Midwest Communications President/CEO Duey E. ‘Duke’ Wright, Jr. passed away on Wednesday, December 21 at the age of 83.

Wright helped found Midwest in 1958 when as a teenager he convinced his parents to acquire the 1400 AM license in Wausau WI (now 1390 Schofield WI). The station was relaunched as Top 40 WRIG above their music store where he would work as a DJ, and after graduating college running the company as he added an FM in the market, and began expanding into other markets. The privately held Midwest currently owns stations in eighteen markets across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

Wright was inducted into the Wisconsin Broadcasting Museum Hall of Fame in 2000 and also inducted into the Wisconsin Polka Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Three of Wright’s children serve in executive roles in the company with Michael Wright as Chief Operating Officer, Mary Kay Wright as Chief Marketing Officer, and Jeff Wright as Chief Sales Officer. The trio will take over the leadership of the company.