WPR brings NPR’s “Code Switch” And “Life Kit” to Saturday lineup

MADISON – Two popular NPR podcasts are arriving on Wisconsin Public Radio’s weekend broadcast schedule starting Oct. 2. Over the course of an hour, listeners will get stories about race and identity on “Code Switch” and hear practical ways to make their lives better on “Life Kit.” The two programs will air back-to-back at 10 a.m. each Saturday on The Ideas Network. They will replace NPR’s “Ask Me Another,” which will end production this month. 

“On The Ideas Network, we encourage our audience, and ourselves, to think about situations from other people’s perspectives. ‘Code Switch’ brings us important conversations about race, and the show incorporates rich sound and first-hand experience. ‘Life Kit’ covers a wide range of topics including advice on dealing with challenges we don’t even realize are weighing us down,” said WPR Interim Director of The Ideas Network Kealey Bultena. “It’s the right time for us to talk about these very real issues in our communities,” she said.

Beginning Oct. 10, WPR’s “BETA” — which features playful and provocative profiles of the people and works changing our world through arts, pop culture and technology — will replace “Says You” each Sunday at 8 a.m. on The Ideas Network. The nationally distributed game show of words and definitions announced earlier this year that it is ending production after 25 years. “BETA,” hosted by Doug Gordon, also airs on Saturdays at 9 a.m. on WPR’s NPR News & Music stations, 11 a.m. on The Ideas Network and on-demand at wpr.org.

“Code Switch” was named Apple’s first “show of the year” in 2020. It has received praise in Vanity Fair, Oprah Mag, The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter, among others. “Life Kit” has garnered praise from Complex, Lifehacker, Mashable, and Time. WPR’s “BETA,” has built a following since it launched in 2018. “Although it’s always hard to say goodbye when programs like ‘Ask Me Another’ and ‘Says You’ end production, we think listeners will find a lot to like in ‘Code Switch,’ ‘Life Kit’ and ‘BETA,’” WPR Senior Content Director Noah Ovshinsky said.