About WKMS
WKMS signed on May 11, 1970 as a non-commercial, educational FM station licensed to Murray State University.
The station now broadcasts in analog FM stereo and HD Digital on 91.3 MHz, with 100,000 watts analog and 1,000 watts digital, from antennas nearly 600 feet above average terrain, and streams these signals at www.wkms.org. The station also operates translators in Paducah and Madisonville, KY as well as Paris, TN. In 2009 WKMS will install repeater services for Madisonville, KY as well as Fulton, KY, Martin and Union City, TN.
The station offers 2 independent channels of programming on its digital signal: HD-1 simulcasts programming on analog 91.3 FM while HD-2 offers classical music programming 24 hours a day. WKMS has emergency auxiliary transmitters at its tower on the site of the former Mont, Kentucky in Land Between the Lakes, and at its studios on the 8th floor of Price Doyle Fine Arts Center, Murray State University.
WKMS is authorized to receive annual Community Service Grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The station demonstrates through annual audits that it has significant funding from its listening communities to qualify for these grants. This funding from listening communities includes: appropriations from Murray State University, contributions from listeners, and investments from individual, business and organizational underwriters.
WKMS conducts two fundraisers annually to encourage continuing and new contributions from listeners. These fundraisers include direct mailings, contacting known "member contributors" by phone for convenient renewals, and on-air campaigns. In FY 2007-2008 almost 2,000 member contributors who supported WKMS financially.
Through Murray State University, WKMS employs 8 full time staff members including a full-time underwriting representative who actively recruits new and renews continuing individual, business and organizational underwriters throughout our listening area. WKMS belongs to the Development Exchange, a national public radio fundraising advisory organization, and the Public Radio Program Directors group, a national programming advisory organization. WKMS employs one part-time underwriting representative assigned specifically to Paducah and Madisonville, KY. WKMS belongs to many of the Chambers of Commerce in its region and welcomes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships with its educational, arts and entertainment institutions and organizations.
WKMS broadcasts programming from National Public Radio, American Public Media, Public Radio International, the BBC, the Associated Press, independent producers from around the nation and from producers who are either on staff or volunteers. WKMS News is a contributing correspondent with the Kentucky Public Radio News Exchange and a partner in funding the Kentucky Capitol Bureau.
As shown on the WKMS coverage map available at this website, our terrestrial listening communities are throughout southernmost Illinois, far western Kentucky, and northwest Tennessee. We also have listeners throughout the world who seek www.wkms.org for "home-away-from-home" listening experiences.
Read the Accountants' Report and Financial Statements for 2005, 2006 and 2007.
A look inside WKMS
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