Former Representative Gary Hebl (D – Sun Prairie) announced on January 25, 2024 that he was resigning from the City of Sun Prairie’s Media Center Commission after more than 45 years. Wisconsin Community Media would like to congratulate and say thank you to Gary Hebl for his decades of tireless advocacy on behalf of community media in the state.
Hebl began serving on the city’s cable commission in May of 1978. Throughout that time, Hebl’s guidance, wisdom, and support helped to ensure that the SPMC grew into one of the most active and vital media centers in the state.
“I had a great run at Sun Prairie,” says Hebl. “While I was there we went from KIDS-4 — which is still going strong — to bringing in a lot more members of the community to do their own shows, which was helped by adding the radio station. It’s really right now the very ideal of what a community media center should be.”
“Having Gary on the board was a tremendous asset for us,” said former SPMC executive director Jeff Robbins. “Not only was he one of the most engaged and knowledgeable commission members, but he was also always willing to advocate for our concerns and speak on behalf of the SPMC to city staff or the city council. Having Gary in your corner was always a huge plus. I miss working with him but I am very honored to consider him a friend.”
It was Hebl’s 18 years of service from 2004-2022 in the State Assembly where perhaps his greatest impact on community media was felt. Along with many legislators and organizations, including the League of Wisconsin Municipalities and WCM (then called WAPC) Hebl fought hard to stop the state video franchise bill that passed in 2007.
“Gary knew that taking away the right to negotiate local cable franchises from municipalities would be bad for consumers and bad for PEG access television,” said Mary Cardona, former executive director of WCM. “He was a leader of the large opposition to the bill.”
In the next session, to claw back some of the power communities had lost, Hebl authored the Cable Consumer Repair Bill. Among its provisions were improved oversight of video service providers and the reinstatement of funding for PEG channels. “Every session WCM worked on legislation to improve the situation for PEG channels,” said Cardona, “Gary was there, offering his unconditional support. His office at the capitol became my home base where I was always welcome to rest and recharge whenever I walked the halls of the capitol. I can’t overstate how much WCM has benefitted from his support through the years.”
“I’ve always believed in the power of local media,” says Hebl. “Municipalities like Sun Prairie and Cottage Grove can’t always rely on even the nearby Madison stations to cover them effectively. We need community media to focus on what’s going on locally and that’s never been more true than it is today.”
As a thank you for his continued backing of community media, Hebl was the first two-time recipient of the WCM’s “Friend of Access” award and remains one of only two (the other being U. S. Senator Tammy Baldwin to receive the honor twice.
