About Us
More than a century of service
University of Wisconsin Professors William Bennett and Earle M. Terry founded WPR’s predecessor, 9XM. The station, which became WHA, began broadcasting information to the public in 1917 and launched an institution committed to sharing the educational resources of the university with the state’s residents.
Today, WPR’s news, music, conversation and entertainment programs inform, inspire and build communities throughout Wisconsin and around the world. Our commitment to the highest standards of news and cultural content reflects our belief that people and communities thrive with an open exchange of ideas and information.
Read our land acknowledgment statement.
Three networks - on air and online
The Ideas Network
The Ideas Network fosters lifelong learning and community engagement through regional, statewide and national call-in shows that focus on everything from current events to practical advice to pop culture. WPR’s daily programs include "The Morning Show," "The Larry Meiller Show," "Chapter A Day" and "Central Time." "BETA" is heard on the weekends.
NPR News and Music
WPR's trusted and timely news programs include "Morning Edition," "All Things Considered" and the best of NPR, the BBC and APM plus state and local news every weekday. Classical music soothes the soul days, evenings and overnight with programs like "Morning Classics," "The Midday," "Afternoon Classics" and "Classics by Request." Listeners can enjoy World music on "The Road to Higher Ground with Jonathan Overby" and folk from "Simply Folk" on the weekend.
WPR All Classical
A mix of locally and nationally hosted classical music programs are available 24/7 via select HD radio stations and streaming anywhere on wpr.org.
Digital
WPR’s website provides fresh news, live streams, podcasts, music interviews, and a forum audiences can comment on the issues of the day. Tens of thousands of archived programs and news stories are searchable by guest or topic. WPR’s websites served more than 15 million pageviews in 2021. WPR’s mobile app is available for Android and iOS and its smart speaker skill is available for Alexa-enabled devices.
Local presence, statewide service
Reporters and locally hosted programs build statewide connections and strengthen communities from bureaus in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Wausau, La Crosse, Eau Claire and Superior. Our 38 stations reach approximately 400,000 Wisconsin listeners every week.
WPR is training the next generation of journalists with public media’s high standards of ethics and integrity via three fellowships focused on early career journalists, investigative reporting and diverse perspectives and experiences. The latest WPR career opportunities are posted at wpr.org/jobs.
Thousands of Wisconsinites attend WPR’s community events held online and in cities around the state each year. WPR also helps local nonprofits promote community events that celebrate local treasures and our hosts make special appearances that encourage literacy, music education, cultural diversity and more.
National programs
WPR syndicates two national programs in partnership with PRX: "Zorba Paster On Your Health" and the Peabody Award-winning "To the Best of Our Knowledge".
Contact
Wisconsin Public Radio's Headquarters are located on the University of Wisconsin - Madison campus at: 821 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706 (See regional studio locations)
You can reach us during business hours at 1-800-747-7444 or anytime at listener@wpr.org.
Funding
WPR is a service of the Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, individuals business sponsors and foundations. Find our annual reports here.
Support
WPR’s listeners make up the largest source of our funding, helping us share the news, talk, music and entertainment programs you rely on. A donation of any amount makes you a WPR member. There are many ways to give:
Find out where WPR's money comes from and how it's spent.
Questions? Try our Membership FAQ or our funding page, or call us at 800-383-9772.