Wisconsin
Honorees
2015
Bart Adrian
BART ADRIAN Bart Adrian has been fascinated with the weather since his boyhood in the Chicago area. He majored in engineering science (applied mathematics) at Northwestern University, and then came to Wisconsin completing his M.S. (1981) in meteorology at UW-Madison. In Madison, he became very interested in teaching and in youth ministry. A one-year stint as a forecaster and occasional on-air meteorologist at WKOW-TV in Madison, led to a position on WITI-TV’s weather team. His television career lasted 28 years in Milwaukee, but teaching remaining an important interest. During his years at FOX 6, Bart taught meteorology to UW-Milwaukee undergraduates and elementary school students in UWM’s College for Kids program. He also worked on certification as a high school earth science and math teacher, and gave literally hundreds of talks to elementary, middle school and high school students. Bart was honored in 1991 by the Archbishop of Milwaukee as the first ever recipient of a Vatican II Award for service in communication. At the close of his TV career in 2010, he was recognized with a Public Service Award by the National Weather Service. Currently, Bart teaches meteorology and mathematics at UWM, remains involved in outreach programs for teens, and loves to encourage the study of history, science and mathematics. Above all, he will tell you that his most important roles in life are those of husband to his wife, Terri, and father to their four sons.
Jim Angeli
JIM ANGELI Jim proudly grew up in Milwaukee where he and his siblings where raised by immigrant parents. Early on, their parents instilled the value of the press due to their experience living under the influence of the Soviet Union. He credits television and radio news coverage of critical events like the 1967 Milwaukee civil disturbances, the assassinations of King and Kennedy, Woodstock, Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon, the terrorist attacks at the Munich Olympics, and Mark Spitz winning 7 gold medals as his driving force to tell meaningful stories. He arrived at WTMJ-TV as a broadcast engineer in 1980, following a year at WMVS. After a time, he became a news photographer and in that position, traveled to Israel, Italy and Lebanon in 1983 to cover the suicide bombing attack on the Marine barracks. One of his proudest accomplishments coming out of that horrific event was the work Mike Jacobs and he did to get interviews and the names of survivors back to their families in Wisconsin. Jim has had the great fortune to cover countless political conventions, inaugurations, the first-ever night shuttle launch, Super Bowls, Rose Bowls, NCAA Final Fours but – much to his disappointment – only one World Series! He has also been consulted on his award-winning time lapse work at the Bradley Center and Miller Park construction. As the station’s Chief Photojournalist Jim assisted in TMJ’s transition to HD. His work has been recognized by the National Press Photographers Association, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, The Milwaukee Press Club, The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, as well as non-industry groups. More than 35 years in news have brought many great experiences and joys, but none remotely close to those that his beautiful and supportive wife Lynn, daughter Gina, son Michael and daughter-in-law Maggie have provided.
Steve Koehn
Steve and Mike’s parallel career paths began when both were attending St. John’s High School in Little Chute, Wisconsin, with Steve passing on the title of yearbook photographer to Mike in 1966. That position also gave them access to the 16mm camera belonging to the school’s football program and, when they weren’t shooting games for the coach, they were shooting car crashes and barn fires for WLUK-TV in Green Bay. That freelance business expanded as they both attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison in the late 1960s. A combination of state politics, campus protests and university sporting events provided enough material for their “Capitol Communications” business to thrive, shipping stories by bus and plane to WFRV-TV in Green Bay and WITI-TV in Milwaukee. It financed college educations as they both earned journalism degrees from UW. During that time, they won numerous awards from the Wisconsin News Photographers Association and a national RTNDA First Place Award for coverage of a student disruption of a regents’ meeting. They eventually began part-time work at WISC-TV in Madison, shooting with their own CP-16, which was then considered state of the art for film cameras and the only one in the Madison market. By 1974, they became full time members of the station’s staff. Mike was soon named chief photographer, and Steve held positions of capitol reporter, producer, and news manager. They brought the concept of b-roll into the market and Mike played an instrumental role bringing cameras into Wisconsin courtrooms, demonstrating to the justices that he could change a film camera’s magazine without disrupting the court. Steve launched the station’s first web site in 1993. They also helped persuade WISC-TV’s ownership to purchase the first satellite truck in the market. Mike and Steve and the truck have traveled coast to coast, broadcasting live newscasts from dozens of locations, as well as covering Super Bowls in New Orleans and San Diego, Final Four championships in Dallas and Indianapolis, five Rose Bowl games in Pasadena and countless political conventions. WISC-TV makes the commitment to cover big events in big ways, and Mike and Steve make it happen.
