Michael Feldman (born March 14, 1949) is an American radio personality. He is the host of '' Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?'', formerly a radio show distributed by Public Radio International and now a podcast. His former announcer,

Jim Packard James Russell Packard Jr. (September 23, 1931 – October 1, 1960) was a racing driver from Hendersonville, North Carolina who competed in the USAC Championship Car series. He made 22 starts and registered a single win in August 1960 at the I ...

, referred to him as "The Sage of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

." He has given himself the title of "Producer Internationale," and also refers to Public Radio International on-air as "The International House of Radio." Raised in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, Feldman graduated from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

with a degree in English in 1970. He worked as a teacher at Malcolm Shabazz City High School in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County, Wisconsin, Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin b ...

, before finding work at radio station

WORT Wort () is the liquid extracted from the mashing process during the brewing of beer or whisky. Wort contains the sugars, the most important being maltose and maltotriose, that will be fermented by the brewing yeast to produce alcohol. Wort al ...

. Soon after, he worked as a cab driver before coming back to broadcasting, first at

Wisconsin Public Radio Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) is a network of 34 public radio stations in the state of Wisconsin. WPR's network is divided into two distinct analog services, the ''Ideas Network'' and the '' NPR News & Music Network,'' as well as the ''All Classi ...

(WPR) in Madison, then at

WGN (AM) WGN (720 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, with studios on the 18th floor of 303 East Wacker Drive in the Chicago Loop. WGN has a news/talk format, along with broadcasts of Chicago Blackhawks hockey and Northw ...

. His show was canceled by WGN in 1984 and he returned to WPR in 1985 to produce and host ''Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?'', in conjunction with Wisconsin Public Radio for Public Radio International. In 2015 Whad'ya Know? celebrated its 30th anniversary, and is nearing its 1,000th broadcast.

Books and other media

Feldman is the author of several books: ''Wisconsin Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff''; ''Something I Said?: Innuendo and Out the Other''; ''Thanks for the Memos''; ''Glad You Asked: Intriguing Names, Facts, and Ideas For the Curious-Minded''; ''Whad'ya Know, Test Your Knowledge''; ''Whad'ya Know?''; and ''Whad'ya Knowledge''. Feldman has produced three CD compilations of his radio show, ''Roadkill! The Best of Michael Feldman's Whad'ya Know... On the Road'' and ''Why Not: Best of Michael Feldman's Whad'ya Know'', ''The First 25 Are the Hardest'', a celebration of 25 years of Whad'ya Know, and the music CD ''Her Country: The Songs of Michael Feldman'' with John Sieger and the Skeletons. Feldman also produces a podcast featuring interviews from Whad'ya Know?Kansas Public Radio bio on Feldman

Personal

Feldman is married, has two daughters, and lives in the Madison area, where the show is usually staged.

References

External links

at the Whad'Ya Know? website

at About.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Feldman, Michael American public radio personalities American humorists Public Radio International personalities People from Madison, Wisconsin Radio personalities from Milwaukee University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni Wisconsin Public Radio 1949 births Living people