Our Mission

The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Foundation contribution to broadcasting in Wisconsin encompasses a strategic, long term vision for enhancing, promoting and supporting the broadcast industry by encouraging the preservation of broadcast history, participating in public affairs activities in the State of Wisconsin and providing educational opportunities for professional broadcasters and those who seek future careers in the broadcast industry.

CURRENT HEADLINES

Jim Schuh, longtime Stevens Point radio GM at WSPT and WIZD radio, became the latest Legacy Club member in June 2011, making a bequest to Foundation in a revision of his will.

The Foundation's Legacy Club was formed in 1998 to provide a formal procedure and recognition for those who make bequests or agree to make bequests to the WBA Foundation in their wills.

Legal counsel was commissioned to develop sample codicils that can be used to amend current wills. Initial solicitations were made to veteran Wisconsin broadcasters in 1998.

Please click here for more information on The Legacy Club.

Walker Broadcast Management Institute

     The WBA Foundation’s 2011 Walker Management Institute, in its 14th year, had one of its highest enrollment ever with 28 participants. The Institute was held on May 10-12 in Madison.
     The Walker Institute was established in 1998 to provide broadcast general managers, middle managers and future managers, an in depth management training experience at an affordable cost. It was designed as a 3-year program, with nine one day training modules, three each year, sequenced so that participants can start the three year cycle at any time. The curriculum covers areas of basic and advanced broadcast finance, personnel management and general management.
     Since its inception, The Institute has been held on the campus of the University of Wisconsin School of Business. Its faculty is comprised of UW School of Business professors or skilled practitioners in the fields in which they are training. The Institute is a turnkey educational experience whose fees include all materials, meals and lodging at Business School’s Fluno Center which includes modern hotel space for Executive Education programs. The Institute program is managed by Joan Gilman of the UW School of Business.

Please click here to read more.

WBA Foundation Awards 2011 Scholarships

(Jody Denk, Katelyn Zima, John Laabs, Abby Marie Miller, James Bushman)

Four WBA Foundation scholarship awards were presented on March 5 at the 2011 WBA Student Seminar. This year’s winners were: Katelyn Zima, James Bushman, Abby Marie Miller, and Jody Denk.

Katelyn Zima, UW-Oshkosh, received the $2,000 WBA Foundation Scholarship; James Bushman, UW-La Crosse, was named the Morgan Murphy Scholar and received a $2,000 Scholarship; Abby Marie Miller, Northwestern College in MN and a graduate of Ashland High School in Ashland, WI), received the $1,000 Results Broadcasting Scholarship; and Jody Denk, Marquette University, received the $1,000 Howard Gernetzke Scholarship.

The WBA Foundation awards the scholarships annually. One of the awards is funded by donations to the Foundation from WBA member stations; the Morgan Murphy Scholarship is endowed by WISC-TV, Madison, in honor of the late Morgan Murphy, who founded the Superior Evening Telegram, owner of WISC-TV. The Howard Gernetzke Scholarship, which was presented for the first time in 1998, is endowed by friends and relatives of Howard Gernetzke, who was a longtime Wausau and Milwaukee radio & television personality. The Results Broadcasting Scholarship was presented for the first time in 2005 having been endowed by Bruce Grassman, President of Results Broadcasting.  

Educational Support Grants Total $10,132 In 2011

The WBA Foundation has awarded 5 grants totaling $10,131.26 under its Educational Support Grants Program for 2011. The following grants were approved at the Foundation’s June Board meeting:

• UW-Green Bay ($1,950) to purchase a video recording card and card reader and two tripods.
• UW-La Crosse ($2,342.26) to purchase a Panasonic camcorder package.
• UW-Platteville ($3,000) to provide matching funds to purchase a studio camera.
• UW-Stevens Point ($1,689) to purchase a backpack field camera package.
• Cardinal Stritch University ($1,150) to purchase radio station automation equipment and computer

The Educational Support Grant Program was created by the WBA Foundation in 2000 to award up to $10,000 annually to assist non-profit college and technical school broadcast education programs in acquiring equipment, hardware, software and/or other teaching materials that are necessary to conduct broadcast education programs and promote careers in broadcasting. In its 12 years, the program has generated such good responses that the Foundation Board has approved over $121,000 in grants.

