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News Staff
Stan Stricker
Education/experience: This UW Oshkosh Graduate began his radio career as an announcer on his hometown station in Ripon, while he was still in high school. He worked his way through a communication's degree at college as a "disc jockey", playing actual vinyl records in those days. He learned the love of news with his first "anchor/reporter" job at WOSH in Oshkosh after graduation. Stan feels he's found his niche in Janesville, after coming to WCLO in 2000. Over his almost 30-years in radio, this low voiced newsman has enjoyed a variety of state broadcast journalism awards from organizations like United Press International, the Associated Press, and Wisconsin Broadcasters Association.
Current application: On the job, Stan enjoys his role as a "player/coach", performing duties including reporter/anchor and news director. With an on-air shift covering mid-days, this seasoned veteran is also afforded many opportunities to cover both civic meetings like the Janesville City Council and community events like parades and festivals. For Stan, work is a family affair. His wife Rose is the afternoon announcer on WCLO. This is the fourth radio station the two have worked at together.
Personal anecdote: Stan and Rose also have two school aged sons. Interests for Stan outside the radio station include traditional Wisconsin endeavors like camping, fishing, and woodworking. He is also heavily involved in his church, teaching youth and having served on its' council. Stan's two favorite radio memories include being snowed in at one rural station for three days, and having a chance to return briefly and teach broadcasting at his alma mater. Even though this traditionally trained newsman has embraced the technological age, he still finds it difficult to throw out his last box of cassettes and 8-track tapes stored in his garage.
Current application: On the job, Stan enjoys his role as a "player/coach", performing duties including reporter/anchor and news director. With an on-air shift covering mid-days, this seasoned veteran is also afforded many opportunities to cover both civic meetings like the Janesville City Council and community events like parades and festivals. For Stan, work is a family affair. His wife Rose is the afternoon announcer on WCLO. This is the fourth radio station the two have worked at together.
Personal anecdote: Stan and Rose also have two school aged sons. Interests for Stan outside the radio station include traditional Wisconsin endeavors like camping, fishing, and woodworking. He is also heavily involved in his church, teaching youth and having served on its' council. Stan's two favorite radio memories include being snowed in at one rural station for three days, and having a chance to return briefly and teach broadcasting at his alma mater. Even though this traditionally trained newsman has embraced the technological age, he still finds it difficult to throw out his last box of cassettes and 8-track tapes stored in his garage.
Steve Benton
Education/experience: Steve is a 1970 graduate of Beloit Memorial High School and a 1977 graduate of Brown Institute of Radio Broadcasting. He began his radio career as a disc jockey at WLUV in Loves Park, Illinois. His love for news reporting began as a part time reporter for WCLO and WJVL in 1978. Working under the tutelage of then News Director, Stan Milam, Steve was responsible for all newscasts, live and prerecorded, on Saturdays and Sundays. In 1979, he was hired to run a one person news department at WGEZ in Beloit. In 1982, Steve was hired as the afternoon reporter for WBEL in Beloit, and moved into the News Director position in 1989. He came back to WCLO and WJVL as the afternoon anchor and reporter in 1997, and assumed the morning anchor position in 2001.
Current application: Steve's current duties at WCLO and WJVL include downloading audio from the web and matching it with the appropriate scripts, making news calls to area police and fire agencies, editing state news from the wire, writing overnight local news stories, updating the WCLO and WJVL web pages, supplying feature stories for WCLO, writing local news stories for the afternoon news, covering meetings, court hearings or news events in the morning, and anchoring all newscasts from 5 a.m. through 7:50 a.m.
Personal anecdote: Steve is married to Susan, a secretary at Royce elementary school in Beloit. They have three adult sons, Reid, Brice and Graham. Steve enjoys theater, competitive shooting with muzzleloading rifles, camping, traveling, dining out, flying in unusual or vintage aircraft, and computer games. He's lived in Beloit most of his life and has owned an historic home on the west side since 1989.
Current application: Steve's current duties at WCLO and WJVL include downloading audio from the web and matching it with the appropriate scripts, making news calls to area police and fire agencies, editing state news from the wire, writing overnight local news stories, updating the WCLO and WJVL web pages, supplying feature stories for WCLO, writing local news stories for the afternoon news, covering meetings, court hearings or news events in the morning, and anchoring all newscasts from 5 a.m. through 7:50 a.m.
