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ON AIR & ONLINE
WPR James Schwalbach UW Archives S14465 WPR Launches Centennial Year with Special Website, Events and More

This year we're celebrating 100 years of public broadcasting in Wisconsin  ---- an accomplishment that we couldn't have achieved without you. Before the BBC was created, before the Packers played their first game, WPR's founders were experimenting with new technologies to enhance life across the state.

"When our founders decided what they should broadcast first with the new wireless technology, what did they choose? The two things that would benefit the most people in Wisconsin  ---- weather forecasts and crop prices," WPR Director Mike Crane said. "Public service was really the foundation of those early innovations and it still drives everything we do on air, online and in communities across the state."

Among many broadcast "firsts," WPR was the first station in the nation  ---- public or private  ---- to offer regularly scheduled weather forecasts.

In the 1930s, WPR launched educational School of the Air programs to serve the more than 4,000 one-room schoolhouses in the state. Programs like Let's Sing, Let's Draw, Afield with Ranger Mac and Rhythm and Games engaged students and saved schools and the state money by providing urban and rural schools access to free, high-quality instruction that met state standards.

The innovations continued as College of the Air programs were designed for adults unable to afford tuition during the Great Depression, and a host of home economics and farm programs were created to benefit Wisconsin's mostly rural families.

Over the years, as WPR built a statewide network of stations to ensure equal access to information and education, we also connected the state like never before. Those connections and a belief that Wisconsinites should have access to not just listen but also to talk to each other led to the creation of the Ideas Network in the 1990s.

Even as we celebrate our first 100 years, WPR is working hard for today, tomorrow and the next 100 years. From mobile apps and podcasting to digital-first projects like WisContext.org, we continue to embrace new media technologies to ensure that WPR's groundbreaking educational, cultural and news content will serve Wisconsinites for generations to come.

"If there's anything I would want Wisconsinites to know about us," Mike said, "it's that we remain committed to always reflecting Wisconsin's diverse perspectives, experiences and cultures today and tomorrow. The people of Wisconsin are the thread that runs through everything we do. Their hopes and needs bind our past, present and future together."

WPR and WPT are celebrating 100 years of public broadcasting in Wisconsin together with a series of special events around the state, special broadcast promotions, and a centennial microsite that includes an interactive timeline (with historic photos, audio and video) and a place where anyone can share their stories  ---- visit wpr.org/100 to learn more.

Donald Trump _credit Matt A.J._ Tune in for the Inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump

Tune in January 20 as WPR broadcasts NPR's Inauguration Day coverage, beginning at 9 a.m. NPR Hosts Steve Inskeep and Audie Cornish will co-host special coverage from the Capitol in Washington, D.C. The program will feature the swearing in of the president and vice president, speeches, newsmaker interviews, and analysis from NPR's political team.

Additional coverage will come from Here & Now Hosts Robin Young and Jeremy Hobson, who will broadcast live from the NPR headquarters. The program will feature speeches from the inaugural luncheon in the Capitol, as well as live reports from the inaugural parade.

Join Veronica Rueckert tonight at 6 p.m. on the Ideas Network for A Nation Engaged, a special pre-inauguration conversation featuring NPR National Political Correspondent Don Gonyea, WPR Assistant News Director Kyla Calvert-Mason, and Milwaukee Public Radio's Mitch Teich. Recorded last week, the event engaged a live audience around this question: What do you want the new president to know about you or your community as he takes office?

Photo: Matt A.J., CC-BY-NC (cropped from original)

BEHIND THE SCENES
Man at soundboard WPR Announces Job Openings in Milwaukee, Madison and Superior

A lot goes on behind the scenes to support WPR's on-air work, and we are seeking curious minds across the state to join us.

Current job openings include a director of engineering and operations at our Madison headquarters, a Milwaukee-based multimedia producer for  The Kathleen Dunn Show and the WPR website, a Milwaukee-based marketing coordinator to support regional and statewide outreach, and a part-time office assistant at the northern Wisconsin bureau in Superior.

Tiny Desk Contest logo NPR Calls for Tiny Desk Contest Entries

Musicians and singer/songwriters of all genres are invited to enter NPR's 2017 Tiny Desk Contest. If you are an unsigned musician, you could win the chance to perform your own Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. and tour the U.S. with NPR and Lagunitas Brewing Company.

Last year's winner, fiddle player Gaelynn Lea from Duluth, Minn., was selected by curators for her entry that was hailed as "unusual/beautiful and like nothing we've ever heard before." Click here to read about Gaelynn and see her 2016 entry.

The deadline to enter is January 29. Musicians should enter by submitting a YouTube video of an original song.

Click here for entry information.

AROUND WISCONSIN
Lori Skelton
Lori Skelton Hosts Sunday Afternoon Broadcasts of Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

WPR's NPR News & Classical Music and All Classical Networks will carry a nationally broadcast series of Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concerts, hosted by WPR's own Lori Skelton. Since its founding in 1959, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra has been one of the country's most artistically vibrant and innovative orchestras. The series highlights a selection of the more than 140 live concerts performed by the symphony under the direction of Edo de Waart. There will also be exclusive interviews and commentary.

Tune in Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m., now through April 2, on WPR's NPR News & Classical Music and All Classical Networks.


WPR Anne Strainchamps credit J Gill To the Best of Our Knowledge Live in Madison, February 9

Lust, romance, compassion ----explore the science of love at a special live event from WPR's To the Best of Our Knowledge and the Center for Humans and Nature.

Join Host Anne Strainchamps (pictured) and special guests for a night of conversation, comedy and live music on Thursday, February 9 at 7 p.m. at the Majestic Theater in downtown Madison. Tickets are just $12.


JANUARY 2017
Featured Photo
NPR Reporter Don Gonyea moderated WPR, WUWM and NPR's "A Nation Engaged" event in Milwaukee this month. The town hall event was recorded for broadcast on WBUR's On Point and for a special on The Ideas Network.

Sound Bites
Listen Back to Gov. Walker's State of the State Address or President Obama's Farewell Address
Recently, WPR aired Gov. Scott Walker's annual State of the State address from the Wisconsin state Capitol. On the same day, President Barack Obama gave his farewell address, which was also broadcast live.


Historically Black: Saturday Series on the Ideas Network
Objects hold history. They're evocative of stories stamped in time. Historically Black is a collaboration between American Public Media, the Washington Post and the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture to bring these objects and their stories to life through interviews, archival sound and music. Listen Saturdays at 4 p.m. through February 4 on the Ideas Network.

This Month on WisContext
What's new this month on WisContext.org? Our reporters explore the specific cancer risks that rural areas face, ideas for teaching financial responsibility to kids, and Wisconsin's struggle to attract college-educated workers.

 
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