© 2024 Wyoming Public Media
800-729-5897 | 307-766-4240
Wyoming Public Media is a service of the University of Wyoming
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Transmission & Streaming Disruptions

July 24th, 2015

Aaron Schrank

Listen to the full show here.

For Gay Athletes And Fans, Rodeo Is The Last Frontier In Pro Sports

Cheyenne Frontier Days has been Wyoming’s biggest party for nearly 120 years. The 10-day rodeo and all-around celebration of cowboy culture welcomes visitors from across the country and the world every summer. Frontier Days—and professional rodeo--help keep the tradition of the Old West alive and kicking, but for many gay and lesbian people, the rodeo tradition is one of intolerance and exclusion. Wyoming Public Radio’s Aaron Schrank reports.  

Audio Postcard: The Secret Life Of Carnival Game Operators

The rodeo may be the best-known competition at Cheyenne Frontier days, but outside the arena there is another group of skilled professionals vying for glory. Carnival games operators leverage years of practice and skill to convince people like you to pay cash for the opportunity to win a push, stuffed prize. For many of them, it's not just a job: it's a way of life. Wyoming Public Radio’s Miles Bryan spent time with a few of these games operators and has this postcard.

Group Hopes To Put Medical Marijuana On The Ballot

A Wyoming group has received permission to collect nearly 25 thousand signatures by February in an effort to get an initiative on the ballot. It would legalize the use of medical marijuana among other things. Chris Christian is the Executive Director of the group Wyoming NORML and she says it was time legalization became a topic of discussion in Wyoming. She explains her interest to Wyoming Public Radio’s Bob Beck. 

We Can Send A Probe To Pluto, But Energy Storage Remains Elusive

The ability to store energy could revolutionize the way we make and use electricity. But for many utility companies and regular folks, energy storage is still way out of reach. That because it is expensive, sometimes more expensive than building out old-fashioned infrastructure like power lines and power plants. At what point will that change? Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson looks at storage experiments in Wyoming and Colorado for the answer. 

INSIDE ENERGY: In Oilfield Towns, A Boom In Flame Resistant Clothing

The massive expansion of domestic oil and gas production over the last five or so years is rippling across the economies where that drilling is taking place. More oil workers need more welders, more restaurants, and ... more clothes.

One Hour In The Life Of A Barrel Racer And Rodeo Star

When you think of a rodeo star, it’s usually a guy on a bucking horse, not a woman. But there is one age-old rodeo event that was developed especially for women: barrel racing. It’s been around since the early 1900’s, but it’s not for wimps. Racers on horseback make loops as fast and tight as they can around three barrels set up in a triangle before heading back to start--and they do it in all in under 18 seconds.

Bullfighters Take Their Job Seriously

Bull Riders hold a glamour spot in rodeo. They ride very dangerous animals and even have their own circuit that is televised. But they also require assistance to keep them safe. Those people are known as rodeo clowns or bullfighters. They pull their lives on the line to keep the riders from injuries or worse. Wyoming Public Radio’s Bob Beck met with two of the best and has this report.   

Cheyenne Frontier Days' Indian Village Showcases Living Tradition

he very name ‘Frontier Days’ is meant to conjure up images of the old West. And that includes Native Americans, who have been a part of Cheyenne Frontier Days pretty much from the beginning. Wyoming Public Radio’s Micah Schweizer visited the so-called ‘Indian Village’ to see where history and contemporary life meet.

Miss Frontier And Her Lady In Waiting: The Royalty Of Cheyenne Frontier Days

Cowboys in Levis, bucking broncos, and raging bulls in a dirt arena are probably the images that come to mind when you think of a rodeo. The events aren’t exactly known for their glamour. But at Cheyenne Frontier Days, two of its most recognizable faces are known just as much for their outfits as they are for their riding. Wyoming Public Radio’s Caroline Ballard finds out what it’s like to be Miss Frontier and her Lady In Waiting.

Bob Beck retired from Wyoming Public Media after serving as News Director of Wyoming Public Radio for 34 years. During his time as News Director WPR has won over 100 national, regional and state news awards.
Dan Boyce moved to the Inside Energy team at Rocky Mountain PBS in 2014, after five years of television and radio reporting in his home state of Montana. In his most recent role as Montana Public Radio’s Capitol Bureau Chief, Dan produced daily stories on state politics and government.
Email: lpaterson@insideenergy.org; leighpaterson@rmpbs.org
Melodie Edwards is the host and producer of WPM's award-winning podcast The Modern West. Her Ghost Town(ing) series looks at rural despair and resilience through the lens of her hometown of Walden, Colorado. She has been a radio reporter at WPM since 2013, covering topics from wildlife to Native American issues to agriculture.