Radio Commons

Radio Milwaukee on Alexa+

Your local station, inside Alexa+.

Ask Alexa about a story you half-remember, the local song you just heard, or what’s on tonight — answered by Radio Milwaukee’s own reporters, hosts and editors.

Try the simulator

Built for the Alexa+ hackathon, October 2026 · Pilot station: 88Nine Radio Milwaukee

Echo Show card: This Bites, September 2026, Frugal dining and new restaurants in Milwaukee, with Play episode and Places

Ask what you half-remember.

Three things a listener can do today, on an Echo Show or by voice alone.

Echo Show card: This Bites, September 2026, Frugal dining and new restaurants in Milwaukee, with Play episode and Places

Stories

“What was that This Bites episode about frugal dining?”

Plays the moment the host said it, maps the places, and answers detail questions in the episode’s own words.

Echo Show card: Milwaukee Music Premiere, Glitzy, Effort, from Say Sorry / You're Right, out October 23, with Play song

Music

“Play the new Glitzy song.”

Milwaukee Music Premieres play on demand with credits and the release show; Studio Milwaukee Sessions show the set list.

Echo Show card: a map of live music near El Tsunami with three numbered shows at MKE Ultra, each with Add to calendar

Events

“Any live music near El Tsunami?”

Shows near a story’s places from Radio Milwaukee’s event guide, plus the station’s weekly Concert Picks. Add to calendar in one tap.

Also on Alexa+

Weekly briefing

“What’s new at Radio Milwaukee this week?”

The station’s newsletter, read aloud. Each item opens the real story, Concert Picks or the page.

Become a member

“I want to support Radio Milwaukee.”

Monthly membership by voice, paid with Amazon Pay. Sandbox demo: no real money moves.

On air now

“Who’s on 88Nine?”

What’s playing on all four streams, Listen live, and 88Nine’s schedule.

Save that song

“Save that song.”

To your 88Nine Finds and Apple Music. Days later: “What’s new for me?”

The most loyal listeners are already on smart speakers. All they can do is press play.

40%

of Radio Milwaukee’s stream listening hours are on smart speakers — more than phones (29%) or computers (27%). Triton, August 2026.

9×

as long: a smart-speaker listener stays about nine times longer than a mobile listener.

As far as we can find, Radio Commons is the first time a public radio station has brought itself into Alexa+, built by the station and open source.

Others wrap broadcasters’ public data, sell news to businesses, or open a commercial station’s live data to chat apps. None brings a public station’s own editor-approved stories, music, events and membership into Alexa+.

Read the research

From a play button to a conversation.

One listener, one evening. Every sentence reaches into the station’s own systems.

Today

Play 88Nine

What a smart speaker does with your station today. That’s the whole experience.

With Radio Commons

  1. “What’s on right now?”

    on_air_now

    Playlist · four live streams

  2. “Save that song.”

    save_find

    Playlist → Finds → Apple Music → Concerts → Backstory

  3. “Who’s on tonight?”

    station_schedule

    88Nine’s schedule

  4. “What’s new at Radio Milwaukee this week?”

    station_briefing

    Weekly newsletter → Backstory

  5. “Play the first one.”

    get_station_story

    Backstory · the interview’s audio

  6. “What did he say about Vogelbach?”

    ask_station_story

    Backstory transcript, at the exact second

  7. “Any shows near there?”

    find_events

    Event guide · map

  8. “I want to support the station.”

    support_radio_milwaukee

    Amazon Pay (sandbox demo)

Everything Alexa+ can call

Grouped by what a listener wants. Checked against the server on every build, so it’s always complete.

Find a story

  • find_station_story
  • latest_station_stories
  • get_station_story
  • ask_station_story
  • station_briefing

Hear the music

  • on_air_now
  • station_schedule
  • recent_songs
  • search_playlist
  • find_song_played
  • get_track_story

Go out

  • find_events
  • station_picks
  • station_artist_shows

Remember me

  • save_find
  • list_finds
  • delete_my_finds
  • follow_artist
  • unfollow_artist
  • whats_new_for_me

Give

  • support_radio_milwaukee
  • my_membership
  • cancel_membership

Help

  • what_can_you_do

How it works

We built Radio Commons from the systems 88Nine already had, plus one it didn’t.

Backstory reads NPR’s content system, which every NPR member station already publishes to, so it could power any station’s Alexa+ add-on.

  1. The station publishes

    Podcasts, music premieres and session write-ups, as it already does, in NPR’s content system.

  2. Backstory reads it

    Transcribes every episode and pulls out people, places and songs, each checked against the exact words.

  3. An editor approves

    Nothing reaches Alexa until a Radio Milwaukee editor has checked it. Events come from the station’s event guide.

  4. Alexa+ answers

    Through the Radio Commons MCP server: tools for stories, songs, events and membership, with Echo Show cards built to Amazon’s design guide.

  • Every answer names its show and month.
  • The station’s real voices, at the exact moment.
  • Names an editor keeps off Alexa are never said.
  • Never song lyrics.

Built for any public radio station.

Uses what you already publish

Reads your station’s stories and podcasts from NPR’s content system. No new publishing workflow.

One profile per show

Adding a show means adding a short profile: what to look for, who reviews it.

Open source

The MCP server, the story engine and the review tools are on GitHub.

View the code on GitHub