John Hess

General Manager

John Hess became WUWM's General Manager in January 2020. He is a 30 year veteran of the media industry, working in television, radio and newspapers throughout his career. 

Hess has spent nearly two decades building and leading public media organizations within and outside of a university structure. Prior to joining WUWM, Hess was Chief Operating Officer for Arizona Public Media, the public radio and television organization serving southern Arizona.

Prior his service at Arizona Public Media, Hess was the General Manager/Executive Director for Boise State Public Radio for 11 years. Boise State Public Radio is a 19-station radio network serving southwest Idaho, eastern Oregon and northern Nevada. From 2000 to 2005, Hess was the Director of Broadcasting for stations KUNI/KHKE licensed to the University of Northern Iowa, managing a network of six full-service stations serving eastern and central Iowa.

Hess is also the President of the University Station Alliance, a nonprofit organization representing 80 public radio stations licensed to universities, school boards or public institutions across the country.

How UWM And Its Partners Are Dealing With The Effects Of COVID-19

By • 5 hours ago
Emily Files

WUWM's John Hess chats with UWM Chancellor Mark Mone and special guests: Danae Davis, Milwaukee Succeeds Executive Director; Tim Sheey, president, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and Julia Taylor, president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee. They discuss how UWM and its partners in the Milwaukee area are dealing with the effects of COVID-19, and how they are creating plans to safely reopen the city. They will also address how the recent unrest in the city and surrounding communities are affecting UWM and Milwaukee’s rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.