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Milwaukee
Milwaukee, United States
Third Ward Fire
German Immigration
Lake Michigan
Nonprofit Housing Solutions
Sheepshead
Wisconsin
Bayview Massacre
Milwaukee Flyers
St. Joan Of Arc Chapel
Breweries
Milwaukee County Zoo
Shipwrecks
Housing Market
Celery Farming
Beavers
Signage Problem
Milwaukee Turners
1959 Plane Crash

What's got you scratching your head about the Milwaukee area? WUWM investigates your questions.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes234Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Society & Culture

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Latest Episodes

The Midwest was a major hub for industry — middle wage jobs, strong unions, thriving neighborhoods. And then, over decades, they went away, and whole cities were devastated.

Why do Midwestern cities have such strong associations with certain hot dogs or sausages? In Milwaukee, it’s the bratwurst. In Chicago, the Chicago dog. Detroit has the Coney dog.

Have you ever wondered how the art you admire gets to the museum? Bubbler Talk explores the art of moving masterpieces.

A WUWM employee noticed a pattern on her drives between Milwaukee and Illinois, and wondered whether Walworth County is a magnet for severe weather.

Bowling is a beloved American pastime. The sport's roots run deep in Milwaukee, which previously held the title of "America’s Bowling Capital."

Steampunk is a subculture where people express themselves through Victorian-era costumes with a science fiction twist. For Bubbler Talk, we’ll learn about how southeastern Wisconsin is a major steampunk hub.

In urban areas, parcels of undeveloped land are becoming rarer and rarer. One of them is Seminary Woods in St. Francis.

In the mid-1900s, a Racine man named Anton Kratochvil built more than 20 round or semi-circular houses and apartments in southeast Wisconsin. But why round?

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People also subscribe to these shows.

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Science Friday
Science FridayScience Friday and WNYC Studios

Recent Guests

Chris Gerben
Detroit-area native who grew up during the decline of the auto industry
Episode: The long shadow: How deindustrialization hit cities across the Midwest
Marsha Music
Detroit storyteller whose father owned a record shop
Episode: The long shadow: How deindustrialization hit cities across the Midwest
Adam Carr
Milwaukee public historian, artist and author
Episode: The long shadow: How deindustrialization hit cities across the Midwest
Matt Wilson
Senior Associate Director of the Great Cities Institute
Great Cities Institute
Episode: The long shadow: How deindustrialization hit cities across the Midwest
Erin Allen
Host of WBEZ's Curious City podcast
WBEZ
Episode: The long shadow: How deindustrialization hit cities across the Midwest
Kurt Harris
Founder of the Center of Equity Practices and Planning Justice at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Episode: The long shadow: How deindustrialization hit cities across the Midwest
Bruce Craig
Historian
historian referenced for context
Episode: Milwaukee, Detroit or Chicago: Which city has the best encased meats?
Fritz Usinger
Great-grandson of Usinger, current brat maker
Usinger's Sausage
Episode: Milwaukee, Detroit or Chicago: Which city has the best encased meats?
Steve Dolinsky
Food journalist
Chicago food journalism
Episode: Milwaukee, Detroit or Chicago: Which city has the best encased meats?

Host

Michelle Mardanowski
Host of the episode reconstruction and conversation; various roles across Bubbler Talk segments

Top Society & Culture Podcasts

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Sold a StoryAPM Reports
The Builders
The BuildersiHeartPodcasts and Kaleidoscope
Notes from the Edge
Notes from the EdgeGamut Podcast Network
The Ezra Klein Show
The Ezra Klein ShowNew York Times Opinion
METRO with Sarah Koenig
METRO with Sarah KoenigSerial Productions & The New York Times
Stuff You Should Know
Stuff You Should KnowiHeartPodcasts
This American Life
This American LifeThis American Life

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The long shadow: How deindustrialization hit cities across the Midwest
Q: How did they think about their responsibility to these communities?
Companies were often closely tied to local pride and identity, but deindustrialization, globalization and suburbanization shifted priorities toward cheaper labor and tax incentives. Kurt Harris says corporate interests did not take a long-term view of supporting affected communities.
The long shadow: How deindustrialization hit cities across the Midwest
Q: In the early to mid 20th century, factory jobs were sold as this great equalizer in labor. But what was it actually like for black workers and immigrant workers?
Factory jobs offered middle-wage income, but Black and immigrant workers were often segregated into dangerous work, exposed to hazardous chemicals, paid less for similar jobs and excluded or harassed by unions.
10th anniversary: The legend of the Pfister ghost
Q: If you could submit a question to Bubbler Talk, what would it be?
The hosts discuss a local 'ghost train' legend and how a question could open up exploration into local folklore and public displays, showing how audience questions drive future episodes.
10th anniversary: The legend of the Pfister ghost
Q: Do you believe in ghosts?
Becky expresses a playful skepticism, enjoying the idea of ghosts and spooky stories without claiming personal experiences, while acknowledging the fun and cultural resonance of the legends.
10th anniversary: Milwaukee's early Black settlers
Q: What stood out to you about the timeline of Milwaukee's Black settlers?
It's striking how quickly the community formed and asserted itself through voting, business, and culture, even in the face of formal restrictions, and how many lives are not fully documented yet remained central to the city's development.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Bubbler Talk

What is Bubbler Talk about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show consistently centers local Milwaukee culture, history, and food, often through investigative storytelling and archival research. Episodes frequently feature on-the-ground reporting, interviews with historians, journalists, and local experts, and a strong listener-driven ethos that turns questions from the community into longer, data-informed narratives. Across topics—from art logistics and museum work to architectural history, urban legends, and regional subcultures—the tone blends curiosity with reverence for place, highlighting unlikely connections between past and present and showcasing how local stories illuminate broader cultural themes. A notable hallmark is long-form storytelling that invites audience participation, memory, ... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Bubbler Talk?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Bubbler Talk:

1. Lake Effect
2. Stuff You Should Know
3. Gastropod
4. Throughline
5. Science Friday

How many episodes of Bubbler Talk are there?

Bubbler Talk launched 10 years ago and published 234 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Bubbler Talk?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on Bubbler Talk?

Recent guests on Bubbler Talk include:

1. Chris Gerben
2. Marsha Music
3. Adam Carr
4. Matt Wilson
5. Erin Allen
6. Kurt Harris
7. Bruce Craig
8. Fritz Usinger

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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