And welcome back.
Good morning.
It is the WXCO morning report part of mornings with pack right low here on 98.9 WXCO online at wxco.fm mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the civic media app and very happy this morning to a welcome to wasa
somebody that I'm sure you've heard on our airwaves over the last, what, seven weeks or so.
The news director of Civic Media, our statewide news director, Shaly Pittman.
And Shaly, thank you for coming in and welcome to Wausau.
Thank you so much for the very warm welcome chat.
I appreciate
it.
Absolutely.
And I wanted, while you were here in town, to talk a little bit about your news philosophy, your news policies, and basically for the listeners to know what the ideas are in terms of how we
try to bring news and information to the folks here in Central Wisconsin.
I guess to begin with, you are new to civic media.
Maybe give a little bit of your background.
Sure.
So I've been working in radio and media as a journalist since I was 18.
You only look 19.
So that must not be very
long.
No, well, 12 or 13 years.
you know, worked at my college radio station.
I interned in public radio, but most recently I come from community radio in Madison, Wisconsin.
So community radio is not public radio.
It's not commercial radio.
It's this other kind of radio that is largely dependent on volunteers.
And, you know,
W-O-R-T in Madison has a 50-year history, and it's a huge community resource, so I understand how important local stations are to communities.
We
have an open-door policy, anyone can come in and be a programmer or be a volunteer.
We are largely, or they are
largely, I know.
I was gonna say that, I noticed that, you're still with the Wii there.
I know, I'm
still, well, technically I'm still
a volunteer, so it
counts, but.
But yeah, I mean, anyone is welcome in and I would like to bring that spirit with me here to all the stations that we have, right?
We are your resource, you're part of the community.
Well
let me jump in and ask you that because obviously in the way you talk about WRT and community radio that you still have a great passion for it that obviously was something that just hearing your voice talk about it is something that you love to do what made civic media a good choice for you to
Join
us.
It's rare to find a media outlet with the values and commitments and mission statement that civic media does.
That to me is very compelling, especially when it's matched with resources, which we have.
There are not a lot of statewide media radio outlets, right?
Statewide
radio networks.
It's incredibly
I'm incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to help develop our statewide reporting operation.
This is super cool, Chad.
When other folks disinvest in their newsrooms, we are investing in ours.
And so that's why I'm up here, right?
Hiring for our Wausau Central Wisconsin Reporter.
Let
me ask you about that because for the listeners out there, obviously one aspect that they would
love to hear whether it's with us, whether it's with other media sources as well, is news and information about their local community.
As you've come up here, as you are talking to folks about joining us here in our beautiful downtown Wausau location, what are the, I guess your foundational pieces, what you think should be brought from WXCO 98.9 in terms of our news coverage?
Well, there is so much to cover here.
Let's start there, right?
And it's always a question of prioritization.
What are you going to cover each day?
You can't be the Associated Press for WASA and cover everything happening here.
But we've been asking candidates to break down how they would spend their day and the beats that they would cover, obviously.
local government and politics is of interest to me and would like to make sure that that is covered.
But there are incredible communities within Wausau that should have their stories told.
There are features and slices of life.
They're environmental stories.
It's an incredibly...
rich field to build news reporting out of.
I should ask you the same question though, Chad.
What would you want to see out of our new reporter?
Well, I think that number one, you know, talking about the different communities, and that's one of the interesting things.
We talk about Warsaw often, and obviously a lot happens right here.
We are downtown in Wasa, but I do think that as well having the coverage of Rothschild and Stowfield and Weston and Cronin wetter Mohsen e going even north towards Merrill Here the every way they can hear our signal in Central, Wisconsin There are stories that are out there whether it's governmental stories and but also stories that involve
people.
And I think that when we talk to our perspective partners, the idea that they are willing to tell the stories of individuals here in Central Wisconsin, I think is something that I would hope to be part of as well.
That's still a wide, wide geographic area to cover.
So we
will also be dependent on tips, right?
Your
background knowledge, I hear your Mr. Wausau, but also Mr. surrounding Central Wisconsin, right?
