A fundraising concert to benefit Morehead State Public Radio (MSPR, 90.3 FM, WMKY) will be held Sunday, Oct. 5, at 4 p.m. at the Stargazer Lounge in Morehead.
When Congress approved the Recission Act earlier this year, the dissolution of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting led to funding cuts for hundreds of rural, local public radio stations, including MSPR. The cuts amounted to a loss of approximately $270,000, or roughly 30 percent, of the radio station’s funding.
The concert was organized by Rianna Robinson, instructor of mass communication at Morehead State and chair of the MSPR Community Advisory Board (CAB). She said she built her entire career on the skills she gained as a student work study at MSPR and saw the concert as a way to give back.
“When I learned how the cuts in the Recission Act would impact MSPR, I decided I couldn’t just sit by and do nothing. The station means a lot to me, and I wanted to do something to help. I have friends who own a bar, and I have friends who are musicians. So, I decided to plan a concert.”
The family-friendly event will feature live music from Fever Dream, the Coal Seam Queens, Sasha Collette and the Magnolias and Michael Debellefueille and the Like-Minded Individuals. There will also be a gift basket raffle, a 50/50 cash raffle, and hot dogs will be available for purchase. All of the proceeds from the event will support MSPR’s general fund.
For 60 years, MSPR has served listeners in eastern Kentucky, southeast Ohio and western West Virginia, providing local news coverage, emergency information in times of natural disaster, and a variety of music and entertainment programming. More than 800 students have worked at the station since it launched in 1965.
“I built my entire career on the skills I learned at MSPR, and I can name half a dozen people I went to school with who can say the same,” Robinson said. “Not only is it a valuable learning resource for students, but it’s also a valuable resource for the community. Our community is lacking in local news reporting, and MSPR fills that gap by offering coverage of issues that impact lives in the communities they serve.”
The concert is being held the day before the start of MSPR’s Fall Fundraiser and Membership Drive, Oct. 6-10.
For more information about making a direct donation to MSPR, visit www.wmky.org