— A new statewide radio network in Wisconsin called Civic Media is seeking to offer a “counterpoint” to conservative talk radio while elevating local and state-level issues.
The company’s CEO, Sage Weil, is a successful software developer and a major Dem donor in the state. In a recent interview, he highlighted the “ongoing erosion” of local media as an obstacle to be overcome.
“Civic Media’s mission is to refocus our attention on state and local issues, and we’re doing that by building a network across Wisconsin of hometown radio stations that are bringing as much local and state-based content to the airwaves as we possibly can,” he said.
Since launching in May of last year, the company has acquired at least a dozen local stations and is on track to have 20 in its network, Weil said. Its programming includes various talk shows on Wisconsin politics, comedy, hunting and fishing and more. Stations also run sports coverage at the high school, college and professional level, as well as local news.
Some of its stations include Mad Radio in Madison, Bull Falls Radio in Wausau, Wiscountry in Wisconsin Rapids, Air Support in Oshkosh, Talk of Green Bay, and Country & Community in Richland Center.
“It’s often the case that these smaller radio stations are the last sort of local news source standing in a lot of markets, but it’s very difficult to operate a local radio station competitively these days with all the staff and overhead and technology,” he said. “So we’re bringing the efficiency of scale that these larger, consolidated corporate radio groups can provide but keeping the local piece in order to fill that niche.”
Civic Media got its start with a Madison-area radio station, and shows that originated on that station tend to be left-leaning. But Weil says Civic Media is being “very careful” not to brand itself as a platform for liberal voices.
“We don’t take sides as far as one political party over the other, except that our core values and mission … are around things like democracy, transparency and so on,” he said. “It’s very difficult to be pro-democracy and not be voting for, you know, Democrats these days.”
Mike Wagner, a professor in UW-Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, says Civic Media is looking to capitalize on a largely untapped market.
“There is a lot of conservative talk available, and there is less middle of the road and liberal talk available,” he said in an interview. “So there’s an opportunity for Civic Media to reach a potentially untapped market.”
See the full story: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/new-wisconsin-radio-network-aims-to-serve-as-counterpoint-to-conservative-talk-radio/
— Experts say infrastructure and supply chain challenges are standing in the way of the clean energy transition.
In a panel discussion hosted last week at UW-Madison, ESS Inc. CEO Eric Dresselhuys underlined the daunting scope of these challenges. This Oregon-based company develops energy storage systems.
“We’re talking about building an entirely new electricity system globally that will have to be somewhere between two and half and three times the size of the one we have now, and we have do do that in something neighboring 20 percent of the time it took us to build the one we’ve got now,” he said.
The discussion focused on the role of electrification and battery technology in the shift toward renewable energy. Mathy Vathanaraj Stanislaus, executive director and vice provost of Drexel University’s Environmental Collaboratory in Pennsylvania, said much more battery storage will be needed to support large-scale integration of solar and wind.
“For every megawatt of photovoltaic-based energy, you need one megawatt of storage to maximize it,” he explained. “For every megawatt of wind energy, you need three megawatts of energy storage. But we have not aligned the production with the storage side.”
Stanislaus said many people consider battery tech and energy storage as a “niche issue,” but he argued it is actually “the most important and most significant value chain in the history of humanity.” But to serve that value chain, Stanislaus said the mining industry needs to massively ramp up production of various metals such as nickel and lithium by 2030.
Emily Pickrell, an energy journalist funded by the MacArthur Foundation, agreed that lithium supply is a limiting factor on battery production. And she added the infrastructure investment needed “is in the trillions of dollars,” citing that projected cost as a major obstacle.
The United States currently isn’t producing much lithium, Pickrell explained, as it’s historically been easier and cheaper to buy it from other countries with less costly labor and more lax environmental regulations. Now that demand for batteries is rising along with increased use of renewables, she said the industry is considering options for how to meet that demand.
