WPR’s Larry Meiller signs off after nearly 60 years | Entertainment

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Even after the better part of a century on the airwaves, Larry Meiller still has stress dreams about work.

The night before the last episode of “The Larry Meiller Show,” the longtime radio host had a dream. “My watch was broken, and I said, ‘What time is it?’” he recalled. In the dream, he was walking around his office in the Life Sciences Communication department.

“I finally find somebody, and it’s 10 minutes to 11. Holy cow, I’m supposed to be on the air,” he said. Meiller recounted the dream in a studio in Vilas Hall in Madison, the home of Wisconsin Public Radio, a few minutes before starting his final call-in show.

Meiller, host of “The Larry Meiller Show” since 1978, celebrated his final show on June 30. He announced his retirement last December.

The call-in show, the longest-running of its kind on WPR and one of the first on public radio, focuses on all things Wisconsin and dives into the natural curiosities a person might have.

Recent topics include how to prepare your vehicle for a road trip, predictions for the 2026 mosquito season and tips for training a dog. Meiller interviews local authors and estimates he reads about 50 books a year for the show. (He reads every single book cover to cover.)

On his last day, Meiller was joined on the air by longtime friends and collaborators Jill Nadeau, executive producer of “The Larry Meiller Show,” and Lee Rayburn, the show’s technical director.

Starting July 6, from Monday to Thursday, the timeslot formerly occupied by Meiller will become the “The Lee Rayburn Show,” hosted by Rayburn. On Fridays, Nadeau will host “Garden Talk,” a weekly show in Meiller’s rotation.

Meiller is known for his inquisitive and welcoming nature on the air and his dedication to helping his listeners live better lives. Many have called him the epitome of the Wisconsin Idea: a person who is always learning and believes their work should benefit others. 

Meiller was a longtime professor in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He said on air he taught “104 semesters” (the equivalent of more than 50 years) and mentored hundreds of students.

As the trio sat in the studio and watched the clock creep closer to 11 a.m. (the show runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), conversation oscillated between emotional moments (Nadeau made sure there was a box of tissues close by), familiar wisecracks and downright silliness — like Meiller recounting his dream, which ended with a guy telling him to take a shortcut to the studio by swimming across a lake.  

It’s unlikely these kinds of dreams will ever go away, even in retirement. Meiller reflected on a story Maury White told him — Meiller began his radio career in 1967 after subbing in for a summer for White, a UW-Madison professor who hosted a farm show:

“He told me — and he was like 90 at the time — he said, ‘I still have that dream every once in a while,’ and it had been 50 years since he’d been on the air.”

The phone lines lit up

On his final day as a radio host, Meiller’s day started early. He arrived at the WPR offices on the seventh floor of Vilas around 7:30 a.m., stopping by a nearby coffeeshop beforehand. The folks behind the bar gave him a scone and a coffee on the house for his final day.

His office, which he shares with Nadeau, is balmy. That day, UW-Madison closed over a dozen buildings after a water line broke, impacting the school’s air-conditioning capacity amid a nationwide heat wave.

There were going to be treats and a celebration for Meiller’s last show, but many employees were out of the office due to the heat. Parts of the WPR building were still being chilled, such as the recording studio.

At his desk, Meiller went over the schedule for the day’s show. Over the last few weeks, guests have been asked to turn the tables on Meiller, asking him questions about his career and tenure as host. This show aired snippets from those past conversations, which Meiller relistened to ahead of going live.

One question, from frequent guest Jim Ward, asked Meiller, “After talking with Wisconsinites every day for nearly 60 years, I wonder, what is something you learned about people that surprised you when you started, and that you still believe today?” Ward comes on the show to talk about car maintenance.

Meiller expressed surprise that the concept of a call-in show took off. 

“So many people were actually willing to call in and ask questions,” he said. “I was amazed when the first show that I ever did, the call-in talk show, that the phone lines — we had eight lines at that time — and they all lit up almost immediately, and they stayed that way, and that’s still the case today.”  

As he prepped, people stopped by the office to say goodbye. Ruthanne Bessman, host of “Classics by Request” on WPR, gave Meiller an origami pair of lips. Jason Butler, executive assistant to WPR’s executive director, used to screen calls for Meiller and stopped to congratulate him. They reminisced about how they’d queue questions from callers so that hot-button topics — like the cleanliness of rest stop bathrooms — didn’t derail a show.

Meiller had the editor of “Wisconsin Trails,” a now-defunct magazine about Wisconsin, on an episode. About 15 minutes in, one caller shared a story and then ended with an anecdote about a specific rest stop, saying the bathrooms weren’t clean.

“Then right away, boom, boom, boom. The phone lines lit up, and everybody wanted to talk about the restrooms,” Meiller said.

The lesson on queuing calls? Put the ones likely to evoke reactions at the end of the show.

Butler couldn’t leave without asking a practical — and very Wisconsin — question.

“OK, my kids and I think that there are an enormous amount of rabbits, like bunny rabbits, in Madison. Are there more rabbits now than there were 5-10 years ago?”

Meiller, whose office is filled with reference books on nature and outdoor life (he said he hangs on to books on topics or by guests he knows will come on the show again), said likely not. 

“There are no natural predators, so they live a pretty good life.”

Sharing his life with Wisconsin

Around 10 a.m., Meiller walked out of his office and into the studio. His setup is minimal. He has his computer in front of him and a few printouts: a rough schedule of the show and a script for the billboards (pre-recorded segments where Meiller previews the show’s themes).

He had a vintage pair of Sennheiser HD 414 headphones with bright yellow pads over the ears. “I’ve been using headsets like this one for at least 50 years,” Meiller said. “You can have them on and still hear what’s going on. They’re not sound-deadening.”

