David Sanks
David Sanks worked in almost every aspect of radio and television during his 35-year broadcasting career, but he is best known for guiding the success of WISC-TV in Madison and of its multimedia parent company, Television Wisconsin, Inc. Under his executive leadership, both the station and the company flourished. WISC-TV was a market leader the entire time Sanks was at the helm and was the first station in Wisconsin to air high-definition newscasts.
Sanks earned his degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1975 and then broke into broadcasting as a part-time studio and operations assistant at WMTV-TV in Madison. He joined WISC-TV in 1979 and, while earning a master’s degree at UW-Madison, rose through the ranks to become general manager of the station in 1990. He then served as executive vice president of Television Wisconsin from 2002 to 2012. Sanks played an important role in strengthening the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association through his work as WBA chair, WBA Foundation chair, and a founder of the Walker Broadcast Management Institute.
