Photo: WPR/Tom Krueger
Alex Crowe of Wisconsin Public Radio
Alex Crowe hosts WPR's statewide broadcast of NPR's "Morning Edition".
Wisconsin Public Radio was a broadcasting pioneer in the Badger State and for the past century has provided alternatives to commercial radio. The format across the statewide network has changed over the decades. Fifty years ago, much of the programming was meant to augment the curricula of primary and secondary schools—literally educational radio.
On May 20, WPR will change again. “NPR News & Music” and “The Ideas Network” will be renamed and restructured as “WPR News” and “WPR Music.” The station heard in the Milwaukee area, WHAD 90.7 FM, will be folded into WPR Music. Popular programs such as “Marketplace,” “1A” and “Science Friday” will shift to WPR News stations elsewhere in the state. Of course, both networks will be available as a livestream and on-demand through wpr.org or the free WPR app.
“Like public media across the country, WPR saw changes in our broadcast and digital audience behavior during and after the pandemic,” explains Jeffrey Potter, WPR’s marketing & communications director. “Starting in the fall of 2021, WPR embarked on research and analysis of our service in consultation with partners that make up WPR: UW-Madison’s Wisconsin Public Media unit, the Educational Communications Board, and the non-profit Wisconsin Public Radio Association.”
WPR gathered input, conducted focus groups and received 6,000 responses from listeners. “Most of our listeners are already choosing to listen to just news and information or just music content,” Potter says. “By organizing our content around the new WPR News and WPR Music networks, we will make it easier for more people to find and enjoy the programs they want.”
WHAD will focus on classical music. “We have heard from Milwaukee listeners for years that they want WPR to bring classical music radio back to the city,” as there hasn’t been a full-time classical station in town since the demise of WFMR in 2007, Potter says. “Milwaukee has a thriving music and arts community that we’re excited to be a part of. WPR Music is eager to partner with people and groups in the city to support and grow interest in classical, jazz, world and folk music in Milwaukee.”
He adds that WUWM, which is independent of Wisconsin Public Radio, already offers the city the most popular NPR programs heard on WPR, including “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.” “If WPR chose to offer WPR News on 90.7 FM, we would end up duplicating many of the NPR programs heard on WUWM and that would not have provided more choices to radio listeners in Milwaukee,” he says.
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“Audience numbers for classical music at WPR and other stations around the country have been stable or growing as more listeners from all age groups are appreciating what it offers compared to more mainstream music,” Potter continues. “By doubling the number of Wisconsin-hosted hours of music each weekday, adding a Milwaukee-based host, and continuing the jazz, world, and folk music programming on the weekends, WPR will be able to bring expertly curated music and performances you won’t hear anywhere else.”