“That’s why we don’t like them,” Nadeau said. 

Meiller laughed. “That’s why I like them.”

As he recorded the billboards, Meiller demonstrated how inflection and vocal pace can help listeners follow along with what he’s saying.

“Sometimes there are two thoughts in a (sentence), and when you’re entering the first thought, usually I end that maybe a little on, ‘And so there’s that part of the show,’” he said, ending this clause with an upward inflection. He took a beat before he began the second half of the sentence, mimicking the pacing of the first clause but slowing down the last few words to make both distinct: “‘And now there’s this other part of the show.”

It was clear Meiller wanted to keep the mood for the day light and fun. He said he’s prone to getting emotional if he’s watching a house-hunting show and a couple gets the home they dreamed of. 

If there’s a guest scheduled to appear, he’ll spend some of this time chatting with them, usually about nothing related to what they’re going to talk about on the air. “You get a shorter answer,” he said, if he talked previously about topics he hopes to cover live.

But since it’s just him, Nadeau and Rayburn, they just “gossip.” By gossip, he means telling old stories. “I talk about my hole-in-one.”

Nadeau jumped in with the familiarity of someone who has heard this one before: “Nov. 7, 2025…”

“…on the seventh hole at Odana, 170 yards…” Meiller responded. They both started giggling. 

In the sound booth — wearing the unofficial uniform of the day, a shirt with a cartoon version of Meiller’s face (many folks, including Meiller, have it on), the back listing his on-air accomplishments — was Meiller’s daughter Emily.

“It’s pretty emotional (watching his last show) because he’s been doing this my whole life,” she said. “When I was little, I used to come into work a lot with him.” As a kid, Meiller would have her sign off on shows during the holiday season. “Little me would go, ‘Happy Thanksgiving!’ into the mic.”

Emily said the version of her father that listeners get is the version she sees at home. “He shares his life with everybody in Wisconsin. And it’s so special.”

‘Thanks for the memory’

Before the show started, Nadeau went over the episode’s schedule. Meiller mentioned he listened to all the clips they plan to air, but wished that he had “edited out a few of my ‘ahs,’ especially from the early ones.”

“Wow, 59 years and you’re still self-conscious,” Rayburn teased.

Then it was time to go live. Meiller kicked off the show, reminding listeners that this was his last live show and inviting them to call in. “If you have a story about how this show has affected you in one way or another, large or small, in your life, I’d love to hear that.”

The trio talked about Meiller’s statewide tour, where he did live shows and held community conversations about his career. At most stops, Meiller said, people lined up for up to an hour to take a photo with him. 

“Every single time we’d have somebody take a photo with me, they had a comment about something that happened to them … a good thing as a result of the show.”

The show remained joyous and wistful, toggling between pre-recorded segments and long-running bits, like talking about Limey, a lime tree Meiller had that listeners frequently checked in on. (The tree has long since passed, but frequent “Garden Talk” guest Patty Nagai got him another tree, called Limey II.)

They fielded calls from longtime listeners of all ages, like John in Watertown, a letter carrier, and Danny in Madison, who started listening to Meiller because of their grandparents. “I’m only 24 and everyone my age I know is probably not listening to your show, but I really enjoyed it,” Danny said.

They even got a call from frequent call-in guest Santa Claus.

“I just got a note from Mrs. Claus saying that this is your last show. I can’t believe it! How did this happen?” Santa asked. Meiller revealed that Santa has been played for nearly two decades by Buzz Kemper, a local voice-over actor. 

“I think we started before Legos were invented,” Kemper said.

Things started getting emotional toward the end. Nadeau surprised Meiller with a song inspired by a tradition started by Bob Hope.

“Remember (at) the end of his shows he used to do, ‘Thanks For the Memory?’ … (He would) rewrite the lyrics depending on what was going on at the time,” she said. Nadeau rewrote the song and had Síle Shigley, host of WPR’s “Simply Folk,” sing the modified version.

“Thanks for the memory/ Of 60 years as host/ And not a single boast

Helpful tips and funny quips/ And how to cook a roast

How lovely it was.”

Meiller grabbed the tissue box. As the show wrapped, Nadeau handed him a sheet with the lyrics for reference. That’s good, Meiller said. “I was too busy sobbing to myself.”

Smile because it happened

Toward the end of the show, more and more people began packing into the sound booth to watch the final moments.

Meiller’s sign-off was sincere and direct. “Thank you very much for listening today and for all of the times that you have listened to this show. It’s been a treat.” He also encouraged people to keep listening. “And stay with us!. Lots more in store here on WPR News.” 

As the music faded in, listeners could hear a sniffle or two.

On the WPR website, Meiller’s last episode is called “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

In the studio, folks clapped as Meiller took off his headphones and walked out of the studio. Rob Ferrett, co-host of “Wisconsin Today,” asked Meiller if he could fill in for him tomorrow, which caused the group to erupt in laughter.  

Meiller addressed the group through tears. “Well, hard to talk now. It’s been a real pleasure.”

Meiller packed many of his items in large tote bags to carry out of the office — Meiller, his daughter Emily, Nadeau, Rayburn and the rest of the team, including producers Clara Neupert and Joel Patenaude and technical director Jeff Robbins, were all going to escape the heat at Vilas and celebrate with lunch at the Nitty Gritty.  

The bags were filled with letters he’s received from listeners.

“There are listeners, and there are also guests, who will often send a note and say, ‘Wow, you are such a good interviewer. … You really made me feel comfortable, and that really helped the conversation,’” he said. 

Listeners might not hear Meiller on the air every day anymore, but he’ll still be around. And he might be at the WPR offices sooner rather than later. “I have to come back for cookies.”