Dennis Krause
DENNIS KRAUSE Dennis is a native of Hartford, Wisconsin, and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He spent the first three years of his broadcasting career working as a sportscaster at WMBD in Peoria, Illinois, before moving back home to Wisconsin. He worked for 16 years at WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, and for the last nine served as the station’s Sports Director. He was hired by Time Warner Cable as their original and main talent to help launch the regional SportsChannel which debuted on January 3, 2007. At TWC, Dennis hosts The Roundtable – a daily program featuring sports journalists from throughout Wisconsin, and the bi-weekly interview show The Dennis Krause Show, featuring interviews with coaches, players and Wisconsin sports greats. In addition to his television work, Dennis is the color analyst for the past 20 years for home games on the Milwaukee Bucks Radio Network and the host of Packers Preview on the Green Bay Packers Radio Network. In 2013, Dennis was named Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year for the fifth time by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association and has won a Chicago/Midwest Emmy® Award as a producer and host of a sports special on the Wisconsin Badgers. Dennis lives in Thiensville with his wife, Julie, and their two children, Melissa and Zac.
Renee Raffaelli
RENEE RAFFAELLI While in Marquette University’s newspaper writing program, Renee stumbled into a college radio DJ stint that changed her path again, from print to broadcast journalism. A WISN-AM internship led to a simultaneous assignment desk internship on the TV side, which eventually became a part-time associate producer job. The exposure to life in a real television newsroom got her hooked. In 1989, Renee’s last semester of senior year, she was offered a full-time position with WISN-TV as the noon news producer where she managed a full-time job and a full-time class load. In 1990, Renee was recruited for a position as the Senior Producer at WBAY-TV in Green Bay, her first management gig. But, in 1991, she returned to WISN-TV to assume weekend producing duties. She launched the new 5 pm news, was later promoted to the 10 pm news, and eventually was named Executive Producer. During that time, Renee also produced nightly documentaries during the trial of Jeffery Dahmer and became largely responsible for all election night coverage. She also traveled regularly, field producing for news anchors at political conventions, major sports events and a presidential inauguration. Then, another path opened in 1997. An offer from WBBM-TV in Chicago returned her to her hometown and her passion – producing live evening newscasts. After 2 1/2 years, another call led her back to Milwaukee. This time it was for love. There was a job too – and fortunately the two paths merged. WISN-TV re-hired Renee, where she returned as Executive Producer. She married talented photojournalist David Bakken and was promoted again – this time named Managing Editor. Her biggest promotion – to motherhood – came with the birth of their first son Joseph, and later, son Nicholas. Renee is thankful to work for a company that has helped her grow professionally and personally. She continues to manage award-winning daily newscasts in a city she loves.
Mike van Susteren
Steve and Mike’s parallel career paths began when both were attending St. John’s High School in Little Chute, Wisconsin, with Steve passing on the title of yearbook photographer to Mike in 1966. That position also gave them access to the 16mm camera belonging to the school’s football program and, when they weren’t shooting games for the coach, they were shooting car crashes and barn fires for WLUK-TV in Green Bay. That freelance business expanded as they both attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison in the late 1960s. A combination of state politics, campus protests and university sporting events provided enough material for their “Capitol Communications” business to thrive, shipping stories by bus and plane to WFRV-TV in Green Bay and WITI-TV in Milwaukee. It financed college educations as they both earned journalism degrees from UW. During that time, they won numerous awards from the Wisconsin News Photographers Association and a national RTNDA First Place Award for coverage of a student disruption of a regents’ meeting. They eventually began part-time work at WISC-TV in Madison, shooting with their own CP-16, which was then considered state of the art for film cameras and the only one in the Madison market. By 1974, they became full time members of the station’s staff. Mike was soon named chief photographer, and Steve held positions of capitol reporter, producer, and news manager. They brought the concept of b-roll into the market and Mike played an instrumental role bringing cameras into Wisconsin courtrooms, demonstrating to the justices that he could change a film camera’s magazine without disrupting the court. Steve launched the station’s first web site in 1993. They also helped persuade WISC-TV’s ownership to purchase the first satellite truck in the market. Mike and Steve and the truck have traveled coast to coast, broadcasting live newscasts from dozens of locations, as well as covering Super Bowls in New Orleans and San Diego, Final Four championships in Dallas and Indianapolis, five Rose Bowl games in Pasadena and countless political conventions. WISC-TV makes the commitment to cover big events in big ways, and Mike and Steve make it happen.