Monthly Archives: April 2021

During the past year, the job of seeking and reporting the truth became increasingly dangerous, according to RTDNA.

It released this week an annual report about media safety. You can find the results here.

A story by Amanda St. Hilaire at Fox 6 (WITI-TV) in Milwaukee is drawing attention to the location fees charged for getting access to open records in Wisconsin.

You can read more here.

From the Wisconsin Newspaper Association:

Kathleen Bartzen Culver, director of UW-Madison’s Center for Journalism Ethics, has been named Teacher of the Year for 2020 in the 68th Scripps Howard Awards.

The annual awards, considered among the journalism industry’s most prestigious honors, were announced Wednesday during a virtual awards show presented by the Scripps Howard Foundation. The ceremony will be rebroadcast May 8-9 on Newsy and throughout the summer on Scripps television stations.

Culver, who also is an associate professor and the James E. Burgess Chair in Journalism Ethics, has been a member of the UW journalism faculty for more than 20 years. She is a three-time UW graduate, earning her bachelor’s (1988), master’s (1992) and doctorate (1999) degrees from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Regularly quoted in news stories across the country, Culver is an expert on media ethics, media law and the First Amendment. She also helps train other educators through her work with Poynter, MediaShift and the Center for Journalism Ethics.

TMJ4 News (WTMJ-TV) in Milwaukee is launching a newscast May 10 focused on the people, places, and events that make the community special.

“Milwaukee Tonight” will be a nightly reminder that Milwaukee is filled with stories to be proud of including artists to architecture, food to festivals, and neighborhoods to nightlife.

Veteran TMJ4 anchor Steve Chamraz will host the show and will be joined nightly by correspondent Cassandra McShepard who will focus on the community’s hidden gems.

Steve Chamraz

Cassandra McShepard

“We know that the city of Milwaukee itself is a hidden gem in our country so we wanted to create a newscast that highlights all of the diverse people and places that make it the amazing city that it is,” said TMJ4 News Director, Tim Vetscher. “Our community has been through such challenging times and we produce plenty of other newscasts to focus on the tough stories going on around us. ‘Milwaukee Tonight’ will celebrate the city we love.”

The show is part of a greater effort by TMJ4 News to provide a platform for diverse voices, positive stories and unique perspectives in southeast Wisconsin. The program premieres Monday, May 10 at 6:30 p.m. and will air each weeknight. It replaces the current newscast, “TMJ4 Now.”

Diana Gutiérrez has been named co-anchor of ‘WISN 12 News This Morning’ on weekday mornings, alongside current anchor and ‘UPFRONT’ host Adrienne Pedersen, Meteorologist Lindsey Slater and News Chopper 12’s Matt Salemme.

This team will be featured on-air starting at the end of May. Gutiérrez will continue to serve as the anchor of ‘WISN 12 News at 11:00 a.m.’ with Meteorologist Lindsey Slater.

“Since Diana arrived at WISN 12 News back in January, she has shown herself to be a dynamic on-air presence whether she is at the desk or out reporting,” said Jan Wade, president and general manager of WISN 12. “Adrienne, Diana, Lindsey and Matt are the perfect team to continue delivering the important local coverage that our viewers have come to expect from WISN 12.”

Since joining WISN 12 in January 2021, Gutiérrez worked the Breaking News/Live Desk during ‘WISN 12 News This Morning’ and as co-anchor on ‘WISN 12 News at 11:00 a.m.’ This shift will follow the departure of Eden Checkol at the end of May, who is taking on a new position at a television station in Miami.

“In the short time I have been at WISN 12 I’ve learned a lot and am so grateful to be able to call Milwaukee home,” Gutiérrez said. “From the WISN 12 news team to our viewers, this city is unique and special. I’m beyond excited to take on the co-anchor position alongside Adrienne Pedersen. Adrienne is a wonderful journalist that brings the right urgency and tone to the morning show and Lindsey Slater is an amazing meteorologist who keeps everyone safe and informed. Together, I am looking forward to continue telling stories that matter to all of our viewers.”

Prior to coming to WISN 12, Gutiérrez served as a news reporter for WCIU-TV’s weekday morning show ‘The Jam’ in Chicago. She has also worked as a general assignment reporter and weekend morning anchor for WBND-TV, an ABC affiliate television station headquartered in South Bend, Indiana. Gutiérrez is the vice president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) Chicago chapter and serves as a board member of the Daisie Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps inner city families.

WISN 12 is undergoing a nationwide search to fill the ‘WISN 12 News This Morning’ Breaking News/Live Desk position Gutiérrez will leave vacant, with an announcement about the new hire expected in the near future.

Three anchors at WSAW-TV in Wausau are taking on new roles starting this week.

