WGTD's The Morning Show with Greg Berg

Part One- We speak with Mike DeRubis, who is with the non-partisan group Voters First Wisconsin, which is working to eliminate gerrymandering, reduce the influence of Big Money in politics, and to reform the way that certain elections are done in our state. Part Two- from 2018- historian Jon Meacham talks about his book "The Soul of America: The Battle for our Better Angels." The book examines those periods in our country's history when we have been as bitterly divided as we are today- and how our nation was able to come together again.

One of our favorite interviews from 2025: Juliette Fay talks about her novel "The Harvey Girls," which was based on a fascinating slice of Americana. Fred Harvey created what is widely regarded as the first hospitality chain in the United States- a network of restaurants and hotels primarily in the West. The women who worked at his establishments were known as Harvey Girls - and these were actually well-paying and respectable jobs at a time when employment options for women were severely limited. In a followup conversation, we speak with Andrew DeBoer, father-in-law of local music teacher Jessica DeBoer, about his extensive collection of Fred Harvey memorabilia.

Part 1 - We preview the Service Above Self Expo coming up this Saturday, January 31st at Fountain Hall in Sturtevant. The event is sponsored by the Racine Founders Rotary Club. My guests are Dan Widmar, who is its current president, and Laura Sumner Coon, a member of the club and the primary coordinator of the event. They are expecting at least thirty different local non-profits to participate, sharing with the public what volunteer opportunities they have to offer. Part 2- from the archives- Mark O. Hubbard, author of "Ara: The Life and Legacy of a Notre Dame Legend- the authorized Biography of Coach Ara Parseghian."

One of our favorite interviews from 2025: Elizabeth Minnich, author of "The Evil of Banality: On the Life and Death Importance of Thinking." In this book, Minnich explores the nature of evil - and particularly the phenomenon of what she calls "extensive evil" in which many people are involved in the perpetuating of evil without consciously doing so or without fully grasping the role that they are playing. It underscores the importance of living mindfully.

From 2003 - Richard Tofel, author of "A Legend in the Making: The New York Yankees in 1939."

We are paying memorial tribute to Kenosha-based author Michael Schumacher, who was a guest on The Morning Show a dozen times over the course of three decades. (He passed away on December 29th at the age of 75.). This interview concerns his book "The Contest: The 1968 Election and the War for America's Soul." (This interview occurred in 2018.). We plan on sharing more archival interviews with Michael Schumacher over upcoming Saturdays.

In his first visit to the Morning Show since November, Dr. Art Cyr offers his thoughts on several different current events and issues- especially the recent U.S. activity in Venezuela.

We speak with writer Monte Burke about his new book "Men of Troy: The Epic Afternoons, Wild Nights, and Enduring Legacy of Pete Carroll's USC Trojans." After a rough experience as a head coach for two NFL teams, Carroll achieved great success (including two national championships) with USC .... and then achieved comparable success with his return to the NFL as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. The book examines the ways in which Carroll earned a reputation as a 'player's coach.'

The Morning Show interview from 2025 that probably generated more comment than any other was this conversation with David Eliot, author of "Artificially Intelligent: The Very Human Story of A.I."

Today's program began with David Anderson, music director of the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra, talking about the ensemble's gala coming up on February 14th. After that is an archival conversation with Larry Tye, author of "Jazz Men," which examines the careers and influence of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong.

Today is Martin Luther King Day. One of the issues that most concerned Dr. King - especially in the last several years of his life - was access to housing regardless of race. The book at hand examines the practice of "Redlining," a means used to exclude certain types of people from various neighborhoods. Josh Silver's book is titled "Ending Redlining through a Community-Centered Reform of the Community Reinvestment Act." The book underscores how it is not enough to pass laws with the best of intentions; those laws must be properly and carefully implemented. GB

From 2016- We talk with Marc Cushman about his book "Lost in Space: The Authorized Biography of a Classic Sci-Fi Series."

