Author: SPMC Staff

Staff at the Sun Prairie Media Center are saddened to report that a key figure in the formation of KIDS-4, the local cable channel that has featured programming for kids by kids since the 1970s, has passed away. Mary Dorothy “Marieli” Rowe died on December 13, 2020, at the age of 94 following a battle with cancer. Rowe was born on August 13, 1926 in Bonn, Germany, eventually moving with her family first to Switzerland and then to New York City. After getting married in 1949, Rowe and her husband moved to Boulder, Colorado, and then to Madison, Wisconsin in 1957. It was after the move to Madison that Rowe became interested in the relatively new medium of television, joining the Wisconsin Association for Better Broadcasts, a group dedicated to…

The year 2020 marks the 105th year of the lighting of the tree outside the Sun Prairie Historical Museum and Library. Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions, the city did not host a tree lighting event as in years past. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t see the tree lit up for the first time, as the Sun Prairie Media Center provided coverage of a virtual tree lighting. Special programming featuring holiday selections from the Soggy Prairie Boys, contributions from 2020-2021 KIDS-4 participants, as well as a special reading of “The Night Before Christmas” featuring – who else – Santa Claus was featured in the virtual tree lighting video. To wrap up the video, the Media Center provides a virtual trip through the Holiday Lights Drive Thru Parade that took place…

In light of the city’s decision this week to close city facilities (except by appointment) and Public Health Madison and Dane County’s issuance of Emergency Order #10, which prohibits indoor mass gatherings of any size, the Sun Prairie Media Center will be suspending in-person KIDS-4 classes beginning Wednesday, November 24. KIDS-4 is the SPMC’s after-school program during which SPASD students produce video and radio programming to air on KIDS-4 and 103.5 FM The Sun Community Radio. KIDS-4 production crews are typically each between six-eight students. “We are saddened by the decision but understand the paramount need to keep residents and city staff safe,” said SPMC director Jeff Robbins. The SPMC unveiled their plans for the remainder of the 2020-2021 KIDS-4 crew season, which typically runs from October to April. The…

The Sun Prairie Police Department is pleased to announce that they will be offering a virtual Citizens Academy for 2020.  Unfortunately with the COVID-19 pandemic, the department is not able to offer in person classes as in years past.  However, knowing the importance of this academy, including the ability to educate the citizens of Sun Prairie on the training and mission of the Sun Prairie Police Department and its staff, along with the goal of transparency to our great community, the department felt strongly to offer this academy virtually.  In partnership with the Sun Prairie Media Center, we will be able to make that happen. The 2020 Virtual Citizens Academy will be 12 different sessions that will be aired on Wednesday nights from 7:00pm to no later than 8:30pm.  These…

This season would have marked the 28th consecutive year of Sun Prairie Media Center-produced Sun Prairie High School football game broadcasts. 2020 would have also marked the 28th consecutive year that producer Mike Powers has served as the Media Center’s football play-by-play announcer. Even though the pandemic has put SPHS football on hold (for now), Mike Powers and his broadcasting partner Bill Baker are back to talk football. How? Well, recently Powers and Baker got together with Cardinal head football coach Brian Kaminski to talk about the latest with the football program and to reminiscence about the 2019 season. Those conversations will play as introductions and epilogues to replays of the 2019 home football season, which will begin airing on KSUN on Friday, September 18. Powers, Baker, and Kaminski talk…

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of 103.5 FM The Sun Community Radio and the SPMC’s soon-to-be-ready new radio studio, the Friends of the Sun Prairie Media Center are hosting a live, on-air, twenty-hour trivia contest. Think you know your stuff? Prove it.   Trivia-Palooza will be happening live on 103.5 FM The Sun Community Radio from 9 AM-7 PM on both Saturday, September 26, and Sunday, September 27.   You don’t have to play all 20 hours, but we think you’ll want to. There will be valuable prizes each hour. Plus, whoever answers the most questions correctly over the weekend will be eligible for a — get this — grand prize! Registration to play Trivia-Palooza is now open! You can sign up to play for free right here. You must be registered…

A new year of KIDS-4 is just around the corner! KIDS-4 is an after-school media production program run by the Sun Prairie Media Center designed for SPASD students in 4th through 8th grade. KIDS-4 “crews” start in mid-October and will run through the end of April. KIDS-4 Registration for the 2020-2021 crew year opens on August 1. Registration forms can be found online at www.kids4.tv/kids-4-signup-info. Students enrolled in KIDS-4 work after school once a week in "crews" and their work airs on KIDS-4, a 24-hour public access station available on Charter, TDS, Roku and Apple TV devices, as well as streaming on kids4.tv. Some projects will air on 103.5 The Sun Community Radio. The Media Center understands concerns about COVID-19 during these unusual times. Summer workshops – basically condensed versions…

The Sun Prairie Media Center is happy to announce the launch of a new weekly 10-minute newscast entitled “Sun Prairie In Focus.” The newscast is produced and anchored by former WKOW-TV reporter/anchor and current Sun Prairie resident Dan Presser. The goal of “Sun Prairie In Focus” is to highlight the city’s weekly news and events in an entertaining, easily-digestible format. While the Sun Prairie Media Center is closed, Presser will be anchoring the segments from his house but looks forward to being able to use the SPMC studios soon. Anyone with any story ideas or suggestions is urged to e-mail spmcinfocus@gmail.com. Right now it is the goal for new episodes to be uploaded every Monday afternoon to the Sun Prairie Media Center on-demand player and SPMC app, with frequent playback…

The Sun Prairie Media Center is happy to be collaborating with the Sun Prairie Area School District on a virtual high school graduation, set to be broadcast on June 12 at 6:30 PM, the date and time that the in-person graduation was originally scheduled. Currently the plan is for the broadcast to air on KSUN and its related platforms as well as on the SPASD’s YouTube page. “I’m thrilled that the district approached us with this idea,” said SPMC director Jeff Robbins. “Anything we can do to brighten what has been a tough year for high school seniors, we are happy to do.” The broadcast is set to include class speeches recorded remotely as well as a complete reading of graduates to be accompanied by their senior pictures. The district…

The Sun Prairie Media Center wants to know what you’re up to behind closed doors. As Sun Prairie residents, businesses, students, and city government struggle to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and the massive shutdowns, closures, cancellations, and social distancing that it has brought our way, most of us are looking to move on and forget much about our current situation. But it’s true that in the not-too-distant future, people will want to remember what life was like during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sun Prairie Media Center, home to public access TV channels KSUN, KIDS-4, and the community radio station 103.5 FM The Sun, is hoping that you’ll take time to document what you are doing during the quarantine in the form of a short video. How are you passing…