Personal anecdote: Steve is married to Susan, a secretary at Royce elementary school in Beloit. They have three adult sons, Reid, Brice and Graham. Steve enjoys theater, competitive shooting with muzzleloading rifles, camping, traveling, dining out, flying in unusual or vintage aircraft, and computer games. He's lived in Beloit most of his life and has owned an historic home on the west side since 1989.
Beth Wheelock
Education/experience: Beth Wheelock first began working at WCLO as a part-time board operator for Brewers games while earning her degree in broadcast journalism from UW-Whitewater. While in college, she also served as the Alternative Music Director at the campus radio station. She has worked as a DJ at other stations in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Beth has been the afternoon reporter and anchor for WCLO's news team since October 2006.
Current application: As the afternoon reporter, Beth typically covers two to three civic meetings a week. She regularly covers the Janesville School Board, Rock County Board and Beloit City Council meetings. She enjoys condensing two-hour meetings into two-minutes' worth of news. It is really encouraging to see Rock County citizens get involved with local politics and social issues. Her favorite field reporting assignment is, hands-down, her role as wizard journalist Rita Skeeter at Hedberg Public Library's Harry Potter release party.
Personal anecdote: Beth's favorite season is county fair season, and she hasn't missed a Walworth County Fair since she was in a stroller. She and her family showed poultry in 4H and in open class. She currently emcees the Walworth County Fair's Fur & Feather Sale each Labor Day, and began emceeing the Rock County 4H Fair's Fur & Feather Sale in 2007.
Current application: As the afternoon reporter, Beth typically covers two to three civic meetings a week. She regularly covers the Janesville School Board, Rock County Board and Beloit City Council meetings. She enjoys condensing two-hour meetings into two-minutes' worth of news. It is really encouraging to see Rock County citizens get involved with local politics and social issues. Her favorite field reporting assignment is, hands-down, her role as wizard journalist Rita Skeeter at Hedberg Public Library's Harry Potter release party.
Personal anecdote: Beth's favorite season is county fair season, and she hasn't missed a Walworth County Fair since she was in a stroller. She and her family showed poultry in 4H and in open class. She currently emcees the Walworth County Fair's Fur & Feather Sale each Labor Day, and began emceeing the Rock County 4H Fair's Fur & Feather Sale in 2007.
Kyle Geissler
Education/experience: Kyle Geissler started as a reporter in the WCLO newsroom in 2001 after graduating with a degree in radio, TV, and film from UW-Oshkosh. He returned to college in the following years to get a graduate degree in mass communication from UW-Whitewater. He wrote this thesis on the topic of “convergence”, which involves traditional mediums working together. In 2006, he moved to the position of “News Flow Editor” which gives him access to the WCLO and Janesville Gazette newsrooms to share information and provide the best news coverage for Rock County and southern Wisconsin.
Current application: As “News Flow Editor”, Kyle keeps his finger on the pulse of both the WCLO and Janesville Gazette newsroom to make sure the audience has all the most current news information available. This involves putting Janesville Gazette reporters on the air and exploring new ways to tell stories. He is also involved in the Web sites for the Janesville Gazette, WCLO, and WJVL. He played a role in the Web site’s development and continues his involvement with daily updates to the Web site, staff training, and development of future Web site projects.
Personal anecdote: Kyle enjoys spending time with his family around the house and in the garden. A fun day for him is playing yard games with friends and some cold beverages. During baseball season, you’re likely to find him next to a radio listening to the Milwaukee Brewers on WCLO. He also enjoys tinkering with computers and learning how to be handy around the house.
Current application: As “News Flow Editor”, Kyle keeps his finger on the pulse of both the WCLO and Janesville Gazette newsroom to make sure the audience has all the most current news information available. This involves putting Janesville Gazette reporters on the air and exploring new ways to tell stories. He is also involved in the Web sites for the Janesville Gazette, WCLO, and WJVL. He played a role in the Web site’s development and continues his involvement with daily updates to the Web site, staff training, and development of future Web site projects.
Personal anecdote: Kyle enjoys spending time with his family around the house and in the garden. A fun day for him is playing yard games with friends and some cold beverages. During baseball season, you’re likely to find him next to a radio listening to the Milwaukee Brewers on WCLO. He also enjoys tinkering with computers and learning how to be handy around the house.
