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. Find all the ways to listen here.
NOTE: On April 9, 2024 WPR announced exciting changes to its statewide service that will make it easier for Wisconsinites to find the news, information and music they rely on. Those changes begin on Monday, May 20, 2024. Find complete details here.
Read our land acknowledgment statement.
Two Networks – on air and online
WPR News
With WPR reporters in eight local bureaus across the state — plus NPR and BBC national and global coverage — WPR News offers an unparalleled mix of journalism from Wisconsin, the nation and the world all day, every day.
WPR Music
WPR Music offers locally-hosted classical music seven days a week with jazz, world and folk music each weekend. Along with the outstanding music, listeners can stay informed with brief, top-of-the-hour newscasts from NPR and WPR on weekdays.
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 330,000 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 on our careers page.
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.
Special projects like Wisconsin Remembers: A Face for Every Name, a partnership with Wisconsin Veterans Museum’s Traveling Exhibit Program, go beyond broadcast to help tell Wisconsin’s story and make connections across the state. The exhibit features a photo for each of the 1,163 Wisconsinites officially listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. You can learn more and request the exhibit for display in your community here.
A Partnership for Wisconsin
WPR is a service of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Educational Communications Board with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Wisconsin Public Radio Association. Support from individuals, businesses, foundations and the government ensure commercial-free access to news, information, music and entertainment for all.
Contact
WPR’s headquarters are located on the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus at 821 University Ave Madison, WI 53706. You can reach us during business hours at 1-800-747-7444 or listener@wpr.org
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