In memory of Kenosha's own Michael Schumacher, who passed away on December 29, 2026 at the age of 75, we are going to be devoting the next few Saturday episodes of the podcast to archival interviews featuring Schumacher. This interview is the first interview that I did with Schumacher. The year was 1999 and the book in question was "Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker's Life." One of the greatest film directors in cinematic history, Coppola directed The Godfather, The Godfather Part Two, Apocalypse Now, The Outsiders, Peggy Sue Got Married, and The Rainmaker .... co-wrote the screenplay for Patton .... and produced American Graffiti, The Secret Garden, and The Black Stallion. I hope you enjoy this. GB

We pay tribute to Kenosha's own Michael Schumacher - a nationally-published authors many times over who passed away on December 29th at the age of 75 - by hearing from an array of his friends who knew him and loved him.

From 2014 - We remember Kenosha's own Michael Shumacher, a nationally published author who passed away on December 29th, by replaying this conversation that occurred during the 2014 Kenosha Festival of Cartooning. Schumacher was joined in our studios by his friend Denis Kitchen, one of the leading figures in the underground comic book movement - with whom Michael collaborated on a highly regarded biography of cartoonist Al Capp. (Tomorrow's Morning Show will feature a gathering of some of Michael Schumacher's friends reflecting on what he was like and what it meant to have him as a friend.)

Part One: Beth Bush talks about the next production at the Racine Theater Guild, opening this Friday: "Ripcord," which tells the story of two badly mismatched roommates in a senior living facility who grow to have a grudging understanding of and affection for each other. Part Two: One of our favorite interviews from 2025- Gordon Korman talks about his book "Snoop - a novella intended for young readers that ends up being an intriguing commentary on our addiction to screens.

We talk with Dr. Mary Lenard, a member of the English faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and Anna Stadick, director of the UW-Parkside library, about the upcoming mini-course titled "Four Evenings with Jane Austen" in honor of the legendary writer's 250th birthday. The course is cost-free, except for securing copies of the three novels that will be studied. There are no exams or papers; it's simply an opportunity to read some great literature and discuss it with a Jane Austen expert.

One of our favorite interviews from 2025: James Rebanks talks about his memoir "The Place of Tides" in which he recounts his experience of moving to a small, remote island off the coast of Norway.

One of our favorite interviews from 2025..... Mary Roach, author of "Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy." Her book explores some of the intriguing ways in which human beings have developed ways to alter the human body with things like dentures, prosthetic limbs, mechanical hearts, hair transplants, and much more.

From 2003 - Daniel Glick talks about his memoir "Morkey Dancing: A Father, Two Kids, and a Journey to the Ends of the Earth."

Two more favorite interviews from 2025. Part One: Adam Nimoy talks about his new memoir "The Most Human: Reconciling with my Father, Leonard Nimoy." Part Two: Ken Belson, author of "Every Day is Sunday; How Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft, and Roger Goodell Turned the NFL into a Cultural and Economic Juggernaut."

For Kailyn Palomares's January visit to the Morning Show, she brought with her two representatives of the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission ..... Ben McKay, Deputy Director, and Laura Herrick, Chief Environmental Engineer. The SEWRPC works with municipalities in Southeastern Wisconsin on environmental and engineering plans.

We preview next week's 4th annual Arts Symposium at Carthage College. This year's event is titled "Borderlands and Crossroads: A Confluence of Art, Music, Film, and Everyday Life." This symposium, like its predecessors, celebrates the Samuel and Berry Schoen Collection of Soviet Art at Carthage. The event- which is free and open to the public- occurs January 13, 14 and 15. We speak with four members of the Carthage art faculty .... Leslie Brothers, Joshua McGowan, Lisa Bigalke, and Robin Holmes- as well as with current Carthage student Jared Werner- who are all participants in the symposium in one way or another. A selection of paintings from the Schoen Collection are already on display in the Johnson Arts Gallery. That exhibition is titled "Harvesting Light: Soviet Women in Labor and Life."

