Thursday, July 9, 2009: Organizers of the Northwest Wisconsin Sustainable Living Fair in Rusk County join us with insight into how to preserve natural resources for the next generation.
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The program airs regularly on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. on Ideas 88.3 WHWC in western Wisconsin.
Contact: wagner@wpr.org - Phone: 715-839-3869
Audio archives are available here.
Join us on a new day - Thursdays at 5pm for "The West Side." It's a call-in program featuring our award-winning reporter Mary Jo Wagner, on Ideas 88.3 WHWC/ Menomonie-Eau Claire.
Starting February 4, 2002, Mary Jo began hosting and producing “The West Side”as an issues-based call-in program. It delves into topics that may have more impact in western Wisconsin than in other parts of the state. As of April 30, 2009, the program moved from Monday and Tuesday to Thursdays.
It’s all coordinated and hosted by Mary Jo, a host and reporter for Wisconsin Public Radio’s western bureau in Eau Claire for the past 19 years. The program has won 5 Eric Sevaraid awards from the Northwest Broad News Association, a Second Place from the national Public Radio News Directors Inc. and 2 national awards from the Outdoors Writers
Association of America in the radio division.
"The West Side" is similar in style to the statewide call-ins hosted by Joy Cardin (M-F 6-9 a.m.), Kathleen Dunn (M-F 9-11 a.m.) and Ben Merens (M-F 3-5 p.m.), with a regional flavor.
Topics include the state budget and effects of proposed legislation on local residents. We also explore other issues from a western Wisconsin perspective - sustainability, university issues, racial diversity, school funding, health care, economics and the effects of recession, agriculture, and the need for jails, etc. During the 2008 election season, 41 candidates for State Assembly and State Senate shared an hour with their opponent. We provide extensive election night coverage using software written by UW-Eau Claire students.
In comparison to her news duties, Mary Jo finds the call-in format allows her to expand the time she can devote to an issue and give listeners an opportunity to ask questions. She seeks to make sure we do a good job of covering a wide variety of issues so the knowledge base of our audience is expanded.
Two UW-Eau Claire emeritus professors bring a wealth of experience and resources to their roles as volunteer producers for the program. UW-Eau Claire Political Science professor Mort Sipress and UWEC Journalism professor Henry Lippold (a 2002 inductee into the Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame) help brainstorm topic ideas, contact guests and operate the call-in phone system.
LISTEN TO A SAMPLE OF WINNERS FROM NBNA AND PRNDI:
December 10, 2007: Can homelessness be solved without government help? Hope Gospel Mission in Eau Claire is trying. Guests include Gary Steward, Executive Director; Craig Pedersen, Business Manager of Building Hope, the Bargain Center and the Auto Dealership; Jeff White is a resident in the men's shelter. Listen
December 12, 2006 A homeless shelter in Somerset takes in people from some of the
richest counties in the state. Who are the rural homeless and where do
they go in western Wisconsin? Guests include Duana Bremer, Director of Grace Place, the Salvation Army's shelter program in Polk and St. Croix County; Robin Tibado is Social Assets director at West Cap; Ken Lowry lived at Grace Place after years in and out of jail and prison. Listen
