Wisconsin Public Radio
Wisconsin Public Radio is a network of 38 public radio stations in the state of Wisconsin. WPR's network is divided into two distinct services, the WPR News Network and the WPR Music Network.
History
Wisconsin Public Radio has origins that date to 1914. For history prior to the formation of Wisconsin Public Radio, see WHA.The first real steps toward the building of what would become Wisconsin Public Radio began in 1947, with the sign-on of WHA-FM as a sister station to WHA. Between 1948 and 1965, seven more FM stations signed on as part of what was initially dubbed Wisconsin Educational Radio. The network became Wisconsin Public Radio in 1971, when it became a charter member of National Public Radio. Shortly afterward, the merger of the University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin State University systems into the present-day University of Wisconsin System greatly increased WPR's reach.
WPR News
WPR News is devoted mostly to NPR syndicated programming and WPR produced media. During the week, the WPR News airs Morning Edition, All Things Considered, On Point, 1A, Science Friday, along with a mix of national programs including Reveal, Latino USA and The Moth Radio Hour, and overnight, the BBC World Service.In election years, expanded political coverage occurs, along with WPR often coordinating in part political debates for the state's highest offices such as Governor and Attorney General, often with PBS Wisconsin.
On the weekend, it airs WPR-produced shows, such as Zorba Paster On Your Health and To the Best of Our Knowledge. Weekends also include NPR/PRI/APM entertainment programming such as Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, Ask Me Another, Radiolab and Live from Here on Saturdays, with Says You!, A Way with Words, Milk Street Radio, Bullseye with Jesse Thorn, and This American Life on Sundays. Other WPR-originated programming on the weekends include: University of the Air, the folk music focused Simply Folk, and PRX Remix. On June 23, 2025, WPR announced it would end Zorba Paster On Your Health, BETA, ''University of the Air, and To the Best of Our Knowledge'. University of the Air began as Wisconsin School of the Air in 1931 and changed to its current name in 1978.
The flagship station of the WPR News is WHA 970 AM in Madison, one of the oldest existing radio stations in the world, and WERN 88.7 FM in Madison. Most WPR News stations broadcast in analog monaural sound to provide those signals the largest coverage areas possible, while the HD Radio and Internet streaming feeds broadcast in stereo.
Prior to 2024, the network hosted two call in shows during the morning and evening drive times, The Morning Show and Central Time. Personalities hosting call-in talk shows on the Ideas Network included Kate Archer Kent, and Central Time'' with Rob Ferrett and various co-hosts. On the typical weekday, the Ideas Network broadcast over seven hours of live, Wisconsin-produced call-in talk shows. This was reduced in 2024 when the network restructured.
The network carried old time radio programming on weekend evenings, but discontinued doing so in June 2020 due to the racial and sexist views of the era proving outdated and offensive to general audiences.
WPR Music
The WPR Music network broadcasts locally produced and syndicated classical music program 24 hours a day. Local programs include Morning Classics with Stephanie Elkins, Midday Classics with Norman Gilliland, Afternoon Classics with Jason Heilman, Drivetime Classics with Jason Heilman, Classics by Request with Ruthanne Bessman, BETA, The Road to Higher Ground with Jonathan Overby, Wisconsin Classical with Lori Skelton, Simply Folk with Sile Shigley, The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Broadcast Network, and Chapter A Day. Syndicated programming mostly includes content from Classical 24. Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts air during the opera season. Syndicated Jazz music is heard on Friday and Saturday nights.Prior to 2024, NPR News & Music Network, formerly the NPR News & Classical Network, was originally devoted to classical music, along with carrying the national NPR News programs Morning Edition and All Things Considered, though its news and talk programs increased since the early 2000s. It carried the syndicated Classical 24 network in non-prime hours, while daily classical programming originated from Madison. Higher Ground, a program of world music hosted by Dr. Jonathan Overby, was broadcast on Saturday night on WHAD, WPR's Ideas Network station in Milwaukee, to provide coverage outside of the New & Classical network.
In addition to the programs above, this network carried Fresh Air, Weekend Edition, APM's Marketplace, the BBC World Service's Newshour, and Live from Here. Other forms of music such as blues, new-age, and Native American music can be heard regionally.
The NPR News & Music network did not have a presence in Milwaukee until 2024. Flagship NPR programming was aired on WUWM, which is independent from Wisconsin Public Radio. Programming from the NPR News & Music feed could be heard in Milwaukee on WHAD HD-2 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.. The network was partially available in western suburbs from WERN and in south shore suburbs from WGTD.
Other digital services
Wisconsin Public Radio operates a mobile app on the Apple and Android platforms. The app includes in-app readers of local and national news articles from WPR and NPR. The app also includes streaming media players for both WPR News and WPR Music networks, along with full program guides to each service.Wisconsin Public Radio produces several podcasts available on their mobile app, website, and many podcasting platforms.
A few stations broadcast on HD radio within the network. WERN airs WPR Music on the HD-2 channel, which is used to feed local analog translators on 90.5 and 107.9. WHAD airs WPR News on its HD-2 channel. WHRM airs the WPR Music on HD-2 to serve the Wausau area. WHHI airs WPR News on HD-2. Radio display information is limited to station identification only.
