clinicis hitting its stride. Registration is open and hotelreservations are due Sept. 23. SBE National isjoining us at the Madison Marriott West this year.We hope you can join us Oct. 15-17 and make sureyour engineering staff is there.

Clinic Committee Chair Kent Aschenbrenner, LindaBaun, and the Clinic Committee have put out afantastic agenda which can be found on page 4.Registration is easy to find on the WBA websitehomepage.

Education grant aimed at student debt reliefThe Results Broadcasting Scholarship is now the

Continued on page 2>

Deadline quickly approaching for YPnominations

MichelleVetterkind,CAEWBA President and CEO

Steve LavinWBA Chair

Take time to appreciate broadcasting’s strength

C H A I R ’ S C O L U M N

Results Education Grant, which will provide $1,000 in debtrelief to broadcasters who are paying off their studentdebt. Among other criteria, applicants must be employedwith a broadcaster in Wisconsin for at least a year.

Applications will be accepted starting Jan. 1 and the grantwill be awarded at the WBA Summer Conference.

In the meantime, applications are now being accepted forour four student scholarships, including the new David L.and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund Scholarship. Applicationsare due Nov. 1. Look for more details on page 19.

Sports Workshop returns to Miller ParkThose attending the WBA Doug Chickering WIAA SportsWorkshop at Miller Park in July were treated to some greatstories from Brewers radio announcer Jeff Levering andnew Brewers PA announcer and radio personality MarkRichards. We also got some insightful updates from the

WIAA about the state of high schoolsports.

A highlight for me was running intolegendary Brewers radio announcer BobUecker. He and former WBA PresidentJohn Laabs are both members of theWBA Hall of Fame.

Read more about the Sports Workshopon page 12.

C O N T E N T SWBA moves to new member app. . . . . . 2

Directory shares podcasts from Wisconsin broadcasters. . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Jacobs Media: What we learnedat the 2019 Podcast MovementConferrence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Wright joins WBA Legislative Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2019 WBA Broadcasters Clinic . . . . . . . . 4

Wisconsin radio, TV stations join First Amendment campaign. . . . . . . . . . . . 6

NCSA/PEP program offers many benefits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Members in the Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . 10

WBA program helps stations plan for crisis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

WBA’s 2019 Doug Chickering WIAA Sports Workshop. . . . . . . . . . . 12

Young Professionals Column. . . . . . . . . 12

In Remembrance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Names in the News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

WBA Assistance Action Plan for EEOCompliance (as of July 2019) . . . . . . 14

Your WBA Serving You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Educators Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Awards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

WBA Foundation: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Student scholarship competition underway

Educational Support Grants total $3,000 in 2019

Thank you, WBA Foundation!

Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

2 W i s c o n s i n B r o a d c a s t e r | wi-broadcasters.org

Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Officers & Board of Directors

OFFICERS 2019-2020Chair of the BoardSteve Lavin WBAY-TV, Green BayVice Chair - Radio, Chair ElectChris Bernier Radio Plus, Marinette/Fond du LacVice Chair - TelevisionDon Vesely WMTV-TV, MadisonTreasurerLupita Montoto La Movida WLMV Radio,MadisonSecretaryJan Wade WISN-TV, MilwaukeeImmediate Past ChairSteve WexlerGood Karma Brands, Milwaukee

BOARD OF DIRECTORSJudson Beck WLAX-TV/WEUX-TV, La Crosse/Eau Claire

Keith Bratel iHeart Media, Madison

Brian Burns Morgan Murphy Media, Madison

Paul Cameron The Family Radio Network, Appleton

Herb Cody QueenB Radio, Platteville

Dave Edwards WUWM-FM, Milwaukee Public Radio, Milwaukee

Anna Engelhart WKOW-TV, Madison

Aleese Fielder NRG Media-Wausau/Stevens Point, Plover

JT Koser Koser Radio Group, Rice Lake/Hayward

Mike Smith WFRV-TV, Green Bay

Mark Strachota Weigel Broadcasting Co.,Milwaukee

Chuck Sullivan Entercom Communications, Hales Corners

Jeff Welton Nautel, Hackett’s Cove, Nova Scotia

Michael Wright Midwest Communications, Green Bay/Wausau

Ex Officio - NAB Board Tom Walker Mid-West Family Broadcasting, Madison

WBA TeamPresident & CEOMichelle Vetterkind, CAE [email protected]

Vice President - AdministrationLinda Baun [email protected]

NCSA/PEP Coordinator Liz [email protected]

Director of Operations and Public AffairsKyle Geissler [email protected]

WBA Board minutes are always available formembers. Please email Linda Baun at

[email protected] to request a copy.

Wisconsin Broadcasters Association 44 E. Mifflin Street, Suite 900

Madison, WI 53703Phone Toll Free (800) 236-1922wi-broadcasters.org

P R E S I D E N T ’ S C O L U M N Continued from page 1

Promote your podcast in our new directoryWe just added a new feature to the WBAhomepage to promote podcasts published byWBA member stations. If your podcast isn’talready on the list, be sure to submit it so wecan add it. Get more details below.

Milwaukee area broadcasters visit Rep. MooreA group of radio and TV general managerspaid a visit to Rep. Gwen Moore in August aspart of an effort to visit our DC representatives

when they’re home in their districts.

The meeting with Rep. Moore was insightful and productive. Issues related to broadcasting werediscussed along with talk about planning for the arrival of the Democratic National Convention inMilwaukee next summer, which is certain to be a huge event for the city.

Jeff Wright from Midwest Communications is joining the WBA Legislative Committee. You can readmore about that on page3.

Finally, this is a busy time of year for anniversaries at the WBA. I just celebrated by 24th anniversarywith the WBA, along with Liz Boyd (14 years), Linda Baun (13 years) and Kyle Geissler (2 years).Thank you to all of you, our valued members who make it such a pleasure to work on your behalf.We’re a strong association, thanks to you.

Directory shares podcasts fromWisconsin broadcasters

WBA website launches new member service,directories

A new directory onthe WBA website

catalogs podcasts publishedby Wisconsin’s radio and TVstations. More radio and TV stations are podcastingtheir programs and exclusive content to reach thepodcasting audience.

The directory can be found here and it’s linked in the“For the Public” section of the navigation on the WBAwebsite. https://mywba.wi-broadcasters.org/podcast-directory

The search bar in the directory can be used to findpodcasts by city, topic, or call letter.

The directory launched with 34 podcasts listed, butwe know there are more podcasts out there. Tosubmit your podcast to be included in the directory,fill out this form. https://www.wi-broadcasters.org/podcast-directory-submission/

WBA moves to new member app

The WBA has a new member app to more closelyintegrate member services.The new app is available now and includes:

• Member directory • News headlines• Job postings • Podcast directory• Other WBA resources

This is a fairly new app from our database vendor andwe expect many new features to be added in the nearfuture.

The “MemberPlus” app is available now and can befound by searching “MemberPlus” in the Apple orGoogle app stores.

To log in, you’llneed to use yourusername andpassword for the

new member’s only section of the WBA website. Lookto the WBA website homepage for more information about the new login.

Thank you to all our members who used the previousapp and provided us with outstanding feedback.

WBA staff celebrates anniversariesThree WBA staff members marked work anniversaries in July andAugust.

Michelle Vetterkind, President and CEO, 24 years on August 28

Linda Baun, Vice President, 13 years on July 17

Liz Boyd, NCSA/PEP Coordinator, 14 years on July 19

Congratulations and thank you for your service to the WBA.

Podcast Movement is the largestpodcasting conference in the world. This year, more than 3,000 podcasters headed toOrlando to attend the event. For the third year in a row,our company, Jacobs Media Strategies, hosted theBroadcasters Meet Podcasters track—three days ofsessions specifically geared towards broadcasters.

Podcasting is for both radio and televisionbroadcasters, despite the fact it’s only audio. One of

our sessions featured Steve Lickteig, the Executive Producer of Audio ofNBC/MSNBC. Another featured podcasts created by local televisionstations in Boston and Detroit who created audio podcasts based onlocal true crime and unsolved news stories their station covered.

After a week of wandering the halls and talking to hundreds ofpodcasters, from hobbyists to corporate managers, here’s what welearned:

1. There’s more than one way to generate revenue.When broadcasters think about podcasting, they gravitate towardsthe revenue model that they’re accustomed to: attract a largeaudience and sell ads. While this is where the majority of podcasting revenue comes fromcurrently, there are other opportunities as well. Perhaps the most exciting of these is branded podcast production. Branded podcasts arepodcasts produced for companies (including, but not limited to yourstation’s clients) to use as part of their marketing strategies. We hosted a session on branded podcasts featuring the hosts of podcasts for JackDaniel’s and eBay. Representatives from other brands spoke at theconference as well—including NASA!

While companies are increasingly realizing that podcasts are a great way to engage their customers, few have the in-house resources toproduce quality shows. This is a big opportunity for broadcasters, whohave the expertise and the physical facilities to produce compellingshows for their clients. But many other organizations have alsorecognized the potential here, including ad agencies, video productionhouses, and solo entrepreneurs, so broadcasters should gear up to offerthis service quickly.

There are other ways for podcasts to make money as well, includingticket sales from live shows and merchandise. One of the mostinteresting streams of revenue comes from “derivative content”—thesale of intellectual property when a podcast gets turned into a TV show, a movie, a book, or some other form of content. Conal Byrne, President ofthe iHeartPodcast network, predicted that Hollywood will increasinglylook to podcasts for source material, and that, as a result, audio dramaswill represent the next big wave in podcasting.

Is this an opportunity for traditional broadcasters? Perhaps, especially

for news, talk, or sports stations that have an archive of material to mine.The session I mentioned earlier featured speakers from Washington D.C.radio station WTOP, Detroit TV station WDIV, Fox 25 News Boston, andMichigan Radio, who repurposed old footage and interviews into hitpodcasts. Could they also sell the rights to Hollywood or Netflix?

2. Podcasting is attracting serious attention – both positive and negative.

Without a doubt, there were more “suits” floating around theconference than ever before. Big broadcasting names, like Westwood One, iHeartMedia, and ABCNews, were touting their wares. This isn’t surprising given the huge influxof investment dollars we’ve seen in the podcasting space recently, fromSpotify’s $430 million purchase of Anchor and Gimlet to Luminary’s high-profile $100 million launch.

But the increased attention also means increased scrutiny. Whilepodcasters were gathered in Orlando, one of the medium’s most popularshows, Crime Junkies, was accused of plagiarism by journalist Cathy Frye.Suddenly, five of the show’s episodes were removed and host AshleyFlowers issued a vague non-apology. Now that podcasting is attractingsizable investments dollars, the enforcement of the rules is becomingmore strident. Or as Biggie Smalls put it, “Mo’ money, mo problems.”

3. Popular music will be coming to podcasts soon.Speaking of legal, podcasters have wanted to use popular music intheir shows for years, but the process of wrangling the rights holdersto get permission has usually proved to be an insurmountablebarrier.The folks at PodcastMusic.com and Sound Exchange recognized thisproblem years ago, and have been quietly toiling away, trying to find away to resolve it. At a session in our Broadcasters Meet Podcasters track,they announced that podcasters would be able to purchase licenses touse popular songs beginning in 2020.

Importantly, the licenses will be priced so that they are affordable for theaverage hobbyist, not just podcasters with big budgets. In fact, this issomething that not only podcasters want, but artists and labels as well.They see it as a way to generate revenue from their back catalog. Whilemany of the details have yet to be ironed out, the future of music inpodcasts is looking bright.

Podcast Movement continues to grow and has become an importantconference for both broadcasters and podcasters. We hope you’ll beable to join us for it next summer when the event comes to Dallas.

The WBA Digital Hotline is a free service of the Wisconsin BroadcastersAssociation. If you have questions about podcasting, mobile, contentmarketing, social media, or more, contact Paul Jacobs at Jacobs Media [email protected].

F R O M T H E J A C O B S M E D I A T E A M A S PA R T O F T H E J A C O B S M E D I A / W B A D I G I TA L PA R T N E R S H I P

What we learned at the 2019 Podcast Movement Conference

W i s c o n s i n B r o a d c a s t e r | S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 1 9 3

Vesely to represent 1st Districton Legislative Committee

WBA Vice Chair-Television, Don Vesely,who also serves as the Chair of theLegislative Committee, will remain onthe committee as the liaison to the FirstCongressional District.

The First District position opened when MikeO’Brien retired from WCLO/WJVL in Janesville.Vesely is the general manager at WMTV inMadison.

