WORT FM

Final voting for Best of Madison 2026 is LIVE, and wortfm.org is up for Best Local News Website!🎉

Plus, WORT hosts Mel & Floyd and Ohjho from Petrichor Radio are finalists in the Radio Host/Team category.📻

The final voting period runs June 1-30. You can only vote once per category in the final round, so now’s the time to show WORT some love and help Madison decide who’s best.

And don't forget to support us during our Summer Pledge Drive! You can call in at (608) 256-2001 to make a pledge or donate online by clicking the orange "donate" button on our website.

Thank you for supporting WORT Community Radio.🧡🧡🧡

Best of Madison 2026 Check it out now!

Every single donation, no matter the size, is so important to WORT. We gladly accept $5, $500, or $5,000.

During this pledge drive, generous donors have put up a pool of money to double whatever you give, so a $25 level donation is really $50!

We go through a lot of headphones because we have so many guests and community members coming through our doors each day, and they break easily. At the $25 level donation, you can help WORT buy a pair of new headphones or a digital thumb drive for a WORT show host.

$25 pays for roughly 15 minutes of WORT airtime, plus you can save marine animals with your reusable straw set thank-you gift! Each donation, big or small, really CAN help.

$25 Level: The Last Straw Sets
Plastic straws are among the top pollutants in landfills and oceans. They take over 200 years to degrade, and when they do, they break down into harmful microplastics. Plastic straws leach harmful toxins into your drink. Not to mention what they do to marine life. We’ll send you two sets of The Last Straw. Each set contains two stainless steel straws, a cleaning brush, 4 silicone tips, and a cotton drawstring bag. Keep one, gift one. 9 1⁄2” x 2” inches
WORT, sea turtles, and birds say Thank You!

$35 Level
If you’ve seen the latest WORT bumper sticker, a white funky font on a black background, ringed by an oval border of green, yellow, red, pink and blue, imagine that shrunk down to 3” W x 1.3” H inches of embroidered gorgeousness and you’ve got our new patch.
Iron or sew-on, this patch turned out g-r-e-a-t!

Tune in to WORT 89.9 FM for our Summer Pledge Drive running NOW through June 7th. Thank you for supporting WORT Community Radio!🧡

https://www.wortfm.org/donate/

Kayla Kush and DJ Chelli Chill killed it on Saturday Evening Style on Saturday night. You can support all WORT volunteers by making a gift of support to WORT, by phone (between 7 am and 10 pm) at 608-256-2001 or online at wortfm.org/donate. Thank you!

I hear he listens on the WORT app. If you'd like to support the station during our Spring Fundraising drive, when every donation/pledge is doubled, call 608-256-2001, ext. 1 between 7 and 11 pm, or go to wortfm.org/donate. https://imgflip.com/i/at55e2

i.imgflip.com

Our pledge rappers and phone answerers, Linda and Katy, enjoy WORT's Saturday lineup as much as you do! They love taking your pledges when you call in (608-256-2001) and, in between calls, they also love checking out WORT's new lobby display (courtesy of Doug Ranney).

If you can't resist a good deal, our Summer Drive is the time to donate. Generous donors have put up a pool of money to double whatever you give!

$25 turns into $50; $500 becomes $1000. 608-256-2001, Ext 1 or online at

wortfm.org/donate.

Thank you for supporting Community Radio!

As always, WORT has many thank-you gifts you can look forward to receiving if you donate during the WORT Summer Pledge Drive, which begins tomorrow, May 30th!

Here are a few of the thank-you gift options:

$60.00 Level
Lightweight Bag
We offered this for the first time during our Winter Pledge drive and received great feedback from donors! This black or royal blue bag is lightweight, has pockets galore, and can be worn crossbody for added ease. Donors say it’s perfect for dog walks, traveling, or anytime you leave your house and want to move light. WORT logo on the front of the bag.
$5/month for monthly donors

$89.90 Level
Guess what we found! We offered an emergency weather radio some years ago. Then the price went up and it became too expensive. While spring cleaning, we discovered a box of them. They run on solar power, or by cranking, or by USB recharging.
Crank to recharge your phone, listen to WORT or emergency weather radio, or shine the super-bright LED flashlight. WORT sticker on the side.
$7.50/month for monthly donors.