Here is another of our favorite interviews from 2025 .... with Kevin Ervin, co-owner of Frank's Diner, one of the most famous eating establishments in southeastern Wisconsin- the longest continuously-operating diner in the state- which last year celebrated its 99th anniversary of operation. (But it should have been its 100th anniversary. The story behind that is just one of the things we talk about in this interview.).

We talk with Dr. Thomas Carr, Associate Professor of Biology at Carthage College, about the ending of the relationship between Carthage's paleontology program and the Dinosaur Discovery Museum in Kenosha. (We will be issuing an invitation to the administration at the museum to give them the opportunity to share their perspective on the situation.)

One of our favorite Morning Show interviews from 2025 was with James Parker, author of "Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes: Odes to Being Alive." The various odes in this book include "Ode to Naps," "Ode to Giving People Money," and "Ode to Running in Movies." The book is both thought-provoking and hilarious.

One of our favorite interviews from 2025 was a conversation with B. J. Hollars about his book "Wisconsin for Kennedy: The Primary that Launched a President and Changed the Course of History."

One of our favorite Morning Shows from 2025 aired for a sad reason- the unexpected death of renowned sportswriter John Feinstein in March at the age of 69. A familiar voice to public radio listeners, he had been a guest on this program on at least five occasions. This program features excerpts from several of those interviews.

One of our favorite Morning Show interviews from 2025 was this conversation with Buddy Levy, author of "Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue."

This is one of our favorite Morning Show interviews from 2025. Michael Stoehrmann, a Carthage alum and former voice student of Gregory Berg - now a public school teacher - talks about the experience of being a contestant on the syndicated television game show "Wheel of Fortune." (His episode aired last New Year's.)

One of our favorite interviews from 2025 was with Gabe Henry, author of "Enough is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell." The book examines the many ways in which English is an exceptionally difficult language to spell and why- and also chronicles some of the serious attempts over the years to simplify how the language is spelled.

One of our favorite Morning Show interviews from 2025 was this conversation with Wisconsin author Michael Perry - recorded just ahead of his sold-out appearance at the Racine Theater Guild in mid- February. Perry had been a frequent Morning Show guest over the years, talking about such books as "Truck: A Love Story" and "Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs and Parenting."

In honor of WGTD's 50th anniversary, we are replaying some especially noteworthy Morning Show interviews from the past. (From 2018) Melba Patillo Beals, who was one of the so-called Little Rock Nine .... a group of black students who were the first to racially integrate Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1956.

In honor of WGTD's 50th anniversary, we are replaying some especially noteworthy Morning Show interviews from the past. This interview is with former NPR foreign correspondent Julie McCarthy.

In honor of WGTD's 50th anniversary, we are replaying special Morning Show interviews from the past. This interview from approximately 25 years ago is with best-selling novelist Jane Hamilton ("The Book of Ruth," "A Map of the World") who has ties to southeastern Wisconsin and has lived in this area for much of her adult life.

From 2007- We speak with Dr. Seuss expert Charles D. Cohen about the 50th anniversary edition of the book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

From 2017- Martha Brockenbrough, author of "Love, Santa" - a book designed to help families navigate that tricky time when a child becomes old enough to begin doubting the existence of Santa Claus.

We speak with local actor Tony Lazalde, who keeps very busy this time of year portraying Santa Claus. We talk about the history of the legend of Santa Claus, how Tony's background as a trained actor comes in handy, and the sorts of things that he says and does NOT say as Santa.

Amy Wagner shares the story of the fire that completely destroyed her home and everything in it- the kindness that was shown to her and her husband by neighbors and friends- and their decision to 'pay it forward' by creating the Wagner Family Fire Fund to aid other families who have suffered a similar sort of disaster.

