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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

Wisconsin Museum of Broadcasting
 
Kidder News Resource Center Launch

The R. Perry Kidder Broadcast News Resource Center, an online resource tool for broadcast news directors, reporters, producers and photographers in Wisconsin, launched on August 3. See it live at http://www.kidderbnrc.org or click on the Kidder News Resource Center on the Table of Contents at the left.

The Kidder News Resource Center, believed to be the first such site organized specifically for one State’s news personnel, has four main sections. The Media Law section features material on Open Meetings and Open Records in Wisconsin, Cameras in Wisconsin Courtrooms, Media Access inWisconsin, as well as legal citations, court decisions and legal interpretations of the laws and rules Governing those matters. The On Wisconsin section provides background on matters related specifically to the State of Wisconsin such as a Pronouncing Gazetteer of Wisconsin names and place names, the State’s tax system, its election process, and State Legislative and Court System overviews. The Useful Links Section has click-through links to State Government sites and other resource sites. The Tips From the Pros section includes tips for writing for radio and television news, interviewing techniques, stand-up and live reporting tips, photography tips and section for News Directors on making “tough calls” and the ethics that are sometimes involved.
 

Development of the Kidder News Resource Center began in January, 2009. Content for the Center was written by Tim Morrissey, a 30year veteran Wisconsin broadcast news reporter. The new website was designed and developed by WBA Foundation web manager, Susan Lewandowski. The Project was managed and the content edited by WBA Foundation President and CEO, John Laabs.
 

The R. Perry Kidder News Resource center has been underwritten by a generous grant from Perry Kidder, General Manager of WFRV-TV, Green Bay who is a Past Board Chairman of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and a current member of the WBA Foundation


Educational Support Grants Total $10,120 in 2009

The WBA Foundation has awarded 6 grants totaling $10,119.35 under its Educational Support Grants Program for 2009. The grants were made at the Foundation’s June Board meeting and went to the following Wisconsin schools:
UW-Oshkosh ($3,849.35) to purchase a studio production software and licenses.


UW-Green Bay ($2,000) to provide matching funds for purchase of high definition television camera.

UW-River Falls ($2,730) to purchase 3 digital video news kits

Cardinal Stritch University ($690) to purchase production music and a sound effects library.

Lakeland College/WLKL-FM ($850) to provide matching toward the purchase of a remote broadcast mixer.

Click here for more information.


Engineers Education Initiative

The WBA Foundation’s Broadcast Engineers Education Pilot Project, approved in September 2008, has awarded 4 fellowship grants and 3 summer internships for 2009.

The Engineering Fellowship Grants were awarded to Dennis Baldridge, Steve Brown, Kevin Odgers and Fred Sperry. Baldridge attended HD Radio Technology training at Harris. Fred Sperry is attending Inacom’s Network + Course. Steve Brown is attending Broadcast Electronics Audio VAULT University and Kevin Odgers is attending a class on Micro Hardware.

The summer internships, which provide a $2,500 stipend to prospective engineers for a two month internship, were created at the radio stations of Cumulus in Oshkosh, at WSAW TV and at Wisconsin Public Radio.

The Engineers Education Initiative runs from October, 2008, through September, 2009.
Walker Management Institute Grads Set Record
 


The WBA Foundation’s 2009 Walker Management Institute, in its 12th year, registered 21 with 14 graduates from the 3-year program, the largest graduating class in its history. The Institute was held on May 12 -14 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.

Click here for more.


RMP Program & WBACollegeNET Renewed

The WBA Foundation Board has extended its support of two education programs it began in the 2007-08 school year: The RMP Training Program and WBACollegeNewsNet.

The RMP Training Program is a program designed to train non-broadcast professionals as radio marketing professionals. The Program, developed and implemented in conjunction with the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), is designed to provide 2 days of training in radio sales and marketing for interested persons followed by the administration of a Radio Marketing Professionals examination. The RAB then grades the exams and those who achieve a passing grade receive their certificate as Radio Marketing Professionals.

Four RMP Training modules were presented in the 2008-09 on the campuses of UW-River Falls, Uw-Madison, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Green Bay and the North Central Technical College in Wausau. In all 75 persons participated and 74 new Radio Marketing Professionals were certified, bringing the 3 year total of certified RMPs under the program to 157. The RMP Training Program is managed and presented by the Chairman of the WBA Education Committee, retired broadcast educator, Ken Beno, under a stipend provided by the WBA Foundation.
WBACollegeNewsNet is a unique program which provides the opportunity to college broadcasting students to share the news stories the do for their campus radio stations or webcasts.

In the 2008-09 school year it had a total of 11 campuses sign up to participate and through the course of the year over 25 stories were posted for airing by network stations. The network is managed by a student Executive Producer who is provided a stipend by the WBA Foundation and the project is overseen by Cardinal Stritch University instructor, Maryann Lazarski. The student Executive Producer in the 2008-09 school year was Nate Lisko, UW-Milwaukee. She will be succeeded by Rusty Schultz for the 2009-10 school year. Schultz is a student at Ripon College and the General Manager of WRPN-FM on the Ripon College Campus.

WBA Foundation Awards 2009 Scholarship Winners


Alex Dufek

Madeline Nordholm

Y Mae Sussman

Daniel VanDenEng

A total of four WBA Foundation scholarship awards were presented on March 7 at the 2009 WBA Student Seminar. This year’s winners were: Daniel VanDenEng, Y Mae Sussman, Madeline Nordholm, and Alex Dufek. Daniel VanDenEng, UW Oshkosh, received the $2,000 WBA Foundation Scholarship; Y Mae Sussman was named the Morgan Murphy Scholar and received a $2,000 Scholarship; Madeline Nordholm, UW-Madison, received the $1,000 Howard Gernetzke Scholarship; and Alex Dufek, William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas was named the Results Broadcasting Scholar and received a $1,000 Scholarship.