Wisconsin Public Radio is a network of 34 public radio stations in the state of Wisconsin. WPR's network is divided into two distinct analog services, the Ideas Network and the NPR News and Classical Network, as well as the "HD2 Classical Service," a digital-only, full-time classical music service.
Video Wisconsin Public Radio
History
In 1932, WHA in Madison and WLBL in Stevens Point started limited simulcasting of certain programs. However, the first real steps toward the building of what would become Wisconsin Public Radio began in 1947, with the sign-on of WHA-FM (now WERN) 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 University of Wisconsin System greatly increased WPR's reach.
Maps Wisconsin Public Radio
Ideas Network
The Ideas Network is devoted mostly to discussion and call-in shows, focusing on the state of Wisconsin and issues involving the state. The name of the network comes from the Wisconsin Idea concept associated with the UW System.
During the week, the Ideas Network airs locally produced talk programming, longtime daily reading showcase Chapter a Day, and WBUR's On Point in mid-mornings, WAMU's 1A Monday-Thursdays and National Public Radio's Science Friday in early afternoons, while at night broadcasting Q and As It Happens from CBC Radio One, along with a mix of national programs including Reveal, Latino USA and The Moth Radio Hour, as well as repeats of Chapter a Day, 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 Wisconsin Public Television.
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 A Prairie Home Companion 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 old-time radio programs. Higher Ground, a program of world music hosted by Dr. Jonathan Overby, is broadcast on Saturday night on WHAD, WPR's Ideas Network station in Milwaukee, and otherwise heard on WPR's News & Classical Music stations around the state.
The flagship station of the Ideas Network is WHA 970 AM in Madison, and it's one of the oldest existing radio stations in the world. All Ideas Network 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.
Personalities hosting call-in talk shows on the Ideas Network (as of November 2017) include Kate Archer Kent (early morning weekdays), Larry Meiller (late morning and early afternoon weekdays) and Central Time with Rob Ferrett and various co-hosts (afternoon drive time). On the typical weekday, the Ideas Network broadcasts over seven hours of live, Wisconsin-produced call-in talk shows.
NPR News and Classical Network
The NPR News and Classical Network primarily broadcasts classical music, including Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin, while serving as the network's outlet for national NPR and other public radio programming to complement the local Ideas Network schedules. With NPR's increasing news-heavy direction though, the classical music that makes up the network has been reduced to non-prime periods on the network, with NPR's programming airing in morning rush and afternoon drive, along with the evening.
These programs include NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air and Weekend Edition, as well as APM's Marketplace (it also carries Morning Marketplace during Morning Edition), the BBC World Service's Newshour, along with A Prairie Home Companion. The network also carries weekend jazz, folk and world music programming - including Higher Ground, hosted by Dr. Jonathan Overby on Saturday nights (this program is also heard on WPR's Milwaukee-based Ideas Network Station WHAD). Other forms of music such as blues, new-age, and Native American music can be heard regionally. A few Ideas Network stations in areas not served by this network carry the above programs in place of the master Ideas Network schedule.
The flagship station of the NPR News and Classical Network is WERN in Madison.
Digital Services
The HD2 Classical Network service is available through the HD Radio subchannel of at least one of the WPR stations serving each market and features music in HD Radio's CD-quality audio and simulcasting News and Classical music while it is on the air on the main signal. Stations with HD-2 service include WERN, WHAD, WHWC, WHBM, WHRM, KUWS, WPNE, WHHI, WHLA, WHDI, and WHAA. It is also available on analog translator W272CN 102.3FM in Ashland, rebroadcasting WHSA HD-2.
All three services stream real-time live over most Internet streaming venues, along with WPR's mobile app and website. Downloadable versions of WPR shows in MP3 are available, but are restricted to certain downloading guidelines and timeframes.
A few stations broadcast an HD-3 service within the network. WHRM airs the Ideas Network on HD-3 to serve the Wausau area, due to WLBL-FM being a time-share operation with Rhinelander's WXPR as WXPM (as of September 2017, WLBL-HD3 is rebroadcast full-time in the Wausau area via analog translator W267BB (101.3)). WHHI airs the News/Classical Network on HD-3 to fill in coverage gaps of WERN and WSSW. WERN also has an HD-3, which is the audio of Ideas Network station WHA to feed translator W215AQ 90.9 in Madison.
Network stations
WPR's stations are licensed to several different organizations; most stations belong to either the University of Wisconsin System and are administered by the University of Wisconsin-Extension, or to the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, a state agency. Other stations are affiliates, owned by local schools 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 (one, WEPS, is located in the northwest Chicago suburb of Elgin, and its signal does not reach the Wisconsin state line) carry the network outside of school hours and summer periods, providing a form of license protection to those stations (WEPS began to program the Ideas Network in order to fend off a license challenge due to being off-air after school hours), while WLBL-FM in Wausau shares time on its frequency with WXPW, a repeater of independently owned NPR member WXPR in Rhinelander.
Ethics and Community Guidelines
Wisconsin Public Radio states that it "is committed to the highest standards of journalistic ethics and excellence" on its website and that it ascribes to the RTDNA Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
Listeners and the broader public are invited to share their views of programs, topics and guests during radio broadcasts, on social media and wpr.org web forums and through WPR's Audience Services phone and email contacts. WPR posts guidelines for talk-show callers and online community members on its website. The guidelines are enforced through call-screeners during broadcast programs and online forums are regularly monitored by WPR staff.
Wisconsin Public Radio shows with national distribution
Current
- To the Best of Our Knowledge
- Zorba Paster On Your Health
Former
- Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?
See also
- National Public Radio
- Public Radio International
- Wisconsin Public Television
- Wisconsin Educational Communications Board
- Wisconsin Idea
References
External links
- Wisconsin Public Radio
- Wisconsin Public Radio Association
Source of article : Wikipedia
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