Education

Commentaries

WKMS welcomes community members to self-voice self-authored compositions that express opinion, introspection or humor on topics of interest and importance to our audience. If you have an opinion, interest or review you'd like to share with WKMS listeners, please see the guidelines below. The views expressed in commentaries are the opinion of the commentator and don't necessarily reflect the views of WKMS.The station will review every script before it is recorded with respect to:Libel or slander.Content that is more promotional than provocative.Accuracy.Personal attacks and ad hominem attacks.Political or religious content that promotes rather than informs.Appropriate usage, language and form for civil discourse.The station will assist authors with:Making appropriate edits.Bringing the communication to proper time length, generally about 600 words or 3 to 4 minutes of spoken word.Recording the communication in the WKMS studio (unless other arrangements that yield equally acceptable audio are agreed to).Editing the communication and placing it in the WKMS schedule.WKMS will require authors to provide the station a final script that will be filed in the news department and will be placed on the station's web site.WKMS will need authors to provide a suggested introduction for each communication as well as a standard announcer outro script that includes author name, general place of residence, and whatever other personal information might lend authority or authenticity to the communication.WKMS will schedule produced communications and inform the author of time(s). Generally these are aired three times each, but the rotation is solely at the discretion of the station.WKMS will refuse to air communications that violate rules of the Federal Communications Commission for non-commercial, educational stations. Further, WKMS will refuse to air communications that would, for any reason, undermine its goodwill with the audience it serves.If you find these terms agreeable, please email msu.wkmsnews@murraystate.edu to schedule a time in a studio to record.

"I am connected to the world because of WKMS"

WKMS | By Matt Markgraf

Published May 13, 2009 at 3:46 PM CDT

By Constance Alexander

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-837235.mp3

Murray, KY – When I moved from New Jersey to Kentucky twenty-one years ago, friends sent me sympathy cards. They thought I'd be isolated, out of the main stream, and warned of the usual southern stereotypes: No more merlot, just moonshine. Toss out the business suits and replace them with flour sack dresses. Start using words like "yall", phrases such as, "I reckon." It wouldn't be long, they swore, that I'd be saying, "I'm fixin' to go Wal-mart."

Of course, they were wrong.

Still, there were some surprises as I settled into life in western Kentucky. One of them happened right after I moved here, when I ventured into a family-owned grocer and bought a few items. At the check-out counter, I watched in amazement as shoppers charged their purchases and the clerk made note in pencil on a scrap of loose-leaf paper. She even said please and thank you, acted as if she valued each customer.

When it was my turn and I was paying for my purchases, a boy picked up my bags and headed for the door. I rushed after him and snarled, "Where do you think you're going with my groceries?"

He stopped and turned to face me, blushing deep enough to make his freckles disappear. "I'm just carrying your groceries to the car, ma'am," he said. "Which vehicle is yours?"

Right then, I knew I wasn't in New Jersey any more.

There were other pleasant surprises in my new Kentucky home. People are polite, friendly. They greet strangers on the street with a smile. When I'm out jogging they wave "good morning" from their cars. In New Jersey, there are several hand gestures that are common to drivers, but as far as I know, none of them translates into "Have a nice day," or "Your mother is most likely a pleasant woman."

But my favorite thing about living in western Kentucky is WKMS, our Public Radio affiliate. I am connected to the world because of WKMS. I wake to news in the morning; savor the Writers Almanac at noon; enjoy Performance Today, World News, Talk of the Nation, Marian McPartland on Sundays, Ira Glass, Jazz, World Music, Click and Clack. There are too many good things to enumerate, but I feel compelled to add that -- during the ice storm this past winter -- WKMS was a lifeline, verifying information and broadcasting it through a dedicated team of staff, reporters, student workers and volunteers.

WKMS is truly the voice of the region, and we all need to make sure we support it. After all, what other media outlet would broadcast third, fourth and fifth graders reading their own poetry in honor of National Poetry Month?

WKMS needs your help to reach the spring fund raiser goal of $110,000 to continue great coverage of news, music, entertainment and poetry. Please pledge online or call right now.

Speaking for myself, this is Constance Alexander for WKMS in Murray, Ky.