KUWS Northern Regional Manager Paul Damberg Considers Signing Off

After 34 years of radio broadcasting, KUWS Northern Regional Manager Paul Damberg considers signing off from public radio. WPR is currently in transition to fill the Northern Regional Outreach Specialist position. In conjunction with WPR, the University of Wisconsin-Superior appointed Communicating Arts Sr. Lecturer Tom Hansen as Student Production Director.

“I’ve spent over 34 years working in Public Radio and nonprofit fundraising,” said Damberg. “Public radio is one of the last places where one can hear what’s happening right here in our community. It is part of what brought me into public radio in the beginning.”

The Northern Regional Manager oversees five radio station between Superior, Ashland, and Brule, Wis. Starting May 20, 2024, WPR will complete their switch to either WPR News or Music. Student programing will remain on KUWS from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. | Photo courtesy of WPR

The Northern Regional Manager oversees and operates five stations. KUWS 91.3 and WSSU 88.5 out of Superior, Wis. WHWA 104.7 and WUWS 90.9 out of Ashland, Wis. WHSA 89.9 out of Brule, Wis. Since 2016, Damberg oversaw and managed the programming of the five stations and interfaced with the community, bringing WPR to the region and voiced community concerns back to Madison.

But Damberg got his start working in theatrical and audio production work in high school. At the time he started his own lighting company and did disco dances. It was in college at Macalester College where Damberg found his love for public radio. After graduation, he worked at KAXE in Grand Rapids, Minn., before working long-term at KUMD as their Development Director. Despite his long tenure, Damberg was fired for not having a master’s degree 17 years in.

Damberg then switched to Laker Superior College as the Foundation Director for six years before leaving Higher Education.  Damberg then became the Foundation Director for the Human Development Center for a shorter three years.

“I then went okay. I’ve leaped from job to job, I’m going to take a little time out and make sure I find the right fit. And I really loved public radio,” said Damberg. “But at the time there was not a position for me at UMD’s KUMD. I was looking at foundation hiring and getting in at educational institutions down in the Twin Cities. But my good friend John Munson reached out to me and said, ‘you know I’m retiring, and I can’t think of a better person than you to take over and knows the area and knows what needs to happen.’”

Damberg standing with prosthetic after leg amputation. | Photo provided by Paul Damberg

But in 2021 the unthinkable happened as Damberg developed necrotizing fasciitis, a serious bacterial infection that destroys tissue under the skin. Doctors hinted that if they didn’t amputate Damberg’s leg, he wouldn’t have survived. According to the National Health Institute, each year 20,000 people are diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis and face a 25% survival rate. Damberg made a hard decision. “So I said take the foot and they did, and later they amputated above the knee,” said Damberg. But while in recovery, Damberg developed a staphylococcus aureus infection on his other foot making him unable to walk.

Out of commission for upwards of 10 months, and with a limited staff of two other people. Uncertainty and stress shrouded Damberg and his role around KUWS. “When you lose a leg above the knee, life gets really hard. It gets really difficult,” said Damberg.

With a lack of an office support staff, three students kept the station on-air. “But I really credit those three kids,” said Damberg. “They worked with engineering to address things and kept the radio station going. WPR was always the back stop to them.”

Two of the students that helped Damberg during his recovery have furthered their careers in broadcasting. After graduation, Eliot Sweere landed a job as a news producer at KELOLAND News in Sioux Falls, SD. Meanwhile Adam DeMuth stayed in the Twin Ports, now at Northern News Now as a technical director and photojournalists.

“I didn’t know anything about audio, I didn’t know anything about radio,” said DeMuth. “Paul is the master of it all. When I say that I got the best experience that I can get at KUWS, I truly mean that.” DeMuth was taking generals for years before he met Damberg at UWS. But after seeing Damberg set up audio equipment at a campus event, DeMuth checked out KUWS and got his start in broadcasting. “I would have never had that opportunity without Paul Damberg. He taught be everything that I knew from where a mic goes, to how to speak into a mic, and the basics of radio,” said DeMuth. “I don’t think that I would be here working in news if it wasn’t for that experience.”

Since Damberg’s recovery, KUWS has renovated it’s studio spaces to be more wheelchair accessible. Between it’s three recording studios, an adjustable standing desk was installed for easier operations. Pictured, Damberg at the directing board with environment, energy, and northern Wisconsin beat Reporter Danielle Kaeding. | Photo by Drew Kerner.

But Damberg looks forward to his retirement – sooner rather than later. A boy scout for life, he’s taken up woodworking and aims to live a quieter life, spending more time with his family and at his cabin on Lake Vermillion.

“This really wasn’t the way I saw my 35-year career becoming. I’m tired. I’ve put on weight, that’s stress related. There’s a lot of stress in this job. Especially now as I’m not able to do the things that I need to,” said Damberg. “At the same time, in retirement there will be no committee meetings, I will not have to build a process, I won’t have to request things in triplicate, I’ll just get to work with wood, and it doesn’t talk back.”