WKMS
WKMS Vision
WKMS is a beacon for growing regional culture as a part of Murray State University鈥檚 public service investment in our communities through thoughtful journalism, conversation, music and arts.
WKMS Mission
Inspire and empower a diverse audience as a trusted and essential resource for news, culture and community by promoting student success and regional growth as an impactful element of the brand and educational mission of Murray State University.
History of 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 . The station also operates translators 92.5 FM Paducah, KY; 93.1 FM Madisonville, KY; and 99.5 FM Murray, KY, for classical music. In 2010 WKMS installed repeater services 90.9 FM WKMD and WKMD HD1, HD2 and HD3, Madisonville, KY; as well as 89.5 FM WKMT for Fulton, KY; Martin, TN; and Union City, TN.
The station offers 3 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. HD-3 provides WKMS Music, a 24 hour music discovery AAA stream. WKMS has put its HD-2 signal on translators 92.5 FM, 93.1 FM and 99.5 FM. WKMS' HD-3 offerings are also available on 102.9 FM in Madisonville. WKMS has emergency auxiliary transmitters at its tower on the site of the former Mont, KY, 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 fundraisers annually to encourage continuing and new contributions from listeners. These fundraisers include direct mailings, contacting known "member contributors" by phone for convenient renewals, providing a secure online giving page at and on-air campaigns. For the past decade nearly 2,000 listeners contribute annually. The station continues to work to grow this number of listeners with programming updates and reviews.
WKMS broadcasts programming from National Public Radio, American Public Media, PRX, 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 WKMS for "home-away-from-home" listening experiences.