Bill Vancil’s career as an immensely creative program director and general manager for Mid-West Family Broadcasting’s Madison stations included co-founding and creating Magic 98, an adult-contemporary format that delivered record-setting listenership and revenues. It’s a testament to Vancil’s legacy that Magic 98’s format and image endured for several decades. He also programmed and managed the legendary WISM 1480, and served as program consultant to Mid-West Family stations WIZM La Crosse and WOSH Oshkosh.
Vancil began his radio career in 1961 as program director of KSTT in Davenport, Iowa. In 1969, he moved to Madison to program WISM-FM as a staff of one, voicing commercials and creating an innovative automated format of pop hits, “Movin’ Easy 98FM.” In 1983 he hired an on-air staff and transformed the station into a live adult contemporary format, which was an immediate success as Magic 98. In the 1990s Vancil co-founded and served as president of the Madison Area Radio Association. He retired from Mid-West as executive vice president, general manager and shareholder in 2002.
Bill Vancil: One of the REALLY GOOD GUYS !!!
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The Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame was created in 1989 to honor those broadcasters who have devoted their careers to broadcasting and its development in Wisconsin, to recognize their outstanding service to broadcasting, their communities, and their state, over at least a fifteen-year career in the industry, at least ten of which were served in Wisconsin.The first twelve members of the Hall of Fame were inducted during the 1989 WBA Summer Conference. Inductees are chosen each year from among nominations by WBA members. Broadcasters who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame include managers, personalities, engineers, reporters and those broadcasting pioneers who were at once all of the above.
In October, 1989, Alfred C. Sykes, then Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, came to Wisconsin to formally dedicate a Hall of Fame display, including plaques honoring the inductees, at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin Library in Madison. In 2010, due to remodeling of the SHSW facility, the display was removed. The Hall of Fame exhibit was relocated to the Hilton Milwaukee City Center in 2015 and enhanced with a touchscreen display featuring all inductee commemorative videos.
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