Michael Feldman (born March 14, 1949) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

radio personality. He is the host of ''

Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know? ''Whad'Ya Know?'' is an American comedy, interview, and quiz radio show. Hosted by Michael Feldman, it was created in 1985. During its radio run, it was produced by Wisconsin Public Radio and distributed through Public Radio International. Fe ...

'', formerly a radio show distributed by

Public Radio International Public Radio International (PRI) was an American public radio organization. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, PRI provided programming to over 850 public radio stations in the United States. PRI was one of the main providers of programmi ...

and now a podcast. His former announcer, Jim Packard, referred to him as "The Sage of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

." 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 is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, Feldman graduated from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

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

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

, before finding work at radio station

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. 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 38 public radio radio station, stations in the state of Wisconsin. WPR's network is divided into two distinct services, the ''WPR News Network'' and the ''WPR Music Network''. History Wisconsin Publ ...

(WPR) in Madison, then at

WGN (AM) WGN (720 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, featuring a talk radio format. WGN's studios are in the Chicago Loop, while the transmitter is in Elk Grove Village. WGN also features broadcasts of Chicago Blackhawks hoc ...

. 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