Wisconsin Public Radio and Television inform citizenry
For hundreds of thousands of state residents, Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) and Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) provide valued news coverage and in-depth analysis.
People rely on the mass media as important sources for news and information about things that affect everyday life: pocketbook, political and policy issues, and more. With broadcast networks that cover the entire state, WPT and WPR provide reliable information on a variety of topics.
And when it comes to coverage of political elections and other civic matters, this multifaceted coverage contributes to a more-engaged citizenry.
A more useful service
In a world burgeoning with cable channels, niche print publications and online blogs, people can feel overwhelmed by a cacophony of mass-media voices. Treating the entire state and its regions as "local" media markets, WPR and WPT program producers work to offer a different, more useful, service.
Joy Cardin
Listeners tell us we matter because we do provide indepth information on issues that are important to them. We provide information and perspectives they can't get anywhere else, says Joy Cardin, WPR director of Ideas Network talk programming. We provide a forum for discussion, serving as a sort of liaison between listeners and their elected officials.
Kathy Bissen
Kathy Bissen, WPT executive producer for news and public affairs, says, "We bring people information on what's happening around the state in a very personal way. We want them to know how the news today will impact them."
Viewers and listeners value the approach
"I'm passionate about public television. If I am watching TV, more than likely it's tuned to public television," says Camille Haney, a former top official with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who says news and public affairs programming on public television is her top reason for tuning in. "You're going to get consistently high quality and you get a balance."
But even the most balanced news coverage won't necessarily make everyone happy. Mass media research conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and elsewhere shows that people with strong opinions will typically find fault with news stories that give any attention to opposing points of view.
Brian Bull
WPR Acting News Director Brian Bull has a practical way of measuring this "perceived hostility" effect, saying "If we manage to get criticism from all sides, I know I'm doing my job."
STATS & FACTS
- Nearly 575,000 households tune to Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) each week.
- Nearly 415,000 households tune to Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) each week.
- Almost 28,000 visitors accessed wisconsinvote.org during the 2004 election season.
- WPT received Walter Cronkite Awards for Excellence in Television Political Journalism for election coverage in 2002 and 2004.
- WPT programs âHere and Nowâ (fi rst place) and "In Wisconsin" (second place) were honored as the best public affairs programs in Wisconsin by the Milwaukee Press Club in 2005.
In-depth election coverage
Both broadcast services have won numerous state and national awards for providing outstanding election coverage. In addition to standard news reports, WPT and WPR devote considerable on-air time to debates and joint candidate appearances. In addition, a special Web site wisconsinvote.org offers detailed background information on candidates and referendum issues.
During the 2004 campaign, anchor Frederica Freyberg explained the format of WPT's unmediated debate among Republican U.S. Senate candidates, from left to right, Bob Welch, Robert Gerald Lorge, Tim Michels and Russ Darrow. Photo by STEVE APPS/WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL VIA WWW.MERLIN-NET.COM
On WPT, candidates are given the opportunity to speak directly to voters in an unedited manner through broadcasts called âCandidate Statements." During the 2004 election, 22 candidates vying to represent seven U.S. House of Representative districts and a U.S. Senate seat took advantage of the offer.
Tim Peterson, who ran as a Libertarian in Wisconsin's Fifth Congressional District, says, "It was one of the bright spots of the campaign. "Candidate Statements" allows candidates to get their views out in an unfiltered and unedited way to voters."
Bissen explains that at an early stage in races WPT provides extensive coverage of third-party candidates to introduce citizens to as many office seekers and viewpoints as possible. Often, these candidates struggle to garner attention from commercial broadcasters.
Tools for critical thinking
What's in the future for WPT and WPR? Headliners for 2006 include races for governor and U.S. Senate. "It's always invigorating and always challenging to cover the elections," says Bissen.
Furthermore, Bissen notes and Bull concurs, there's a whole new world emerging on how to deliver the news — from podcasting to datacasting — both of which further harness the communication potential of the Web, radio and television. What remains unwavering at WPT and WPR is a commitment to offering Wisconsin citizens information and tools for critical thinking.
WPR and WPT are services of UW-Extension and the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
— Moira Harrington
For more information about Wisconsin Public Radio: wpr.org. For more information about Wisconsin Public Television: wpt.org