But we are
on you listening for tips on what's happening.
We are going to want to hear it, do want to hear it now, but especially for our reporter, if you have a tip.
Is there an email address chat that folks can email right
now?
If you go to our website, there is a, that's a good question.
I'm gonna later in the show, when we're done here, I'm gonna go and get that specific information, but I know a general email.
And send it straight to me as well.
I love getting email most of the time, chad.homes at civicmedia.us, but you're right.
I should have that at the top of my, tip of my tongue right now for people, or at the very least, maybe a new tip line or something along those lines.
Yeah, I
was just saying, that should be one of my goals, one of my little things I can check off my
checklist.
There's a lot to do, Chad.
And we will continue and talk more about...
media, journalism and what to expect in terms of news coverage both here on 98.9 WXCO and on civic media with our new
Network News Director, Shaly Pittman coming up in just a little bit at 7.52.
Coming up next, it is the Midwest Farm Report, and then more of Mornings with Pat Crichtlow.
Here on 98.9 WXCO, online at wxco.fm, Bulba Devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the Civic Media
app.
It is the WXO morning reports during mornings with pack right low here on 98.9 WXO.
The time is 7.52.
I am Chad Holmes here on this Friday morning.
We are talking to our new news director at Civic Media, Shali Pittman, talking a bit about journalism and about how she looks at journalism in terms of the stories you're going to hear about here on WXO and on Civic Media.
Robust civic journalism.
takes time and already I've had folks reach out at this company who have like pitches for stories and I think that's great.
I do want to emphasize that stories take time if you want to do a good job with them to have really get into the details.
It takes time to read the budget to pluck out the interesting part that maybe other outlets haven't gotten to yet.
And look, we exist in a media ecosystem.
There are outlets like the AP and the journal Sentinel that
frankly have more reporting power to do the kind of daily drumbeat of political stories and so on.
But I think there is a role for civic media, and indeed our reporters are showing that, of we are reporting on our local communities.
And frequently what you find is that an issue in our community here in Wausau is probably maybe an issue in Madison, right?
Or maybe an issue somewhere else where we also have another reporter.
And I'd like to see
a little more, and it does happen, you know, a little more working together on those stories that are kind of the same issue facing multiple different communities.
I think one aspect, and again, this is just, again, maybe outside the journalistic bubble that you're in.
It's a
bubble.
No, I don't mean that in a bad way, that sometimes some of these most important stories, as you say, take time,
and
there's such an immediacy, and I think when you talk about the state budget,
We heard there's a deal and then you get again, maybe three bullet points and then people are saying, well, it's a good deal.
It's a bad deal.
We don't know immediately.
That's why it's important to delve into it.
You said to look at different aspects of it because so often the immediate response to something of anything, it could be the Packers NFL draft.
I mean, everybody's saying, oh.
The day after, it's an A grade or an F grade.
You don't know until in the future how they perform.
In the same sense, boy, the initial grades of something like a state budget, it's a little silly in a sense, isn't it?
Well, this state budget was particularly interesting to me because I think there was more compromise than we are used to seeing.
And by the way, studies have shown that that's what
the the folks who live in Wisconsin want they want compromise they want both parties working together but how many
floor sessions did I have to sit through where both sides of the aisle talked about this budget bill being a compromise bill and they're gonna focus on the parts that they that they like and they're not gonna focus on the parts that they don't like nonetheless members of both parties voted against it right and weren't thrilled about about it so
It's interesting to see that emerge.
I have to wonder about the political changing geography of the maps and how much of an impact that has as we head into 2026.
Before I came to civic media the last fall, we did a reporting project that was part of Democracy Day, I want to say, but with the newspaper.
in Madison called Isthmus, that analyzed how changing maps might impact the political races for, we picked one assembly district in kind of western, west of Madison, let's say.
And we found that maybe it didn't change as much as we thought.
It didn't change the campaign on the ground as much as we thought.
It was between Todd Novak and Elizabeth Grabe, and we found that it didn't change as much.
The incumbent Republican Todd Novak won, and he had to campaign.