Wright joins WBALegislative Committee

Jeff Wright is joining the WBALegislative Committee as the liaisonfor the 8th Congressional District.The committee, formed in 2018, is

involved in planning the WBA State LegislativeDay in January, the WBA’s Washington DC tripin February, and other events and meetings asneeded, including in-district meetings withlegislators. Wright serves Duke Wright’s

Midwest Communications, Inc. as VicePresident of Sales and Chief Revenue Officer,responsible for top line revenue growth atMidwest’s 82 stations. He is a member of thecompany’s acquisition and on-boardingcommittee.Wright’s broadcasting career started withMidwest as a board operator and overnightdisc jockey more than 30 years ago. He workedmost of the jobs at a radio station beforefinding his calling in the sales department. Welcome to the committee, Jeff!

Seth ReslerJacobs Media

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The Society of Broadcast Engineers has named the 2018Broadcaster Clinic theBest Chapter RegionalEvent.This is the tenth time theBroadcasters Clinic has won thehonor.“The WBA Broadcasters ClinicCommittee has consistentlydedicated itself to making thisevent a success and its membersdeserve congratulations,” WBAVice President Linda Baun said.“The Committee puts in countlesshours behind the scenes to makesure the Clinic remains a vitalresource for broadcast engineersat all stages of their careers.”The SBE also recognized Chapter24 in Madison as one of thechapters with the most certifiedmembers and Chapter 112 inwestern Wisconsin as one of thechapters with the highestattendance.

Tuesday, October 158:30 a.m. War Stories: Tales from the TrenchesJeff Welton, NautelIf you’ve seen any of Jeff’s presentations you willhave noticed that he occasionally makes use of a“shouldn’t have done it that way” photo – apicture taken demonstrating something that isdone in a less-than-ideal manner. This presentationwill highlight some of those photos, discussingwhat was done wrong and what could be done toprevent such an occurrence. Remembering thatthe photos will highlight situations everybroadcast professional encounters, simply taken tothe extreme, there will be a lot that applies to eventhe best run stations. Names of stations shown willbe withheld to protect the innocent.

9:15 a.m.Possible Applications for Use of AM Broadcast Tower SpaceTom F. King, President and CEO, Kintronic Labs Inc.This session will address innovative solutions forutilizing AM tower space for cellular telephonesites, broadband provider data services, LPTVantenna co-location for TV repack, and otherapplications.

10 a.m. Interactive – Troubleshooting Scenarios Led by Clinic Committee member Greg Dahland John Bisset, Telos Alliance

10:15 a.m. BREAK

10:30 a.m.Faster, Cheaper, Better:Combining Today’s Lower-CostTechnology for Perfect Audio NowKirk Harnack, Senior Solutions Consultant,The Telos AllianceDean Kamen, inventor of the Segway, has said,“Every once in a while, a new technology, an oldproblem, and a big idea turn into an innovation.”

This observation could not be truer ofintroducing standardized IP networking intobroadcast facilities. While we’ve witnessedindividual broadcast systems turn to networkingfor lower cost and better utilization, we’re now atthe point where everything is connected withthe same technology.

This topic highlights the latest implementationsof networked audio and control–innovationsthat truly bring perfect digital signals from talentto listeners with no intervening conversions.From human voice turned directly into packets,and packets turned directly into digitalbroadcast and webcast, with no geographicallimitations and no loss of quality.

We know something about VoIP and AoIP, but

we’ll learn about MoIP and IoIP. Plus we’ll see howthe IT industry keeps building upon existing andtrusted protocols to bring reliability and cost-savings to broadcasters.

If you think you’re already up-to-speed on usingIP networking for broadcast operations, you’reabout to discover how this big idea is bringingyou yet more innovation where everything is,indeed, faster, cheaper, and BETTER!

11:15 a.m.Under the Hood, How AM HD Radio WorksE. Glynn Walden, retired Senior VP of Engineering, CBS RadioThis will be a brief introduction as to how weended up with IBOC rather than Eureka 147 asour digital broadcasting system. After we learnwhere we came from, a full technical descriptionof the Xperi AM HD radio system will bepresented beginning with the basics of OFDMand the elements needed to make AM HD radiowork including interleaving, error correction,reference carriers, the low latency backupchannel, and instant tuning. Walden will alsoprovide an explanation of the performance in thepresence of grounded conductive structures andthe presence of interference.

Noon LUNCH

1 p.m. Maximizing Your Content ROI with PodcastingFuturi MediaThe podcast space is growing at a tremendousrate, and it poses huge opportunities for thosewho know how to create great audio -- like us inthe radio industry. What’s the best way to takeadvantage of these opportunities while keepingyour eye on the ratings ball? This session will bepacked with insights on how to use podcastingand on-demand platforms to improve the ROI onthe content you’re already creating whilegrowing your audience with original content.

1:45 p.m. Hybrid and Digital Radio: WhatEvery Broadcaster Should Know David Layer, Vice President, Advance Engineering, National Association ofBroadcasters While the majority of radio listening still takesplace on analog radios, broadcasters should befocusing on digital and hybrid (over-the-air plusinternet) radio technologies as these representradio’s future. Much of the radio technology workat the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)deals with digital and hybrid radio, for the nearterm, making sure that broadcasters,manufacturers and service providers are allworking together, and for the long term, helpingto foster advances that will ensure radio’sprominence in autos for decades to come.

2:30 p.m. BREAK

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5W i s c o n s i n B r o a d c a s t e r | S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 1 9

2:45 p.m. Troubleshooting InteractiveScenario/Heavy Duty Workbench Facilitators:John Bisset, Telos Alliance Radio ProductsSales Manager for the Western U.S. andauthor of Radio World’s WorkbenchGreg Dahl, Second OpinionCommunicationsThis interactive presentation will troubleshootcommon and uncommon problems at abroadcast facility. Attendees will participate insmall groups, learning and contributing duringa condition of equipment failure and thescenario surrounding the failure. The sessionwill expand knowledge of troubleshooting andintroduce other’s experiences in handlingequipment failures. John Bisset will also shareinformation of additional scenarios from RadioWorld’s Workbench archives to improve anengineer’s efficiency.

3:45 p.m. Taking Your HD Signal to theNext Level Using Generation 4Exporter and ImporterTechnologyKevin Haider, Product Line Manager, GatesAirThis session is a complete walkthrough tobetter understand the differences between thegeneration 3, and the latest generation 4 HDRadio technology. Kevin will address importantfeatures such as the advantages of running a

combined importer and exporter and we willdiscover tools to help time alignment of the FManalog and digital audio. Enhance yourstation’s HD Radio listening experience withthe GatesAir FMXi Importer/Exporter.

4:15 p.m. Exclusive Exhibit Time7 p.m. Nuts and Bolts Session: Building the Perfect PiTim Wright, Cumulus ChicagoRecent advances in technology have providedinexpensive and reliable digital tools that canbe leveraged to fill the needs and desires of theeclectic radio engineer. One such item is thepopular Raspberry Pi microcomputer.

We will explore several projects Tim developedor adapted to solve specific needs for theCumulus Chicago facility. Projects include:Environmental monitoring, Axia Livewirerouting control, making an older series XDSsatellite receiver SNMP compatible, STL/TSLbackups, and a programmable studioclock/status display.

Opportunity to interact “hands on” with thehardware will be provided. Attendees areencouraged to bring laptops and work withone of the units available for this session.

Bring your “what if” wish list and letsbrainstorm on how a slice of Raspberry Pi couldjust be the solution.

Wednesday, October 16

8 a.m. Broadcasting: What is Coming Next Steve Lampen, ConsultantThe world is changing, and not just the audio,video, and broadcast worlds. Everything ischanging. The real question is where are wegoing? What will it all look like in ten years?Twenty years? This presentation will depresssome and excite others. I would love to hearyour opinion on my predictions. Will we lookback and laugh?

8:45 a.m. Develop a COBO Plan for Your StationManny Centeno, Project Manager, NationalPublic Warning System (NPWS)The presentation will provide a framework andbest-practices for developing a solid Continuityof Broadcast Operations (COBO) Plan for yourcompany, cluster, or single station to beprepared for major disasters. Mass media playsa critical role both in the pre-disasterpreparation and warning phase, as well asduring and after the emergency. However, attimes, broadcasters are directly affected bythese disasters. Learn how you should plan inadvance to manage any emergency, beprepared to assess the situation, and use

Hubbard named SBE Educator of the Year

WBA Clinic Committee member BillHubbard has been named the 2019James C. Wulliman Educator of theYear by the Society of BroadcastEngineers.

Hubbard recently retired from a long career in broadcastengineering. He is one of the charter members of Chapter 80.Among his service with the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay,Hubbard spent much of his time volunteering with the WBA ClinicCommittee. In that role, he assisted in putting together twoeducational seminars each year. Since 2013 Bill has alsocontributed to the Media Technology Institute, a seminar to trainnew graduates in the basics of broadcast engineering. MTI wasfounded by Terry Baun who, in 2018, tapped Hubbard to head theInstitute.

In 2019, Hubbard also developed and helped implement anincentive plan for Chapter 80 members to become SBE certified.The plan allows for Chapter 80 fund raising proceeds to be used toreimburse members for SBE certification exams and studymaterials.

Hubbard and all the winners will be recognized at the SBENational Awards Dinner, held Oct. 16 at the WBA BroadcastersClinic in Madison.

2019 Broadcasters Clinic dedicated to Gary Mach

The 2019 Broadcasters Clinic will bededicated to Gary Mach, who committed 35 years of service to the Broadcasters ClinicCommittee. The 2019 Clinic will be his lastClinic on the committee.

Mach’s career spans nearly six decades and has put him in every level ofsupport from staff engineer to corporate engineer. He successfullycompleted several facilities upgrades during his career, in addition tocountless engineering accomplishments, like rebuilding transmitters andstudio systems. During his time working with Wisconsin Public Broadcastingand PBS, Mach’s facilities and staff produced many award-winning televisionprograms. He designed the telecommunications facilities for the WeidnerCenter for the Performing Arts and the Center for Television Production, bothon the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus. Mach shared his skills andtalents with the technical college system, the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay,Cellcom Communications, and many others. He continues consulting longafter his retirement.

“Gary’s management style is more like that of a teacher. Gary would more often say ‘come let me show you how’ rather than ‘just go do it’ when directing the inexperienced under his charge,” said Leonard Charles.“The word ‘mentor’ only begins to demonstrate how he carried himselfthroughout his career.”

Mach’s commitment to broadcast engineering and dedication to sharinghis knowledge will leave their marks on the industry.


common sense and available resources to takecare of yourself, your co-workers, and yourstation’s operation.

9:30 a.m. Networking for ATSC 3.0Wayne M. Pecena, Assistant Director ofEducational Broadcast Services at TexasA&M UniversityDirector of Engineering for public broadcaststations KAMU FM and KAMU-TVATSC 3.0 promises to revolutionize thetelevision broadcast industry with integrationof traditional over-the-air (OTA) signals andbroadband delivered IP content. A keyattribute of the ATSC 3.0 standard is the use ofthe Internet Protocol (IP) as the transportplatform. The use of IP as a core transportplatform creates the need for the broadcastengineer to have a high competency innetworking technology. This presentation willprovide a summary of the core competenciesrequired of the broadcast engineer tosuccessfully design, build, and support theATSC 3.0 infrastructure.

10:15 a.m. Exclusive Exhibit Time, Lunch,and Door Prizes1:30 p.m. IT Security Moderator: Jeff Welton, NautelPanelists: Alex Hartman, Optimized MediaGroup; Chris Tarr, Entercom Milwaukee; and

Wayne Pecena, Texas A&M UniversityMore and more we’re seeing reports ofbroadcast facilities or groups becoming thetargets of hacking or ransomware attacks. JeffWelton moderates this panel of professionalsin the areas of both broadcast and IT security.Jeff will facilitate the discussion as we dig intovarious lines of defense, from budget orientedto most comprehensive, talking withengineers who have been there and done thaton a daily basis.

2:15 p.m. Checklist for a Successful Repack TransitionJeremy Ruck, Principal Engineer, Ruck &AssociatesAs phase 6 of TV repack is here for theMadison, Milwaukee, and Chicagobroadcasters, the scope of work to make ithappen has a long checklist for a successfultransition. Chicago TV RF mainly radiates off ofthree buildings downtown which causesissues not just for TV but all the FMbroadcasters. Jeremy will review the process ofpermits, iron work, planning the timelines,interference studies, and filtering.

3 p.m. SBE Annual MembershipMeeting4 p.m. Emergency Preparedness: From Tabletop to Action PlanTom Kujawa, recently retired Chief of Policefor UW-Green BayRunning a tabletop exercise at your facilityhelps you gain experience by learning wherethe gaps are, identifying solutions, andrefining your disaster planning in realisticways. This interactive session will teach youhow to use a tabletop exercise effectively bytaking you through a real time, realistic event.