Eddie Doucette	Laurin Jorstad	Terry Kelly	LeRoy Wolniakowski

    Four new members were inducted into the Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame at the June Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Conference. Those inducted included Eddie Doucette, original Voice of the Milwaukee Bucks; Laurin Jorstad, longtime WAOW-TV, Wausau GM; Terry Kelly, inventor of modern weather graphics; and LeRoy Wolniakowski, 45-year veteran Milwaukee radio engineer. The four new Hall of Fame members were inducted in a ceremony that included short commemorative videos about their broadcasting careers. Those videos along with ones for most other members of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame can be viewed in the WBA Hall of Fame Gallery on this site and at the Wisconsin Broadcasting Museum.

WBA Foundation's Political Debates Top Off Political Season

     The WBA Foundation, over 80 Wisconsin Broadcasters Association radio and television members, topped off Wisconsin's two major 2010 political campaigns in late September and early October, hosting and airing the first major debates in both the races for Wisconsin Governor and the U.S. Senate. The widely broadcast events included coverage in the Minneapolis- St.Paul and Duluth Superior markets and on the national cable network, C-SPAN. They continued WBA's tradition of producing and offering debates in important statewide elections begun in 1990.
     The two 2010 debates were underwritten through generous grants from Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and Wisconsin Physicians Service to the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Foundation.
     The formats for the two debates were similar, with WBA Foundation President John Laabs serving as Moderator and questioning from a panel of three broadcast journalists, representing WBA's commercial and public members.
     WBA's first 2010 debate, entitled, "The Race For Governor," featured Republican Scott Walker
and his Democrat challenger, Tom Barrett, and was produced at the studios of WTMJ-TV, Channel 4, in Milwaukee, on Friday evening, September 24 at 7:00 p.m.
     The journalists’ panel included Mike Jacobs, news anchor at WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee; Sue Ramsett, News Director, WSAW-TV, Wausau; and Shawn Johnson, Capitol Reporter,Wisconsin Public Radio.
     The live broadcast of that debate from 7:00-8:00 p.m. was carried by 29 radio and 24 television stations. In addition, 5 radio and 12 television stations carried it on a delayed Saturday or Sunday, September 25 or 26. There were also 4 telecasts on Spanish language Telemundo cable channels in four Wisconsin markets and 4 webcasts. C-SPAN, the national cable public affairs network also broadcast the debate live.
     The second debate, "The Campaign For The U.S. Senate," featured incumbent Democrat Sen. Russ Feingold and his Republican opponent, Ron Johnson. It was produced and broadcast live from the facilities of WMVS-TV, Milwaukee , on October 8. Dan Lea, News Director WAYY/ WAXX, Eau Claire; Greg Stensland News Director, WFDL radio, Fond du Lac; and Stacy Engebretson reporter/anchor at WGBA-TV, Green Bay, comprised the panel of broadcast journalists.
     Live broadcast coverage was provided by 29 radio stations and 20 television stations, from 8:00-9:00 p.m. with another 5 radio and 16 television airing delayed broadcasts. There were also 4 telecasts on Spanish language Telemundo cable channels in four Wisconsin markets and 64 webcasts. C-SPAN once again carried the debate live along with several rebroadcasts.
     WBA Foundation President, John Laabs, served as Executive Producer of both debates andwas assisted by the production crews of WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee and WMVS-TV, Milwaukee.
     Haggar Audio and WKOW-TV, both of Madison, assisted in producing radio and television promotional announcements that were sent to all participating stations to promote the debates.