Bubbler Talk
Bubbler Talk
WUWM 89.7 FM - Milwaukee's NPR
What's got you scratching your head about the Milwaukee area? WUWM investigates your questions.
10th anniversary: Ice cream cocktails
WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. To close out the season, we listen to Maayan Silver’s story about  ice cream cocktails and their connection to Milwaukee. Stories mentioned in this episode: Ice Cream Cocktails, Milwaukee-Style What Happened to Milwaukee's Signature Yeast Smell? What's that smell when you drive over Milwaukee's Hoan Bridge? A Mystery Tree Grows In Milwaukee Just in time for Valentine's Day: The 'blind date cookie' and its Milwaukee connection There's a radio haunting this century-old Milwaukee area bar Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.
Jul 2
21 min
10th anniversary: Why Milwaukee is called ‘Cream City’
WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. This week, we listen to Ann-Elise Henzl’s 2017 story about how Milwaukee got the nickname “Cream City.” Mentioned in this episode: How Milwaukee Got The Nickname 'Cream City' Cream City brick: From Ice Age glaciers to Milwaukee's early strip malls In Wisconsin, A Bloody Mary Isn't Complete Unless It Has A Beer Chaser The saga of Milwaukee's water tower dragon WUWM 2026 Election Survey Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.
Jun 25
20 min
10th anniversary: Dining with dolphins
WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. This week, we listen to Susan Bence’s stranger-than-fiction 2018 story about a restaurant where you could dine with dolphins. Stories mentioned in this episode: Dining With Dolphins: Remembering Milwaukee's 'Most Unusual' Restaurant Did You Know There's An Ancient Coral Reef in Wauwatosa? Swimming The Milwaukee River: Should You Jump In? Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.
Jun 18
21 min
10th anniversary: The legend of the Pfister ghost
WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. This week, we listen to Lake Effect executive producer Becky Mortensen’s story about the legend of the Pfister Hotel being haunted. Stories mentioned in this episode: The legend of the Pfister Hotel ghost Unearthing the history of Milwaukee’s celery farms Where are the victims of the Bay View Massacre buried? Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.
Jun 11
17 min
10th anniversary: What happens when a zoo animal dies?
WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. This week, we listen to Xcaret Nuñez’s 2024 story: “What happens when an animal at the Milwaukee County Zoo dies?” Stories mentioned in this episode: What happens when an animal at the Milwaukee County Zoo dies? Meet Ringo: The star, artist and friend of Bradford Beach Unearthing the history of Milwaukee’s celery farms The search for the mystery artist behind the wooden birds on the Oak Leaf Trail Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.
Jun 4
20 min
10th anniversary: Milwaukee's early Black settlers
WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. This week, we listen to Teran Powell’s 2022 story “A look at Milwaukee's early Black settlers,” and talk with Teran about her Bubbler Talk reporting.    Stories mentioned in this episode: A look at Milwaukee's early Black settlers Painted Koi Fish Have Been 'Swimming' On Milwaukee's Sidewalks For Over A Decade Who’s behind ‘The Unsung Hero,’ the 6-story mural in Milwaukee’s Third Ward? Cathedral Square's 'Immigrant Mother' statue symbolizes universal motherhood The Morris Pratt Institute has been a source of Spiritualist education for more than a century Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.
May 28
19 min
10th anniversary: Milwaukee's favorite doughnut
WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. This week, we listen to Audrey Nowakowski’s delicious 2019 story “Cruller Or Kruller? However You Spell It, It's A Milwaukee Doughnut Staple.” Stories mentioned in this episode: Cruller Or Kruller? However You Spell It, It's A Milwaukee Doughnut Staple The journey of the ancestral pole that once stood outside of the Milwaukee Public Museum How Enderis Park neighborhood's namesake, Dorothy Enderis, shaped Milwaukee Recreation An Ode To Craftsmanship: Stained Glass Windows In Milwaukee Bungalows Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.
May 21
20 min
10th anniversary: Dragon on the water tower
WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. This week, we listen to Emily Files’ 2019 story “The saga of Milwaukee's water tower dragon.” Stories mentioned in this episode: The saga of Milwaukee's water tower dragon Did you know the Milwaukee Safety Academy used to be a Catholic girls school? Milwaukee's Lost Town Of Lake How Granville Township Became Part Of Milwaukee Why is Thiensville landlocked by Mequon? Havenwoods State Forest in Milwaukee is the result of 'healing' after a military past Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.
May 14
17 min
10th anniversary: Why do we call it a Bubbler?
WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. To kick it off, we listen to the very first Bubbler Talk episode: “Why do Wisconsinites call that a bubbler, anyway?” by Joy Powers. Stories mentioned in this episode: Why Do Wisconsinites Call That A Bubbler, Anyway? Where are the victims of the Bay View Massacre buried? How to research historic properties in Milwaukee Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.
May 7
18 min
Cathedral Square's 'Immigrant Mother' statue symbolizes universal motherhood
A bronze statue of an immigrant mother with two children has stood in Milwaukee’s Cathedral Square since 1960. One of our "Bubbler Talk" listeners wanted to know more.
Mar 13
4 min
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