Who Says Wisconsin News Can’t Be Fun?

UpNorthNews celebrates four years of being Unabashedly Wisconsin, and our radio show marks one year of making it enjoyable to keep up to date with the headlines and stories that affect an entire state.

Hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites can’t be wrong. There’s an appetite out there for news about Wisconsin that’s delivered as personably as it is professionally. That’s the mindset we took into creating UpNorthNews four years ago over the holiday season—and it transferred nicely to a radio show that’s been a part of early mornings around the state for one year now. Consider us immeasurably grateful.

From your online comments and radio station phone calls to your email critiques and generous donations mailed to our little Post Office Box 29 in Chippewa Falls, it’s your feedback that has shaped our style. We want you to be fully informed on Wisconsin news. You want it delivered on whatever platform suits you. It looks like it’s been another win-win in 2023.

You appreciated our updates on important stories like the state Supreme Court election and the legal fight to restore women’s healthcare rights, both in and outside of Wisconsin. You clicked, read, and watched our feature stories—ranging from a World War II ship stopping in La Crosse to a rundown of your favorite supper clubs. But we especially enjoyed that you understood the value in weaving our stories around uplifting people, beautiful sites, and a fun workspace.

After all, where else could a humble radio host in western Wisconsin be instructed by his producer in Madison and his co-host in Green Bay to open his lower desk drawer and find that they had conspired with someone to supply an entire surprise birthday kit, complete with a tasty beverage?! We like fun, and we know you do too.

We’ve shown you how a tractor demolition derby has become the saving financial grace of one county fair, how the nation’s best chainsaw carvers gather in Eau Claire, and how we can grow some mighty large pumpkins in Wisconsin.

And we’ve shown you the best work from a variety of Wisconsin content creators who visit pizza ranches, track cows on the loose in Port Washington, and mark a rare visit of flamingos to… Port Washington.  Guess we know who wins Wisconsin’s animal tourism award this year!

We started UpNorthNews from the blank space of a website that’s now told thousands of stories and a newsletter that’s grown from no subscribers to 120,000—assembled daily by Christina Lorey. A single Facebook post has led to social media feeds across multiple platforms—managed daily by Cherita Booker. A growing library of local video stories is being built by multimedia producer Salina Heller. And your humble Founding Editor offers a morning radio show on eight Wisconsin stations and multiple pages spanning Facebook, YouTube, and Xwitter—or whatever it’s called these days.

It’s been an intense ride, these last four years. And it’s not slowing down. There’s a lot to unpack every day when it comes to Wisconsin news, the important issues, and the entertaining features that remind us of what a great place we call home. Thanks for coming along. Happy Holidays and enjoy a little break before we go taking on 2024 together.