The WBA Foundation Board will continue its 30-year tradition of holding statewide televised debates for Wisconsin’s voters by airing debates in the Wisconsin Governor and the U.S. Senate races.

Gubernatorial candidates Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Democratic challenger Tony Evers have been invited to participate in a debate hosted in the Madison market on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. U.S. Senate candidates Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican challenger Leah Vukmir have been invited to participate in a debate hosted in the Wausau/Rhinelander market on Oct. 13 at 7 p.m.

Both hour-long debates will be made available to radio and television stations throughout Wisconsin for live or delayed broadcast.  … Read More

Jean Gitz Bassett, one of the first women broadcast station owners/managers in the nation and a member of the WBA Hall of Fame, has died.

Her broadcast career spanned over a 28 year period, beginning in 1955 at KRDO-AM, Colorado Springs and KOIA-AM, Des Moines. Gitz Bassett became part of a partnership that purchased WLCX-AM, La Crosse, in 1957. In addition to her ownership role, at WLCX-AM, from 1957 to 1983, she also served as the station’s program director for 20 years and then as its President and CEO from 1977 to 1983.  … Read More

The agenda for the 2019 Walker Broadcast Management Institute has been released. The three-day institute will be held April 2-4 at the UW Business School in Madison.

The Walker Broadcast Management Institute is now in its 22nd year, having completed its first seven 3-year management education cycles in 2018.  The 2019 Institute marks the beginning of another three-year cycle and is designed for broadcast managers and those seeking or being prepared for broadcast management positions.

Registration is not yet open for the Institute. It will open in the fall. Questions should be directed to Liz Boyd: lboyd@wi-broadcasters.org.  … Read More

Television personality Ward Chase, better known to many as “Mac the Mailman” is being remembered in a video posted to the Wisconsin Broadcasting Museum.

Chase began his broadcasting career in 1949 at WBAY radio in Green Bay and four years later joined WBAY-TV when it went on the air. In 1956 he moved to Milwaukee to be a newscaster on WOKY radio. A year later he returned to TV on WITI-TV and in 1959 to WXIX-TV.

Chase is best remembered in Milwaukee for his children’s program “Mac the Mailman.” Chase played Mac, the mailman who played movies,  … Read More

A Marshfield area radio broadcaster and WBA Hall of Famer with a long record of community service has died.

Jack Hackman was with Goetz Broadcasting for his career in broadcasting that lasted more than 40 years. He died Tuesday surrounded by his family. He was 85.

Hackman started as a control room engineer and producer at WDLB radio in Marshfield and served in numerous talent and management roles until 1970 when he became general manager of WDLB-AM/WLJY-FM.

In 1981, he became vice president and chief operating officer of Goetz Broadcasting,  … Read More

A television photographer working in the La Crosse area is the first to receive the Rick Jowett Fellowship.

Travis Judell works at WXOW News 19 and was awarded $1,500 to extend his training with the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA).

Judell started his career in broadcasting at WKBT-TV in La Crosse while he was still a sophomore in college. He said he’s looking to gain as much knowledge of the industry as he can and grow as a photographer to be able to use compelling video to tell the many stories in his community.  He said he’s always been intrigued by how video can help tell a story.  … Read More

New professional photos from the 2018 WBA Hall of Fame induction are now available. The images are below.

The WBA inducted Chris Lytle, Tom Koser, Gary Timm, and Bob Smith at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center during the WBA Summer Conference. Their induction videos are available by clicking on each of their names.

 … Read More