About WPR

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.

NPR News and Music

The News and Music Network offers trusted and timely news programs and the best of NPR, the BBC and APM, plus state and local news every weekday. Classical music programs soothe the soul days, evenings and overnight.

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.

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 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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