Wisconsin Public Radio operates a mobile app on the Apple and Android platforms. The app includes in-app readers of local and national news articles from WPR and NPR. The app also includes streaming media players for both WPR News and WPR Music networks, along with full program guides to each service.
Wisconsin Public Radio produces several podcasts available on their mobile app, website, and many podcasting platforms.
A few stations broadcast on HD radio within the network. WERN airs WPR Music on the HD-2 channel, which is used to feed local analog translators on 90.5 and 107.9. WHAD airs WPR News on its HD-2 channel. WHRM airs the WPR Music on HD-2 to serve the Wausau area. WHHI airs WPR News on HD-2. Radio display information is limited to station identification only.
WPR affiliate station WGTD HD-2 offers a 24/7 jazz, big band and blues service, and WGTD HD-3 provides a reading service for the blind and visually impaired. [1]
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Network stations
WPR's stations are licensed to several different organizations. Most stations are owned by either the University of Wisconsin System or by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, a state agency [2]. The University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board stations are administered by WHA Radio, a department of the University of Wisconsin – Madison, for the UW System Board of Regents. Other stations are affiliates, owned by local school districts or colleges.
The network's headquarters are located on the Madison campus where the majority of programs are produced. Some of WPR's regional studios produce local programming. Not all UW-owned stations are part of Wisconsin Public Radio's network; some are student-run, and others, like WUWM, are part of the UW-system, but not part of WPR. Two high school radio stations (one, WEPS, is located in the northwest Chicago suburb of Elgin, and its signal does not reach the Wisconsin state line) carry the network outside of school hours and summer periods, providing a form of license protection to those stations (WEPS began to program the Ideas Network in order to fend off a license challenge due to being off-air after school hours), while WLBL-FM in Wausau shares time on its frequency with WXPW, a repeater of independently owned NPR member WXPR in Rhinelander.
In April 2024, WPR announced a restructuring of its two analog networks, to take place on May 20 of that year. The Ideas Network was retired and its staff and most of its programming transferred to a new service called WPR News, while a new WPR Music service featured expanded schedules of classical music throughout the week, with jazz, world, and folk music heard on the weekends. Many WPR stations switched programming services; in Milwaukee, WHAD joined the WPR Music service (with NPR News programming continuing on WUWM) while WHA and WERN in Madison will join WPR News, with the low powered FM translators currently carrying the Ideas Network from WHA airing WPR Music going forward.
Most syndicated NPR programming continued on WPR News. However, 1A Plus, As It Happens, Q, and Milk Street Radio were removed from the network. WPR network programs The Morning Show and Central Time were replaced with a one-hour show called Wisconsin Today. WPR regional news programs Route 51, Simply Superior, and Newsmakers were replaced with regional news updates during Morning edition on their local network stations. Syndicated classical programming Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin and Classical 24 will be removed from the program schedule, while Chapter a Day will move to WPR Music.
At the time of the announcement, no information was provided by WPR on changes to the All Classical Network or any of its HD radio services. Later, it was announced that The All Classical Network and most HD radio services would cease at the time of transition. WPR noted on their website, "We are encouraging people to use online audio instead of HD because it is easier to find for most people"
Gateway Technical College's WGTD affiliate confirmed its general alignment to WPR News, but stated all local programming would be preserved with slight schedule adjustments. Their Radio Reading Service would be preserved as well. WGTD also announced plans to create a new HD3 station, which would simulcast programming from WPR Music.
The former All Classical Network
The All Classical Network service was available as an online stream and through HD Radio in select markets from 2007 to 2024. The All Classical Network exclusively featured classical music. The network included a simulcast of locally produced daytime classical programming, Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin, and syndicated Classical 24 programming. [3] Stations with this HD-2 service included WERN Madison, WHAD Milwaukee, WHRM Wausau, WPNE Green Bay, WHHI Highland, and WHLA La Crosse. [4] It was also available on analog translator W272CN 102.3FM in Ashland, rebroadcasting WHSA HD-2. W272CN, originally W275AF/102.9, was no longer needed after WPR constructed two full-power stations in the Chequamegon Bay area and was discontinued in June 2016 [5]. On October 19, 2020, WPR discontinued HD service on KUWS Superior, WHSA Brule-Superior, WUWS Ashland, WHBM Park Falls, WHWC Menomonie, WHAA Wisconsin Rapids, and WHDI Sister Bay, due to low listenership. [6]
The All Classical Network streamed real-time live over most Internet streaming venues, along with WPR's mobile app and website. Downloadable versions of WPR shows in MP3 were also available.
