WGTD's The Morning Show with Greg Berg

Dave Cole, general manger of WGTD, discusses the format and schedule changes for WGTD and Wisconsin Public Radio that go into effect today.

Best-selling author Tom Clavin talks about his newest book, "Throne of Grace: A Mountain Man, an Epic Adventure, and the Bloody Conquest of the American West." The book explores the beaver trade of the early 19th century as the American West was being explored- and it focuses in particular on a largely forgotten explorer by the name of Jedidiah Smith.

From 2014 - Margo Howard (writer and daughter of Ann Landers) talks about her entertaining memoir "Eat, Drink and Remarry."

From the summer of 2021, Carthage College's Adam Koening talks about what went behind the creation of a brand new way to do Commencement .... necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the impossibility of safely gathering for a conventional Commencement with thousands of people crowded together. Adam drew upon some of his professional experience before Carthage to conceive, design and execute a sort of individual procession for each graduate. Because this experience was so deeply enjoyed and appreciated, it has been retained even though a more conventional commencement gathering is now possible. (Carthage actually does both- a large gathering as well as the individual processional.) We're replaying this interview today to coincide with the first of two days of individual commencement processionals.\ at Carthage.

On Monday, May 20th, Wisconsin Public Radio is enacting a dramatic realignment of its two networks- and WGTD is going to be part of the network devoted almost exclusively to news and information. Consequently, classical music will no longer be heard over WGTD- which also means that I will no longer be hosting the Music Potpourri on occasional weekday mornings at 9. These changes are necessary and sensible, and I fully support them - but I also find myself grieving more than I expected I would. Consequently, I made a point of making the last two Music Potpourri programs especially meaningful, comprised entirely of special pieces of music that have meant a lot to me over the years - and I am sharing them in the podcast in part so that they might be archived. (NOTE: this change in format does not in any way alter The Morning Show. It will continue to be broadcast five days a week, and the podcast version of the program will be shared seven days a week.)

Tim Wendel talks about his newest historical novel, "Rebel Falls," which is set during the Civil War. Its central protagonist is a woman anxious to be part of the Union war effort - and ends up volunteering to be part of the Union's special forces looking to thwart a Confederate plot to prolong the war and avoid outright defeat.

When I was hired at WGTD in 1986, it was primarily to organize and host our classical music programming- which back then was considerable. My musical duties here at the station- which have gradually given way to other responsibilities over the years (chief among them being the Morning Show) - are about to end because of a format change that goes into effect on Monday, May 20th. (It reflects a necessary and logical format change at Wisconsin Public Radio, with which we are an affiliate.) Under the new format, we will be part of the WPR network that is devoted almost entirely to news/information/talk ..... and classical music will move to the other network. It's a change which I fully understand and embrace, but it still marks for me the end of an era - so I want to archive my last two Music Potpourri programs here on the podcast. (NOTE: The Morning Show remains unchanged in the new format.)

Kendall Victorine talks about the Four Seasons Garden Club - and their annual plant sale, which is coming up this Saturday at Harbor Market.

Law professor Joshua Douglas discusses his book "The Court versus The Voters: The Troubling Story of hos the Supreme Court has Undermined Voting Rights." Professor Douglas examines 9 U.S. Supreme Court rulings over the past half century that he believes have undermined voting rights to an alarming extent.

In honor of International Water Safety Day, we speak with Seth Weidman - associate athletic director at Carthage and an associate coach for the swimming and diving teams - and David Benjamin, director of The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, an advocacy organization in the Great Lakes region that tackles the issue of water safety in many different ways.

From 2017- Richard Kurin, co-author of "Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem."

Doug Instenes, managing and artistic director of the Racine Theater Guild, talks about the RTG's production of CABARET, which opens this weekend.

From 2009- Dr. Mark Sloan, author of "Birth Day: A Pediatrician Explores the Science, the History, and the Wonder of Childbirth."

From 2006 - for Mother's Day - Deborah Tannen, author of "You're wearing that? - Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation."

Jeff Pearlman, author orf "Gunslinger: The Remarkable, Improably, Iconic Life of Brett Favre." (from 2017)

Dr. William Kuhn (a former English professor at Carthage College) talks about his latest book, "Swimming with Lord Byron," which examines the life and career of this celebrated writer with particular focus on Lord Byron's colorful personal life and complicated sexual identity. (Lord Byron was something of a gay icon even during his lifetime- and very much since.)

