Following two years of analysis, audience research and planning, WPR is reorganizing its statewide service to help listeners more easily find and enjoy news and music on the radio and on wpr.org.
Beginning May 20, WPR’s two current networks — NPR News and Music and The Ideas Network — will become WPR News and WPR Music. The Ideas Network name will be retired, and its staff and many of its programs will be part of WPR News.
“With WPR reporters in eight local bureaus across the state, plus NPR and BBC national and global coverage, WPR News will offer an unparalleled mix of journalism from Wisconsin, the nation and the world,” WPR Director Sarah Ashworth said.
WPR News will feature news and information programs throughout the week, including “Morning Edition,” “All Things Considered,” “The Larry Meiller Show,” “Marketplace,” “1A,” “Science Friday,” “Fresh Air” and more. Popular programs like “BETA,” “The People’s Pharmacy,” “Zorba Paster On Your Health,” “To the Best of Our Knowledge,” and “Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me!,” among others, will be heard on the weekend.
“The Larry Meiller Show” will expand to two hours, and WPR will launch a new morning news and culture program called “Wisconsin Today” airing weekdays at 9 a.m. WPR hosts Kate Archer Kent and Rob Ferrett will co-host the new program. “Wisconsin Today” will cover current and emerging issues with a decidedly Wisconsin point of view. In addition to the radio program, “Wisconsin Today” will offer the latest news and cultural conversations on wpr.org.
WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” morning news podcast will continue to bring listeners top stories from around the state in less than 15 minutes each weekday morning.
WPR Music will offer an expanded, Wisconsin-hosted classical music schedule seven days a week, and will continue to offer jazz, world and folk music each weekend.
“Music brings people together and opens hearts like nothing else,” Ashworth said. “WPR Music will be a welcoming place for Wisconsinites looking for local voices and beautiful, expertly curated and inspiring music to keep them company day and night.”
Beloved WPR classical hosts Stephanie Elkins, Norman Gilliland, Lori Skelton and Ruthanne Bessman are all part of the new service, as are Dr. Jonathan Øverby, host of the award-winning world music program “The Road to Higher Ground,” and Sile Shigely, host of “Simply Folk.” WPR will continue to host its statewide broadcast of “Morning Edition” from Milwaukee with Alex Crowe each weekday.
As part of the changes, “The Morning Show” and “Central Time” will end so that Kent and Ferrett can focus on “Wisconsin Today.” Syndicated programs “1A Plus,” “As It Happens,” “Q” and “Milk Street Radio” are among a handful of national programs that will no longer be heard on WPR stations after May 20.
Some regional programs, including WPR’s three regional news programs “Route 51,” “Simply Superior” and “Newsmakers” will also end. Hosts of those three shows will produce and host weekly regional news segments that will air during “Morning Edition” beginning this summer.
“We are constantly evaluating our service to the people of Wisconsin and, like others in public media, WPR saw changes in broadcast and digital audience behavior during and after the pandemic,” Ashworth said. “No other medium is as accessible and affordable as radio and we want to make sure the news, music, information and entertainment Wisconsinites rely on is available to more people, in more places, for decades to come. WPR News and WPR Music will help make that possible.”
All of WPR’s 38 stations will shift format to either WPR News or WPR Music.
“Most listeners will continue to hear both services, but they may need to reset their radio dials to get the programs they are used to hearing,” said Marta Bechtol, executive director of the Educational Communications Board, the partner with UW-Madison in operating WPR and PBS Wisconsin.
To help listeners explore the changes and prepare for the new service on May 20, WPR is rolling out an extensive communications campaign on air, online and in the media. A dedicated web portal, wpr.org/new, includes new station maps, schedules for the new networks and other details about the changes.
Audiences can email feedback@wpr.org or call 844-266-7724 to ask questions and share comments. Ashworth will hold “learn more” sessions in eight locations around Wisconsin between April 23 and May 17.
“WPR’s remarkable 107-year history was made possible by people in the past who responded to changes in media and the needs of our state,” Ashworth said. “All of us — hosts, reporters, producers and staff — are stewards of WPR today. We take that responsibility to heart and with these changes we can ensure a bright future for WPR and continue our service to the people of Wisconsin.”
Wisconsin Public Radio reorganizing services
