Former western Wisconsin radio station owner Gene Kirchner has passed away.
Born in 1936 and later serving in the Navy, Kirchner spent four decades in broadcasting, including ownership of WRDN/1430 and WRDN-FM/95.9 (Durand) from 1986 to 2001. Current WRDN owner Brian Winnekins says prior to buying WRDN, Kirchner had worked for companies that specialized in turning around stations.
Winnekins says Kirchner was a big help when he purchased the AM station in 2011 and returned it to local programming. (WRDN later added an FM translator to replace the former FM signal, which became WDMO/95.7 Baldwin.)
Kirchner died Friday, April 30. He and his wife Ellen, who preceded him in death, have five children, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date. The family asks in lieu of flowers, memorials be sent to the Durand Dugout Club or the Durand high school baseball team.