WGTD's The Morning Show with Greg Berg

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. ]

We speak with a representative of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation about some of the special challenges that this holiday season poses for people who are prone to addiction to alcohol or other drugs.

We talk with Doug Instenes, managing and artistic director of the Racine Theater Guild, who is also stage director for the RTG's production of the musical CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, which runs for the next two weekends (December 12-21).

As WGTD approaches its 50th anniversary of being on the air, I thought it would be fun to share one of my favorite interviews done by my predecessor, longtime news director Bill Guy, who created the Morning Show and was its primary host for many year. This interview was recorded in 1998- and it concerned the republication of a fascinating document: the 1925 City Plan for Kenosha by Harland Barthomew. Bill had an insatiable curiosity, and especially loved anything related to history- so he was in heaven as he conducted this particular interview with two representatives of the Kenosha County Historical Society (who were responsible for the republication) - Bob Fuhrman and Don Jensen - as well as the man who was the City Planner for Kenosha in 1998, Ray Forgianni.

From 2014 comes a conversation with former WGTD general manager Gary Vaillancourt, who was around when the radio station went on the air fifty years ago this month. This particular conversation, however, focused on a more personal topic- the fear he experienced when he was misdiagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

WGTD is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. This interview is with two people who joined the WGTD team early in its history: Jayne Herring, who became one of the station's news directors in 1980 - and Barb Axelson, whose first on-air work for WGTD in 1983 was as an intern with Gateway's radio program. *WGTD is hosting a public reception in honor of its 50th anniversary on Friday, December 12th ... 7:30- 10:30 a.m. . There will be coffee from East View Coffee in Kenosha and kringle from O & H Danish Bakery in Racine. You can tour our studios, meet the staff, view station memorabilia, and even record an anniversary greeting that will be heard over the air in coming weeks. The event occurs in the Inspire Center, which is the northernmost building on the Kenosha campus of Gateway Technical College.

From 2009- John Eisenberg, author of 'That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory." We're replaying this interview as the Packers look forward to a very significant showdown with one of their division rivals, the resurgent Chicago Bears.

We preview Saturday night's Candlelight Concert at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Racine. We speak with Jim Schatzman and Pat Badger, Artistic Director and Associate Conductor respectively of the Choral Arts Society, which is headlining the concert. Other participants will include Mark Paffrath, Victoria Vollman, and dancers from the Studio of Classical Dance Arts.

In honor of WGTD's 50th anniversary, we speak with Former Circuit Court Judge Emily Mueller - a former chair of the Board of Trustees at Gateway Technical College - who has been a faithful listener to WGTD for several decades (and for a time was part of the station's Advisory Board.) Currently, Emily Mueller is president of the board of directors of the Racine Theater Guild. (The station is hosting a coffee and kringle reception on Friday, December 12th, 7:30 to 10:30 am in the Inspire Center on the Kenosha campus of Gateway Technical College.)

We talk with Dr. James Kinchen, director of choral activities at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, about upcoming performances of the Nguzo Saba Suite by Glenn Burleigh- a work celebrating Kwanzaa that was commissioned by UW-Parkside as part of the school's 25th anniversary celebration. This vibrant work will be performed this Sunday afternoon, Dec. 7th at 3 pm and this Monday evening, Dec. 8th at 7 pm in the Frances Bedford Concert Hall.

We catch up with Dr. Morgan Phillips, interim president of Gateway Technical College. He updates us on enrollment numbers at Gateway, talks about some exciting new initiatives, and explains where Gateway is in its search for a new president and ceo. Dr. Phillips also pays tribute to local education leader Scott Pierce, who passed away on November 20th. Dr. Pierce was a long time member of the board of trustees at Gateway.

From 2010- Harlow Giles Unger, author of "Lion of Liberty: Patrick Henry and the Call to a New Nation."

From 2008- Mark Kreidler talks about his book "6 Good Innings: How One Small Town Became a Little League Giant."

From 2008- Best-selling author John Grogan ("Marley and Me") talks about a later book titled "The Longest Trip Home: A Memoir."

We share my memorable encounter with local music legend Fred Hermes, a well-known theater organ aficionado who had a massive, 5-manual Wurlitzer theater organ in the basement of his home- which he transformed into a facsimile of a classic movie palace. This interview was recorded in Fred's amazing home back in 2008. He died ten years later. (His home recently went on the market, which is what prompts this re-sharing of this interview.)

We speak with Shawn Rivers, Racine County Veterans Service Officer, who works to make sure that area veterans are aware of and able to access the benefits that are available to them. We give special attention to the matter of mental well-being and to the special difficulties that veterans might be experiencing during this time of year. We also talk with Rivers about his own military career (he was part of the U.S. Air Force for 21 years.)