5-6 p.m. SBE National Awards Reception(Requires Separate Registration with SBE)

6-8 p.m. SBE National Awards Dinner(Requires Separate Registration with SBE)

Thursday, October 17

8:30 a.m. Real Time Monitoring of RF System Performance Dan Glavin, Dielectric

Broadcast RF transmission systems areexpensive and require annual maintenance toalleviate catastrophic failure, particularly forolder systems. There are many monitoringsystems that effectively measure VSWR andother performance issues in real time,however, fault location is not provided andrequires additional resources. In this sessionwe will discuss an IP-connected systemproviding broadcasters a way to monitor theRF system in real-time, under full power withfault location. Theoretical aspects of faultlocation, arc detection, FCC emissions,processing speed and unique coupled linetechnology are discussed.

9:15 a.m. ATSC 3.0 OverviewMark Corl, SVP of Emergent Technology Development at Triveni Digital and ATSC Board memberThis presentation provides an overview of theATSC 3.0 system and a snapshot of theprogress toward deployment. The session willexplore the necessary steps to prepare a TVstation for launch of 3.0 services, includingchannel sharing arrangements and howbusiness use cases drive technicalconfigurations of an ATSC 3.0 service signal.

10 a.m. Interactive Tabletop Scenario -Losing your ISP Led by Clinic Committee members KentAschenbrenner and Mark Burg

10:15 a.m. BREAK

10:30 a.m. TV Transmitter Technology: Past, Present and FutureMartyn Horspool, Product Manager,Television Transmission, GatesAirHigh power TV transmitters of old weremassive, inefficient and often requiredsubstantial maintenance. Over the years,newer technology allowed designers tointroduce more stable, efficient, and reliableproducts along with dramatic savings inownership costs. Today’s transmitters are verydifferent from those of only a few years ago.Newer RF devices, along with more powerfulRF correction techniques, highly-efficientpower supplies, and other improvements havemade a huge impact to the transmissionsystem. This session will cover some of themost important technology advances thathave affected TV transmitter design over theyears, look at today’s technology, and look atwhere this may be heading as we move into amore IP-centric future. In addition, there will

FELLOWSHIP AVAILABLE FORBROADCASTERS CLINIC ATTENDEES

A fellowship is available tocover expenses forattendees of theBroadcasters Clinic.The Don Borchert Fellowship honorsthe founder of the Broadcasters Clinicconference and provides all expensesto attend the Clinic in Madison Oct. 15-17. The application is available on theBroadcasters Clinic event page on theWBA website.

This fellowship program is possiblethrough the financial support of all fourWisconsin SBE Chapters, and the WBA.


7

be a few tips on what to look for in anew exciter.

11:15 a.m. The Case to CaptionEverythingBill Bennett, Media SolutionsAccount Manager, ENCO Systems,Inc.This presentation will illustrate theimportance of captioning all of yourmedia, from regulatory complianceneeds to an improved consumerexperience and greater monetizationof your assets.

Noon LUNCH

1 p.m. 5G: The Fourth IndustrialRevolutionTodd Waldo, Client Partner, VerizonBusiness GroupThe eight currencies of 5G, buildingblocks of 5G, 5G Ultra-Wideband usecases, and a five year outlook.

1:45 p.m. Interactive/Follow-up

2:30 p.m. ATSC 3.0 ImplementationMichael Guthrie, Technology Specialist,HarmonicThe transition from ATSC 1.0 to 3.0 will involveseveral stages. The need to retain 1.0 service andthe transition from current formats (SD, HD 720,and 1080i) to newer, higher quality formatsincluding 1080p, HDR, and UHD will complicatethe management of transmission resources. Thenew formats and other new ATSC 3.0 features andservices are likely to appear piecemeal. Efficientuse of bandwidth will require flexible utilizationof both the ATSC 3.0 and ATSC 1.0 bandwidthmanaged across multiple business entities andacross multiple transmission paths. New types ofsources will need to be included in thetransmission at any time and may originate fromany station within the community. Some may betransitory: a special UHD transmission of a majorsporting event for example. OTT delivery may benecessary for some of these events and/ordynamic management of the transmissionsystem. We will discuss the likely course of thisevolution and some possible solutions forachieving efficiency and flexibility in sharedtransmission systems.


More information and registration available on the WBA website:

wi-broadcasters.orgFollow the Broadcasters Clinic on social media:

#WBABC19 Broadcasters Clinic Facebook Group: tinyurl.com/J8YWKEV

We look forward to seeing you Oct. 15-17 at the newly-renovated Madison Marriott West

Thank you, sponsors!

Wisconsin radio, TVstations join FirstAmendment campaign

Wisconsin’s radioand televisionstations arejoining a nationalpublic awarenesscampaign to bringattention to theimportance of the

First Amendment of the U.S.Constitution.The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association joins morethan 20 state broadcast associations and state pressassociations in the "Think F1rst" campaign. The WBAhas asked its radio and TV members to support thecampaign in-kind by airing spots on radio andtelevision stations and putting links on the stations’websites and social media platforms to the campaignwebsite: www.ThinkFirstAmendment.org.

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association is alsoparticipating in the campaign.

“Think F1rst” is a campaign designed to express asimple directive: to encourage all Americans to thinkabout the five freedoms guaranteed in the FirstAmendment.

In a 2018 a civics survey taken by the AnnenbergPublic Policy Center, nearly 4 in 10 students couldn’tname even one of the five freedoms guaranteed bythe First Amendment.

"Wisconsin’s broadcasters join all Wisconsinites intheir appreciation for the critical freedoms embeddedin the First Amendment," WBA President and CEOMichelle Vetterkind said. "We hope the ‘Think F1rst’campaign serves as a reminder to everyone aboutthese freedoms that no one should take for granted.”

“Think F1rst” debuted in Nebraska in 2018. Theoriginal Nebraska campaign was launched afterMedia of Nebraska members noted polls showingthat many Americans lacked even a basic knowledgeof the First Amendment, particularly in articulatingthe five freedoms that it guarantees. Its dedicatedwebsite www.ThinkFirstAmendment.org attractedmore than 400,000 visits in 60 days.

The “Think F1rst” campaign will begin Aug. 1 and runthrough Dec. 31.

All campaign components will encourage people tolearn more about the First Amendment by visitingthe website, www.ThinkFirstAmendment.org.

A list of the state broadcast associations and statepress associations that are asking their respectivemembers to consider supporting the campaign canbe found at www.ThinkFirstAmendment.org.

W i s c o n s i n B r o a d c a s t e r | S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 1 9


A non-commercial sustaining/publiceducation partnership announcement(NCSA/PEP) is an announcement that issponsored by a nontraditional advertiser(typically a non-profit or governmentalorganization) whose resources are notsufficient to ensure the placement andfrequency of a normal commercial buy, butwhose unique broadcast coverage needscannot be met by public serviceannouncements. NCSA/PEP announcementsare broadcast using air time donated bystations to the NCSA/PEP program of a statebroadcasters association.

The NCSA/PEP program provides theassociation with funds to provide benefits toWBA members and the entire broadcastindustry. The funds are used for a variety ofWBA programs, including educationalseminars, conferences and conventions, andour scholarship program. The NCSA/PEPprogram has the added benefit of allowingnon-profit entities and governmentorganizations who are not normally broadcastadvertisers see the benefits of broadcasting,and the program allows them to get theirimportant messages out to the public in acost-effective way. We think that this is a win-win-win proposition, helping broadcasters,the association and the organizations runningthe PEP spots.

The NCSA/PEP Programs established by theWBA and other State BroadcastersAssociations have remained strong over thedecades because broadcasters and the PEPparticipants both benefit from the program.The program allows organizations runningPEP spots to provide their importantnonprofit messages to broadcast listeners,

while the broadcast associations are able tofund the programs that they provide toadvance the interests of broadcasters. Theprogram clearly serves the public interest.

Note, however, the NCSA/PEP program is nota substitute for a licensee’s general obligationto be responsive to the local needs andinterests of the station’s service area.Broadcasters need to continue to serve theircommunity with issue-responsiveprogramming. As part of that community-oriented programming, all Wisconsin radioand television stations are encouraged tocontinue their strong commitment to airingPSAs free of charge.

NCSA/PEP announcements should not belogged as a “commercial” or “PSA,” but rathersimply as “NCSA.” This characterizationpromotes consistency among all of the statebroadcasters associations as well as among allparticipating stations while affording eachstation broad flexibility to characterize, foraccounting or other purposes, the NCSA/PEPannouncements in the most appropriate way.

In a 1988 ruling, the Federal CommunicationsCommission held that NCSA/PEP Programs,and the announcements carried by stationsunder them, do not have an effect on either astation’s lowest unit charge or otherwisefactor into the political broadcasting analysis.The program has been established and isadministered by the WBA in a way that issubstantially related to the Association’s tax-exempt purposes.

Following are the stations that haveparticipated so far this year in airing theNCSA/PEP announcements of a variety ofNCSA/PEP sponsors. Please know how muchwe appreciate your generous support.

TELEVISIONWYOW-TV . . . . . . . . . . .Eagle RiverWEAU-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eau ClaireWEAU-Antenna TV . . . .Eau ClaireWEUX-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eau ClaireWQOW-TV . . . . . . . . . . . .Eau ClaireEXOW-TV . . .Eau Claire/La CrosseGXOW-TV . . .Eau Claire/La CrosseWACY-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayEBAY-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWBAY-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWFRV-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWGBA-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWCWF-TV . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWLUK-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayKQEG-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . .La CrosseEKBT-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .La CrosseWKBT-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . .La CrosseWLAX-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . .La CrosseWXOW-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . .La CrosseTVW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWISC-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonEKOW-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonGKOW-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWKOW-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWMSN-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonHMTV (The CW) . . . . . . . .MadisonWMTV-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonEMLW-TV . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeEVTV-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWBME-TV . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWDJT-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWISN Justice TV . . . . . .MilwaukeeWISN-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWITI-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWITI-Antenna TV . . . . .MilwaukeeWMLW-TV . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWTMJ-TV . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWVCY-TV . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWVTV-TV . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWYTU-TV . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWJFW-TV . . . . . . . . . . .RhinelanderWJFW Antenna TV . .RhinelanderKBJR-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SuperiorKDLH-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SuperiorNBJR-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SuperiorOBJR-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SuperiorEAOW-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauGAOW-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauWAOW-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauESAW-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauDZAW-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauWSAW-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauWZAW-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wausau

NCSA/PEP program offers MANY benefitsThe NCSA/PEP programs that are run by the WBA and other state broadcastersassociations offer your stations and the association many benefits. If yourstation is not airing the NCSA/PEP spots we send you, we hope that you willconsider doing so. Your WBA, and your broadcast colleagues, would welcomeyour participation and support.


