Illinois Public Media

Arts and Culture

Picture of students sitting on a set with Prairie Fire logo in foreground

Prairie Fire: Student documentaries highlight Champaign-Urbana community

 For this special edition of Prairie Fire, students in the Advanced Documentary Storytelling and Production class at the University of Illinois’ College of Media spent a semester producing five short documentaries highlighting the rich food, skating, music, martial arts and student support communities in Champaign-Urbana.
IPM Newsroom
Black Music Month performance by Certified Organic, June 4, 2026 at the Gallery Art Bar starting at 7:30pm.
Illinois Classical
Illinois Classical 90.9

Your home for Classical and more in Central Illinois.
Atomic Age Cocktail Party
Atomic Age logo with an illustration of a tropical island with the sun behind it. Text reads

Hawaiian Holiday (165)
Coming up on The Atomic Age Cocktail Party, we’re taking a Hawaiian Holiday. It’s an hour of popular Hawaiian music standards from the hi-fi era. We’ll hear from Webley…
Dialogue
Man at desk, woman at desk, singer profile picture

DeShawn Williams marks a year as mayor; Inside the Lincoln School for Black children; and Mýa releases album with 70’s/80’s vibes
DeShawn Williams talks about his first year as Urbana's mayor; we visit a restored one-room schoolhouse for Black children; and Mýa talks about her new album.
The 21st Show
a white woman with dark hair and a gray sweater; the book cover has four rectangles, clockwise from top left: pink, yellow, green and orange

Best of: Why do so many people struggle in early adulthood?
You've heard of a midlife crisis — but what about one during quarterlife? The years between adolescence and middle ages come with their own challenges. We'll talk with…
The 21st Show

Cory Haala on the populism that powered Midwest Democrats
In the 1980's, conservatism was on the rise in America, and Democrats were fighting over how best to respond. While the party struggled nationally, here in the Midwest…
News Local/State
man sitting at computer

Behind The Mic:  Newsroom editor Arjun Thakkar thinks public media is integral in combatting information overload
At Illinois Public Media, Arjun Thakkar helps reporters with story pitches, sources, and final editing, and sometimes reports stories himself.
Prairie Fire

Prairie Fire: Season 3 - Episode 7 - May 2026
For this month's Prairie Fire, students from the University of Illinois’ College of Media spent a semester producing five short documentaries highlighting food, skating,…
News Local/State
man sitting at computer

Behind The Mic:  Newsroom editor Arjun Thakkar thinks public media is integral in combatting information overload
At Illinois Public Media, Arjun Thakkar helps reporters with story pitches, sources, and final editing, and sometimes reports stories himself.
State of Change

Small gestures to make a big difference in preserving our planet
We visit a zero-waste general store, a garden bringing a community together in a Chicago food desert, a program protecting pollinators, and advice to increase sustainability…