Dec. 17, 2025, 7:05 p.m. CT
Civic Media is acquiring the state’s first Black-owned radio station and its sister weekly newspaper.
The Wisconsin news and progressive-talk radio network announced Dec. 17 that it is adding WNOV 860 AM/106.5 FM, based in Milwaukee, and the weekly Milwaukee Courier newspaper.
Civic Media will assume responsibility for programming at both outlets beginning Jan. 1. Operations will be managed by Robert “Biko” Baker, who is part of the academic staff at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a noted journalist.
Dr. Jerrel Jones founded the weekly Milwaukee Courier newspaper in 1964 and had been its president and CEO for 61 years. Jones started the newspaper during the Civil Rights movement and the desegregation of Milwaukee’s schools, a critical time for Milwaukee Black residents to have a platform that reflected their views.
Jones’ Courier Communications bought WNOV in 1972, making it the first Black-owned radio station in Wisconsin and one of 30 in the United States, according to the station’s website. He expanded his media holdings in 2013 with the purchase of the Madison Times, a Black newspaper in Madison.
Jones died earlier this year at the age of 85.
Jones’ daughter, Mary Ellen, is the current owner and president of WNOV. She and her brother, Jerrel, will consult and assist with the transition.
“I am excited to help continue the legacy of the Jones family by working with Civic Media,” Baker said in a statement. “This is a historic opportunity to keep important organizations engaged with the community. This is exactly the vision that Mr. Jones had in mind.”
Jones’ widow, Earnestine, said, “When Jerrel and I founded The Milwaukee Courier and WNOV, we believed that accurate information is powerful and our voices matter. As my family passes the torch to Civic Media, we do so with trust that this mission will continue to grow, serve, and remain rooted in truth and integrity.”
Civic Media operates a growing network of broadcast, digital and streaming platforms, airing across Wisconsin and Michigan.
Civic Media’s longtime talk show host Earl Ingram said this transition marks a new beginning for a long-standing Milwaukee institution, allowing it to remain a beacon in the city’s Black community.
“Many of the staples of the station will remain, and a fresh new outlook, including a mix of young and old voices, will power it into a renewed community-centered platform,” said Ingram, host of “What’s Going On.”
