WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO ASSOCIATION - Key Persons
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- Executive Producer, WPR Next
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
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- Member of the NPR News & Music Staff
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- Broadcast Integration Engineer
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- Member Services Manager
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- News Staff Member
- Digital News Editor ( Credits and Bio )
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- Member Services Specialist
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- Producer, "to the Best of Our Knowledge"
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- News Staff Member
- Reporter, Capitol ( Credits and Bio )
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- Producer, "the Morning Show"
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- Interim Membership Director
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- Member of the NPR News & Music Staff
- News Staff Member
- Reporter / Host ( Credits and Bio )
Brady Carlson hosts "All Things Considered" on WPR, bringing the latest Wisconsin news to listeners every weekday afternoon.
Carlson joined WPR in September 2016 after more than a decade at New Hampshire Public Radio, where he covered three presidential primary campaigns up close. His political reporting was featured on a number of NPR programs, and he helped develop the station's weekly "Foodstuffs" segment on food and food culture. He and his colleagues won a national Edward R. Murrow Award in 2016 for their news series, "The First Decade: Early Childhood Disparities and the Future of New Hampshire's Kids."
Brady has won national attention in the public radio system for his innovative efforts to engage with listeners online and include their ideas and perspectives on the air, through a number of social media platforms and as an early adopter of Minnesota Public Radio's Public Insight Journalism system.
His first book, "Dead Presidents," a tour of the gravesites of the U.S. presidents, was published by W.W. Norton & Company in February 2016.
Job Titles:
- Broadcast Integration Engineer
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- News Staff Member
- Reporter, Special Projects ( Credits and Bio )
Bridgit Bowden joined WPR in October 2015 as the first Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow. She focuses on creating investigative stories that are broadcast on WPR and distributed by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.
Previously, Bowden was a multimedia reporter at the Hale Center for Journalism at Kansas City Public Television in Kansas City, Missouri. Bowden graduated with degrees in journalism and Spanish from the University of Missouri-Columbia in May 2014. Her work also has appeared in The Kansas City Star, Nashville Public Radio, Al Jazeera America and NPR.
Job Titles:
- / PBS Wisconsin Audience Services Specialist
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- Green Bay Staff - Outreach Specialist
- Outreach Specialist
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- Producer, "to the Best of Our Knowledge"
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- Interim Fundraising Manager
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- Business Sponsorship Manager - Eastern Territory -
- East Business Sponsorship Manager
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- Producer, "the Larry Meiller Show"
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- Producer, "the Morning Show"
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- Senior Major Giving Officer
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- News Staff Member
- Reporter
- Reporter / Host, Superior ( Credits and Bio )
Danielle Kaeding is a reporter covering the environment, energy and northern Wisconsin for the Superior Bureau of Wisconsin Public Radio.Prior to that, Kaeding served as the station manager of WRNC-LPFM (97.7) at Northland College in Ashland. Kaeding studied mass communications at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.Most recently, she garnered two regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for investigative and feature reporting from the Radio Television Digital News Association. Kaeding has also received awards from the Milwaukee Press Club and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association.She has written and reported stories for National Public Radio, National Native News, Aspen Daily News, Business North, Ashland Daily Press, Superior Telegram and KQDS-TV.
Job Titles:
- Director of Business Development
- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
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- Director of Digital Media
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
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- Executive Producer, "Central Time"
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- News Staff Member
- Daily Editor ( Credits and Bio )
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- Member of the NPR News & Music Staff
- Music Librarian
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- West Business Sponsorships Staff
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- / PBS Wisconsin Audience Services Specialist
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- Member of the NPR News & Music Staff
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- Regional Manager
- Green Bay Regional Manager
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- Broadcast Network Manager
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- Broadcast Network Engineer
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- Broadcast Systems Administrator
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- Promotions Production Manager
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- News Staff Member
- Reporter, Milwaukee ( Credits and Bio )
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- Regional Manager
- La Crosse Regional Manager
- Reporter / Host, "Newsmakers, " ( Full Bio )
Ezra Wall grew up in La Crosse and Onalaska, not far from the studios that are now his professional home. He began his media career while attending Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi, simultaneously working as a newscaster and disc jockey at WHJT-FM and a sports talk producer at WSLI-AM. After ten years in sports radio, Wall realized a lifelong dream of working in public media when he became a producer at Mississippi Public Broadcasting. After creating a series of successful call-in advice shows, he was promoted to executive producer of the morning news program, Mississippi Edition, and then managing editor of MPB News. Twelve years after joining the staff at MPB, Wall pursued an opportunity that would finally bring him back home to La Crosse, becoming the regional manager of Wisconsin Public Radio's Southwest bureau.