RADIOWCWI-FM . . . .Adams/FriendshipWATK-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AntigoWACD-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AntigoWRLO-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AntigoWAPL-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AppletonWEMI-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .AppletonWGEE-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .AppletonWHBY-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .AppletonWSCO-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .AppletonWATW-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AshlandWBSZ-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AshlandWJJH-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AshlandWNXR-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AshlandWBDL-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BarabooWBEV-AM . . . . . . . . . .Beaver DamWXRO-FM . . . . . . . . . .Beaver DamWWIS-AM . . . . . . .Black River FallsWWIS-FM . . . . . . .Black River FallsWOGO-AM . . . . . .Chippewa FallsWWIB-FM . . . . . . . .Chippewa FallsWOTE-AM . . . . . . . . . . .ClintonvilleWJMQ-FM . . . . . . . . . . .ClintonvilleWERL-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .Eagle RiverWRJO-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .Eagle RiverWAXX-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eau ClaireWAYY-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eau ClaireWBIZ-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eau ClaireWBIZ-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eau ClaireWISM-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eau ClaireWEAQ-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .Eau ClaireWECL-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eau ClaireWIAL-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eau ClaireWVCF-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eau ClaireKFIZ-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .Fond du LacWFDL-AM . . . . . . . . . .Fond du LacWFDL-FM . . . . . . . . . . .Fond du LacWTCX-FM . . . . . . . . . .Fond du LacWVFL-FM . . . . . . . . . . .Fond du LacWFAW-AM . . . . . . . .Fort AtkinsonWDUZ-FM . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWEMY-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWIXX-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWKSZ-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWKZG-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWNCY-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWNFL-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWOGB-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWORQ-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWPCK-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWQLH-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWKRU-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWTAQ-AM . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWYDR-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .Green BayWZOR-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .Green Bay

WCLO-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .JanesvilleWJVL-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JanesvilleWSJY-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JanesvilleWWHG-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .JanesvilleWLIP-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .KenoshaWKBH-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .La CrosseWLFN-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .La CrosseWLXR-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .La CrosseWQCC-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .La CrosseWJBL-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .LadysmithWLDY-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .LadysmithWLKG-FM . . . . . . . . . .Lake GenevaWGLR-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .LancasterWHIT-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWIBA-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWJJO-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWJQM-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWLMV-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWMGN-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWMMM-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWMHX-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWOLX-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWOZN-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWTLX-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Madison WTSO-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWWQM-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWXXM-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MadisonWCUB-AM . . . . . . . . . . .ManitowocWLTU-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .ManitowocWOMT-AM . . . . . . . . . .ManitowocWQTC-FM . . . . . . . . . . .ManitowocWAGN-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .MarinetteWHYB-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MarinetteWLST-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MarinetteWMAM-FM . . . . . . . . . . .MarinetteWSFQ-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MarinetteWDLB-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .MarshfieldWOSQ-FM . . . . . . . . . . .MarshfieldWYTE-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .MarshfieldWRJC-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MaustonWRJC-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MaustonWJMT-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MerrillWGNV-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MilladoreWISN-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWJMR-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWJYI-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWKKV-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWKTI-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWLDB-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWLUM-FM . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWMIL-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWMYX-FM . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWNRG-FM . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWOKY-AM . . . . . . . . . . .Milwaukee

WRIT-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWRNW-FM . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWSSP-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWTMJ-AM . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWVCY-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWXSS-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWZTI-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWZTI-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .MilwaukeeWLKD-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .MinocquaWMQA-FM . . . . . . . . . . .MinocquaWEKZ-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MonroeWBGR-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MonroeWCCN-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .NeillsvilleWCCN-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .NeillsvilleWNAM-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .OshkoshWOSH-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .OshkoshWPKR-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OshkoshWVBO-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OshkoshWWWX-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .OshkoshWVCY-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OshkoshWVCS-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OwenWCQM-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Park FallsWPFP-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Park FallsWPVL-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .PlattevilleWPVL-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .PlattevilleWSTM-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .PlymouthWBKY-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PortageWDDC-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PortageWPDR-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PortageWPRE-AM . . . . . . .Prairie du ChienWQPC-FM . . . . . .Prairie du ChienWRJN-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RacineWVTY-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RacineWNFM-FM . . . . . . . . . . .ReedsburgWRDB-AM . . . . . . . . . . .ReedsburgWCYE-FM . . . . . . . . . . .RhinelanderWHDG-FM . . . . . . . . . .RhinelanderWNWX-FM . . . . . . . . .RhinelanderWOBT-AM . . . . . . . . . .RhinelanderWRHN-FM . . . . . . . . . .RhinelanderWAQE-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rice LakeWAQE-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rice LakeWJMC-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rice LakeWJMC-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rice LakeWKFX-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rice LakeWRCO-AM . . . . . .Richland CenterWRCO-FM . . . . . .Richland CenterWOWN-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .ShawanoWTCH-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .ShawanoWBFM-FM . . . . . . . . . . .SheboyganWEMP-FM . . . . . . . . . . .SheboyganWHBL-AM . . . . . . . . . . .SheboyganWHBZ-FM . . . . . . . . . . .SheboyganWLKN-FM . . . . . . . . . . .Sheboygan

WXER-FM . . . . . . . . . . .SheboyganWCOW-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SpartaWFBZ-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SpartaWKLJ-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SpartaWPLT-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SpoonerWHTQ-FM . . . . . . . . .Stevens PointWPCN-AM . . . . . . . .Stevens PointWSPT-FM . . . . . . . . . .Stevens Point1033-FM . . . . . . . . . .Sturgeon BayWBDK-FM . . . . . . . . .Sturgeon BayWDOR-AM . . . . . . . .Sturgeon BayWDOR-FM . . . . . . . . .Sturgeon BayWRKU-FM . . . . . . . . .Sturgeon BayWRLU-FM . . . . . . . . .Sturgeon BayWSBW-FM . . . . . . . . .Sturgeon BayKDAL-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SuperiorKDAL-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SuperiorKDKE-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SuperiorKTCO-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SuperiorWDSM-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .SuperiorWDUL-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .Superior WRVM-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SuringWBOG-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TomahWTMB-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TomahWVCX-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TomahWXYM-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TomahWJJQ-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .TomahawkWJJQ-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .TomahawkWKPO-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ViroquaWVRQ-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ViroquaWVRQ-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ViroquaWEGZ-FM . . . . . . . . . . . .WashburnWAUK-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .WaukeshaWDUX-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . .WaupacaWDUX-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . .WaupacaWBCV-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauWCWB-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauWDEZ-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauWDTX-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauWIFC-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauWOZZ-FM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauWRIG-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauWSAU-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauWXCO-AM . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WausauWIBD-AM . . . . . . . . . . . .West BendWMBZ-FM . . . . . . . . . . .West BendWKCH-FM . . . . . . . . . . .WhitewaterWSLD-FM . . . . . . . . . . .WhitewaterWDLS-AM . . . . . . .Wisconsin DellsWNNO-FM . . . . . .Wisconsin DellsWFHR-AM . . . . .Wisconsin RapidsWGLX-FM . . . . .Wisconsin RapidsWLJY-FM . . . . . .Wisconsin RapidsWRVN-FM . . . . . . . . . . .Wittenberg


Company (QBC). QBC became part of the publicly traded companyCapstar Broadcasting, which eventually became a part of ClearChannel.

Throughout her career, Quass has been recognized for hercontributions to the industry. She was awarded Broadcaster of the Yearfrom the Iowa Broadcasters Association in 1994 and was inducted intotheir Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2014, she was honored by theBroadcasters Foundation of America with the Ward L. Quaal LeadershipAward for her contributions to the broadcasting industry andcommunity at large.

Quass has also received The Mentoring and Inspiring Women (MIW)Radio Group Frances Preston Trailblazer Award, which is presentedannually to a woman who, through her leadership and success in themedia industry, creates opportunities for other women in radio.

Radio group starts golf outing to benefit men’shealth

iHeartMedia Milwaukee will host an inaugural Men’s HealthGolf Outing with benefitting Tomorrow’s Hope, a localorganization committed to facilitating health-relatedresearch, education and support in areas such as heartdisease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and other life-

limiting illnesses.

The event will take place Sept. 9 at the Bog in Saukville. Attendees willget the opportunity to play 18 holes and some of Milwaukee’s radioand sports personalities. Attendees will include iHeartMediaMilwaukee’s on-air personalities Steve Czaban, Drew Olson, KB, MikeHeller, Scott Dolphin, Dan O’Donnell, as well as voice-of-the-Bucks TedDavis, Dario Melendez from Fox Sports Wisconsin, Channel 12 SportsDirector Dan Needles, Packers beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Jim Owczarski, and Kaitlin Sharkey from Fox 6 (WITI-TV).

“We are thrilled to announce our inaugural Men’s Health Golf Outing,which is sure to become a signature event for iHeartMedia Milwaukee,”said Colleen Valkoun, Market President for iHeartMedia Milwaukee. “Welook forward to a day of outdoor activities that will also benefitTomorrow’s Hope and our community.”

The event is presented by Annex Wealth Management.

Tickets can be purchased online. The entry fee covers the golf game, agolf cart, boxed lunch and post-round festivities that include dinner,drinks and awards.

Two Janesville sellers named Wayne Award finalistsTwo radio salespeople working for WCLO/WJVL inJanesville are finalists for the Radio Ink MagazineRadio Wayne Awards.

Shar Hermanson is one of five finalists for the LocalSales Manager of the Year award and Amanda Jezo is

one of eight finalists for the “Streetfighter of the Year” award.

Finalists for the Wayne Awards come from a field of hundreds ofnominees submitted answers to questionnaires and voting by a blindpool of judges. Winners are determined solely on qualifications and merit.

The awards will be presented at the Radio Show breakfast on Sept. 26in Dallas.

WTMJ extends partnership with MilwaukeeBrewers

WTMJ-AM and the Milwaukee Brewers haveextended their radio rights agreement with amulti-year extension, according to the Brewers

and Good Karma Brands, which owns and operates WTMJ.

Jay Wilson leaving WISC-TV in DecemberWISC-TV Sports Director Jay Wilson plans to resign inDecember after 39 years covering local sports.

"After 39 years in local television, it’s time for a change.I’ve had great experiences along the way. I’m in goodhealth and will be leaving on my own terms,” Wilsonsaid. “I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished through theyears and want to make it clear-- it’s a resignation, not

a retirement!"

Wilson started at WISC-TV in October 2008. Prior to that, Wilson workedfor 27 years at WKOW-TV, and a few years at WISN-TV in Milwaukee.

"Thirty-nine years in local TV sports is a remarkable run which will likelynever be matched again. We were thrilled to be part of it," said ColinBenedict, News 3 Now news director and vice-president of News forMorgan Murphy Media.

Wilson’s last day will be Dec. 6.

Janesville radio station named Station of the Yearat Conclave

WCLO in Janesville was recognized as SmallMarket Station of the Year at the Conclave radioconference. The awards were handed out June 20in Minneapolis.

One station in each of four market sizes isrecognized by their peers at the conference as

being the best in community and radio industry contributions.

Other finalist in the small market category were WZFX in Fayetteville,North Carolina, WAXX in Eau Claire, WPLR in New Haven, Connecticut,and college station WSOU at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

“It was a humbling experience knowing that from stations across thecountry, many owned by large corporations, that WCLO’s heritage ofcommunity service and involvement stood out,” WCLO OperationsManager and Talk Host, Tim Bremel said. “I am extremely proud to bepart of the great group of people that make up WCLO and WJVL.”

It was announced in early June that the stations would be sold to BenThompson. The stations have been owned by Bliss Communications for89 years.

NRG Media Chairman, CEO to receive NationalRadio Award

NRG Media Chairman and CEO Mary Quass will receivethe National Radio Award during the Radio Showluncheon program on Sept. 25 Wednesday, September25. The 2019 Radio Show, produced by the NationalAssociation of Broadcasters (NAB) and the RadioAdvertising Bureau (RAB), will be held Sept. 24-26 inDallas, Texas.

“We are pleased to honor Mary Quass for her many achievements andimpact on radio,” said NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith. “She is atrue catalyst in our industry who exemplifies the meaning of theNational Radio Award through her leadership, integrity and success.”

NRG Media owns 13 stations in Wisconsin, including Fort Atkinson,Wausau/Stevens Point, and Rhinelander.

A 35-year veteran of the radio business, Quass formed New RadioGroup in 2001. Later named NRG Media, the company currentlyoperates 45 stations and their corresponding digital channels acrossthe Midwest.

Quass began her radio career in 1977 as an account executive andpurchased her first radio station in 1998, forming Quass Broadcasting

Members in the Spotlight


"The Brewers and WTMJ have one of the longestpartnerships in Major League Baseball and we aremutually committed to delivering exceptionalprogramming and content," Rick Schlesinger,Brewers President of Business Operations, said in astatement. "We value our partnership with GoodKarma Brands and are excited to continue a greattradition of bringing Brewers baseball to our entirefan base."

Since the team moved to Milwaukee in 1970, WTMJhas served as the radio flagship of the Brewers for allbut two seasons. WBA Hall-of-Famer Bob Uecker isjoined in the booth by Jeff Levering, Lane Grindle,and radio engineer Kent Sommerfeld.

"We are proud of our long partnership with theBrewers and look forward to delivering ‘thesoundtrack of summer’ to fans across the state foryears to come," said Steve Wexler, Vice President andMarket Manager of Good Karma Brands.

Terms of the agreement were not released.

WXRO switches to Hot AC formatWXRO-FM in Beaver Dam isswitching formats to Hot AC.

95X will continue its morning show with RickArmon, Sheri Sackett, and Thomas Rehfeldt. “TheBarn Show” will move to WXRO sister station WBEV-AM.

WKOW adds newscast, lifestyle showMadison TV station WKOW-TV isadding a new newscast and alifestyle show called MiddayMadison.

27 News at 11 will begin airing onJuly 1 and will be followed by

Midday Madison airing Monday – Friday from11:15-11:30 a.m.

Midday Madison will be hosted by SamanthaBowers. She graduated from the University ofMissouri with a degree in journalism and a minor inpolitical science, where she worked as an anchorand reporter at KOMU 8 News. Prior to her time atKOMU, Bowers was the host of the College Emmy-nominated cooking show, “Show Me Chefs.”