WPR affiliate station WGTD HD-2 offers a 24/7 jazz, big band and blues service, and WGTD HD-3 provides a reading service for the blind and visually impaired.
Network stations
WPR's stations are licensed to several different organizations. Most stations are owned by either the University of Wisconsin System or by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, a state agency . The University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board stations are administered by WHA Radio, a department of the University of Wisconsin – Madison, for the UW System Board of Regents. Other stations are affiliates, owned by local school districts or colleges.The network's headquarters are located on the Madison campus where the majority of programs are produced. Some of WPR's regional studios produce local programming. Not all UW-owned stations are part of Wisconsin Public Radio's network; some are student-run, and others, like WUWM, are part of the UW-system, but not part of WPR. Two high school radio stations carry the network outside of school hours and summer periods, providing a form of license protection to those stations, while WLBL-FM in Wausau shares time on its frequency with WXPW, a repeater of independently owned NPR member WXPR in Rhinelander.
2024 Programming Restructure and Current Station List
In April 2024, WPR announced a restructuring of its two analog networks, to take place on May 20 of that year. The Ideas Network was retired and its staff and most of its programming transferred to a new service called WPR News, while a new WPR Music service featured expanded schedules of classical music throughout the week, with jazz, world, and folk music heard on the weekends. Many WPR stations switched programming services; in Milwaukee, WHAD joined the WPR Music service while WHA and WERN in Madison will join WPR News, with the low powered FM translators currently carrying the Ideas Network from WHA airing WPR Music going forward.Most syndicated NPR programming continued on WPR News. However, 1A Plus, As It Happens, Q, and Milk Street Radio were removed from the network. WPR network programs The Morning Show and Central Time were replaced with a one-hour show called Wisconsin Today. WPR regional news programs Route 51, Simply Superior, and Newsmakers were replaced with regional news updates during Morning edition on their local network stations. Syndicated classical programming Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin and Classical 24 will be removed from the program schedule, while Chapter a Day will move to WPR Music.
At the time of the announcement, no information was provided by WPR on changes to the All Classical Network or any of its HD radio services. Later, it was announced that The All Classical Network and most HD radio services would cease at the time of transition. WPR noted on their website, "We are encouraging people to use online audio instead of HD because it is easier to find for most people"
Gateway Technical College's WGTD affiliate confirmed its general alignment to WPR News, but stated all local programming would be preserved with slight schedule adjustments. Their Radio Reading Service would be preserved as well. WGTD also announced plans to create a new HD3 station, which would simulcast programming from WPR Music.
| Location | Frequency | Call sign | Before Restructure | After Restructure |
| Brule | 89.9 FM | WHSA | NPR News & Music | WPR News |
| Eau Claire | 89.7 FM | WUEC | NPR News & Music | WPR Music |
| Elkhorn | 101.7 FM | W269BV | NPR News & Music | WPR News |
| Green Bay | 89.3 FM | WPNE | NPR News & Music | WPR News |
| Lake Geneva | 103.3 FM | W277BM | NPR News & Music | WPR News |
| Kenosha | 91.1 FM | WGTD | NPR News & Music | WPR News |
| La Crosse | 88.9 FM | WLSU | NPR News & Music | WPR Music |
| Madison | 88.7 FM | WERN | NPR News & Music | WPR News |
| Menomonie | 90.7 FM | WVSS | NPR News & Music | WPR Music |
| Sister Bay | 89.7 FM | WHND | NPR News & Music | WPR News |
| Superior | 88.5 FM | WSSU | NPR News & Music | WPR News |
| Washburn | 104.7 FM | WHWA | NPR News & Music | WPR Music |
| Wausau | 90.9 FM | WHRM | NPR News & Music | WPR News |
| Ashland | 90.9 FM | WUWS | NPR News & Music | WPR News |
| Adams | 89.1 FM | WHAA | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| Delafield | 90.7 FM | WHAD | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| Highland | 91.3 FM | WHHI | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| Eau Claire | 88.3 FM | WHWC | The Ideas Network | WPR News |
| Elgin, IL | 88.9 FM | WEPS | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| Green Bay | 88.1 FM | WHID | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| Janesville | 100.3 FM | W262DD | The Ideas Network | WPR News |
| La Crosse | 90.3 FM | WHLA | The Ideas Network | WPR News |
| Madison | 970 AM | WHA | The Ideas Network | WPR News |
| Madison | 107.9 FM | W300BM | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| Madison | 90.5 FM | W213CE | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| Menomonie | 88.3 FM | WHWC | The Ideas Network | WPR News |
| Oshkosh | 90.3 FM | WRST-FM | The Ideas Network | WPR News |
| Park Falls | 90.3 FM | WHBM | The Ideas Network | WPR News |
| Rhinelander | 89.9 FM | WHSF | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| River Falls | 88.7 FM | WRFW | The Ideas Network | WPR News |
| Sheboygan | 91.7 FM | WSHS | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| Sister Bay | 91.9 FM | WHDI | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| Stevens Point | 930 AM | WLBL | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| Superior | 91.3 FM | KUWS | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| Wausau | 91.9 FM | WLBL-FM | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| Wausau | 101.3 FM | W267BB | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| Marshfield | 100.9 FM | W256DC | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |
| Stevens Point | 99.1 FM | W256CZ | The Ideas Network | WPR Music |