R.I.P.: Duke Wright, Midwest Communications President/CEO

Duke Wright (1938-2022)

Midwest Communications President/CEO Duey E. ‘Duke’ Wright, Jr., President/CEO of Midwest Communications died earlier this week at the age of 83.

As a young boy, Wright, who at the age of three would sit for hours in his family’s living room mesmerized by the console radio.  It was there that he fell in love with music and the possibilities that radio possessed.  Reflecting on those days, Wright said, “You couldn’t see it, you couldn’t feel it, but you could hear it, and I thought that was pretty neat,” according to a posting on the Midwest Communications website.

In 1958, as his high school teacher persuaded him to pursue business at the University of Wisconsin, Duke’s vision for the future became crystal clear, radio!  Wright could combine his love of music and engineering with his business knowledge to capture a career in radio.

When Wright learned local radio station, WSAU’s original frequency was potentially for sale due to FCC license changes, he contacted the owners, Wisconsin Valley Television Company, in hopes of starting his radio career.  They initially declined his offer, but two weeks later, they agreed to sell the station to the Wright Family for $54,000.  Without the support of his parents, today’s Midwest Communications would not have been possible.  Wisconsin Valley Television Company would keep the WSAU call letters, but the Wrights officially took over 1400 AM.  On August 1, 1958, WRIG signed on the air playing Top 40 music.

In 1964, stereo FM radio was just getting started. Wright believed that FM would one day be the dominant radio medium of the world and decided to expand with the construction of 101.9 FM.  WRIG FM was the first FM station in Central Wisconsin and was broadcast as a simulcast of WRIG AM.

By 1966, after convincing a few other area radio stations to opt-in and contribute to a ratings book, the first big ratings book ever in Marathon County was released, showing that WRIG was number one! From there, Midwest Communications continued to expand and grow into many markets.

In the early 90s, when station ownership rules changed, Duke had three options: sell at an all-time premium, go public and expand with the use of shareholder monies, or make his own way.  Wright chose the latter and strategically expanded, becoming the largest privately owned radio company in America.  Back home in Wausau, Duke bought WIFC FM and WSAU AM and thought, “I won.” Duke said, “It wasn’t the biggest deal we had ever done, but it was special. I bought my original competition from 1958.”

When Duke was 14, he was blown away by a Frankie Yankovic performance at the Rothschild Pavilion.  He tagged alongside his parents when they couldn’t find a babysitter.  While he was technically inclined, it was at this concert that Duke felt his place in this world as a professional musician.  The next day, he signed up for accordion lessons, which during this time was the number one musical instrument that people were learning to play.  He started his own band and would play on a show broadcasted by the local TV station.  Yankovic ended up being signed by a major label, Columbia Records and sold some two million records.  The next time Duke saw Frankie Yankovic, they played on stage together.  They would go on to play together many times, with the last time being at the Pulaski Polka Days in 1993. Wright was inducted into the Polka Hall of Fame in 2010.

Wright’s other accolades include being inducted into the The Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame in October 1989, receiving the Conclave Rockwell Lifetime Award in July 2016, and was on Radio Ink’s 40 Most Powerful People in Radio numerous years.