WISCONSIN
2023
John Eddy
John Eddy's broadcasting journey sounds a bit like the old "blind squirrel" story: finding a nut by chance or with a bit of blind luck. When John Marshall High School started a broadcasting specialty program, John thought it sounded more interesting than a few more English or biology courses. Not unlike the blind squirrel, John stumbled onto what he was looking for – a career path he was passionate about. A class project won a city-wide award, and John was hooked. He went on to Milwaukee Area Technical College where he was hired by PBS channels 10/36 as a telecasting student and recognized as the Outstanding Student of 1984. In August, WISN-TV gave John his big break. That launched a cavalcade of different opportunities: time on the floor crew, the art department, several engineering roles, technical directing, and newscast directing. They all led to the perfect job for a guy who loves to touch every element in the making of the sausage: on-line editing. As the craft evolved from the rigid linear tape-based editing of the late 80's, to the witchcraft of “read before write” editing in the 90's and finally to the miracle of non-linear editing, John evolved too. John cut his teeth editing on-air promotions, local commercials, and special programs in a traditional on-line edit suite. He won his first regional Emmy® in 1995 for Street Smart Kids, a critically acclaimed original children's program. He went on to win regional Emmys® for the station’s Season to Celebrate holiday program and the news magazine On Assignment. John's jack-of-all-trades work style meant his fingerprints were on these shows from field work and acquisition to final edit. In 2008, with no set and only a concept of what the show could become, John was blessed with the opportunity to help start a weekly Sunday morning talk show with Silver Circle Honoree Mike Gousha. 780 or so shows later, the program, which airs WISN and across a statewide network of affiliates, is recognized as the finest public affairs news program in the state. To be sure, John’s career is about more than the blind squirrel analogy. It is about passion, hard work, and the pursuit of excellence.
Dwight Moss
Dwight Moss was born and raised in Milwaukee and attended schools in the Milwaukee Public school system. Dwight had a fascination with how television was made and when it was time to choose a high school, instead of going to his neighborhood school of Rufus King, Dwight chose John Marshall high school which had a broadcasting specialty program. It was there where he first got a taste of behind- the-scenes production, with the school's mini control room and studio. After graduating from high school, Dwight enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and then transferred to Milwaukee Area Technical College, where he developed his love for live production and creating TV "magic." Enrolling at MATC and working with the instructors and staff at Channels 10 & 36 turned out to be the best decision he could make to prepare for his future career. After graduating in 1987, Dwight was hired at WISN-TV as a part-time production specialist. He’s been there ever since. Dwight started out working with the weekend evening crew alongside Milwaukee journalism legends Mike Anderson and Kathy Mykleby. He would later become a full-time production specialist, working on shows such as the Money Game, Milwaukee's Talking, Channel 12 This Week, the United Cerebral Palsy telethon, the Children's Miracle network telethon, as well as commercial and station promotional spots. He would soon "get in the big chair" and begin directing. You name it, and he’s directed it: the early days of Live at Five, weekend newscasts, Packers Sunday Night, 12 News This Morning, 12 News at Five, town hall forums, Pack Attack, Big Bang Fireworks, Big 12 Sports Saturday, Packers Monday Night Countdown to Kickoff (where he would also field produce), and many community-oriented specials. Dwight has won three Chicago/Midwest Emmy® awards, a Wisconsin Broadcasters Association award, a Milwaukee Press Club award, a Communicator award, and a Milwaukee Times Black Excellence award for media. When not working, Dwight enjoys listening to and seeing live music, theater, and sporting events (especially his beloved Milwaukee Bucks), trying different restaurants and spending time with family and friends.
