Sangamon Experience and NPR Illinois present “Radio That Listens To You: 50 Years of NPR Illinois”

For 50 years, Springfield’s public radio station NPR Illinois has been a voice for news, music and community connection. A new exhibit created by the Sangamon Experience at the University of Illinois Springfield invites the public to discover its story. Special guest Michel Martin from NPR's “Morning Edition,” will join the celebration to help open the exhibit, which chronicles the first half-century.

 The opening for “Radio That Listens to You: 50 Years of NPR Illinois” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 18 at Lincoln Library, 326 S. Seventh St., celebrating the people, passion and purpose behind public radio in central Illinois. An after-event cocktail hour will follow from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 321 S. Seventh St. After the opening, the exhibit will be open to the public through mid-May during Lincoln Library’s business hours. 

The exhibit traces the station’s journey from its first broadcast as WSSR at Sangamon State University in 1975 to today’s NPR Illinois. Visitors can explore rare recordings, behind-the-scenes artifacts and interactive displays that highlight how a small campus station grew into a vital part of the region’s cultural and civic life.

“This is a chance to honor everyone who made public radio possible here—volunteers, listeners and the community that supported it every step of the way,” said Anne Moseley, director of the Sangamon Experience at UIS. 

The exhibit was researched and developed by  project lead Evie Rodenbaugh, a graduate assistant at UIS, who engaged the public to participate in shaping the story. 

“I am honored to be trusted with telling the story of such a vital community resource,”  Rodenbaugh said. “The station going on the air in 1975 was a significant turning point for radio in Illinois. What a coincidence that public radio is experiencing yet another turning point 50 years later. I hope this project prompts citizens of central Illinois to consider what matters most to them in their community.” 

This past April, Rodenbaugh received the Russell Lewis Award for a Young Museum Professional from the Illinois State Historical Society. She also authored “Happy Birthday, NPR Illinois!” for the society’s Heritage Magazine, highlighting the station’s 50-year legacy.

Admission to the exhibit opening is free, but registration is required. Learn more at go.uis.edu/NPR50Years.