Holly Chilsen, who has anchored the 4:00 p.m. newscast on FOX WZAW since 2017 is moving to Sunrise 7. She will also be on Monday through Friday from 4:30 – 7:00 a.m. alongside Emerson Lehmann, Kailin Schumacher, and meteorologists Chad Franzen and Jeremy Tabin.

“It’s been quite the exciting journey over the past 8 plus years working at WSAW. I have no doubts that this next step will continue that excitement,” Chilsen said. “Flip-flopping my sleep schedule will be a challenge for a bit, but I can’t wait to work with a great Sunrise team who will help wake me up and put a smile on my face bright and early. Here’s to 2 a.m. coffee and getting energized in this new role!”

Heather Foster, who joined NewsChannel 7 in 2015 and has anchored the 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.m. newscasts, will move to the Noon and 4:00 p.m. newscasts.

“I’m looking forward to a new role as I prepare for my biggest adventure in life, becoming a mom,” Foster said. “WSAW has been such a great place to work for the past six years, and it’s exciting to get to add two new shows to my resume. Being home for dinner at night sounds pretty nice, too!”

Kassandra Sepeda, whose been on Sunrise 7 since 2017, will move to evenings and co-anchor alongside Jeff Thelen in the 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.m. newscasts.

“I have had an incredible four years working on Sunrise 7. I learned a lot and now I’m ready to take my experience to the evenings,” Sepeda said. “I’m excited to serve central Wisconsin just at a different time of day. But maybe with less coffee! I am proud to work in a community I can call home. So while we may be changing roles, our passion to deliver the best news every day will be the same.”

WSAW/WZAW News Director Bridget Fargen said the station is fortunate to have the depth in its anchor positions to make these changes.

“These moves are all about getting the best people in the best places to set NewsChannel 7 up for continued success in the future,” Fargen said. “Our goal every day is to provide people who live in north central Wisconsin with relevant, timely information you’re not going to get anywhere else. We want to tell stories that impact you.”

Sometimes I have to ask uncomfortable questions: The employment status of an employee accused of sexual assault, confirming vague details about possible breaking news viewer tips, the reason behind a mistake made by a public official…

It’s the nature of the job. And of course, in news, the goal is to get the most information available in the quickest amount of time. If there is one thing I’ve learned in my more than 10 years in news, it is that you have to be very clear about the information you need.

You’ve heard it, you may have said it with a groan, “I had to leave a voicemail.”

So, if you are only given the option to leave a voicemail, make it the most detailed message possible.

Here’s what I mean—

WRONG: This is Heather from NewsChannel 7. Can you give me a call back?

I think sometimes reporters hope that by leaving a nonconfrontational message, they’ll get a call back right away.  Nope. That will never be the case. They already know why you are calling.

BETTER: This is Heather from Channel 7. Can you give me a call back regarding the employment status of Sue Smith? What was her current role? Can you share when she began her career with _____ and if there is an upcoming meeting to discuss her employment or any matter related to this case? If easier, you may also respond by email. My email address is….

I’m telling you—by dropping your email as a return form of communication they WILL get back to you. And now you have everything in written form. Plus, if they didn’t answer one of your questions, you can fire off another quick email.

Heather Poltrock
WSAW-TV, Wausau

Milwaukee TV station CBS 58 is adding an hour to its weekday morning news with news from 8-9 a.m. on WMLW.

Beginning April 26, the morning news broadcast will add an additional hour giving viewers two hours of live news and weather every weekday morning on WMLW, The M from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m.  Anchored by Mike Curkov, Pauleen Le, Meghan Reistad, and Meteorologist Justin Thompson-Gee, the CBS 58 Morning News currently airs weekdays from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. on CBS 58 and on WMLW, The M from 7 a.m. – 8 a.m.

“This expansion gives southeastern Wisconsin viewers more opportunity to get the local news and weather they need,” said Kent Harrell, News Director at CBS 58. “We’ll have more time to show people what’s happening in their hometown and to do more in-depth reporting like Q&As that answer viewers’ questions.”

An anchor at a TV station in Des Moines, Iowa is joining the anchor desk at NBC15 (WMTV-TV) in Madison.

Maria Lisignoli previously worked at the NBC affiliate WHO 13 for more than three years as an anchor and multimedia journalist. She graduated from Iowa State University with her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Lisignoli started her evening anchor/reporter duties in Madison on Wednesday.

RTDNA is offering a session on April 22 to help journalists build trust with their audiences:

How can you build trust with your audience when trust in the news media is at a historic low?

One way is to improve how you manage corrections and feedback from your audience. Another is to better label opinion content.

Join two trust experts on April 22 for a lunch and learn. A former national president at SPJ, Lynn Walsh, and journalism professor and entrepreneur Paul Glader will explain simple methods and tools your news organization can use to build trust with its audiences. One zone is to improve the way you manage corrections and feedback from your audience. Another is to better label opinion content. They will offer tips & tools and field your questions in this 30-minute training.

Register here.