Rick Rietbrock
Rick Rietbrock grew up on a farm in rural Sheboygan County in a sports-loving family, where most daily chores were accompanied (some might even say overwhelmed) by a game broadcast on a transistor radio. The sports world that filled his imagination then has never stopped presenting opportunities in the years that followed. His first-ever plane trip took him to cover a Notre Dame-Air Force game for ND’s student newspaper. Upon graduation, he covered high school sports for the Sheboygan Press and was hired at WTMJ-TV in 1989 as a news editor when the station added newscasts in the morning. He quickly moved to a full-time sports producer spot and concentrated solely on television. Rick received a quick baptism into the unpredictable nature of TV news while attending the 1990 Orange Bowl on vacation. Shortly before kickoff, he was paged by the public address announcer and spent the night securing a postgame live shot with Notre Dame defensive coordinator Barry Alvarez, who had just been named Wisconsin’s new head coach. In his nearly 34 years at TMJ4, he has served as the sports producer, executive sports producer, and executive producer of the Packers TV Network. He has produced over 600 local sports specials (Bucks, Brewers, Badgers, and Marquette) or shows, including Packers coach’s shows (Holmgren, Rhodes, McCarthy), Inside 1265, Packers Live, Packers preseason game broadcasts, Packers Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, and the Rebirth of a Legend event. He's also spearheaded local coverage during the Olympics since 1996. Rick has traveled to cover a Rose Bowl, three Super Bowls, and the Atlanta Olympics. He has won Chicago/Midwest Emmy® awards for producing and editing a Badgers special and for Inside 1265, and an Edward R. Murrow Regional Award for a story on a local high school basketball player. While he feels endlessly fortunate that a career following the teams of his youth has provided a lifetime of thrills, his life has been fulfilled by his forever teammate/wife Kim, and his cherished sons (Trenton, Carson) and daughter (Isley).
Glenn Riley
Glenn’s journey into television started as a 15-year-old, when, at the request of a friend, he enrolled in a summer television workshop for minority high school kids. During that week-long workshop students were introduced to the various jobs available in the field of broadcasting and were trained on a variety of equipment provided by Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), and Milwaukee PBS (MPBS). Glenn became hooked and made it his mission to enroll in MATC’s two-year Telecasting program after graduating high school. During his training at MPBS, Glenn was hired by Northwestern Mutual Life as a videographer and WITI-TV in the traffic department. Having completed his courses at MATC in 1980, Glenn returned to MPBS 1982, hired as a full-time employee in the production department. There he learned all aspects of production including studio, remote and field camera operation, stage directing, technical directing, and more. He also started his freelancing career covering sporting events. Glenn was promoted to MPBS studio supervisor and lighting designer in 1992, affording him the opportunity to design lighting schemes for various productions based on the needs of the producers, directors, and scenic designers. He also started teaching part-time. Glenn always incorporated TV students in the productions, giving them real world experience. In 1998, Glenn took experiential learning to a new level when he helped create the weekly student newscast UWM PantherVision in partnership with the journalism program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In its 18-year run, PantherVision garnered more than 230 awards, including a national Edward R. Murrow award competing in the large market, professional division. By 2007 Glenn challenged himself again by becoming a full-time instructor in the video production program, as well as a director for the MPBS show Adelante, and segment producer for various productions. His direction, skill and expertise culminated in an Emmy® for Adelante. The classes that Glenn taught engaged students in studio production and the societal impact of television programs. Glenn is proud of being the first African American studio supervisor and full-time instructor of the video production program. Since his retirement in July of 2020, Glenn continues to freelance.
Jan Wade
Jan Wade, a television broadcaster whose experience includes senior positions within leading TV stations in eight different markets, joined Hearst Television as president and general manager of WISN-TV, the ABC affiliate in Milwaukee, in 2007. Prior to her arrival in Milwaukee, she had served since 1994 as president and general manager of WATE-TV, the Young Broadcasting-owned ABC affiliate in Knoxville, Tennessee. Milwaukee is the nation’s 36th largest TV market; Knoxville is the 60th. Before joining WATE, Jan served with WKRN-TV, Young Broadcasting’s ABC affiliate in Nashville, first as marketing and programming director. After serving for two years as marketing director WFLA-TV, the Media General NBC affiliate in Tampa, she returned to WKRN as operations manager and programming director. Prior to that, she served in senior marketing roles at WLNE-TV, the Freedom Communications CBS affiliate in Providence, Rhode Island; and at WCCO-TV, the CBS owned station in Minneapolis (one of the country’s most honored television stations). She began her career as an assistant promotion manager at Louisville CBS affiliate WLKY-TV, at the time owned by Gannett Television and now a Hearst station. She was also a news reporter at WAVE-TV in Louisville and was a news and sports anchor for a New Albany, Indiana radio station right out of college. Jan holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Ball State University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a double-major, journalism and broadcasting, and a business minor. She currently serves on the boards of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association (WBA) as its Chair, and as a member of the Executive Committee and co-chair of its Diversity and Inclusion Committee; the Wisconsin Broadcasters Foundation; the Pabst Mansion Board, where she is governance co-chair; Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO); the Florentine Opera Board, where she is finance committee chair; Waukesha County Community Foundation (WCCF); and as a National Association of Broadcaster’s Ambassador. She is also a former member of the ABC Network Affiliates’ Board of Governors. Jan has a dog named Remy and is a huge animal lover, an avid golfer and tennis player, and loves to travel.