When broadcaster Duke Wright died in December at age 83, he left an endowment that will secure the future of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association’s Media Technology Institute.
Now it will bear its benefactor’s name as the “WBA Duke Wright Media Technology Institute.”
The institute was established as an educational endeavor in 2012 under the direction of Terry Baun. Today it is a three-day event that offers courses for prospective and experienced engineers. Bill Hubbard leads it now.
Duey “Duke” Wright and his parents founded WRIG Inc. in 1958, riding the new rock ’n roll format, and later expanding into FM. Wright founded his own company, Midwest Communications Inc., in the early 1970s, starting by building WROE(FM) in Appleton, Wis. He grew it into one of the largest family-operated radio companies in the United States.
The announcement of the endowment and name change was made by Midwest Communications Chairwoman Pegge Wright, Duke’s wife; Midwest’s President Peter Tanz; and WBA President/CEO Michelle Vetterkind.
“Duke had a great passion for broadcast engineering and considered himself an engineer,” Pegge Wright said in the announcement. “By supporting the Media Technology Institute’s efforts, we believe that we can both nurture the talents of upcoming engineers and pay tribute to Duke’s memory.”
Midwest Communications was an annual sponsor of the institute.