“Another thing that’s really important to understand, whether we do it here or we do it overseas, is that this is not a fast process,” she said, pointing to environmental permitting and other hurdles. “It’s slower in the United States.”
Dresselhuys said under the “most optimistic” projections he’s seen, the U.S. could only reach about 2 percent of global lithium production by doubling current production. And that’s “at a cost that’s three times the market rate for lithium today … assuming we do it in a clean, sustainable way.”
China currently dominates the lithium processing market, panelists noted, and has purchased mining rights in parts of Africa and Latin America. Dresselhuys said projects aimed at boosting U.S. battery production are a “good step in the right direction” but emphasized China’s role in the global supply chain.
“Where does the raw material come from? It’s still coming from China,” he said.
Watch a video of the discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE7jbenV_LY
— The New North has announced a new “microgrant” fund for nonprofits in northeastern Wisconsin that support diverse startups.
The fund was launched in partnership with The Business Council and the Ethnic & Diverse Business Coalition, according to a release from the regional economic development group.
Funding can go toward training programs, supplier diversity initiatives, entrepreneurial support, language classes, sales and marketing workshops and others, the release shows. Applications for grants up to $20,000 are being accepted through April 30.
Juan Corpus, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion for New North, is hopeful the new fund will help address the need for capital in the early stages of business development.
“Assistance can be provided for any number of initiatives or support mechanisms, including a diverse business showcase which enhances awareness by bringing diverse businesses into one spot,” he said in the release.
See the release: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/new-north-new-microgrant-fund-of-new-north-to-support-ethnic-diverse-businesses/
See details: https://www.thenewnorth.com/ethnic-diverse-microgrants-for-non-profits/
<br><b><i>Top headlines from the Health Care Report …</b></i>
— Three UW-Madison researchers are getting grant funding from the Alzheimer’s Association for projects focused on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
<i>For more of the most relevant news on COVID-19, reports on groundbreaking health research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com.</i>
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#TOP STORIES#
# New developments ahead for Great Lakes ports as 2023 shipping season kicks off
# ‘Food memories’: James Beard Semifinalist Jamie Hoang shines through family recipes
# Nonfarm jobs finally surpass pre-COVID level in Wisconsin
#TOPICS#
# ADVERTISING
– Johnson Controls exits Summerfest stage sponsorship
# AGRIBUSINESS
– Wisconsin farmers call for support in adopting climate-smart agriculture practices
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=362&yr=2023
# CONSTRUCTION
– $3.8 billion infrastructure investment proposals halted in State Building Commission meeting
# ENTERTAINMENT
– WCO brings excitement with flamenco guitar and dance
# ENVIRONMENT
– Report: State tax funding for conservation and parks has steadily eroded over decades
– U.S. guidance on ‘forever chemicals’ has Wisconsin towns scrambling
# FOOD AND BEVERAGE
– Collective hosts ‘Wellness Weeks’ for Madison hospitality workers
– In southwest Madison, El Imperio makes its mark with molcajetes
– Dohmen Company Foundation launches $60 million impact investment fund to support healthy food initiatives
# HEALTH CARE
– Wisconsin Latinos have more COVID cases per 100K than any racial group
– University heads talk impact of cancer on life, leadership and relationships
# MANAGEMENT
– America’s Black Holocaust Museum president and CEO leaving organization
# MANUFACTURING
– Mustard maker behind Koops’ brand maps out big expansion in Kenosha County
# MEDIA
– Bob Meyer to be inducted into WBA Radio Hall of Fame
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=358&yr=2023
# REGULATION
– Bronzeville Center of the Arts’ African American Arts Center fails to pass Madison budget request vote
# SPORTS
– Green Bay Packers, local officials working to bring NFL Draft to Wisconsin
# UTILITIES
– Public Service Commission awarded a $500,000 grant to Revitalize Milwaukee
# COLUMNS
– Viewpoints: Where have all the corporate travelers gone?
– More nurses needed to meet health care challenges
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
Revitalize Milwaukee: Receives $500,000 Energy Innovation Grant
