Gateway’ Technical College radio station WGTD in Kenosha will soon shift its format to become mostly an all-news and talk station as part of an overall format change for all Wisconsin Public Radio stations.
WGTD station manager Dave Cole says the statewide changes – set to begin May 20 – are designed to better serve the audience, give them more listening options and use resources more efficiently.
WGTD is owned by Gateway and is an affiliate of Wisconsin Public Radio.
At the core, WPR redesigned its two basic services listeners have enjoyed for decades – The Ideas Network and the hybrid NPR News & Classical Music. In their places, two new formats are being created: An all-news and talk network and a music-intensive format, with each of WPR’s 38 stations shifting to one format or the other.
“Many of WGTD’s current features will remain,” said Cole. “Personally, I’m most excited to announce that WGTD will carry a brand-new news and information program that’s being created by WPR.
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“‘Wisconsin Today’ will air weekdays in the morning and will be repeated in the evenings,” he said. “Borrowing the format used by ‘Morning Edition’ and ‘All Things Considered,’ the show will be all Wisconsin-related news, interviews and features.”
WGTD—with its signals in Kenosha at 91.1, in Elkhorn at 101.7 and Lake Geneva at 103.3—- currently airs News & Classical programming. Beginning May 20, it will become part of WPR’s new news/talk network. Classical music listeners will be redirected to WPR’s powerful WHAD 90.7 out of Delafield, a new HD3 station that WGTD plans to create at 91.1 and online options.
“Many of WGTD’s current features will remain,” Cole indicated at wgtd.org. “In the morning, WGTD will continue to carry NPR’s ‘Morning Edition’ with Dave McGrath’s local and regional news breaks. Greg Berg’s ‘Morning Show’ isn’t going anywhere. Neither are ‘All Things Considered,’ ‘MarketPlace’ and ‘Fresh Air,’ although the latter will be moved back an hour.
WGTD’s two-hour block of local public affairs programming between 10 a.m. and noon on Saturdays will remain. The Saturday evening night of locally-hosted jazz and big band will be expanded by an hour.
The Gateway Radio Reading Services won’t be affected. Neither will WGTD Sports productions on Facebook or the WGTD Radio Theater.
“WGTD is excited to offer a multitude of new programs, many of which currently air on Ideas.” Cole stated. “They include ‘Garden Talk,’ ‘Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me,’ ‘Science Friday,’ ‘The People’s Pharmacy,’ ‘Zorba Paster,’ ‘This American Life’ and ‘The Larry Meiller Show.’”
“The changes – the result of two years of research by WPR – are rooted in the belief that consistency builds an audience,” said Cole.
Those who currently tune in to WGTD for classical music will continue to have options through another WPR station, as well as the ability to listen to music online at wpr.org.
“We want our audience to know that we aren’t abandoning classical music fans. We will have classical music on HD, online and it will be available on 90.7 WHAD out of Delafield,” said Cole.
For more information, please contact Dave Cole at coled@gtc.edu.