In addition to handling the day-to-day management of WPR Southwest, Wall is delighted to be the latest caretaker of the long-running "Newsmakers" program. If you have an idea for the show or a question you would like us to find an answer to, CONTACT US HERE.
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- News Staff Member
- Reporter, Lee Ester Fellow ( Credits and Bio )
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- News Staff Member
- News Reporter
- Reporter / Host, La Crosse ( Credits and Bio )
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- West Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- West Territory Manager - Business Sponsorships
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- Member of the NPR News & Music Staff
- Business Sponsorship Manager - Madison Territory -
- Underwriting Rep, "Simply Folk
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- Director of Marketing and Communications
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- News Staff Member
- News Editor ( Credits and Bio )
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- Interim Executive Producer, "the Larry Meiller Show"
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- News Staff Member
- Reporter, Green Bay ( Credits and Bio )
Job Titles:
- Producer, "the Morning Show"
Job Titles:
- Producer, "the Morning Show"
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- News Staff Member
- Producer
John Davis has worked in Wisconsin Public Radio's La Crosse bureau since 1991. Davis graduated from UW-La Crosse in 1988 and spent two and a half years working in commercial radio in Decorah, Iowa and Spring Grove, Minnesota, returning to his public radio roots at WLSU, where he had worked as a college student.
Davis has covered a wide range of issues including local government, regional politics, the court system and the environment. For several years, he has also served as the host and now producer of the regional program, Newsmakers, featuring an eclectic mix of topics, from local issues to visiting college speakers. Guests have included Wisconsin governors, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and former major league baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn.
Davis was the recipient of UW-La Crosse's Douglas Carnes Memorial Scholarship in college and has also received numerous awards in many categories from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association for his work over the years. He also enjoys helping to train students and watching them grow. Davis grew up in Rio, Wisconsin and lives in La Crosse with his wife Kathy. He has two children, Nick and Molli.
Job Titles:
- News Staff Member
- Reporter, Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow ( Credits and Bio )
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- Outreach Specialist, Producer
- Specialist
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- Digital Marketing Manager
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- Executive Producer
- Co - Host / Executive Producer, "Zorba Paster on Your Health"
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- Eau Claire Staff - Outreach Specialist, Producer, "Route 51" and "Newsmakers"
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- / PBS Wisconsin Audience Services Manager
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- Interim Ideas Network Director
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- Interim Executive Producer, "the Morning Show"
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- Promotions Productions Engineer
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- Data & Reporting Manager
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- / PBS Wisconsin Audience Services Specialist
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- News Staff Member
- Assistant News Director
- Interim News Director ( Credits and Bio )
Kyla Calvert Mason is the assistant news director for Wisconsin Public Radio.
Before joining WPR, she worked as a reporter/producer covering education and national news for the "PBS NewsHour." Prior to that, she was the education reporter for KPBS in San Diego, where she covered stories including shrinking budgets for California's public schools and universities, school district efforts to raise student achievement, the earthquake safety of school buildings and creative approaches to fighting childhood obesity.
After receiving her master's in journalism with a concentration in digital media from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Kyla worked as a reporting and web production fellow with Hearst newspapers. While there, she contributed to a national investigative project on avoidable hospital errors, which received the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi Award.
Kyla has filed radio pieces for The California Report, NPR and PRX and received awards for her reporting from organizations including the Education Writers Association.
Job Titles:
- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- Member Services Specialist
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- Member Services Specialist
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- Regional Manager
- Acting Chief Development Officer
- Senior Regional Manager / Milwaukee Regional Manager
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- Member of the NPR News & Music Staff
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- Director of IT / Director of Radio Broadcast
Job Titles:
- Producer, "the Morning Show"
Job Titles:
- News Staff Member
- Producer / Host ( Credits and Bio )
Job Titles:
- / PBS Wisconsin Audience Services Specialist
Job Titles:
- / PBS Wisconsin Audience Services Specialist
Job Titles:
- Digital Producer, "to the Best of Our Knowledge"
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- Executive Producer, "Chapter a Day"
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- Regional Manager
- Eau Claire Regional Manager
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- News Staff Member
- Senior Digital Editor ( Credits and Bio )
Job Titles:
- Interim Senior Content Director
Job Titles:
- Member of the NPR News & Music Staff
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- Regional Manager
- Superior Regional Manager
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- Member of the NPR News & Music Staff
- NPR News & Music Network Program Director
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- News Staff Member
- Reporter
- Reporter, Eau Claire ( Credits and Bio )
Rich Kremer came to Wisconsin Public Radio from WTCH Radio in Shawano where he worked as news director. Before that, he was a host for Midwest Communications in Duluth and also worked as an intern at WPR's Northern Regional Bureau in Superior.