For Kailyn Palomares's May visit to the Morning Show, she secured the participation of Alyssa Firkus, director of education for Lake County Forest Preserves, to talk about one of the most amazing creatures on earth - the cicada. 2024 is an extraordinary year for cicadas because of a very rare occurrence: the emergence of 17-year cicadas and 13-year cicadas in the same year- something that has not happened in more than 200 years.

Patrick K. O'Donnell discusses his latest book, "The Unvanquished: The Untold Story of Lincoln's Special Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby's Rangers, and the Shadow War that Forged America's Special Operations."

We hear about the Carthage theater department's latest verbatim theater project - "Terminal Exhale" - from faculty member Martin McClendon .... as well as from Michael Cotey, founder of the organization "Enough: Plays to end gun violence," which encourages young people to write their own plays addressing the issue of gun violence. "Terminal Exhale" is comprised of the actual testimony of various front line health care workers who have had to deal with gunshot victims and have witnessed the carnage on an ongoing basis. The play tells the story of what they have seen and experienced. There is a public reading of the play coming up at Carthage this Saturday, May 11th.

David Lockwood and Lawrence Kirby talk about new efforts underway to create a "walking school bus" in Kenosha for students at Brass Elementary. A walking school bus involves volunteers who help walk elementary students from their homes to school; it is known to be one of the most effective means to deal with school truancy.

Dr. Jame Ripley, director of instrumental activities at Carthage College, talks about Saturday night's concert that finishes out this special 150th anniversary year of bands at Carthage. The concert includes the world premiere of "Scene One: Fortitude," a piece commissioned for the occasion.

I'm happy to say that I won a first place award from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association this past weekend - Best Interview for a middle market music station - for this interview which I recorded with William Shatner.

ERika Lee, Christina Soontornvat, coauthors of "Made in Asian America: A History for Young People."

For Holocaust Remembrance Day- from 2002 ..... Alexandra Zapruder, author/editor of "Salvaged Pages," an extraordinary collection of young person's diaries from the Holocaust.

For Holocaust Remembrance Day- from 2016- Wendy Holden, author of a truly amazing book titled "Born Survivors" about three women imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp who manage to conceal their pregnancies from their captors, preserving the lives of their as yet-unborn children. An extraordinary story.

From 2003 - Todd Gitlin, author of "Letters to a young activist." (from a series of books called The Art of Mentoring.)

Jim Schatzman, founder and artistic director of the Choral Arts Society, talks about Carl Orff's dramatic cantata CARMINA BURANA, one of the most extraordinary and unique masterworks of 20th century choral music. The group will be performing the work on May 18th and 19th at UW-Parkside in collaboration with The Studio of Classical Dance Arts. The preview includes recorded excerpts from the work.

We preview Saturday night's concert by the Kenosha Symphony, "May the Fourth be with you." (Saturday is May 4th.) The program features a sampling of great movie music from films such as Star Wars, Batman, Amadeus, and Schindler's List. We have three interviews: with KSO board president Pete Rodriguez (who is also a member of the orchestra's french horn section) .... music director Dr. Robert Hasty, who will be conducting the concert .... and concertmaster Sascha Mandl, who will be featured in the exquisite violin solo from the film score 'Schindler's List.' This preview includes recorded excerpts from three of the works featured on Saturday evening's concert, which happens at Reuther High School Auditorium at 7:30.

Dr. Art Cyr offers his commentary on recent events in Africa, the Middle East, Turkey - offers thoughts on the Baltimore bridge collapse and the importance of infrastructure - and reflects on the complicated legacy of Richard Nixon. (This year marks the 50th anniversary of his resignation from office.)

(From 2020) - Howard Burman, author of "Mutt's Dream: Making the Mick," which tells the story of the incredibly close relationship between baseball superstar Mickey Mantle and his father, Elven "Mutt" Mantle, who did all he could do to secure for his son what he himself never had- a chance to play professional baseball and enjoy a far better life than he himself had lived. Among other things, the book explores the psychological and emotional cost of the pressure that young Mickey received from his father.

On the last day of Organ Donation Awareness Month, Wanda Brister, Professor of Voice at Florida State University, tells the story her health difficulties that ultimately led her to becoming a double lung recipient earlier this year. She also talks about the specific malady - Sarcoidosis - that attacked her lungs and necessitated the lung transplant. (April is also Sarcoidosis Awareness Month.)

Dr. Tracey Holloway is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who also happens to be a mother. She is part of a new group called Science Moms, which is comprised of climatologists who are also mothers who want to spread the word about climate change.

