WRCO’s Phil Nee awarded “Certificate of Commendation and Congratulations” from State Senator Sarah Keyeski on Thursday

Phil Nee was recently awarded a “Certificate of Commendation and Congratulations” from State Senator Sarah Keyeski.

Phil was recognized for forty years of broadcasting at WRCO FM 100.9. Phil serves as General Manager of WRCO and continues to be a daily on‑air presence with “The Light in the Milkhouse Show”, “The Morning Show”, (each heard every weekday) and “Those Were The Days” heard Saturday nights from 6pm to midnight

Phil Nee is a graduate of Ithaca High School and was raised in the Aubrey Corners area of the greater Ithaca area.

After graduation, Phil attended college for his one true career LOVE – BROADCASTING!

Phil joined WRCO in 1986, stepping into a station already rich with history — WRCO first signed on in 1949. Phil quickly became known for his wit, creativity, and warm on‑air presence.

By the late 1980s, he was already a key part of the morning lineup, eventually forming the legendary “Ron & Phil in the Morning” segment — a 10‑minute unscripted daily conversation that ran for over three decades and became a cherished part of local routine. Phillip now hosts the popular “THE ROUND-UP”, with Phil and Hank (Henry Bray) every weekday at 7:20 AM.

Phil still lives in the area (just a few miles from the family farm) with his high school sweetheart, June, as his wife and partner in life. June may not always AGREE with Phil’s love of collecting vinyl records, but she does TOLERATE it, so that’s a start.

Building a legacy: mornings, sports, and Saturday nights

Across the decades, Phil became WRCO’s Swiss‑army‑knife broadcaster:

• Morning Show host — bringing community guests, humor, and local stories every weekday.
• Sports broadcaster — calling countless high school, college, and Home Talent games with professionalism and enthusiasm.
• Host of “Those Were The Days” — the classic Saturday night oldies program that became one of WRCO’s signature shows.

Listeners have come to rely on Phil for both information and entertainment — the kind of broadcaster who could make you laugh, teach you something, and keep you company all at once.

35+ years of sports broadcasting — and a major honor

Phil’s sports broadcasting career is so respected that in earlier this year, the Cazenovia Reds honored him by naming their broadcast area “The Phil Nee Broadcast Corner.”

This tribute celebrated over 35 years of Phil calling Reds baseball, sharing heartbreaks, championships, and friendships with the team and fans.

Players returned from across generations to celebrate him — a testament to how deeply Phil’s voice has become woven into local sports culture.

STATE SENATOR SARAH KEYESKI

Sarah Keyeski became a Licensed Professional Counselor and spent more than a decade providing mental‑health services in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin State Senator Sarah Keyeski is a freshman Senator who represents Senate District 14, which includes all of Richland and Sauk counties and parts of Adams, Columbia, Dane, Juneau, and Vernon counties. Sen. Keyeski served on three committees for the 2025-26 legislative session: the Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families – of which she is the ranking member; the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Revenue; and the Senate Committee on Education. 

Sen. Keyeski grew up on a family farm in Cashton, Wisconsin with her parents and four siblings. Her dad was a dairy farmer and a union railroad worker and her mom was a registered nurse.

After earning her bachelor’s degree from Luther College and then her master’s degree in psychology from Northwestern University, Sen. Keyeski became a licensed professional counselor. For over 27 years, she has worked as a mental health provider. She has her own private practice where she continues to work two days a week. 

Sen. Keyeski lives in Lodi with her husband and enjoys being a mom to six kids. She likes to spend time with her family, do anything creative, and hike on the Ice Age State Trail.

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