Morehead State Public Radio’s 2019 Fall Fundraiser and Membership Drive will be held Saturday, September 28 through Friday, October 4.
“This is our annual fall fundraiser and membership drive when we directly seek financial support from our listeners,” said Paul Hitchcock, MSPR general manager. “We’ll be asking WMKY listeners to step-forward with a financial gift to support our programming and student work-studies.”
WMKY at 90.3FM serves more than twenty counties throughout eastern Kentucky with regional news and cultural programming from Breckinridge Hall on the campus of Morehead State University. The station continues to be a voice for the community with programming that is locally-hosted and produced. In addition, MSPR’s website provides regional news, live web stream, archived audio and community events.
“The money we raise helps maintain our grant funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting,” added Hitchcock. “Our ability to raise local funds helps us meet criteria for grants to purchase national programming, such as Morning Edition, The World and All Things Considered.”
An emphasis on regional and state news continues to be a key aspect of MSPR’s programming with more than two hours of local news each weekday and highlighted by Mountain Edition, a half-hour roundup of the day’s news. In addition, Leeann Akers hosts Open Mic, a weekly talk show with newsmakers, artists, educators, healthcare professionals and politicians discussing the issues important to eastern Kentucky.
The goal this fall is to raise $17,500 to purchase a new, state-of-the-art audio board for WMKY’s master control room. The current audio board is nearly twenty years old and incompatible with today’s digital technology.
“Spare parts are no longer available and there are holes where parts used to be,” said Hitchcock. “We need a new audio board to integrate upgrades with digital technology.”
One of the key components of WMKY’s daily operations, the master control audio board is in continuous use, providing uninterrupted programming and integrating all of the audio sources available for WMKY’s broadcast day.
“An important part of our mission is to preserve and promote this region’s cultural heritage with programming that is educational, informative and entertaining,” added Hitchcock. “We have a long history of serving this community, but we need listener support to maintain our operations.”
Financial gifts to Morehead State Public Radio (WMKY) are tax-deductible and may be made using a simple and secure form online at http://www.wmky.org
Listeners may also make a pledge by calling 606-783-2001 during the fundraiser. Listener feedback is also a vital part of this membership drive.
Businesses or individuals wishing to offer a Matching Challenge Pledge for the fundraiser should contact Paul Hitchcock at 606-783-2334 or e-mail at: p.hitchc@moreheadstate.edu
