Dear friend of WKAR,
As we welcome the month of April, the team here at WKAR is making good on our commitment to sustain what matters as we work to build for the future of public media in Michigan.
We recently launched a new public affairs series. Impact: Michigan brings national issues home to Michigan communities. The debut episode aired Friday, March 27 at 6:30pm during our popular Best of the Midwest hour on WKAR TV. The series reveals how forces shaping the economy, education, mental health and democracy are affecting people across the state—and why those forces matter in everyday life. We’re thrilled to have veteran news anchor Sheri Jones join WKAR as host. You can watch the debut episode of Impact: Michigan here.
Also, we just introduced our newest digital series: Streetlight Sessions. Streetlight Sessions builds on a decades-long tradition of sharing the talents of local performing artists with our community. This first of four episodes features James Gardin with DJ Y’z. Streetlight Sessions debuted Sunday, March 29 on YouTube and in the free PBS app. You can watch Streetlight Sessions here now.
I’m happy to share the news that more than 9,600 WKAR Reading Kits were distributed across mid-Michigan during National Reading Month 2026. To date, our education team has provided over 48,000 Reading Kits and more than 130,000 new books to families. If you wonder why WKAR has been giving away books across our community, I hope you’ll read this article by WKAR Director of Education Robin Pizzo.
This work is a prime example of sustaining what matters while building for the future.
Along with more than 1,600 subscribers, I’ve been looking forward each Sunday morning to finding The Signal in my inbox. In each issue, our newsroom highlights the key stories, civic decisions and community moments shaping the days ahead. You can start your free subscription here.
The foundation of WKAR’s ability to build for the future lies in our natural connection to the College of Communication Arts and Sciences (ComArtSci) here at MSU. As a friend of WKAR, you’ve seen the fruits of that collaboration. During my time as general manager, I’ve also been teaching in the Department of Communication.
Moving forward, I’ve been asked to shift my time within ComArtSci from a teaching role to an administrative one. Beginning in July, I’ll be serving as interim chair of the School of Journalism while the college conducts a national search to fill that position. I will continue in my role as general manager at WKAR, supported by our amazing team of senior directors Melanie McGuire, Ashlee Smith and Brant Wells.
Ahead we can look forward to new opportunities for collaboration and idea-sharing across the college, as we continue our commitment to you and the essential services you value and depend on from your WKAR Public Media station -- and as we build for the future.
Best,
Shawn Turner
WKAR General Manager
Michigan State University
P.S. On April 2, the Michigan Association of Broadcasters announced the first round of winners in the Broadcast Excellence Awards. I’m pleased to share the news that your public media station took home 11 awards and is a finalist in four categories to be awarded at the Awards Gala in May. Visit WKAR Earns Multiple Radio, TV, and Media Awards for 2025 to see the wins made by possible by the support of viewers and listeners like you.
