Media centers helping voters to decide in 2024

Community media is perhaps at its best when it’s able to educate voters through the use of local candidate forums. In anticipation of February primaries, several centers are producing forums to allow voters to make more educated decisions at the polls.

Staff from Oshkosh Media worked with the League of Women Voters of Winnebago County to produce a candidates forum for Winnebago County Circuit Court Branch 1 Judge on Wednesday, January 31. The forum appeared live on Oshkosh Media Gov TV and can now be seen on-demand here. Voters will see the three candidates for Winnebago County Circuit Court Branch 1 on their primary ballot on February 20. The top two vote getters will appear on the ballot for the April election.

On January 31, Marshfield Broadcasting presented a live forum among the seven candidates running for the Marshfield Unified School District School Board. The forum can be watched here. All seven candidates will be on the ballot on February 20 with six moving on to the general election in April.

Marshfield Broadcasting also fills the gap in local election coverage with “Get to Know Your Candidate” with studio program host Tom Loucks and producer David Ballerstein. Loucks interviewed seven Marshfield School Board candidates eyeing for three seats on the board for the upcoming February 20 primary. Each 28-minute program was shared on multiple platforms and is getting a lot of engagement from the locals of Marshfield. You can find them here.

The station is building viewers at a rapid pace because local media is silent and without community television coverage the public would be in the dark when going to the polls, said Loucks.

After the primary election, Marshfield Broadcasting will turn its sights on local City Council election coverage giving the same opportunities to those candidates.

Also, the Sun Prairie Media Center hosted a forum between the three candidates running for the city council seat being vacated by Brent Eisberner. The candidates are Bill Baker, Matthew Hill, and Santiago Rosas. The two candidates with the most votes will move on from the February 20 primary to the April 2 spring election. That forum can be watched here.

If you know of any locally-produced candidate forums not mentioned here, please let us know and we’ll highlight them next month.

For more information on any and all upcoming elections in the state, voters can go to www.MyVote.wi.gov.

Local and state officials join media centers and the Governor in celebrating Community Media Day 2023

“The sharing of ideas and information is critical to the vitality of communities across Wisconsin, yet access to quality local coverage has been declining in the media environment.” 

So begins the proclamation signed by Governor Tony Evers declaring October 20 Community Media Day in Wisconsin.  The Governor celebrated the work of PEG (public, education, and government) media centers whose mission is to serve local communication needs.   He said “strong media centers build strong communities by encouraging government transparency, fostering civic engagement, elevating local voices, promoting area businesses, and training students in being strong local media representatives.”   

Mary Cardona, executive director of Wisconsin Community Media, was excited to see the Governor’s endorsement of the work done by PEG media professionals and community producers.  “Our work is more important than ever.  Our media centers encourage ‘coming together’ -- something that is in very short supply in the current media environment.”

Two mayors and the Oregon Village President, Phil Van Kampen, also signed proclamations celebrating community media. 

Mayor Shane Blaser, City of Wisconsin Rapids, said in his proclamation, “Community media organizations provide a means for diverse communities to tell their stories, hear each other’s stories, and create new stories together.”  

Van Kampen said, “The Village of Oregon shares in the Governor’s celebration of the hard work and importance of community media centers, supporting local media, and citizen involvement in community happenings…the Village of Oregon recognizes the importance and value OCA Media provides to the vitality and fabric of the Oregon community.

West Bend’s Mayor Joel Ongert expressed appreciation for the West Bend Community Television team that has produced nearly 500 hours of local content so far this year.  His proclamation said in part, “Community Media Day provides an opportunity for our citizens to acknowledge the significant role that community media plays in fostering local dialogue, civic engagement, and social cohesion, and to encourage its growth and sustainability.”

Rep. Melissa Ratcliff (District 46) appeared in a PSA for the Sun Prairie Media Center.  Representative Ratcliffe said, “My work is most rewarding when I hear from my constituents about what they think about the important issues that affect them at the local level.  Media centers like the Sun Prairie Media Center exist to ensure local communities are informed about important issues that affect local people every day…Sun Prairie Media Center is an essential part of our community.” 

Andy Radig, the Communications Coordinator for Oshkosh Media, talked with John Fitzpatrick, Assistant City Manager, in a special segment for the City Manager’s Report show.  “All the opportunities that are available to the community as well as providing transparency into government and community activities — it’s really a great resource and I’m very proud to have a small part in it.  It’s gratifying to see that the Governor is providing this proclamation.”

Many media centers shared celebratory posts on social media. 

Perhaps Janesville JATV Media Services spoke for all community media center staff members on this special day when it said in a Facebook post, “JATV Media Services will always be committed to fostering a sense of community & connection with unwavering dedication. Thank you for your continued support.”

Oshkosh Media covers events honoring local first responders, remembering veterans

Attendees to the dedication of the Wall of Honor get a first look at the tribute housed in the Oshkosh Fire Department.

On December 7, the Oshkosh Fire Department dedicated its new Wall of Honor that pays tribute to both past and active members of the department who were/are veterans. Oshkosh Media, the city’s community media center, was there to record the touching ceremony. Some of those honored date back to the American Civil War. The wall also honors members of the department who died in the line of duty, and the 343 firefighters who perished in the 9/11 attacks in New York. “The Oshkosh Fire Department is profoundly grateful that our citizens, and especially local veteran’s groups, feel that it is a worthy and meaningful tribute to those who have served our country and community for generations to be acknowledged and remembered in this special way,” said Oshkosh Fire Department  Battalion Chief Andrew Jaeger. “We intend to have this Honor Wall be a visual reminder that our core value of service is the one of the foundational concepts for why we exist, and will continue to serve our citizens and visitors.” Click here to watch coverage of the event.

 On the same day, Oshkosh Media was on hand to capture a Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony hosted by the local AMVETS that marked the 81st anniversary of the attack on the American naval base in Hawaii. More than 200 Wisconsinites were present on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese military attacked Pearl Harbor. 56 people from our state were killed, including three who called Oshkosh home. 2,403 American service members and civilians were killed in the attack. The ceremony’s featured speaker was Wayne Amborn, a Vietnam War veteran whose father survived the attack on Pearl Harbor.   "The events at Pearl Harbor struck the American soul back in 1941. It's day that we as a nation cannot forget, especially because three area Sailors perished that day,” said Lt. Col. Mike Hert (Army, retired). “We were blessed to have the Oshkosh Media team to record the local Pearl Harbor Day ceremony. This ensured that some citizens still had the ability to observe the service and ensure those memories would be still be embraced in the year 2022. Thus passing along the stories of valor and sacrifice to the current generation. Many said that after December 7, 1941, that we as a country can never forget, we truly are fortunate to have the OM team actively engaged with the Veterans community to ensure that sacred loss of life is bonded to our very fabric." Click here to watch coverage of the event.