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Privacy Policy

WKAR Donor/Member Privacy Policy

WKAR maintains lists of names, addresses, giving history, programming interests and other pertinent data for those who have supported us financially, indicated an interest in our programming, or attended station events or activities.  WKAR-AM/FM/TV is licensed to Michigan State University (MSU), with an administrative home in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences.  As such, MSU’s University Advancement also has access to WKAR’s list of names, addresses and giving history.   View MSU’s University Advancement Data Policy here (PDF).  WKAR adheres to all University regulations and policies.

Neither WKAR, nor MSU, will sell or exchange its lists with any other organization, including political organizations or candidates.   On occasion, WKAR may provide lists of names and contact information to vendors who conduct work for, or plan an activity on behalf of WKAR.   WKAR requires all vendors to maintain the confidentiality of these files, and to adhere to a policy of not exchanging, selling, or otherwise disclosing station member, donor, or underwriter lists.  Specific financial information is never shared.  Credit card transactions are handled under strict standards and are PCI compliant.

September 1, 2014

WKAR/MSU Broadcasting Services Online Privacy Policy

This policy discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for WKAR.org and ivs.msu.edu, as well as any other Web sites owned or operated by MSU Broadcasting Services.

We will do our very best to ensure the privacy of any identifiable information (such as full name, address, e-mail address, telephone number and/or other identifiable information) you may provide to us.

Information We May Gather:
1. Our Web servers will create log files which contain all or some of the following information:

  • The date, time and length of your visit.
  • The path taken through our Web site and the browser being used.
  • The list of files downloaded and the amount of time spent viewing any video or audio files.
  • The Internet Protocol Address (IP Address) of the computer accessing our Site. We use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server and to administer our Web site.
  • Any errors encountered.
  • Your connection speed as it relates to your optimal speed for listening or watching video online (stored via a cookie)

2. We will not collect personally identifiable information from you, other than what you supply to us on a voluntary basis. However, in order to participate in some activities, you might be asked to provide some personally identifiable information. This could be in connection with the following:

  • Contest registration.
  • Subscription registration for sites or services which require subscription (such as e-mail newsletters).
  • Requests for membership information.
  • Fulfillment of your orders for merchandise.
  • Gathering your editorial comments and feedback.
  • Content submissions, comments and suggestions, or voting.
  • Online surveys. The information you may provide in these surveys is used only on an aggregate basis to describe our audiences and assist us in better serving you.
  • Participation in community postings, bulletin boards or "chat rooms."

3. WKAR/MSU Broadcasting will not willfully disclose your personal information received online to any third party without first receiving your permission.
4. WKAR/MSU Broadcasting may use your personally identifiable information for the activities explained above and for internal and marketing promotional purposes.

5. We do not share, exchange, rent or sell any of our lists to political parties or candidates for political office.

6. If you do not want personal information which you voluntarily supply used by us for these purposes, you can simply "opt out." Please note, however, under certain circumstances, opting out may prevent your participation in activities for which personal information is needed, such as in contests.

7. When you engage in financial transactions at our Site, you may be asked for a credit card number. The server that processes your credit card information is secure and your credit card number will be encrypted as it passes through the Internet. Such information is also saved in an encrypted format or in internal systems that are protected by an internal firewall system. Michigan State University complies fully with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards.

Tracking and Use of Cookies:

As you visit Web sites associated with WKAR/MSU Broadcasting Services, it is possible that several cookies* will be set on your computer. WKAR/MSU Broadcasting Services uses the information from cookies to deliver relevant resources, remember browser preferences, and improve our visitors’ experiences on the site. WKAR/MSU Broadcasting Services does not sell or, in any way, share information collected by cookies.

WKAR/MSU Broadcasting Services uses cookies at the following times: If you watch a video clip, or listen to an audio file, a cookie may remember the speed and which type of clip (high or low bandwidth) you prefer to use on your computer, which will then make your next visit to our site more efficient. As you explore our sites, a cookie may be used to tell us which pages you visit and the amount of time between each page visit. This is useful when planning our use of Web resources, and understanding how to best serve our Web visitors.

*What's a cookie? A cookie is information a Web site puts on your computer's hard drive so that the site can remember your preferences or which pages you visited on that site.

You Should Also Know:

This site contains links to other sites. WKAR/MSU Broadcasting Services is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such other Web sites.

This site makes chat rooms, forums, message boards available to its users. Please remember that any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information in these areas. Also, please note that we do not accept any responsibility for the information or content presented in such areas by users.

By using this site, you signify your agreement to the terms and conditions of this WKAR/MSU Broadcasting Services Online Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, please do not use the site. We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove portions of this policy at any time. Please check this page periodically for any changes. Your continued use of WKAR.org or any of our other Web sites following the posting of any changes to these terms shall mean that you have accepted those changes.

Please Contact Us:

If you have any questions or concerns about this policy, please contact us by either e-mail or by letter to

WKAR/MSU Broadcasting Services 404 Wilson Road Room 212 East Lansing, MI, 48824-1212

Published 12/22/08. Updated 9/15/14.