“We’ve wanted to launch a local lifestyle show forsome time” said WKOW General Manager, TomAllen. “The time is right and we’re fortunate to havea great host for the show in Samantha Bowers.”

Midday Madison will have something for everyone,but it will be specifically geared toward localwomen. The show will range from features oncooking tips, exercise segments, health andwellness, events and happenings in south centralWisconsin.

“If there is anything close to a dream job, MiddayMadison is it for me!” Bowers said. “It gives me theability to combine all of the things I love, from do-it-yourself projects, fitness and food, to sheddinglight on all the great work being done right here inSouthern Wisconsin.”

Stations gather school supplies forthousands of children

Milwaukee TV station WISN-TV and radio station WHLH-FM raised more than$46,000 for classroomsupplies during the seventh

annual “Class Act School Supply Drive.”

The stations teamed up with the Salvation Army tohost a phone bank Wednesday and dedicatedairtime to raise money and fill a school bus withbackpacks, notebooks and other needed supplies.

“Class Act is a very meaningful project that we lookforward to every year,” said Jan Wade, president andgeneral manager of WISN 12. “When we can worktogether with the community and our generousviewers to help children go to school ready to learn,well it just doesn’t get much better than that.”

The money and supplies will provide more than3,000 backpacks full of supplies to be handed outto four Milwaukee public schools and one WestAllis/West Milwaukee school. Additional suppliesbenefit Salvation Army programs including TheEmergency Lodge. More than $400,000 has beenraised since 2013.

Sparta radio hosts nominated forCMA Personality of the Year

A morning show team based inSparta has been nominated bythe Country Music Associationfor Broadcast Personality of theYear. This is the thirdnomination in four years for

Ben and Arnie from the Ben and Arnie MorningShow on WCOW-FM.

The CMA Broadcast Awards are among the mostprestigious awards given out in the field of countryradio. The categories are established by market sizebased on population as ranked by Arbitron. Entriesfor Broadcast Personality of the Year are judged onaircheck, ratings, community involvement, andbiographical information. Candidates for Station ofthe Year are judged on aircheck, ratings history,community involvement, and format leadership.

Winners will be announced in October and will behonored during the 50th Annual CMA Awards onNov. 13 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Good Karma Brands to operate ESPN Radio ChicagoGood Karma Brands will assume operations andcontrol of ESPN Radio Chicago effective Sept. 29.The company reached a long term local marketingagreement and lease with ESPN Radio.

Good Karma Brands CEO Craig Karmazin said thecompany’s Midwest roots have afforded thecompany the opportunity to see the passion ofChicago sports fans up close for over two decades.

The Chicago station will retain its ESPN 1000 name.

Radio and TV stationsthroughout the state cantake an easy step towardbeing prepared for anemergency by gettingBroadcaster EmergencyPersonnel ID cards forengineering staffmembers.

Many stationsalreadyparticipate in theBroadcasterEmergencyPersonnel IDprogram, but allWBA memberstations areinvited toparticipate.

Broadcaster Emergency Personnel IDcards are issued by WisconsinEmergency Management (WEM).They’re the same cards local policeofficers, firefighters, and EMTs use inemergency situations. The cards canbe used by engineers to help themgain access to a crisis area in order tokeep their station’s transmitters upand running.

The cards contain the engineer’sname, company name, title, andphoto. The cards are good for sevenyears, but the Wisconsin BroadcastersAssociation, as the organizationresponsible for cards issued tobroadcasters, sends renewal noticesto stations annually to make sure theWEM database has the most updatedcardholder information.

Cards must be requested by a stationmanager. Instructions and applicationdocuments can be found on the WBAwebsite. Look in the menu for“Emergency Planning” and click on“Broadcaster ID” or go to:https://www.wi-broadcasters.org/emergency-planning/broadcaster-id/

Anyone with questions about thecards is asked to contact Kyle Geisslerat [email protected].

WBA programhelps stationsplan for crisis

WBA’s 2019 Doug Chickering

WIAA SPORTS WORKSHOP


Broadcasters from across Wisconsin spent a morning behind the scenesat Miller Park before enjoying a Brewers win for the 2019 DougChickering WIAA Sports Workshop.The Sports Workshop started the morning of July 24 in the Brewers mediaroom with a kick-off message from Doug Chickering followed by a briefingfrom Todd Clark and Wade Labecki from the WIAA. They talked aboutrecent and upcoming changes in high school sports.

Brewers Radio Network announcer Jeff Levering paid a visit and sharednumerous stories from the early days of his career and a tale or two aboutworking with WBA Hall of Famer and Brewers legend Bob Uecker.

WBA President and CEO Michelle Vetterkind and former WBA Presidentand CEO John Laabs managed to get a few minutes with Uecker justoutside the Brewer’s clubhouse.

Levering was followed by the Brewer’s new PA announcer Mark Richards,who is also an on air personality at WKLH-FM in Milwaukee. Richards talkedabout how he got the job and he pulled back the curtain on the role the PAannouncer plays in the production of all the elements surrounding the ballgame.

After a feast of ballpark food the Sports Workshop attendees took their seatsin the ballpark to see if the Brewers could salvage a win from their seriesagainst the Cincinnati Reds. After a series of runs from both teams in the firsthalf of the game, the bats cooled and the Brewers held their 5-4 lead to win.

Brewers host broadcasters for Sports Workshop

The WBA’s Young Professional Committee is welcoming two new members.

Katie Warren is digital sales manager forMidwest Communications for Green Bay,Appleton, Sheboygan, and Duluth. CoryGylock is the local sales manager forWLAX/WEUX in La Crosse.

Both will join the Young Professionals

Committee when it holds its next meeting in September.The current Young Professionals Committee also includes:JT Koser (Chair), Koser Radio Group, Rice LakeSamantha Bratel, iHeartMedia, MilwaukeeChet Daniels, WCLO/WJVL, JanesvilleAmy Pflugshaupt, WMTV-TV, MadisonHeather Poltrock, WSAW-TV, WausauTerry Stevenson, Seehafer Broadcasting, ManitowocHeather Storm, Woodward Radio Group, Green Bay

Y O U N G P R O F E S S I O N A L S C O L U M N

Young Professionals Committee welcomes new members

On August 7, 2019 at 1:20 p.m. CDT, FEMA conducted aNationwide EAS Test. The test was only partially successful in Wisconsin.There are two parts to every National EAS Test. Thefirst is that our State EAS Network is capable ofdistributing the alert to all corners of our State, andthe second is the quality of the alert messagefurnished to us by the Federal government. Thegood news is that the Wisconsin EAS Networkpassed its part of the test, successfully distributingthe test across the State – there were no reports ofany station not receiving and logging the test.

However, the bad news is that FEMA experienced anequipment failure that caused the test in Wisconsinto consist only of the EAS Header Code followed by

the End-of-Message Code, but no audio message.FEMA’s objective with this year’s test was todetermine the ability to disseminate a messagewithout using the internet, simulating a loss ofinternet connectivity. The message was originatedusing only the network of powerful AM stationsknown as Primary Entry Point (PEP) stations. Our Wisconsin PEP station is WTMJ in Milwaukee,which has agreed to host a FEMA-installed EASunit at the transmitter site. FEMA’s EAS unitmalfunctioned during this test, sending the EAScodes but not the audio message. FEMA replacedtheir faulty EAS unit and tested the new unitabout a week after the Nationwide EAS Test, so theissue causing our partially-failed test has alreadybeen corrected.

Nationwide EAS Test reveals FEMA equipmentproblem

Don’t forget about yourWBA PSA Guide

Just a reminder that your WBA has thisoffering always available for you: PublicService Announcement Guide. It’s a greatreference for people asking your stations the“how to’s” about PSAs.

“Getting Your Message On The Air”

• What is a PSA? • How To Get Your PSA On The Air • Sample Copy for Your PSA • The Pre-Produced PSA • Public AffairsPrograms • You’ve Been Booked for a

Program • Sample Press Release

Find it at www.wi-broadcasters.org.


Members in the SpotlightGreen BayradiopersonalitydiesGreen Bayradiopersonality,

Dennis Nuetzel, died July24 at the age of 60.Nuetzel, known on the air asDennis Mitchell, majored inbroadcast journalism at UW-River Falls. During his careerhe worked at WDUZ in GreenBay, WDUX in Waupaca, aradio station in Alabama, andwas most recently working atY100 (WNCY-FM). He alsoworked at AT&T where heretired in 2018. Nuetzel lovedHAM Radio and was amember of the HAM RadioAssociation.

A service was held July 29.

Personality dies after66 years in radioA Wisconsin radio personalitywith 66 years in the businesshas died.Theodore S. Krawczyk, betterknown as “Bernie Phillips” on the

radio, died July 15 from injuries suffered in ahit-and-run crash on April 8 in Berlin.

Bernie started his career at WTMJ-AM inMilwaukee before he graduated from highschool. After college he worked for WTKM inHartford. He started a career with MercuryMarine in 1958 while staying in radio. He laterworked at KFIZ in Fond du Lac. He startedworking at WISS in Berlin in 2000 until hispassing. Bernie was also a volunteer andsupported the Boys and Girls Club in Berlin.

In lieu of flowers a memorial is set up for theBoys and Girls club of Berlin. Wiecki-SkipchakFuneral Home, 116 South Adams Ave., Berlin,WI 54923, 920-361-2050. Online condolencesand to view the tribute video to Bernie, pleaserefer to www.wieckiskipchakfuneralhome.com.

SpartaGM diesat age57Sparta-Tomah

Broadcasting GeneralManager WilliamHoffman died. He was57.During his eleven yearswith the company hehelped guide WCOW tofive CMA and three ACMnominations as well asbeing named "Station ofThe Year" by the WisconsinBroadcasters Associationin 2015 and 2016.

Online condolences maybe offered to the Hoffmanfamily atwww.schanhoferfh.com.

LindaGrassmanrememberedas loving wife,motherA broadcasting

family in northern Wisconsin ismourning the loss of LindaGrassman.Linda and Bruce Gassman movedto Shawano in 1984 where theypurchase radio stations WTCH andWOWN and created ResultsBroadcasting. She worked at thestations as a receptionist andbookkeeper. She retired in 2005.

Grassman died Aug. 27. She was72.

In lieu of flowers and plants, thefamily asked that memorials bemade in Linda’s name to RedRiders Therapeutic HorsebackRiding.

IN REMEMBRANCE

Dennis Nuetzel Theodore S.Krawczyk

William Hoffman Linda Grassman

Names in the NewsA news reporter in Memphis is coming home to Milwaukee. Tony Atkinswill join WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee in mid-August. Atkins is from Milwaukeeand graduated from UW-Milwaukee. Atkins has been with Cox Media Groupsince 2014, most recently with WHBQ-TV in Memphis.

James Hodges has accepted the position of General Manager and SalesManager for Hubbard Broadcasting‘s five station radio cluster in Bemidji,Minnesota (Paul Bunyan Broadcasting). One of the stations, KB 101, haswon six NAB Crystal Awards and its morning host, Todd Haugen, has been atop five nominee finalist for a Marconi Award twice. Hodges can be reachedat [email protected].

Dori Zori has been named assistant program director for Radio Milwaukee(WYMS-FM). Zori will continue to host the station’s 6 a.m. – 10 a.m.weekday morning show, which she has helmed since 2012. As assistantprogram director, Dori will lead all projects that interface with artistappearances and public-facing events. This includes Studio Milwaukeesessions, programming events, artist interviews, and DJ takeovers. She alsowill continue to manage the station’s relationships with venue partners andlocal musicians. She will no long serve as the station’s promotion’s manager,a position she has held in addition to morning show host.

Jeff Redmon has joined WMSE-FM as its new account manager. Redmonwill handle all underwriting, sponsorships and day to day contact with theradio station’s partners while creating new relationships within thecommunity. Redmon is a key member of Made In Milwaukee, a culturaladvocacy group dedicated to the exposure, growth, and advancement of thelocal art, music, and business community. He is the co-founder andorganizer of BVGN (Bay View Gallery Night), bringing crowds of more than10,000 per event to support and nourish the local art and businesscommunity.

WFRV meteorologist Dave Miller is retiring after 29 years at the stationover two stints, most recently for 24 years. Miller signed off on July 25 aftertalking about how the business changed over the years and the charitieshe’s volunteered for during his time on the air. He also talked about his workwith Dr. Ted Fujita, who is best known for the creation of the Fujita scale,which is used to measure the intensity of tornadoes. In retirement Millerplans to pursue his interest in genealogy.

