SPMC REMEMBERS KIDS-4 CO-FOUNDER, NANCY MCMAHON

SPMC REMEMBERS KIDS-4 CO-FOUNDER, NANCY MCMAHON

News and Events
Just this past week we received the rotten news that Nancy McMahon passed away. For those unfamiliar with Nancy, she was a tireless advocate for public television and specifically the role youth could play in media. McMahon, along with Marieli Rowe (who passed away late in 2020) and Bob Rodriguez, created KIDS-4 and founded Sun Prairie Cable Access in the mid-1970s. All that we do to this day at the Media Center and with the KIDS-4 program would not be possible without the visionary and pioneering efforts of McMahon. We try every day in some small way to add to the legacy that she created. Nancy McMahon obituary.
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SPMC CARDINALS BASKETBALL COVERAGE ON 103.5 FM THE SUN

SPMC CARDINALS BASKETBALL COVERAGE ON 103.5 FM THE SUN

News and Events
The Sun Prairie Media Center is pleased to announce that as the Sun Prairie Cardinals boys’ and girls’ basketball teams head on the road to compete outside of Dane County, 103.5 FM The Sun Community Radio is going with them. This follows the decision of the Sun Prairie Area School District to begin winter sports competitions on January 23 outside of Dane County as in-county competitions are still forbidden under the latest Public Health Madison and Dane County guidelines. These are the games that the Media Center is planning to carry live on 103.5 FM: Saturday, January 23                   1 PM               Girls Basketball at Appleton EastSaturday, January 23                   7 PM               Boys Basketball at FreedomThursday, January 28                   7 PM               Boys Basketball at EdgertonFriday, January 29                        2 PM                Boys Basketball at…
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Sun Prairie’s 73rd Annual Groundhog Prognostication, Presented Virtually

Sun Prairie’s 73rd Annual Groundhog Prognostication, Presented Virtually

News and Events
The City of Sun Prairie is celebrating the 73rd annual Sun Prairie Groundhog Day Prognostication with a virtual ceremony on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 produced by the Sun Prairie Media Center.  The ceremony will begin aired at 7:00AM with the Prognostication taking place at sunrise. Join us for a fun morning filled with surprises to hear Jimmy’s prediction!  Jimmy the Groundhog has an extremely high accuracy rate on his annual predictions, making him an outstanding leader in meteorological circles.You can tune into the special broadcast via TDS Channel 1013 (HD), Charter Channel 983 (SD only), Roku app (search for KSUN), Apple TV app (search for KSUN), Mobile app (search for Sun Prairie Media Center in app store or Google Play), https://www.sunprairiemediacenter.com/ksun/, or the Sun Prairie Media Center’s Facebook page.New to…
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KIDS-4 CO-FOUNDER DIES AT 94

KIDS-4 CO-FOUNDER DIES AT 94

News and Events
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…
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SPMC FEATURES VIRTUAL TREE LIGHTING & HOLIDAY LIGHTS PARADE

SPMC FEATURES VIRTUAL TREE LIGHTING & HOLIDAY LIGHTS PARADE

News and Events
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…
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IN-PERSON KIDS-4 CLASSES SUSPENDED BY SPMC UNTIL FEBRUARY

IN-PERSON KIDS-4 CLASSES SUSPENDED BY SPMC UNTIL FEBRUARY

News and Events
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…
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SUN PRAIRIE POLICE OFFER VIRTUAL CITIZENS ACADEMY FOR 2020

SUN PRAIRIE POLICE OFFER VIRTUAL CITIZENS ACADEMY FOR 2020

News and Events
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…
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MISSING CARDINAL FOOTBALL? TUNE IN FOR KSUN’S “CARDINAL REWIND” STARTING FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

MISSING CARDINAL FOOTBALL? TUNE IN FOR KSUN’S “CARDINAL REWIND” STARTING FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

News and Events
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…
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TRIVIA-PALOOZA ON 103.5FM THE SUN COMMUNITY RADIO, SEPTEMBER 26 & 27!

TRIVIA-PALOOZA ON 103.5FM THE SUN COMMUNITY RADIO, SEPTEMBER 26 & 27!

News and Events
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…
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REGISTER FOR THE 2020-2021 KIDS-4 CREW YEAR STARTING AUGUST 1

REGISTER FOR THE 2020-2021 KIDS-4 CREW YEAR STARTING AUGUST 1

News and Events
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…
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