From 2000- Sergei Khrushchev, the son of Nikita Khrushchev. The occasion of this interview was a visit to Carthage College, where he gave a talk titled "After the Cold War." Sergei Khrushchev died in 2020.

In the wake of the tragic deaths of Rob Reiner and Micele Reiner, we are replaying a memorable interview with Rob's father, Carl Reiner, one of the great legends from the early days of television. This interview was recorded more than a decade ago.

From the archives- a 2007 conversation with choral legend Weston Noble talking about Handel's Messiah. This interview took place just before the third annual Sing Along Messiah at First United Methodist Church in Kenosha. Also participating in the conversation was Carthage graduate Trevor Parker, who was the tenor soloist for that particular performance. (Recently, the 20th anniversary Messiah Sing Along took place at First United Methodist Church.)

In honor of The New Yorker magazine's 100th anniversary this year, we replay this 2008 conversation with Robert Mankoff, who served the venerable for many years as its Cartoon Editor. The occasion of this interview was the publication of The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest Book. In this contest, each issue features a cartoon with no caption attached. Readers are invited to contribute their own potential captions. The staff of magazine chooses three finalists- and readers are invited to select the winning entry. The contest began in 1999 as a one-shot deal, but it was so enormously popular that it quickly became a continuing series.

Kailyn Palomares is back- and her guest this month is Marcia Wensing, a plant pest and disease specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. She inspects Christmas tree farms and plant nurseries of all kinds, looking for pests, diseases, and invasive species.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of The New Yorker magazine, we replay two 2015 conversations with important contributors to the magazine's legacy. First , you'll hear from long-time copy editor Mary Norris, talking about her book "Between You and Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen." After that, we talk with cartoonist Matthew Diffee, whose work has appeared quite often in the magazine. His book is titled "Hand Drawn Jokes for Smart, Attractive People."

Here is the second of two interviews I recorded earlier this year with renowned composer Ricky Ian Gordon about his memoir "Seeing Through: A Chronicle of Sex, Drugs and Opera." The memoir was recently rereleased in paperback. We have already reshared the first interview, which focused mostly on personal matters in Gordon's life. This second interview takes up matters more directly related to his wide-ranging and exciting career.

Andrew Gulli, managing editor of The Strand, talks about the new collection of mysteries published over the past twenty five years: "Best of the Strand Magazine: 25 Years of Twists, Turns, and Tales from the Modern Masters of Mystery and Fiction." (A portion of this interviews aired a couple of weeks ago. This is the interview in its entirety.)

(From 2009) We talk about what is means to be Bilingual with three Carthage College professors: Wayne Thompson (Sociology), Matt Borden (Spanish), and Dimitri Shapovalov (Music.) - and what can happen when chooses to raise one's children to be bilingual.

As WGTD celebrates its 50th anniversary, it's only right that we take a moment to celebrate the legacy of WGTD's own Dave McGrath, who was the station's longest-running news director .... from 1999 until earlier this year. This is the Morning Show that happened on his last day as news director. His wife, Guida Brown, was on hand - as were a number of his friends and colleagues to wish him well and to talk about his long and varied career.

In honor of WGTD's 50th anniversary, today's Morning Show features excerpts from six memorable Morning Shows - spanning more than 25 years. Two of the interviews feature longtime news director Bill Guy, who created the show in the early 1980s and was its primary host until his death in 1999. Three of the interviews feature noteworthy guests from the community- and the other three guests include one of the greatest figures in the early days of television .... and a former U.S. president.

We celebrate 50 year of WGTD on the air with this rebroadcast of an interview from earlier this year with Gary Vaillancourt, who was on staff when the station went on the air on December 23, 2025- and shortly thereafter became general manager. [ We remind you of a public reception in honor of our 50th anniversary that's happening on Friday, December 12th 7:30- 10:30 in the Inspire Center on the Kenosha campus of Gateway Technical College.... 3520 30th Avenue. You can tour the studios, meet the staff, look at station memorabilia, and even record an anniversary greeting. ]