WISN-TV veteran meteorologist Sally Severson is reducing herschedule to appear exclusively on “WISN 12 News at 11 a.m.” andmeteorologist Lindsey Slater is replacing Severson on “WISN 12 NewsThis Morning.” Severson has been on the air for more than 30 years andon WISN-TV’s morning show since 1988. She’s reducing her schedule tospend more time with family and friends. Severson will continue to be apart of the station’s community initiatives, as well as maintaining herrole in WISN’s “Top Teacher” series. Slater will join Adrienne Pedersen,Sheldon Dutes, and Eden Checkol in studio for the weekday morningnewscast, “WISN 12 News This Morning.” She joined the Weather Watch12 team in June 2016, serving as meteorologist on WISN 12 Newsduring weekend evenings.

FOX 6 (WITI-TV) in Milwaukee has named Jim Wilson the station’snews director. Wilson was previously the Assistant News Director at thestation, a position he has held since 2017. He will now oversee allaspects of newsroom operations. Wilson has almost 30 years ofexperience at FOX 6, including works as a photojournalist, chiefphotographer and assistant news director. He has been the interimnews director since June of this year. Wilson graduated from Universityof Wisconsin-Oshkosh and holds a master’s degree from University ofWisconsin-Milwaukee. Wilson has been recognized with a Peabody andfive national Murrow awards for his work.

WSCR Chicago Program Director Mitch Rosen is taking up PD duties at105.7 The Fan (WSSP) in Milwaukee. Program Director Tom Parker isretiring. He was PD at WSSP since 2009. Rosen will split his timebetween Milwaukee and Chicago. He’s been PD at WSCR since 2005.

A Madison native is returning to the city to take over mornings on WRIS,The Resistance. Pat Gallagher worked in alternative radio in Madisonfor 27 years before joining Mid-West Family Madison for a brief timethen heading to WCNR, Charlottesville, Virginia to host a morning show.In addition to mornings on The Resistance, Gallagher will be assisting inprogramming Magic 98 (WMGN) and will have a feature on The Zone(WOZN) named The Active Zone which will focus on Gallagher’s love ofrunning and cycling. He’s a three-time Ironman Wisconsin finisher.

Hodges

Atkins

Redmon

Miller

Zori

Severson

Slater

Gallagher

Wilson


WBA Assistance ActionPlan for EEO Compliance(as of July, 2019) Commercial and noncommercial radio and television stationslicensed to communities in Wisconsin will be filing their nextrenewal of license applications with the FCC no later than August1, 2020 (for radio) and August 1, 2021 (television). With theirrenewal applications, stations will be required to file FCC Form 396,which will include their two most recent Annual EEO Public FileReports.

The FCC will review these filings to determine if the station has complied with all the EEOobligations imposed by its rules. Wisconsin broadcast stations should consider fully availingthemselves of the EEO-related programs that the WBA has designed to help them meet thoserequirements.

Your WBA continues to offer many programs through which the Association helps your stationemployment units (“SEUs”) achieve compliance under the FCC’s EEO regulations.

The FCC’s current EEO Rule took effect on March 10, 2003. The Rule contains an “equalopportunity/nondiscrimination” requirement, a separate “outreach” requirement, and relatedreporting requirements. Under the “equal opportunity/nondiscrimination” requirement, allcommercial and noncommercial radio and television stations must afford equal opportunity inemployment to all qualified persons and no person may be discriminated against in employmenton the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or gender. The “outreach” requirement iscomprised of three prongs designed to ensure broad and inclusive recruitment outreach topotential applicants of all races, genders, and ethnicities.

The “equal opportunity/nondiscrimination” requirement applies to all SEUs regardless of thenumber of persons employed. The “outreach” requirement applies to all SEUs with five or morefull-time employees (“Nonexempt SEUs”). The reporting requirements are discussed at the end ofthis document.

An SEU is typically a group of stations that are commonly owned or controlled, located in thesame market and sharing at least one employee. An SEU can be comprised of one station, twostations, a mix of several radio stations or television stations, or a combination of radio and TVstations all in the same market.

Outreach Prong 1 - Recruitment For All Full-Time VacanciesNonexempt SEUs must engage in broad and inclusive recruitment for all full-time vacancies, witha limited exception for exigent circumstances. Just a few years ago, the FCC for the first timedetermined that a broadcaster can rely solely on online sources in its recruiting. However, the FCCencourages you to continue to use some of the traditional outreach methods, even though it isno longer required. You simply need to be reasonable in picking online recruiting sources that arelikely to reach the members of various groups within your community with announcements ofthe job openings at your stations, and review the success of those sources routinely to make surethat they are bringing you recruits from a good cross-section of your community. If online sourcesare not delivering a diverse group of recruits, you should change or expand your recruitingefforts, and may well want to continue outreach to community groups.

If you choose to continue to rely on traditional outreach sources, the WBA has compiled a list ofrecruitment referral sources, including organizations and groups whose membership includessignificant participation of women and minorities. WBA members can download this list off ourwebsite at www.wi-broadcasters.org. Every year we send a letter to each of these referral sourcesseeking (1) confirmation that each wishes to serve as a referral source and therefore would like toreceive job vacancy information from Wisconsin stations by mail, fax or e-mail and (2) fullcontact information for that purpose.

You are free to use the referral source information as you see fit, understanding that it does notpurport to be exhaustive, certainly not at the local level. Remember, it is your responsibility toensure that you choose a broad array of sources tailored to reach all segments of your SEU’s localcommunity and service area, and that the recruitment information remains current over time. If

you find that any of the information is not correct, or has become outdated, or if you add anynew referral sources to the list of sources that you use for your SEU, please alert us at once andprovide us with the names/contact information for each new and updated source so that wemay add that information to our website and share it with other broadcasters in the State.

Outreach Prong 2 - Notification To Community GroupsIn addition, each Nonexempt SEU must provide notice of job openings to community groupswho request such notice. Each SEU should periodically air two announcements. One is requiredby the FCC rules. The second announcement is to promote the WBA job site. Theseannouncements are –

1. An over-the-air announcement inviting organizations and groups that assist job seekers andthat would like to receive notices of openings at broadcast stations to contact individualstations so that these stations can add the organizations to their mailing list for job. We askthat you to provide us with the contact information of any organizations that contact you toreceive such notices and we will consider adding them to our website-based master list ofreferral sources.

2. An over-the-air announcement that tells listeners to go to www.wi-broadcasters.org to findcurrent openings at Wisconsin broadcast stations as well as at broadcast stations nationwide.If you need a copy of that form of announcement, please call us at 800-236-1922 or [email protected]. So long as your job vacancy ads specify that you are an “EqualOpportunity Employer” or “EOE”, they can be placed on our website’s online Job Bank, which isalso linked to a national broadcast Career Page online site that may be accessed atwww.careerpage.org.

Outreach Prong 3 – “Menu Option” Outreach InitiativesProng 3 requires Nonexempt SEUs to earn a minimum number of “credits” by performing certainoutreach activities that are unrelated to any particular job opening. SEUs with 5-10 full-timeemployees must earn at least 2 credits per two-year segment of their license term, and largerSEUs with more than 10 full-time employees must earn at least 4 credits per two-year segmentof their license term unless they are located in a “smaller market” as defined by the FCC (in whichcase they are only required to earn at least 2 credits per two-year segment of their license termdespite having more than 10 full-time employees). Generally, a “smaller market” is one wherethe stations comprising the SEU are licensed to a community or communities that is/are in acounty which is outside of all metropolitan areas or is in a metropolitan area with a populationof less than 250,000 persons. Please consult your communications counsel to be sure how manycredits your SEU is required to earn.

Your WBA helps you earn these Prong 3 non–vacancy-specific credits in the following ways:

1. Participating in Job/Career Fairs. The FCC allows SEUs four, one-quarter credits, totalingone full credit, for each two-year segment of their stations’ eight-year license term if theyparticipate in at least four job fairs or career fairs during that two-year segment. To becounted as participating in a job fair, the SEU must send personnel who have substantialresponsibility in the making of the SEU’s hiring decisions. The WBA sponsors two job fairs peryear, one in conjunction with our Annual Winter Conference (January) and another inconnection with our Annual Summer Conference (June). Full SEU participation in eachjob/career fair should earn the SEU a 1/4 credit for each of these job fairs. Accordingly, over a2-year period of participating in these WBA sponsored job/career fairs, an SEU should be ableto claim one full credit so long as such participation includes personnel who have substantialresponsibility in hiring and the SEU maintains adequate documentation of such participation.

2. Hosting/Sponsoring Job/Career Fairs. The FCC also allows one full credit per two-yearsegment for hosting or sponsoring at least one job/career fair. Your WBA can provide you withan Army National Guard Diversity Career Fair Kit. While these kits are designed to helpstations host and promote diverse career fairs in their communities in co-sponsorship withthe Army National Guard to help reduce costs to the SEU, you can also use the Kit as a guidefor setting up your own Career Fair without National Guard participation.

3. Co-Hosting/Co-Sponsoring Job/Career Fairs. The FCC also allows one full credit per two-year segment for co-hosting or co-sponsoring at least one job/career fair with some businessor professional community organization with substantial participation by women andminorities. As discussed above, you can use the Army National Guard Diversity Career Fair Kiteither in connection with the Army National Guard or some other business or professionalorganization in the community, as long as the organization’s membership includessubstantial participation of women and minorities. Each SEU seeking credit must have “ameaningful involvement in the activity,” e.g., by jointly planning it, jointly promoting it,


jointly implementing it and meeting persons who attend, and accepting and consideringresumes submitted at the job fair. Merely lending the SEU’s name, running ads and providingfunding are not enough to claim this credit.

4. Participation in Job Banks/Internet Programs. The FCC also allows one full credit pertwo-year segment for participating in job banks, Internet programs, and other programsdesigned to promote outreach generally. The WBA’s Internet-based Job Bank providesinformation about the various positions for staffing radio and television stations, schools thatoffer courses and training in broadcast and broadcast-related fields, internship programs, etc.To obtain a credit, your participation must extend beyond simply posting notices of your jobopenings. Assisting the WBA with compiling and presenting information for the WBA JobBank about the duties of those in various broadcast positions and the training andqualifications that will assist applicants in preparing for a broadcast career may be the type ofactivity that the FCC is seeking. Establishing outreach programs to maintain contacts withindividuals who might be interested in future openings at your station is also mentioned as anactivity that can be part of obtaining credit for this activity. As with other activities, consultyour communications counsel for details on this credit. SEU participation in the WBA’sInternet-based Job Bank should be continuous during the 2-year period. In addition, if youplace your “EOE” signified job vacancy(ies), on the WBA’s Internet-based Job Bank, yourvacancy(ies) will be linked to a National Broadcast Career Page online site. You can post jobopenings at www.wi-broadcasters.org (Careers – Post Available Job) or e-mail them [email protected]).

5. Participating in Scholarship Programs. The FCC also allows one full credit per two-yearsegment for participating in scholarship programs designed to assist students interested inpursuing a career in broadcasting. The WBA Foundation has established a scholarshipprogram which extends scholarships to worthy students on an annual basis. As with any ofthese other credits, your station’s participation in the scholarship program must besubstantial and go beyond simply donating money. While you should consult with your owncommunications counsel to assess the credit to which you are entitled, we suggest that toobtain one full credit for every two year period, each SEU should at a minimum: 1) donate atleast once every two years to the Foundation (earmarked for scholarships) a minimum of$100 for radio SEU’s with 1 or 2 stations, a minimum of $200 for radio SEUs with three or morestations, and a minimum of $300 for TV SEUs, 2) promote the availability of the scholarshipprogram over the SEU’s stations and direct interested candidates to mail, fax or e-mail thestation requests for an application, 3) provide blank application forms upon request (whichthe WBA will provide you), 4) be available to answer questions about the program frominterested persons, and 5) assist the Selection Committee in the selection process byproviding the Committee with the SEU’s evaluation of each candidate. The WBA Foundationwill send each SEU copies of the applications received and will ask for input based on suchfactors as the student’s GPA, post high school employment & extracurricular activities, awards& honors, broadcasting experience and commitment, his/her response to an essay question,and other factors the Selection Committee and the SEU may deem relevant from time to time,before they are sent on to the Education Committee and the WBA Foundation Board ofDirectors for final judging.

6. Participating in Internship Programs. The FCC also allows one full credit per two-yearsegment for participating in the WBA Broadcast Internship Program, where the WBA seeksqualified candidates, develops a pool of candidates who become available for considerationby SEUs that have internship programs, and provides those SEUs with the names andqualifications of such candidates for consideration and selection by participating SEUs fortheir own station internship programs. If your station is interested in participating, go to ourwebsite (www.wi-broadcasters.org) where we have assembled the most recent informationabout interested candidates. Candidates are categorized by the geographic area where theywish to intern. You may then contact your potential intern directly. You should print out theWBA Internship Section from our website, including your intern’s information, to helpdocument the existence of your internship program. Please note that according to ourWashington Counsel, every SEU should document that they have an operating internshipprogram and use reasonable efforts to have an intern “on staff” during a significant portion ofthe two-year period for which they are seeking credit. All stations considering having aninternship program should consult with their legal/tax advisor to assure that all applicablewage and hour regulations are complied with. That is the responsibility of each SEU, not thatof the WBA.

