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WKMS Fundraiser Gets $14,000 Boost

By Jenni Todd

Murray, KY – WKMS, 91.3 FM, Murray, announced today that it has reached almost two-thirds of its spring fundraiser goal with gifts from listeners, grants from local businesses, and an unexpected one-time $14,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. According to station records, listeners have contributed $63,000 to the drive with about $7,000 in matching grants from business underwriters. The overall fundraiser goal is $130,000.

Station Manager Kate Lochte says, "In order to boost the spring fundraiser toward goal, we are also adding in the CPB grant into the total. This is the WKMS share of stimulus funding allotted to public broadcasting and is directly attributable to community support."

WKMS opened the on-air campaign of its spring fundraiser on Saturday March 6. Listeners began contributing in January with mail renewals, online pledges at www.wkms.org, and by responding to MSU Racerthon callers. WKMS continues fundraising until it meets goal, since this money is what the station budgets for operating expenses required for its regional radio service.

WKMS has recently converted 92.5 FM, Paducah, to carry its all classical music channel which is also heard on 91.3 WKMS HD-2 on air and online. WKMS has allocated $4,000 of the one-time stimulus grant to this project.

This month WKMS expects WKMD 90.9 FM to be operational for Madisonville, Hopkins County and portions of surrounding counties from its transmitter site on campus at Madisonville Community College.

Once WKMD is operational, WKMS will put WKMT, 90.9 FM on the air for Fulton, Martin and Union City. The WKMD project involves installing transmission equipment at an existing tower site in Water Valley. Both WKMD and WKMT are funded by grants from the Public Telecommunication Facilities Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce matched by funds from Murray State University.

WKMS is still seeking grant funding for a 100kw emergency generator for its LBL transmission center. One application is still under consideration. The station put aside $10,000 from its spring 2009 fundraiser to establish a local matching pool for this application. If it is not funded, WKMS will seek other funding for which more matching money will be needed. The station is allocating $10,000 from this spring's one time stimulus grant to this project.

WKMS serves parts of west Kentucky, northwest Tennessee, and southern Illinois from its studios at Murray State University.