That brings up a thought, and again, as you get into your job, I think you're kind of, you are talking to me and talking to our candidates, giving some priorities in terms of what you want the news coverage to look like throughout civic media, just based on something like that, that sometimes, again, false narratives, I imagine that for journalism and the stories that we tell,
try to get away from false narratives that even in a situation like, hey, these maps are going to make major change.
The sense is, hey, that's what we need in order to get closer to the kind of democracy that we want.
Sometimes it's important to step back and actually take a long, hard look at even narratives that you may be in favor of.
or as opposed to not believing, would that be fair to say in a sense?
Yeah, yes, and you know, I'm not to say that the maps don't have an impact, right?
I think that's probably why we saw some more negotiation in this budget, but it's not a panacea, right, for Democrats.
But
along the, our journalism here that people are gonna hear, I think, over the next days, months, and hopefully years with you leading the Civic Media News Division, the idea
of finding as close as possible a real truth.
I think as we watch different media these days, when we hear about maybe lack of faith in some sources of news, a lot of it is because people going away from basic journalism tenants, correct?
Correct.
I also think because media is crumbling in a lot of different senses and one is that
many outlets, I'm not saying civic media, many outlets have stopped funding what it takes to do journalism, which is essentially showing up someone to show up and to say what happened and nothing more.
And that's the essence of what I want our reporters to do.
Show up, whether it means showing up at the community festival, show up at the city council meeting, show up to...
you know, wherever to interview folks and hear from them, show up in your community and then say what happened.
Sometimes saying what happened isn't just relying on what folks tell you, but open records or quests and, you know, going in with a healthy skepticism and then nothing more, right?
Let our listeners come to their own conclusions.
And sometimes the truth is messy and doesn't fall into any kind of neat package, but you say what you can.
Civic Media News Director Shaly Pittman.
There's actually a lot more to our conversation and I will give you information on how to listen to the entirety of our interview coming up in our next segment at 822.
Coming up top of the hour and then another hour to go here on 98.9 WXCO.
Good morning once again everyone and welcome back.
It is the WXCO morning report part of mornings with packed right well here on 98.9 WXCO online at WXCO dot FM mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the civic media app.
The time is 8.23.
Beautiful start here in North Central Wisconsin.
Temperature stands at 59 degrees.
So again, really terrific way to start off your Friday and get towards the weekend.
Want to
Let you know because we in our first hour is really terrific to hear from our new news director at Civic Media, Shaly Pittman.
She is was here in Wausau yesterday and also on Wednesday as we have been doing some interviews to add to our new staff and somebody to focus on covering news here in the Wausau area.
And great to hear some of her thoughts and there was a lot more to our conversation and in order to hear the entirety unedited
of our conversation each day.
We have our morning report and you have a chance to Listen to the entirety of our local segments our four segments during the seven and eight o'clock hour in convenient podcast form all you have to do is go to Wxco.fm and then you'll see on the home page newscast We have our Wxco news roundup, which is done by Melissa K this week and you can get in about nine minutes the entirety of the the news headlines for our
area and also as part of that newscast category it will have the wasa morning report with Chad Holmes and you can see it and it will say wasa morning report with Chad Holmes and yesterday's is on there right now for Thursday July the 17th coming up when we are done with our program then we'll have our morning report for today Friday July the 18th posted there as well and all you have to do is click on it you'll be able to listen to the
30 minutes of our local segments during the morning and also as part of that by clicking it you'll see a rundown of what we talk about and also today there will be a link in that rundown that will be an unedited version of the conversation with Civic Media's new news director, Charlie Pittman.
Again, coming up a little bit after nine o'clock, just go to wxco.fm.
Click on Was a Morning Report, which had homes, so right there on the homepage, and then you'll be able to hear either by just clicking in.
tuning into the 30 minutes of our local Information and then as part of it below the rundown you'll have a link to hear unedited our conversation with shawley pitman Across the way behind the glass is our in-studio engineer and producer Ian Welsh Ian.
Good morning.
Good morning,
Jen.
Oh Any plans for the weekend?
