Dear friend of WKAR,
You may have heard the news in recent weeks that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has officially shut down. It was a sobering reminder that public media is forever changed, but I can assure you that WKAR is still here serving mid-Michigan and our Spartan communities -- and will be for years to come.
Thank you again to everyone throughout mid-Michigan and beyond who stepped up support for WKAR after federal funding was eliminated. Countless viewers and listeners, including many first-time donors, helped us achieve a new level of community support. We were heartened by your calls, letters and visits to the studio telling us that you wanted us to continue serving the community with trusted local journalism, locally curated music and television content and national programing from PBS and NPR.
Today, we’re hard at work building what’s next. I’d like to tell you about some of what you can expect from WKAR in 2026.
We invite you to celebrate America at 250 with us, reflecting on our nation’s past, present and future. Watch for Emerging Voices, a new initiative to create opportunities for today’s youth to learn, grow, and see themselves reflected in public media. And, WKAR will be your locally owned, independent source for trusted, essential coverage of Election 2026, from local elections to national contests.
This spring will mark the debut of a new quarterly public affairs TV show; a music performance series for digital platforms; and a youth-driven series exploring the great state of Michigan.
We’re also launching a weekly newsletter that will get you caught up on all the issues that matter to Michiganders both locally and statewide. Look for engaging features and more opportunities to tell us what you think about issues impacting our community.
As we build for the future, we know there will be more changes ahead. We’re examining our full range of community support and creating more opportunities to ask you what you want your local public media station to be. Your feedback and ongoing support are essential to our ability to build and sustain the WKAR that will serve future generations reliable, engaging, and informative news, information and services for years to come.
Our work today and for the future continues to be guided by our mission to inform, educate and inspire our community by connecting people through thought-provoking content, ideas and perspectives.
With the new level of support that we are receiving from our community, I know that together we can work to sustain what matters and build what’s next.
Best,
Shawn Turner
WKAR General Manager
Michigan State University