Rich has won state, regional, and national awards for news writing, spot news, and best use of audio. Rich has a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
Job Titles:
- News Staff Member
- Interim Assistant News Director ( Credits and Bio )
- News Reporter
Job Titles:
- Producer, "the Morning Show"
Job Titles:
- Member of the NPR News & Music Staff
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- Fundraising Specialist
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- News Staff Member
- Reporter, State Agencies ( Credits and Bio )
Job Titles:
- Producer, "to the Best of Our Knowledge"
Job Titles:
- News Staff Member
- Capitol Bureau Chief ( Credits and Bio )
Job Titles:
- Wausau Staff - Host, "Route 51
Job Titles:
- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the NPR News & Music Staff
Job Titles:
- Executive Producer, "to the Best of Our Knowledge"
Job Titles:
- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- Fundraising Manager
Job Titles:
- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- Member of the NPR News & Music Staff
- Folk Music Librarian, "Simply Folk"
- Member Drive Liaison
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- West Business Sponsorships Staff Member
- Account Support - Business Sponsorship
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- East Business Sponsorships Staff Member
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- Technical Production Manager
WPR's Dr. Jonathan Øverby was inducted into the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Elkhart Lake on June 15, 2023. The host and executive producer of WPR's popular global music program, "The Road to Higher Ground with Jonathan Øverby" joins distinguished Wisconsin broadcasters in the Hall of Fame who have shown "exemplary leadership in community and statewide service" throughout their career. View WAB's Tribute Honoring Dr. Øverby.
"This is a well-deserved honor," 2022-2023 Interim WPR Director Tom Luljak said. "In his nearly 30-year career at WPR, Jonathan has offered listeners both joy and lifelong learning through engaging music, insightful hosting, his scholarship and his commitment to bringing people together through music." Dr. Øverby has spent his life performing, teaching, researching and promoting diverse genres of music.
"Being a student of various music genres worldwide is more than a personal vocation," Dr. Øverby said. "It is a way of life that has been richly rewarding."
"‘The Road to Higher Ground,' exemplifies Jonathan's belief that music can bridge cultural divides and bring people together," NPR News & Music Director Peter Bryant said. "Although there are no awards or measures to quantify it, his contributions to the work of the music staff at WPR are notable. The entire staff - and our listeners - benefit every day from his knowledge, enthusiasm, and passionate advocacy for the ideals that inform his work."
Dr. Øverby is also the host and executive producer of the annual State of Wisconsin Tribute and Ceremony Honoring the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the oldest state celebration of Dr. King in the nation. He has formed and conducted numerous music ensembles throughout his career and performed as a concert artist throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan. Before joining WPR, Dr. Øverby produced and hosted a weekly gospel music program on Madison's WORT community radio for more than twenty years. He was appointed to the Wisconsin State Arts Board by Governor Tommy Thompson and served multiple terms as Vice Chair.
This is the second year in a row that Dr. Øverby has been honored with a hall of fame induction. In 2022, he was inducted into Folk Alliance International's Folk DJ Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Kansas City. He was named a distinguished broadcaster at the University of Wisconsin in 2013 and honored with the U.W. Colleges and Extension "Wisconsin Idea Award" in 2016 for his "outstanding contributions to service and education to society, and the quality of life in Wisconsin, the nation, and the world."
Dr. Øverby holds a doctorate in Administrative Leadership in Higher Education from Edgewood College in Madison and was the first post-doctoral fellow in the history of the college. As an ethnomusicologist and a Smithsonian Journeys expert, he continues to lead and lecture for international group trips for research and experiential education. He was born and raised in Milwaukee where he attended Rufus King High School.
He is the first African American in the history of Wisconsin Public Radio to create and produce a music program and one of only a few to produce and host his own radio program on both the Ideas Network and the Music Network Of WPR. Øverby composed the "Higher Ground" theme song in 1976 while serving as music director at the Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard chapel in San Francisco, CA, while he was yet a music student at San Francisco State University. The choral work, originally written for a children's chorus opens each broadcast and features the Lighthouse Chamber Singers.
Job Titles:
- Producer, "the Morning Show"