Oh, let's see Why should we for a Saturday?
I'm gonna be doing something fun.
Let's see.
A group of friends and myself are going up to Anago to tackle our next escape room.
After that, we might do a little bit of bowling afterwards as well.
I'll just have a little fun, get together, solve some puzzles, play some bowling.
Hopefully, I'll get my score.
over 100, that's what I try to do.
I'm not the best bowler, but if I get over 100, that's a pretty good game for me.
It's not about the score, it's just about the fun.
That's true, it's just about the fun.
And I want to mention again as well that tomorrow, I will be tomorrow morning, I'll be part of a terrific event with Extra Innings,
the
local cancer charity here in...
The wasa area extra innings has a special event going on tomorrow from 10 a.m.
Until 2 p.m.
At Jojo's jungle in wasa Really terrific venue.
It's called ice cream for the cure cancer fundraiser There'll be ice cream.
There'll be great food.
There'll be face painting.
There'll be great music Really fun for our kids and adults.
So basically everybody and also a chance to give
to a great cause, and we've talked to Ted Hartke about this previously, that this group does such a wonderful thing for folks that are in the midst of the battle against cancer.
And of course, there are many wonderful organizations that are fundraising to try to find a cure for the many cancers out there.
But extra innings is focused on the folks that are in the midst of it right now, allowing
either kids or parents or grandparents who are in the middle of that fight to be able to do special things, to be supportive in either sending a child to a special camp or to do something else for a family that is in the midst of this battle.
Just really focusing on those are fighting cancer in the here and now.
And it's such a wonderful idea and all the money goes to the
help of these folks.
There is no salaries involved as Ted has spoken about and it all stays right here in Central Wisconsin.
So I will be broadcasting live from this event from 10 a.m.
until noon and the event will continue from 10 a.m.
until 2 p.m.
So come on down say hello to me.
Partake in all the terrific activities and join us tomorrow.
That's extra innings ice cream for the cure cancer fundraiser 10 a.m.
Until 2 p.m.
At Jojo's jungle again, that's at 4200 is to teen drive in wasa and we're very very happy and proud to be part of this activity at Bow Falls radio 98.9 at W Xeo That's right.
All right, so coming up in our final local segment.
We will have our number for the day
quiz
is
Ian is red hot.
He's won got three out of four.
So a chance for an A grade if he gets it right today.
Oh, that'd be good.
I don't know what the number is yet.
So I can't give you any preview.
So you're just gonna have to go off, you know, by the seat of your pants at the end of the show.
I'm ready with the anticipation.
There you go.
So we'll have that.
And I want to talk a little bit about a protest that occurred at Tom Tiffany's office yesterday as well.
And the cancellation of Stephen Colbert.
We're going to talk about that
in
1852 as well.
But coming up next, back to Pat Crichtlow.
More of Mornings with Pat Crichtlow here on 98.9 WXCO.
It is mornings with pack right low WXO morning report on 98.9 WXO online at WXO FM mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXO and on the civic media app the time is
8.52 it is a glorious morning here in north central, Wisconsin Lots of sunshine lots of blue skies beautifully moderate temperature of 61 degrees expected to be 72 today
And
that
is a perfect temperature.
In fact, when you go to a domed stadium, like the Astrodome or any dome stadium that they play sports in, the temperature they put it at is 72 degrees because that is an ideal temperature.
And
that's what we're going to get outdoors here today.
And yesterday was also a beautiful afternoon.
And at the lunchtime hour, myself and our new news director, Shaly Pittman, went over to Stuart Avenue
and
the protest that was going on in front of Congressman Tom Tiffany's office, had a chance to talk to a Nancy Stenso and a couple of other folks
who
were there.
And events like this, again, are so important in terms of having the people speak out.
Because if the...
General public does not speak out as part of their democracy.
It is going to continue to wilt and Shotley and myself actually went inside we went to the we went to the congressman's office Just to stop by and see if they have wanted to make a comment about the the event that was going on out there The congressman himself was not there
But there was a very nice lady there, and I wanted to say how pleasant she was.
