Tammy Baldwin: “today I rise to honor Neil Heinen, editorial director for WISC-TV and Madison Magazine, on his retirement. Throughout…”

“today I rise to honor Neil Heinen, editorial director for WISC-TV and Madison Magazine, on his retirement. Throughout his remarkable career, Neil has been steadfast in his commitment to fair and honest reporting, clear-headed editorials and fascinating stories about the community he loves. Born in Milwaukee, WI as the oldest of 11 children, Neil first attended St. Norbert College in Green Bay in 1969. He dropped out to spend 4 years working in a mental hospital, where he said he received his real education. He worked as a bartender and actor in Madison before deciding to study journalism at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. He began his career at WIBA radio station, spending 10 years on the air before joining the team at WISC-TV News as a news assignment editor. It was there that Neil worked with longtime station manager Tom Bier to create an editorial director job just as most stations were eliminating their editorial departments. Neil delivered more than 7,400 on-air editorials since he first conveyed the station's views in April of 1992. He also hosted a Sunday morning public affairs program, ``For the Record,'' that ran 1,500 episodes over 30 years. Perhaps Neil's greatest legacy is his leadership in guiding the growth and creativity of Madison Magazine, which won countless awards for providing its nearly 170,000 readers with interesting coverage of local people, entertainment, and issues.…”