7.Participating in Training to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity and Prevent

Discrimination. The FCC also allows one full credit for participating in a program that willteach the SEU’s station management how to ensure Equal Employment Opportunity andprevent unlawful discrimination. Your WBA offers this type of training program 4 times overevery two-year period. A seminar or webinar is held in conjunction with each of our Winterand Summer Conferences. If a station’s management routinely participates and shares theinformation they obtain with others at the station with hiring responsibilities, by the end ofthe segment (two-year period), the SEU would be able to claim one full credit for that twoyear period. Please note - these four seminars or webinars will each be on different equalemployment opportunity topics, including types of unlawful discrimination and FCC specificrequirements, so an SEU will need to have station management participate in all four sessionsor webinars to earn the full menu option credit, and share the information that they receivewith other management personnel at their stations.

8. Participating in the WBA Student Seminar Networking Programs. You shouldconsider, in consultation with your communications counsel, whether the WBA’s StudentSeminar Networking Session is eligible for non-vacancy specific “menu option” credit underthe FCC’s EEO regulations. During the program’s Speed Networking Session, broadcastprofessionals interact, face-to-face, with multiple students interested in the field ofbroadcasting.

As they develop plans for full compliance with the FCC’s EEO requirements, all SEUs should seekthe advice of their communications counsel. If you have other ideas how your WBA can be evenmore helpful in this important regulatory area, please do not hesitate to contact us. The full listof non-vacancy-specific EEO credits is available in Section 73.2080(c)(2) of the FCC’s Rules.

KEY WISCONSIN RADIO AND TELEVISION EEO-RELATED TIME PERIODS AND DEADLINESOutreach, Recordkeeping, and ReportingI. Annual Deadline for Annual EEO Public File Reports

August 1 of each year is the deadline by which all Nonexempt radio and television SEUs mustplace in each station’s public inspection file the Annual EEO Public File Report covering theprior twelve-month period. At this time, stations comprising the SEU must also post thereport to their FCC hosted online public file and provide a link to the most recent report in theonline public file on the front page of the station’s website (if the station has a website). TheseReports will reflect, among other things, which of the EEO credits the SEU has earned duringthe preceding twelve months towards its goal of earning either two or four credits duringeach two-year period of its license term.

II. Relevant Two-Year Periods for Accumulating a Sufficient Number of EEO CreditsDuring the Current License Terms

For radio stations licensed to communities in Wisconsin, the pertinent two-year segmentsfrom the last license renewal filings to the next license renewal filings are: August 1, 2012 -July 31, 2014; August 1, 2014 - July 31, 2016; August 1, 2016 – July 31, 2018; and August 1,2018 - July 31, 2020.

For television stations licensed to communities in Wisconsin, the pertinent two-yearsegments from the last license renewal filings to the next license renewal filings are: August1, 2013 - July 31, 2015; August 1, 2015 - July 31, 2017; August 1, 2017 – July 31, 2019; andAugust 1, 2019 - July 31, 2021.

III. Upcoming Deadlines for Filing the FCC Form 396 and the License Renewal

August 1, 2020 will be the next license renewal filing deadline for radio stations licensed tocommunities in Wisconsin. By that deadline, the SEUs must also submit to the FCC acompleted FCC Form 396 regarding their EEO exemption status (if any) and their performanceunder the EEO rules. Included with the Form 396 filing will be the SEU’s two then most recentAnnual EEO Public File reports, one covering the period August 1, 2018 – July 31, 2019, andthe other covering the period August 1, 2019 – July 31, 2020.

August 1, 2021 will be the next license renewal filing deadline for television stations licensedto communities in Wisconsin. By that deadline, unless the FCC changes its procedures,television SEUs must also submit to the FCC a completed FCC Form 396 regarding their EEOexemption status (if any) and their performance under the EEO rules. Included with the Form396 filing will be (again assuming no changes in the FCC’s procedures) the SEU’s two thenmost recent Annual EEO Public File reports, one covering the period August 1, 2019 – July 31,2020, and the other covering the period August 1, 2020 – July 31, 2021.

YOUR WBA Serving YOU!In the last 12 months YOUR WBA has:

Hosted the FCC as it made numerous stops in Wisconsin during aroad trip through the Midwest to talk to residents about consumerissuesLaunched a new member services feature on the WBA websitewhich includes a new member database and app

Created a WBA Legislative Committee made up of members fromeach of Wisconsin’s eight Congressional Districts

Promoted repack resources to stations in markets subject to thetelevision repack

Joined a national campaign to promote the five freedoms listed inthe First Amendment

Established the first Young Professional of the Year award to begiven out in 2020

Produced a promotional video encouraging submissions to theWBA Awards competition

Awarded the first ever Distinguished Service Award to formerWisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson

Produced two videos highlighting community service work led byWisconsin broadcasters

Worked with a Legislative Study Committee to draft a bill toaddress the use of police body cameras in Wisconsin

Launched an E-Newsletter for young professionals in broadcasting

Held the second ever “Toolbox” event hosted by the WBA YoungProfessionals Committee

Promoted and led Wisconsin’s effort in a national NAB initiative topromote the broadcasters’ community service work in aconcentrated social media campaign using the hashtag#BroadcastGood

Encouraged stations to promote their positive work in thecommunity through the WBA newsletter and promoted thosestories to the Wisconsin Congressional delegation through socialmedia

Continued the ever-popular Job Bank where all job noticesreceived are posted on the WBA website, which is linked to aNational Job Bank

Offered numerous webinars on topics relevant to broadcastersfrom LBS, Jacobs Media, and other state broadcast associations.

Continued our shared leadership with the Wisconsin Departmentof Justice in the Amber Alert Child Abduction/Silver Alert Plans.Since the inception of Wisconsin’s Amber Alert program in 2003,we have had 37 Amber Alerts with the successful recovery of 46children

Offered members one-on-one digital strategy consultations withSeth Resler from Jacobs Media

Sponsored the Broadcasters Clinic, a three-day award winning andnationally renowned event held in October attracting more than300 broadcast engineers, vendors and exhibitors from 17 states

Assisted in the coordination of Wisconsin’s annual live-code teststatewide tornado warning tests

Worked with a coalition of 51 strong and diverse trade and businessassociations focused on repealing Wisconsin’s personal property tax

Updated the WBA Awards for Excellence categories to includeSocial/Digital Media categories for all divisions

Received another record number of entries (1,786) in the WBAAwards for Excellence Program

Hosted a Mardi Gras themed Awards Gala with nearly 400 attendees.

Grew the WBA’s social following at the Awards Gala with 147,000impressions on Twitter and Facebook reach of 6,142. There were701,000 impressions on the #wbagala hashtag and a reach of464,000.

Supported and attended the Watchdog Awards, which recognizesthose who demonstrate the importance of transparency ingovernment

Held our annual State Legislative Day, which featured meetings withelected officials and our State Legislative Reception.

Continued our Jacobs Media/WBA Digital Partnership, a free memberservice, created in conjunction with media consultant Jacobs Media.The service also includes the Connecting the Dots weekly emailtraining, access to Jacobs Media webinars andcontributions to the Wisconsin Broadcaster, highlightingdigital/social/mobile and trends in digital media.

Partnered with the Democratic and Republican parties in Wisconsinto make available their Weekly Radio Addresses to our members viaWisPolitics and on our website

Continued the very popular WBA Insight Edge Weekly MemberService featuring highlights of key advertising categories

Continued the WBA Alternative Inspection Program that offersmembers the opportunity to have their stations inspected by FCC-experienced engineers before applying for renewal of their stationlicenses. Currently, 260 Wisconsin Radio stations and 37 Wisconsin TVstations are protected.

Actively monitored and lobbied on federal and state issues to serve,protect and promote the broadcast industry in Wisconsin, in additionto providing the WBA’s perspective in many FCC proceedings.

Presented four WBA Local Broadcast Legends Awards to Jerry Burke,Duff Damos, Glen Moberg, and Marshall Shapiro (posthumous). Thisaward provides recognition to individuals who have activelyengaged in fulfilling the commitment broadcasters have made toserve their local communities and their fellow broadcasters.

Continued work with our advisory teams led by WBA board membersto identify member and Association needs in the areas ofTechnology, Advocacy, Education, Diversity, and AssociationRevenue, as part of our long range strategic planning process

Offered a new round of the WBA Mentorship Program initiated by theWBA’s Young Professionals Committee.

Continued to support and grow the WBA Young Professionals Groupwhich represents our younger WBA members and future broadcastmanagers

Grew the list of young broadcast professionals in the WBA database


Toured the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas withJacobs Media to learn about how new technologies willaffect broadcasters.

Continued our free legal services for our members withthe WBA Legal Hotlines provided by Washington D.C.counsel, David Oxenford at Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP,and by Madison counsel, Godfrey Kahn.

Built on the social media component of the NSCA/PEPprogram with numerous campaigns

Connected the Wisconsin Humanities Council withstations willing to participate in a project connectingjournalists with their local communities

Hosted the WBA annual Student Seminar with more than130 students from 16 different schools. The day alsofeatured our WBA Student Awards for Excellence,including a record 286 entries this year, the WBAFoundation Scholarship presentations, and the WBAStudent Leadership Award winner.

Updated and maintained the WBA Assistance Action Planfor EEO Compliance, in which set an industry standardand helps the WBA helps member stations achievecompliance under the FCC EEO regulations

Continued the WBA Broadcaster Emergency Personnel IDProgram in partnership with Wisconsin EmergencyManagement. The cards help radio and TV stationtransmitter engineers to cross police lines in times ofdisaster in order to keep stations on the air.

Increased WBA account Facebook likes by more than 200and average weekly engagements went from about 100to about 600.

Provided financial assistance to 36 WBA directors andmembers for our annual Washington D.C. Call onCongress.

Held two EEO-related sessions in conjunction with theWBA’s winter and summer conferences to assist ourmembers with EEO compliance and credit

Coordinated two job/career fairs which were held inconjunction with the WBA winter and summerconferences.

Offered Omnia Target Reports to aide WBA members inrecruitment and hiring

Continued to host www.wisconsinhonorflight.org, a one-stop shop for all six Wisconsin Honor Flight Hubs

Held two annual conferences - a winter meeting inMadison and a summer meeting in Elkhart Lake, offeringa wide array of timely programs to serve our members

Monitored drone regulation proposals

Conducted station visits throughout the state to meet inperson with broadcasters in their offices and studios.

Published the Wisconsin Broadcaster, our bi-monthlynewsletter, published an e-newletter, and published allarticles as they were available on the WBA website.

Updated our Public Service Announcement Guide andoffered it to member stations and the public on the WBAwebsite.

Announced the first ever WBA FoundationCelebrity Golf Outing scheduled for Aug. 4, 2020 atSentryWorld Golf Course in Stevens Point

Created the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family FundScholarship from the generous support of the David Nelson family

Hosted the Doug Chickering WIAA Sports Workshop at Miller Park.

Welcomed five new members to the Legacy Club: Terry Baun, Tom Koser, DavidL. Nelson, Mike and Patty O’Brien and Duke Wright

Produced and distributed radio and TV spots promoting the WBA Hall of Fame

Awarded the second Rick Jowett Fellowship to support training forphotojournalists and honor WBA photographer and dear friend Rick Jowett

Hosted statewide political debates for the races for U.S. Senate and Governorof Wisconsin, following in the WBA Foundation’s 30 year history of using thedebate to promote an informed electorate

Added new recordings to the WBA Museum

Made available the new WBA Hall of Fame ring to WBA Hall of Fame membersas a fundraiser for the WBA Foundation

Achieved a continued sellout attendance at the 22nd annual 3-Day WalkerBroadcast Management Institute at UW-Madison - As of April 2019, 153broadcast managers have graduated from the three-year module

Inducted four Wisconsin broadcasters into the prestigious WBA Hall of Fame,bringing the total number of inductees to 144 - Inducted this year: Clif Groth,David L. Nelson, Fannie Mason Steve, and Dean Maytag

Continued support of the High School Initiative designed to target juniors andseniors in high school who are interested in broadcasting, marketing, and/orengineering.

