Rephonic
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Milwaukee
Milwaukee, United States
Third Ward Fire
German Immigration
Lake Michigan
Nonprofit Housing Solutions
Bayview Massacre
Sheepshead
Wisconsin
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.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes233Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Society & Culture

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Artwork for Bubbler Talk

Latest Episodes

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?

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 l... more

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Accepts Guests
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People also subscribe to these shows.

Lake Effect
Lake EffectWUWM 89.7 FM - Milwaukee's NPR
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Song Exploder
Song ExploderHrishikesh Hirway

Recent Guests

Emma Fulse
Director of Registration at the Milwaukee Art Museum
Milwaukee Art Museum
Episode: What it takes to move a masterpiece to the Milwaukee Art Museum
Steve Gilbert
Listener who sparked the episode about steampunk
Audience member
Episode: What's the steampunk scene like in Wisconsin?
Vic Walter
Steampunk enthusiast, portrayed persona Mr. Steeps
Teslacon and local steampunk community
Episode: What's the steampunk scene like in Wisconsin?
Nick Hurley
Cosplayer with notable top-hat look
Local steampunk community
Episode: What's the steampunk scene like in Wisconsin?
Father Luke Strand
Rector of St. Francis Seminary
St. Francis Seminary
Episode: Are St. Francis Seminary Woods at risk as the campus is renovated?
Joanne Fritz
Nearby resident
Local community
Episode: Are St. Francis Seminary Woods at risk as the campus is renovated?
Zach Crone
Biologist
Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
Episode: Are St. Francis Seminary Woods at risk as the campus is renovated?
Colette Broadway
Former realtor in the Racine area who became interested in the round houses
Independent realtor (Racine area)
Episode: The 'renegade' Racine architect behind southeast Wisconsin's round houses
Gary Kratochvil
Anton Kratochvil's grandson
San Antonio resident, family connection to Anton Kratochvil
Episode: The 'renegade' Racine architect behind southeast Wisconsin's round houses

Host

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

Top Society & Culture Podcasts

This American Life
This American LifeThis American Life
Reaching Out
Reaching OutFuturo Media
Stuff You Should Know
Stuff You Should KnowiHeartPodcasts
The Ezra Klein Show
The Ezra Klein ShowNew York Times Opinion
Notes from the Edge
Notes from the EdgeGamut Podcast Network
Modern Wisdom
Modern WisdomChris Williamson

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

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.
10th anniversary: Why do we call it a Bubbler?
Q: What was your approach to investigating the Bayview Massacre victims for a later episode?
It involved extensive archival work, validating names across publications, and collaboration with libraries to verify who died and how those records were kept.
10th anniversary: Why do we call it a Bubbler?
Q: Was there really a Harlan Hucklebee who designed the bubbler?
No; that figure appears to be a myth, and the research found no evidence of Kohler Waterworks or Harlan Hucklebee as the origin of the term.

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Listeners per Episode
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Professions
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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. The Book Review
3. Up First from NPR
4. Fresh Air
5. Song Exploder

How many episodes of Bubbler Talk are there?

Bubbler Talk launched 10 years ago and published 233 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. Emma Fulse
2. Steve Gilbert
3. Vic Walter
4. Nick Hurley
5. Father Luke Strand
6. Joanne Fritz
7. Zach Crone
8. Colette Broadway

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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