{image1} A 25-year public radio veteran is coming to Milwaukee to run the new WYMS-FM, which has been operated by the music and civic-led non-profit group called Radio for Milwaukee since Jan. 1, 2005.
Dale Spear, vice president of programming and acquisitions at Public Radio International (PRI) has been responsible for the development of PRI's overall programming strategies since 2000. He's been with PRI -- one of the country's two major public radio networks -- since 1994 in various capacities. Spear will be in charge of hiring programming, on-air, sales and promotional staff and will take the lead in developing the station's new format.
"Dale understands the need to make radio more relevant to the community, by taking smart, creative risks on behalf of the listeners," says Peter Buffet, a national recording artist who, of course, lives in Milwaukee and co-founded Radio for Milwaukee. "Dale's experience, ideas and instincts will let us restore the energy that sadly has been drained from much of radio today."
OnMilwaukee.com was the first media entity to report on the new WYMS plan in May of 2003, and the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), which owns WYMS, last month entered into a seven-year contract with Radio for Milwaukee. The group will develop customized programming designed for the Milwaukee community over the next several months and change the station's format, from classic jazz, later in the year.
In the meantime, the group is excited to have Spear at its helm and his hire is being heralded. Mike Henry, CEO of Paragon Media Strategies and lead consultant from the programming redesign of WYMS, says Spear was a great fit for the job.
"Dale is not only a pubic radio pro of the highest regard, but he is a visionary who wants to make better radio, and radio better," Henry says. "His array of experience over the past 20 years aligns with the multiple responsibilities required to lead WYMS into the future of public radio. And he's a pretty decent bowler," says Henry of Spear's relocation from the Twin Cities area to Milwaukee.
Spear started his radio career at Maine Public Radio and hosted "Morning Edition," produced news reports, features and public affairs programming for the three-station network in Maine. In this first radio job that he began in 1978, he filed numerous news reports for NPR's "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition."
The Radio for Milwaukee Web site is: radioformilwaukee.org.
A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.
He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.
Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.
He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.
He also thinks you should read OnMilwaukee each and every day.
