Madison, Wis. – Civic Media is pleased to announce that BustED Pencils will broadcast every weeknight from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. across the statewide Civic Media radio network. BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk, hosted by Dr. Tim Slekar and Dr. Johnny Lupinacci, is a radio show and podcast dedicated to public education, known for its commitment to hard facts with a humorous twist.
The transition of Busted Pencils from a weekly to a daily show marks Civic Media’s latest investment in programming that speaks to critical areas of concern for Wisconsinites. Public education is a cornerstone of democracy and faces a number of challenges today, including diminished funding from the state’s shared revenue program and a voucher system that disproportionately defunds public schools.
“Our research consistently shows that education is one of the top issues affecting our listeners,” said Sage Weil, CEO of Civic Media. “I am thrilled to bring Tim and Johnny’s show to a broader audience in a time slot that works well for educators, parents, and concerned citizens alike. Tim and Johnny’s show makes education talk entertaining and accessible to everyone with an interest in our future.”
Hosts Dr. Tim Slekar and Dr. Johnny Lupinacci cover the “real” issues in education while being both informative and entertaining.
“Tim and Johnny’s approach is funny, edgy, passionate, witty and gritty,” adds Program Director Kathryn Lake. “They feature an enormous array of guests to explore the political and commercial influences behind education in Wisconsin and across the nation. Their show delivers trending education news without all the jargon, while articulating an optimistic vision of high-quality public education that is accessible to all.”
BustED Pencils appeals to ”your neighbor”—parents, grandparents, guardians, teachers, policymakers, taxpayers and students alike.
“If you care about the future of democracy, then you need a daily dose of BustED Pencils,” says Tim Slekar, co-host. “When’s a good day to talk education? Every day is a great day to talk education,” he added.
Dr. Tim Slekar is currently the executive director of the Department of Education Studies at Muskingum University, beginning his 30+ year career as a 2nd grade teacher. Dr. Slekar has also taught 5th, 7th and 8th grades, along with undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in various education fields at the State University of New York at Cortland and Penn State University. In Wisconsin, Tim served as the Dean of the School of Education at Edgewood College in Madison. Tim has published peer-reviewed research in multiple academic journals and served as an education blogger for Huffington Post, guest-posted on multiple education outlets and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC and FOX News. In 2011, Dr. Slekar became one of the first parents to opt his children out of No Child Left Behind Testing, spurring the nationwide opt-out movement of protest against high-stakes standardized tests. Both of his children successfully graduated high school and went on to college without ever having taken mandated standardized tests. Dr. Slekar created the BustED Pencils podcast in 2014 and BustED Pencils Live in 2020.
Dr. Johnny Lupinacci is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Washington State University (WSU), and began his career as a high school Math and Science teacher in Detroit. Today, Dr. Lupinacci teaches pre-service teachers and graduate students in the Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education (CSSTE) program and advocates for the development of scholar-activist educators. Johnny is the head coach of the WSU Hockey team, a parent, and a whole-hearted believer in the power of democracy to organize great neighborhoods and communities. In 2020, Johnny joined Tim on BustED Pencils and they have been busting pencils live on the air ever since.
BustED Pencils can be heard statewide, Monday through Friday, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on all Civic Media Network news/talk stations:
- WMDX, Mad Radio, Madison, 92.7 FM / 1580 AM
- WAUK, The ‘Sha, Waukesha, 101.1 FM / 540 AM
- WRCE, News from the Center, Richland Center, 107.7 FM / 1450 AM
- WLCX, The Eagle, La Crosse, 1490 AM
- WFHR, Locally Grown Radio, Wisconsin Rapids, 97.5 FM / 1320 AM
- WXCO, Bull Falls Radio, Wausau, 98.9 FM / 1230 AM
- WISS, Air Support, Oshkosh, 98.3 FM / 1100 AM
- WGBW, Green Bay, 97.9 FM / 1580 AM
- W228EP, The Tap, Eau Claire, 93.5 F
- WLAK, Lake Air, Amery, 107.5 FM / 1260 AM
- WBZH, Buzz of the North, Hayward, 910 AM
- WRJN, Racine, 99.9 FM / 98.1 FM / 1400 AM
If you are outside the broadcast area, you can tune in via the Civic Media App, or hear the show any time as a podcast on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.
CIVIC MEDIA is a network of 20 radio stations across Wisconsin in 12 distinct news/talk media markets, including Waukesha.