It was very nice to speak to her.
She allowed me to leave my card for the congressman.
I said, hey, if the congressman would love to come over here, talk to us.
We'd be more than happy.
to sit down across the table and talk about some of the issues going on that affect the people of the seventh congressional district.
So hopefully maybe they'll take us up on the offer and that we'll have a chance to talk to Congressman Tom Tiffany.
And obviously some people say, why would you bring Congressman Tom Tiffany on?
Well, he is the congressman.
He is the person right now in Washington making votes, taking away funding for public broadcasting.
He's the one that's
had a vote in a very tight vote for the big beautiful bill.
So there are definite reasons to talk about this.
To basically have him explain why he felt like these are votes that are good for the people of the 7th congressional district.
But I was again thrilled to see so many folks out there letting their voice be heard and continuing to stand up, I think, for our democracy.
It
was certainly better than standing in the rain, but we've done that in the past too.
During the no Kings rally, a lot of folks were out there standing in the rain, including myself.
Also yesterday, Paramount and CBS canceled the late show with Stephen Colbert, which is incredible.
Uh, earlier this month, Paramount settled and I put that in quotation marks, a lawsuit with Donald Trump.
And
then.
Now they cancel Steven Colbert show it will continue until May of next year That's when Colbert's contract ends, but they've already said that will be it.
The show is going off the air next May Citing not pressure from Donald Trump not citing the need for a Merger that Paramount is trying to make with a group called Skydance Because the FCC has been putting the kibosh on this merger that Paramount
It feels like it needs to make.
But the whole thought about this is that they're doing this strictly because this will help it become more easy to have their merger approved.
Stephen Colbert's show is the highest rated show in late night television.
According to latenighter.com, the last quarter that just ended on June the 30th, the late show topped the
11 35 p.m.
Eastern hour in total viewers The late show is also the only program to show an increase over the first quarter with the show up 1% It's actually has an audience that's growing.
It's still number one in growing And I'm sure that many mega supporters out there are saying
oh,
yeah great because Colbert so mean to Donald Trump But they should also be concerned
Everybody should be concerned having a successful show canceled for a made-up reason to cover up corporate cowardice from mob boss behavior in government.
Because that's what this is about.
This is corporate cowardice.
Canceling a very successful show because the mob boss mentality that the Trump administration has in using their government powers against other groups is forcing moves like this.
It's
ridiculous.
It
is ridiculous.
And for CBS to say this was a financial decision, I mean,
give me a break.
I already hope that people fight this.
I hope that they, they are right behind Colbert.
I hope they, they can, you know, I try to fight this and even some, even I try to keep the show on the air,
air.
I'm sure Stephen Colbert will find another landing spot, but the whole idea of a corporate entity like Paramount and CBS just for
cowling,
exactly, cowardice
against Donald
Trump.
So, and then of course, lots of other stuff going on as well, what you'll hear about with Jane Matinair and Todd Alba.
It's going to be talked
about.
everything else here on Civic Media the rest of the day.
But let's loosen it up to wrap
up our week.
Because
our number for the day quiz, and Ian Walsh has been red hot this week.
You're three for four.
You've clinched a winning week.
You've clinched a passing grade now.
You're looking for an A grade.
And I mentioned that tomorrow.
I am going to be part of the Extra Innings Cancer fundraiser.
Yeah, and again, hopefully you'll be able to come out and join me I'll be broadcasting live starting at 10 a.m But our number for the day is in 2024 how many folks in the United States of America were diagnosed with cancer
And
this is again showing why these groups like extra innings are very important.
Okay, your choices are 1 million Approximately 1 million.
I won't have to give you the exact yeah, approximately 1.5 million
Approximately 2 million.
You know, I'm gonna say 1.5 million.
It's my final answer.
I'm going with 1.5 million approximately.
According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 2 million 1140 new cancer cases were diagnosed in the United States last year.
A
winning week.
I'm okay with that.
Have a great weekend.
You too, Chit.
Happy Friday, everybody.
And
we'll be back Monday here on 98.9 WXCO.
