8 O'Clock Buzz

Today on the too Turnt Up Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi and Antoine McNeail, DJ Dee Franko joins us in studio for some laughs and some serious business, telling their story, talking the state of Black entertainment, faces and spaces in Madison, in tents, on the river, and more (of course, a little talk about clothes and back to school).

Follow DJ Dee Franko on Instagram to find out about upcoming events and appearances: https://www.instagram.com/djdeefranko_/

Check in with Urban League at https://ulgm.org/ for their workshops and information on Expungement, childcare assistance, computer skills, the Black men’s resource luncheon series, home ownership clinics, job seekers toolkit, and much more!

Catch Antoine’s next Comedy and Poetry Jam on September 27th at Wil-Mar Center: https://www.facebook.com/ComedyAndPoetryJam/

… and earlier the same day, Black Women’s Wellness Day at Monona Terrace, more inforrmation and registration at https://www.blackwomenswellnessday.org/.

Listen in Madison at 89.9FM or online anywhere at wortfm.org.  Support your community radio with a donation online at wortfm.org!

The post Who OK’d Club Culture? appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

For Scandinavians, a sit in a warm sauna is considered essential for maintaining good health.  For Australian golden bell frogs, a sit in a warm sauna could be key to preserving their entire species.  Australian conservation biologist Anthony Waddle has found that giving frogs just an hour or so in a warm, moist environment can help cure infections from the deadly chytrid fungus.  Environmental journalist Saugat Bolakhe recently wrote about Waddle’s work for the journal Nature.  Saugat Bolakhe joined the Monday Buzz on September 8, 2025.

Photo of Green and Golden Bell Frog by Bernard Spragg. NZ, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

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In July, U.S. Congressional Representatives Tom Tiffany and Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin, along with Michelle Fischbach, Brad Finstad, Pete Stauber and Tom Emmer of Minnesota – all Republicans – co-signed an angry letter to the Canadian Embassy, demanding that Canada get their wildfires under control.  2025 has proven to be the second-worst fire season in Canadian history, behind 2023’s record-breaking year.  Natural Resources Canada reports that more than 72,000 square kilometers have burned so far this year, an area equivalent to the U.S. state of South Carolina.  Richard Carr is a wildlife scientist with Natural Resources Canada, and he joined the Monday Buzz on September 8, 2025.

Photo of Crown Fire courtesy of Natural Resources Canada

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The post Canadian Wildfires in Perspective appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.



Back in June, WORT brought you the story of a coalition of crime victim services agencies and Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, who sought – unsuccessfully, as it turned out – to persuade the Wisconsin legislature to add money to the state budget to support ongoing crime victim services.  Such services have been traditionally funded by the Crime Victims Services fund under the federal Victims of Crimes Act or VOCA.  Money for that fund has been drying up for years, dating back to the Biden Administration.  To get a better idea of how and why federal funds are disappearing, we turn now to Martin Weinstein, partner, with the law firm Cadwalader, Wickensham and Taft and a former federal prosecutor.

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In tribute to the 50th anniversary of WORT, host Tony Castañeda is welcoming back former volunteers to speak about the history of the radio station.  This week Tony speaks with Jeff DeMark about his time at the station in the 1970’s as well as his life after WORT.  Among other stories, Jeff talks about his interview with Patti Smith that took place live in the WORT studio in 1975, prior to her becoming a big name in the music world.

Photo by Chali Pittman WORT News

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Over half of adult women and roughly 1 in 3 adult men report unwanted sexual contact in their lifetime in the US.  The Sexual Violence Resource Center (RCC), formerly known as the Rape Crisis Center, has been providing critical services for survivors of sexual assault, incest, harassment, and sexual exploitation for over fifty years for those in Dane County.  Rachel Bledsoe, Director of Development at RCC, speaks with host Tony Castañeda about the services available to survivors, and about the annual fundraising event, Java Jive, to be held on Saturday, September 13, from 10 AM to 2 PM, at Delta Beer Labs, 167 E. Badger Road.

Photo by Zalfa Imani on Unsplash

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This year’s Community Shares of Wisconsin (CSW) “Lifetime Achievement Award” winner is Denise Matyka. With over forty years of community service, highlighted by her co-founding CSW in 1985, and currently Executive Director of Project Home. According to Matyka, rent prices has risen by 47% in the past 5 years, and Project Home’s assistance programs serve low-to-moderate income residents in Dane and Green County, including senior citizens, veterans, single-parent families and people with health issues & disabilities, with the goal to be able to allow them to stay in their homes.

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Ross Winklbauer, President of the Board of the Wisconsin Alliance of Retired Americans, reminds us that Social Security isn’t just for retired people, but supports people with disabilities, children who have lost parents, and more. Winklbauer talks about the obvious means to fund the program for future years by raising or removing the $170K cap on earnings on which individuals pay into Social Security. The Alliance is holding rallies in a number of cities in Wisconsin, with a rally scheduled for Madison (at the S.S. office at 6011 Odana Rd) at noon on September 4, 2025.

The post WI Alliance of Retired Americans Holds Rally to Support Social Securit... appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Today on the too Turnt Up Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi and Antoine McNeail, Johnny Winston, Jr and Shar-Ron Buie join to talk about non-traditional mentoring, supporting the community, the state of Black business and spaces in Madison, and much much more!

More on Shar-Ron’s story and his mission to help other veterans from the VA: https://www.va.gov/madison-health-care/stories/marine-veteran-served-in-prison-now-devotes-life-to-other-veterans/

More on Johnny Winston, Jr and his work across the board: https://johnnywinstoncares.com/ 

More on business pop-ups at the Black Business Hub, every Saturday 10-5 at https://ulgm.org/calendar/

Check on Man2Man mentoring, every Tuesday at BLW Center, more information on their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blwcenter/

Check in with Urban League at https://ulgm.org/ for their gatherings and information oneExpungement, childcare assistance, computer skills, the Black men’s resource luncheon series, home ownership clinics, job seekers toolkit, and much more!

Music from Today’s show: https://spinitron.com/WORT/pl/21168720/Tuesday-8-O-Clock-Buzz 

Listen in Madison at 89.9FM or online anywhere at wortfm.org.  Support your community radio with a donation online at wortfm.org!

The post Cognac and a Cupcake appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.



Back in 2023, we at the Monday 8 O’Clock Buzz spoke with bird conservationists from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources about the annual Chimney Swift migration.  Thousands of these large, charismatic birds arrive in Wisconsin in the fall and spring, featuring spectacular swoops in and out of open chimneys.  Changes in building practices and a decline of industrial chimneys has led to a decline in nesting habitat for the swifts.  Until recently, attempts to create artificial chimney roosting habitat has met with little success.  But that may be about to change.  Matt Reetz, Executive Director of the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance  joined the 8 O’Clock Buzz on September 1, 2025.

Cherokee Heights chimney (photo by Sandy Schwab)

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