Special Programming: Women’s History Month on WFMT

A month of exciting programming to mark and honor Women’s History Month on WFMT.

Musical Events for Black History Month

Honor Black artistry with an entire month of exciting musical events — operas, chamber concerts, jazz orchestras, broadcasts, and more!

6 Studs Terkel Conversations With Native American Artists, Scholars, and Activists

Studs Terkel was committed to evolving, expanding, and examining our conception of who made up the USA.

9 Studs Terkel Conversations for Hispanic Heritage Month

Hear from Hispanic artists, writers, activists, and more from Chicago and beyond.

Key WFMT Producer, Host, Programmer Lois Baum Has Died, 87

Lois Baum’s long and illustrious time with WFMT began in 1964.

War Letters

War Letters, an award-winning documentary WFMT created in 2001.

11 Studs Terkel Conversations for Black History Month

Just a few of the Black voices from the Studs Terkel Radio Archive.

The Rich Warren Connection

“Rarely do I pick up a CD from an artist who doesn’t pay homage to Rich Warren,” says Wanda Fischer, award-winning host of The Hudson River Sampler.

Stream 10 Hilarious Studs Conversations With Top Comedians & Humorists

Never were Studs Terkel’s legendary gregariousness, curiosity, and generosity more evident on-air than when a comedian, comic actor, or humorist stopped by the studio.

From 2013: Legendary Chicagoan Timuel Black Reflects on Studs Terkel

Timuel Black, who died on October 13, 2021 at age 102, lived a truly extraordinary life. Hear an excerpt of a 2013 WFMT interview with the influential historian, activist, veteran, and teacher.

Marilyn Rea Beyer, new ‘Midnight Special’ host, comes full circle

Beyer talks to WFMT about her introduction to folk music at Chicago’s Symphony Center, formative memories of Steve Goodman and Studs Terkel, and what to expect as she takes the reins of ‘The Midnight Special.’

Through the Eyes of Women: Protests and Racial Justice in the Studs Terkel Radio Archive

Our picture of the past is often incomplete: though long on the frontlines in the fight for racial justice, women’s stories have often been left out of history. Here are nine conversations with women to enrich our understanding.

Juneteenth 2020 on WFMT

In observance of Juneteenth, WFMT is sharing music by Black composers and performers throughout the day.

From the Studs Terkel Radio Archive: 7 Conversations with Poets for National Poetry Month

Throughout his 52 years at WFMT, Studs Terkel showcased and championed poets from across the globe.

John Prine Dies, Rich Warren Pays Tribute

John Prine, who began his career in Chicago, exhibited the ability to wring every possible meaning from a word to expose the joy, sorrow, frailty, and strength of the human condition.

Working for a Living: 5 Studs Terkel Conversations for Labor Day

Over his almost 50-year career at WFMT, Studs Terkel continually amplified the voices of working people — the nurses, teachers, factory workers, cab drivers, custodians, air traffic controllers, and countless others.

5 Conversations: Studs Terkel and LGBTQ+ Voices

“Among the eminent broadcast journalists of his generation, Studs Terkel may well stand alone in his consistent compassion for lesbian and gay people and curiosity about their lives.” Here are just a few testaments to that compassion.

Studs waltzes along with the Newberry Library’s latest dance exhibit

Studs Terkel was known for a lot of things-his Pulitzer Prize-winning oral histories, his seemingly boundless appetite for life, and even his penchant for cigars. One of Studs’ less well-remembered legacies, however, is his tremendous admiration for the art of dance.

Studs Terkel Turns 107, His Archive Turns 1

Studs Terkel, the gregarious, cigar-chomping oral historian, used to say of his birth that, “when the Titanic went down, I came up.”

Studs Terkel’s most compelling conversations, unpacked for the 21st century in a new podcast

This monthly podcast pairs some of Studs’ most compelling conversations with interviews with some of the most exciting voices of today.

Studs Terkel Spoke To the Greatest Musicians of His Time. Now You Can Hear Their Conversations Online.

Between 1952 and 1997, Studs Terkel invited some of the world’s best musicians to join him for his hour-long radio program on WFMT.

The Studs Terkel Radio Archive, One of the World’s Great Spoken-Word Collections, Goes Public

On May 16, 2018, what would have been Studs’s 106th birthday, listeners will have more access to this incredible gold mine of materials than ever before.

The Old Town School of Folk Music at 60: Music tonight and every night since 1957

Over the last sixty years, the Old Town School of Folk Music has grown from humble beginnings to become the largest nonprofit community arts school in the United States.

How WFMT legend Studs Terkel just made his Carnegie Hall debut (alongside the Kronos Quartet and his old friend Mahalia Jackson)

WFMT’s long-time resident “free spirit” Studs Terkel died near a decade ago, on Halloween in 2008, but he just made his Carnegie Hall debut. What brought about this feat of artistic time travel?

Chicago Celebrates 50 Years of ‘Everyone’s Picasso’ with Music and More

For 50 years, the sculpture, known simply as the Chicago Picasso, has delighted and baffled passersby. The artist never revealed his inspiration.