Continued WBA Student Storytellers (as part of WBANewsroom.org), featuringinteresting, creative and engaging stories produced and posted by students.This initiative was created to foster a dialogue between Wisconsinbroadcasters, students in Wisconsin schools and universities and instructors,professors, and teachers of journalism and media.

Continued to offer a WBA Engineering Fellowship Grant Program inconjunction with the WBA Foundation to assist continuing education forbroadcast engineers.

Produced two half-hour WBA Hall of Fame Shows for distribution to Wisconsintelevision stations.

Continued sponsorship of Radio Marketing Professional (RMP) seminarsthroughout the state whereby students can become certified as RMPs throughthe Radio Advertising Bureau, providing our stations with potential salespeople. Since 2007, 838 students have become certified RMPs.

Awarded $3,000 in educational support grants, through the WBA Foundation,to assist non-profit college and technical school broadcast educationprograms in acquiring equipment, hardware, software, and/or other teachingmaterials that are necessary to conduct broadcast education programs andpromote careers in broadcasting.

Continued to refine and update WBANewsroom.org. All content has beenupdated and is kept current to reflect “what’s going on” in news in Wisconsin.This online resource provides quick, easy-to-search results for newsroomquestions. It’s a valuable resource for all reporters, editors, producers,students, and news junkies.

Hosted a 50/50 fundraiser during the WBA Awards Gala and SummerConference. $1,680 was raised at the gala and $1,690 was raised at theconference for the WBA Foundation.

F o u n d a t i o n


18 W i s c o n s i n B r o a d c a s t e r | wi-broadcasters.orgW i s c o n s i n B r o a d c a s t e r | wi-broadcasters.org

I’m a movie buff. Have beenall my life. So, when I saw theSociety of ProfessionalJournalists’ publication, Quill,was celebrating its 110thbirthday by rating the top 110movies about or related tojournalism, I was intrigued.

Journalism, or thepress generally, iscommonly found in

the cinema not only as a themebut also as a device to impartinformation or keep the storymoving. Think of how many films you’ve seen in whicha screaming newspaper headline twirls ontothe screen or the voice of a radio newscaster ora clip from a video news story appears filling inplot gaps and moving the audience from onescene to the next.

As one who is not only a movie freak but aninstructor and former practitioner ofjournalism, I have some thoughts on theselections of the Quill editors and their panel ofexperts. I feel qualified to offer thesejudgments because I have seen 74 of the 110films they list, including 23 of their top 25. Thatsaid, here goes.

First, three of the top 15 are paragons of theimportance of journalism to our society andcountry. Spotlight tops the list and is a tale ofdedicated news people reporting on and

challenging a powerful and societallyintegrated institution and its massive,pernicious abuse of the innocent and its refusalto admit to, much less correct, its evil ways.Good Night and Good Luck (14) and All thePresident’s Men (2) are examples of the real-lifestruggles and endurance journalists face daily.The “watchdog” role of keeping the powersthat be in-check is constant and never moreimportant then during the trying times withinwhich we now live. All three deserve to be highon the Quill list.

But a film I was happy to see come in at No. 11is a lesser known but excellently made workfrom 1952 called Deadline, USA. HumphreyBogart is an editor who is trying to persuadethe children of the publisher from closing andselling the unprofitable newspaper (an issuethat resonates today) by taking on the city’smob boss and connecting him with themurder of a young woman. What first caughtmy attention in the film years ago was a verysmall scene that captured the immortal ethicalquestion facing even the smallest newsrooms.What happens when an important andvaluable advertiser asks that an embarrassingstory about him be killed? The newspaper’scharacters offer their regrets but go with thestory.

Coming in at No. 38 is a film for which I haveconsiderable affection, Broadcast News. As aformer “broadcast news” person, I lived manyof the scenes depicted. In particular, I can recallmore than one time running through roomsand down hallways to get the just editedvideotape news package to the engineers sothey can push the “play” button just as the

anchor is finishing the lead-in. It’s a wondermore people weren’t hospitalized in theproduction of those newscasts.

My final observation, however, relates to a filmmuch more highly regarded at No. 29, TheChina Syndrome starring Jane Fonda, JackLemon, and Michael Douglas. This 1979 moviewas controversial because it questioned thepromotion of nuclear power as a safealternative energy source, again acontemporary issue. The journalism teachingmoment comes in the denouement whennuclear plant worker Jack Lemon takes overthe plant at gunpoint because he believes it’sunsafe and calls for TV reporter Jane Fonda tointerview him live from the control room. Whatfollows is a demonstration of how a reporterSHOULD NOT conduct an interview. She simplyasks him to tell his story. As he rambles on,other plant employees find a way to breach thebolted control room door and stop the Lemoncharacter from revealing the truth about theplant. The problem is it was the reporter’sresponsibility to ask questions that help thesource tell the story and inform the public.Unfortunately, I see this problem with manyjournalists today. Just give them the mic andlet them talk. That’s not journalism. That’s theinternet.

So, those are some “for what it’s worth”thoughts. I offer a boisterous thank you to theSPJ Quill (Summer 2019) editors and their panelof experts for giving me the fodder for thesemovie musings. I encourage anyone who hasthe endurance to read this to check out the listand see the films. For the most part, they’reworth it.

Jack A. Kapfer,Associate Professor,Communications andJournalismDepartment UW–Eau Claire

E D U C AT O R S C O L U M N

Journalism—At the Movies

Believe it or not, spring 2020 will behere before you know it! That means that the WBA Awards Committee has beenhard at work to bring all of you the best gala ever tohonor our hard work here in 2019. This one will havean “An Evening in Paris” theme. As always, it will be atthe Madison Marriott West. We’ll see you on May 2.

Our WBA Board of Directors had asked us to make sometough decisions. One of the largest misconceptions outthere is that our WBA makes money on our Awards Gala.

How could we not, right? Wrong. It costs a lot to produce and execute. Tobe exact, we have never made money and in the last several years, lostmoney. We can’t do that anymore. None of us would run our ownstations that way.

Here’s what we are doing about it:

• Entry fees will be increased to $45 for Television, $35 for Radio and$20 for low power stations.

• We will award a certificate for third place awards with information topurchase a plaque if a station chooses to do so at their own cost. Ofcourse, the point is still awarded so that opportunity to win station ofthe year still exists. This will save our WBA $3,200. That’s money savedfor other things we do.

Everything else stays the same. The anticipation, excitement,camaraderie, and the friendly competition are what bring us together forour Awards Gala anyway. As always though, we know some people willnot be happy with these decisions. Michelle, Dean or I are alwaysavailable to hear what you have to say. We do hope that you see why wemade the decisions we did.

Our best and looking forward to seeing you in Paris on May 2, 2020!

AWA R D S

Changes coming to WBA Awards

Kelly RadandtWoodward RadioGroup Appleton/Green Bay


OFFICERS Chair of the BoardDavid SanksRetired Wisconsin BroadcasterVice ChairLaurin JorstadRetired Wisconsin BroadcasterSecretaryDick RecordFamily Radio, La Crosse

TreasurerTom WalkerMid-West Family Broadcasting, Madison

President & CEOMichelle Vetterkind, CAEWisconsin Broadcasters AssociationFoundation

BOARD OF DIRECTORSChris BernierRadio Plus, Fond du Lac

Keith BrateliHeartMedia, Madison

Scott Chorski WKBT-TV, La Crosse

Bill HurwitzRetired Wisconsin Broadcaster

R. Perry KidderRetired Wisconsin Broadcaster

Tom KoserWAQE-AM/FM/WJMC-AM/FM/WKFX-FM Rice Lake

Al LancasterWSAW-TV/WZAW-TV, Wausau

Dean MaytagRetired Wisconsin Broadcaster

Kelly RadandtWoodward Radio GroupAppleton/Green Bay

Chuck SteinmetzWITI-TV, Milwaukee

Scott M. TrentadueRetired Wisconsin Broadcaster

Don VeselyWMTV-TV, Madison

Jan WadeWISN-TV, Milwaukee

Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Foundation Officers & Board of Directors www.wbafoundation.org

WBA Foundation

Student scholarship competitionunderwayDo you know a student who could use assistance witheducational expenses?The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Foundation offers four scholarships.Students who meet eligibility requirements are encouraged to apply for thesescholarships:

• David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund Scholarship - $1,000

• Howard Gernetzke Scholarship - $1,000

• Morgan Murphy Media Scholarship - $2,000

• Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Scholarship - $2,000

The application process is online. It’s available on the WBA websiteand will remain linked at the top of the homepage until thedeadline.Students who have completed at least one-half of their degree or graduationrequirements in a media or media-related course of study are encouraged toapply.

Applicants must have either graduated from a Wisconsin high school or beattending a Higher Educational Institution in Wisconsin that has been designatedas eligible by the WBA Foundation Board. To verify that your school is eligible,check out the approved school list on the WBA Foundation website atwww.wbafoundation.org, click on the Student Scholarship Program underScholarships and Grants. The application can also be found here.

Applicants must be planning a media career that includes audio, visual anddigital/social media platforms.

The David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund Scholarship is aimed at juniorsand seniors and includes the following additional requirements:

1. Applicant must be a junior or senior.

2. Applicant must demonstrate financial need.

Previous WBA scholarship winners are not eligible. The deadline for application isFriday, Nov. 1, 2019, and all applications must be received by the WBA office bythis date.

The WBA Education Committee, and the stations that utilize the scholarshipmenu option for EEO credit, will screen all scholarship applications. The finaldeterminations for scholarships will be made by a vote of the WBA FoundationBoard of Directors. The two highest ranked applicants by the WBA FoundationBoard will receive the $2,000 scholarships and the next two highest ranked willreceive $1,000 scholarships.

The scholarships will be awarded at the WBA’s Student Seminar, Saturday,March 7, 2020 at the Madison Marriott West.

Thank you, WBA Foundation!

Educational Support Grantstotal $3,000 in 2019The WBA Foundation has awarded three grants totaling$3,000 under its Educational Support Grants Program for2019. Grants of $1,000 each for three schools were approvedby the Foundation Board at the WBA/WBA Foundation JointBoard Meeting in June:

• UW-Green Bay

• UW-Madison

• UW-Oshkosh

The Educational Support Grant Program was created by theWBA Foundation in 2000 to award up to $10,000 annually toassist non-profit college and technical school broadcasteducation programs in acquiring equipment, hardware,software and/or other teaching materials that are necessary toconduct broadcast education programs and promote careersin broadcasting. Due to the program’s excellent response, inthe last 20 years, the Foundation Board has approved$192,639 in Educational Support Grants.

2020 ELECTION WINDOWS FOR LOWEST UNIT CHARGE

2020 ELECTIONS ELECTION DATESSpring Primary February 18, 2020 January 4, 2020Spring Election April 7, 2020 Before the end of primary window

WINDOW FOR LOWEST UNIT CHARGE BEGINS

Dear WBA Foundation:I wanted to take a moment to send a letter of thanks for thegrant money that we received recently. The funds have beenextremely helpful for us in obtaining new video equipment.Faculty, staff, and students across UW-Green Bay benefit fromthe equipment that we purchase through the grant.

On every project that students work on one can findequipment that was obtained through your generous grant.Equipment that is purchased is available for student check outand for several classes in our communication program.Additionally, I use the equipment for our pre-college programthat helps promising middle school students learn aboutvideo production. The grant funds allow us to keep currentwith audio, video, and editing gear.

As always, I look forward to working with the WisconsinBroadcasters Association in the upcoming year. Many thanksfor your financial assistance to schools across Wisconsin.

Thank you, Mike Schmitt

Call us with

any questions

relating to digital,

social media, or

mobile

Tel: 1 902 823 [email protected]

Making Digital Radio Work.

Jeff WeltonNautel Regional Sales ManagerCentral US

Calendar of Events

Wisconsin broadcasters continue to face opportunities and challenges navigating digital, social, and mobile space.

The Jacobs Media/WBA Digital Partnership is here for you. All WBA members will receive the following:

• The weekly “Connect the Dots” Mondaymemo from Seth Resler

• In 2019, station consultations at WBA conferences

• Access to the Digital Hotline

Jacobs Media is as your disposal at (248) 353-9030 or [email protected].

Sept. 19, 2019WEBINAR: What the future sales team

looks like and how you can you prepare?

Oct. 15–17, 2019 Broadcasters Clinic

Madison Marriott West

Oct. 17, 2019WEBINAR: Recruiting

and hiring better salespeople

Jan. 29, 2020 Winter Conference and State Legislative Day

Madison Concourse Hotel

March 7, 2020Student Seminar


April 14–16, 2020 Walker Broadcast Management

Institute

May 2, 2020 WBA Awards Gala


June 17–18, 2020 WBA Summer Conference

Radisson Hotel, La Crosse

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