Discover Wisconsin


Discover Wisconsin is a weekly non-fictional television program which encourages tourism in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and features profiles of cities, events and tourist attractions throughout the state. The program is written, directed and produced in Madison, Wisconsin and is billed as the longest running tourism TV show in the United States.
The program has won 20 National Telly Awards. Discover Wisconsin has also been nominated for 8 Emmy nominations, winning once in 2012 for its 25th Anniversary Special.

History

Dick Rose came up with the idea for a show in 1986 to showcase Wisconsin vacation spots. Discover Wisconsin Television began in 1987, initially airing on one affiliate in Wausau. The show began as a private partnership with Governor Tommy Thompson's Administration, and has since become entirely private under the company name . Shows may require a year or more to film and produce before airing, as they often showcase events in a community or region across different times of the year.
Discover Wisconsin TV reaches more than 600,000 viewers throughout the Midwest on a combination of network, cable and satellite stations, as well as online-only sources such as and Roku. The show is based out of Madison and Eagle River. Additionally, through the advent of satellite broadcasting, DW-TV is regularly viewed on cable stations throughout the U.S., including the Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul markets.
Hosts on the show have included Stephanie Klett, Rick Rose, Emmy Fink, Mariah Haberman, Eric Paulsen, Jake Zimmerman, Collin Geraghty, Marie Justice, Carol Crowe, Susan Shannon, Abbey Maillette and Libby Amato.

Radio

A companion radio program called Discover Wisconsin Radio began in 1993. It is broadcast statewide in Wisconsin and surrounding states on over 40 stations. The program runs Monday-Friday 52 weeks per year on its affiliate stations.