Contributors to Murray State’s NPR station, 91.3 WKMS, exceeded the fall fundraiser goal of $130,000 in community support on October 31, 2012. A total of 1,104 contributions came from new and renewing donors from fifteen states.
Membership Coordinator Jenni Todd says, “WKMS set a goal of 150 new members for this fall’s membership campaign, and we are delighted to report that 175 listeners became members for the first time ever. Our long-standing renewing contributors are pleased to know our sustaining membership is growing.”
Murray and Paducah listeners combined contributed half of the overall total. Listening communities in Cadiz, Martin, and Benton proved the next largest aggregations of contributors. Over 60 volunteers helped by answering pledge phones or by participating on-air. 19 local restaurants provided food for the staff and volunteers.
Corporate Matching Grants to encourage listener gifts came from the following businesses listed by community: Better Hearing of Brookport; Ashland of Calvert City; The Corner Shoppe and The Shops of Hazel; Madisonville Community College; Milestones Financial Planning LLC of Mayfield; Balance Yoga Studio, Big Apple Café, Enix Jewelers, Happiness Restaurant, Murray Woman's Clinic, St. John’s Episcopal Church, The UPS Store and Westside Veterinary Service of Murray; Artisan Kitchen, Blue Mango IT, Denton & Keuler Attorneys at Law, Etcetera and Etcetera Squared, Flamingo Row, Hughes Funeral Home, Roof Brothers Wine & Spirits, Technology Corner, The Wedding Book, Western Baptist Hospital and White and White Family Dentistry of Paducah; Downtown Paris Association.
Individual donations and corporate matching grants from underwriters fund the station’s operating costs. This community support provides evidence that WKMS has a significant and generous audience and qualifies the station for grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, while validating long-standing support from Murray State University.
WKMS held special giveaways during the fall campaign: A Kindle Fire e-reader went to Ann Beck of Murray. Wayne Bates Gallery 121 contributed gift certificates which went to Jim and Linda Gould of Paducah, Lee and Danielle White of Hopkinsville, and Gary Adkisson of Paducah. An Alvarez guitar donated by Music One of Murray went to Josh Garland of Cadiz. A Kindle Fire HD went to Daryl Phillipy of Murray.
Community support allows WKMS to provide a full schedule of news, music, and special programs including Company for the Holidays, the annual series of splendid music and storytelling for the holidays with over 40 hours of radio features not broadcast elsewhere in this region. The complete schedule for Company for the Holidays is online at wkms.org.
WKMS broadcasts to over 20,000 listeners weekly. WKMS terrestrial listeners are in southernmost Illinois, northwest Tennessee, and western Kentucky. WKMS online channels reach a national and international audience. The station's public media services include 91.3 WKMS-FM, Murray; WKMS HD-1 and All-Music HD-2; 90.9 WKMD and WKMD HD-1 and HD-2, Madisonville; 89.5 WKMT, Fulton; 99.5 Paris, Tenn., and All-Music 92.5 Paducah and 105.1 Madisonville. The station also offers both channels WKMS HD-1 and HD-2 at wkms.org, where weekly schedules of programs are available. Listeners can call WKMS toll-free at 1-800-599-4737.
Contact: Membership Coordinator Jenni Todd (270-809-4748 or jtodd14@murraystate.edu)