Back from Last Summer: Baseball Hat with 1970s Groovy WORT Logo
This lightweight cap is available in black or light khaki. Its unstructured crown and pre-curved visor add to its comfort and looks. The 70s groovy embroidered WORT logo is a simplified version of a popular summer shirt we offered years ago.
Cotton twill, five-panel construction, adjustable self-fabric strap. One size fits most.
$7.50/month for monthly donors.

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At the $100 level, back again is the glow-in-the-dark skull baseball hat and a limited supply of the WORT tote designed by Lynda Barry. At the $120 level, we also have a limited supply of WORT binoculars!

At our $25 level, we have reusable straw sets, and at the $35 level, a new WORT bandana design for your dog or for yourself!🐾

Check out all of the 2026 WORT Summer Pledge Drive Thank-You Gifts by clicking the orange "donate" button on our website!

https://www.wortfm.org/donate/

We have a tiny staff to deal with your generous pledge drive donations. Consequently, your donation is credited to the show airing when you pledge or donate.

Except today.

Today, Friday. May 29, you can donate online and choose any show to receive your donation, no matter what day or time it airs. I've got an early morning show I love, but that I listen to on the archives, so I'll be donating to it. All thank you gifts are available -- check them out with the link below!

- WORT-FM 89.9 Your generous support makes great radio possible Check. Make your check out to WORT and mail your donation to WORT, Attn: DRD, 118 S Bedford Street, Madison, WI, 53703. Credit […]

It’s here! The new WORT Pledge Drive short-sleeved T-shirt design: “The Truth is Here” 👽📡👨‍🚀

Remember the 1970s “Is it live or is it Memorex?” ad campaign featuring Ella Fitzgerald? She sang a high note and shattered a glass, then they replayed it on Memorex and the glass shattered again.

Now we ask, is it real or is it AI? Is it real or is it Photoshop?

At WORT, all our music is performed by real people. Our news is covered by real reporters, and our talk shows feature real guests.

Our new t-shirt has a center logo featuring a spaceship, radio tower, and the Eye of Providence (eye inside a pyramid) along with the proclamation that the Truth is Here.

100% cotton, sizes XS – 5XL, available in Navy, Olive, Orange, or Dark Gray.

Tune in to the WORT Summer Pledge Drive May 30th - June 7th!

About the art:
The WORT Development staff came up with the idea and rough sketch, and Becca, an artist who works with our printer, 4imprint in Oshkosh, shared her digital drawing screen with us, and we collaboratively brought the rough sketch to life.

Check out our gallery of WORT T-shirts that were old Summer Pledge Drive thank-you gifts. Our new T-shirt design will be revealed tomorrow!! What do you think it will be?🤔

Our 2026 Summer Pledge Drive begins this Saturday, May 30th, and runs through June 7th.

We’ve got a couple of phone shifts left to fill, so check out the available shifts by clicking on the image of the switchboard operator on our website, and make sure to tune in to 89.9 FM during the WORT Summer Pledge Drive!

📻🎙🎧

The WORT Summer Pledge Drive is only a week away! It begins on May 30th and runs through June 7th.

Some of the historically popular phone shifts are still in need of phone answerers. If you have not had a chance to look at the openings, now is the time to do so!

Sign up on our website or copy and paste the following link into your browser: https://www.wortfm.org/cgi-bin/longsignup

See what open shifts works best for your schedule:
☎️ 🎶📻

Saturday, May 30
2pm - 4pm: PanAfrica
8pm - 10pm: Two for the Blues

Sunday, May 31
2pm - 5pm: Better Living Through Showtunes, On The Horizon
7pm - 11pm: Hmong Radio
9pm - 11pm: RTQE

Tuesday, June 2
5pm - 8pm: News Block, En Nuestro Patio (ENPA)

Wednesday, June 3
9am - 12pm: Back to the Country
2pm - 5pm: Journeys into Jazz

Friday, June 5
12pm - 2pm: A Public Affair, Mel & Floyd
8pm - 10pm: Friday on my Mind

Saturday, June 6
2pm - 4pm: PanAfrica
4pm - 6pm: La Junta (two open shifts)
6pm - 8pm: I Like it Like That (two open shifts)
8pm - 10pm: Two for the Blues

Sunday, June 7
8am - 11am: Musica Antiqua (two open shifts)
2pm - 5pm: Better Living Through Showtunes, On The Horizon
7pm - 11pm: Hmong Radio
9pm - 11pm: RTQE