WUWM has been serving the Milwaukee area for more than 60 years. And one of the most prominent ways we do that is by providing crucial local coverage of important things happening in Milwaukee. That’s where Lake Effect comes in, which is our flagship local news program.
The team is led by executive producer Becky Mortensen, who ensures the show always airs Monday through Thursday from noon until 1 p.m. And for this segment of our “Get to Know WUWM” series, we sat down with Becky to learn more about her background in news and content, her journey to the station and what she’s most proud of during her time here.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Can you walk us through some of the process that led you to the station? How did you first learn about this opportunity?
It came across the WUWM radio airwaves actually. In 2019, I was working as a TV producer, and I was looking for new opportunities. And I listened to WUWM every day on my way to work and my way home from work. And I remember this very vividly. I was sitting under an overpass, waiting to get on the highway, going to work, and I heard [WUWM Morning Edition Host], Rachel Owens come on and talk about the opportunity for a job here as the executive producer for Lake Effect. And I was like, “That's it! I want to work there so bad.” So yeah, I applied and here I am.
You talked a little bit about some of the other general areas that you focus on, but Lake Effect is still happening every day while those other projects are happening at the same time. How do you juggle all of those things at once?
I'm really proud of Swing State of the Union and I think last year was unique in that we had so many projects to juggle, just related to the election. I think, over a couple years, we've really worked on a strategy on how we approach our election coverage that is tailored to what people want, and the stories that they're looking for to make informed decisions. And the juggle feels worth it when you feel like what you're producing is really helpful to people. It was a big undertaking, but it felt good. You make it work if you feel like the work is worth it, and I think it was.
Can you speak a little bit more about some of the projects and accomplishments that you're most proud of in your tenure here?
The election coverage I am very proud of. And I'm proud of the show. I hear everything, obviously. I edit everything and there's stuff that I've learned — I never thought I would want to know about. And I try to tell the producers when this happens, where I'll be sitting in my office doing an edit, and I'm smiling and having a good time listening to some of the stories that we have. And it makes me happy to work here with all these people who can find these really great stories and evoke an emotion. And I hope that happens for our listeners as well.
