Murray, KY- Each year Murray State’s listener-supported, public radio service WKMS celebrates the holidays with an annual series of special music and storytelling programs. Holidays Sound Good on WKMS begins Thanksgiving Day and continues through New Year's Day 2015 and includes over 65 hours of special radio features.
On Thursday, November 27 at 11 a.m. hear Giving Thanks: A celebration of fall, food, and gratitude. Host John Birge celebrates the holiday with two hours of music and stories, including readings by poet Nikki Giovanni and remembrances of Dr. Maya Angelou. There’s also an English Chamber Orchestra performance of Handel’s "Alexander's Feast" Concerto; Vaughn Williams’ The Lark Ascending; and a Boston Pops performance of Bernstein's sublime A Simple Song. This is Birge’s 29th annual Thanksgiving Day special airing on public radio stations nationwide.
Friday, November 28 at Noon, WKMS observes StoryCorps’ National Day of Listening with our 2nd Annual Preserving our Voices presentation. This year we honor stories of perseverance in our region. Carissa Johnson and Jennifer Johnson share "war stories" about being wheelchair-bound. Aaron and Krissy Ramey talk about making a family and raising a son on the autism spectrum. Jessica Payne and her mother Vicki Hayden remember going through with the birth of a child against all odds. Karen Olson shares about shedding her "widow’s weeds" and resuming her life after the death of her husband. "These stories show strength and determination in the face of challenge and loss," says Chad Lampe WKMS News Director and Assistant Station Manager.
More about the Stories of Perseverance special
In addition to the Friday broadcast of Preserving Our Voices 2014 on November 28th, WKMS encores the program Sunday, November 30 at 9 a.m. and Friday, December 26 at Noon. Preserving Our Voices is made possible in part by Four Rivers Behavioral Health, helping people persevere through challenges every day.
The full schedule of holiday programming is online at wkms.org under Holidays Sound Good on WKMS. A beautiful November/December calendar showing the holiday programs, designed by Jim Bryant, Professor of Graphic Design at Murray State University, goes to listener-members by mail.
Holidays Sound Good online schedule
WKMS broadcasts a continuous, comprehensive mix of news and music, including its 24 hour all classical channel. A full schedule is online at wkms.org. The station serves nearly 30,000 listeners in western Kentucky, southernmost Illinois and northwestern Tennessee. Stations include 91.3 WKMS-FM and WKMS HD-1 and All-Music HD-2, Murray; 90.9 WKMD and WKMD HD-1 and HD-2, Madisonville; 89.5 WKMT, Fulton; and All-Classical 92.5 Paducah, 99.5 Murray and 105.1 Madisonville. WKMS also streams both its two channels at wkms.org, a full service website offering playlists and regional news. For more call 1-800-599-4737.
Contact: Jenni Todd, Membership Coordinator (270-809-4748 or jtodd14@murraystate.edu)