Wisconsin leads the nation in falls that result in serious injury. We speak with two representatives of the Kenosha County Aging and Disability Resource Center: Paula Clark and Haleigh Couch, about their fall prevention program.

From 2018- Mark Ribowsky discusses his book "In the Name of the Father: Family, Football and the Manning Dynasty," in which he explores the legacy of Archie Manning and his sons Peyton and Eli; all three of them were celebrated NFL quarterbacks.

In memory of journalist Robert MacNeil, who passed away on April 12th at the age of 93, here is a 2003 Morning Show interview in which he talks about his fascinating and moving memoir "Looking for my Country: Finding myself in America."

From the archives (2007) Jodi Picoult discusses her novel "Nineteen Minutes"

We preview Saturday's open house at the 16th Street Studios in Racine- which is the artistic home of around 90 area artists. We're joined in this conversation by fiber/quilt artist Margaret Heller, potter/ceramic artist Robert Mayer, and live model Joseph Vignieri, all three of whom have studios at the 16th Studios. The address is 1405 16th Street and the event is Saturday from 10 to 4. We talk in this conversation not just about the open house but also about the artistic endeavors of these three artists.

We're presenting the audio from an event on April 18th that was organized by Carthage College's Business and Professional Coalition: "The Future of Higher Education in Wisconsin." Panelists were John Swallow, the president of Carthage, and Jay Rothman, president of the University of Wiscconsin System.

We preview Carthage's production of Maury Yeston's musical "Nine" with Neil Scharnick, stage director of the production, and two of the students in the cast: Chase Juster (Guido Contini) and Emily Halfman (Luisa.) The musical is based on the story told in Fellini's classic film 8 1/2 about a middle-aged Italian film director experiencing a wrenching creative and personal crisis that drives him into encounters with or recollections of the women who have been a significant part of his past.

We speak with Rachel Swartz from the theater faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside about their production of "Peter and the Star Catcher," which runs for the next two weekends on their main stage. The musical (and the novel upon which its based) seeks to expand on the familiar story of Peter Pan.

Malia Lazu, author of "From Intention to Impact: A Practical Guide to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion." This is perhaps the best book I have ever written on the much-discussed and controversial topic of DEI.

For Earth Day: Part One- Dallas Murphy, author of "To Follow the Water: Exploring the Ocean to Discover Climate, from the Gulf Stream to the Blue Beyond." Part Two- Simone Maloz talks about habitat restoration work being done in the Mississippi Delta in Louisiana.

From 2010 - Diana Jean Schemo discusses her book "Skies to Conquer: a Year inside the Airforce Academy."

Professor Tom Noer was a member of the history faculty at Carthage College for 46 years. He passed away on April 7th. In his memory, I want to re-share my final Morning Show interview with him, which was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this conversation, he talks about other health scares and epidemics in America's past.

David Coggins talks about his most recent book, "The Believer: A Year in the Fly-Fishing Life." Coggins has loved fly-fishing for most of his adult life, and this latest book chronicles some of his experiences with fly-fishing in places in locales all around the world. We follow this interview with an archival interview dating back to the days when Wikipedia was a relative newcomer to the internet. John Broughton wrote a book that amounted to a manual on how Wikipedia works.

Nate Stamper, director of theater at Case High School in Racine, is the guest director of the Racine Theater Guild's production of "Stargirl," based on the Jerry Spinelli novel of the same name, which explores important issues of conformity/non-conformity for young people. Filling out the program today is an archival interview with sportswriter and author John Feinstein in which he talks about one of his best-selling novels for young readers. "The Walk-On- May the best quarterback win."

Jonathan Fanning, author of "Creativity Unleashed: 5 Habits of World-Class Innovators"

I speak with Dayvin Hallmon, founder and director of the Black String Triage Ensemble in Milwaukee. This group of string musicians - during the summer months - will go to the site of gun violence or other civil unrest and will play music to try and bring comfort and healing to those directly impacted.

We are rebroadcasting this 2009 interview in memory of Dr. Tom Noer, a longtime and beloved memory of the Carthage faculty (he taught history there for 4 years) who passed away on April 7th. In this interview, Professor Noer talks about G. Mennen Williams, a highly unconventional political figure whom Professor Noer greatly admired. We also hear from Professor Noer on how he went about researching the life and career of Williams.

From 2007 - Benjamin Woolley discusses his book "Savage Kingdom: The true story of Jamestown, 1607, and the Settlement of America." 2007 marked the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.