Thom Gerretsen, Wayne Larrivee, Jack Mitchell, and Nancy Zieman are entering the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame, but the gathering to honor their achievements has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The WBA’s summer conference won’t be held this year, so the four will be honored at the 2021 conference. The Hall of Fame display is located at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center and www.wisconsinbroadcastingmuseum.org.
Thom Gerretsen covered news and sports in Wisconsin for decades at Goetz Broadcasting and the Wheeler News Service. He interviewed presidents and sports legends but also led the way with local news.
Wayne Larrivee is known as “the voice of the Green Bay Packers,” reporting radio play-by-play for the green and gold since 1999. Many listeners may not realize he also called games for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chicago Bears earlier in his 40-year career working with NFL teams.
Jack Mitchell was National Public Radio’s first employee and the first announcer for All Things Considered. He led Wisconsin Public Radio for two decades, where he established regional bureaus and split the stations into two services, a practice that was later adopted nationwide.
Nancy Zieman hosted “Sewing with Nancy,” the longest-running sewing program on TV, from 1982 until her death in 2017. The program was co-produced by Wisconsin Public Television and ran on hundreds of stations, and reruns continue to air.
More detailed biographies are available in the WBA’s announcement.