KASU Radio to Celebrate 68th Anniversary of Going on Air
JONESBORO – KASU 91.9 FM, the public media service of Arkansas State University, will celebrate its 68th birthday with both a ticketed celebration and an on-air fundraising event this month.
KASU signed on the air May 17, 1957, from its first studio in Wilson Hall and is the oldest National Public Radio (NPR) member station in Arkansas. The station streams its signal from KASU.org, and its website provides continuous news content from NPR, Associated Press, other Arkansas public media stations, and the KASU news department.
Listeners can join the KASU team to celebrate the anniversary from 6 until 10 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, at Cooper Alumni Center, 2100 Alumni Blvd. Tickets for the event are $25 each and can be purchased at KASU.org/tickets.
The station will also be celebrating the life and music of Arkansawyer Henry Glover. Maestro3000 and the Time Machine will perform the music of Glover, along with their own songs. An exhibit on the life of Glover will be on display.
Glover, born in Hot Springs, was a musical trailblazer as a songwriter, producer, arranger, musician, talent scout, and studio wizard. He broke barriers as the first African American producer of country music. He also wrote or co-wrote country songs, along with multiple musical genres.
The event will feature a full buffet of heavy hors d’oeuvres. Coca-Cola will provide drinks and Nothing Bundt Cakes will supply dessert. There will also be a silent auction of goods and services from underwriters and retailers.
Jonesboro Economical Transport (JET) will offer shuttle service for the event. Attendees can park at the yellow entrance of the First National Bank Arena and catch a JET trolley to and from the Cooper Alumni Center.
The party continues from 6 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Monday, May 19, continuing the overall spring drive which concludes May 30. One may donate that day by calling the station at 870-972-2200. Donations can be made online anytime online or by downloading the mobile app.
“We are excited about celebrating the 68th birthday of KASU with this event. KASU listeners have always shown their support for the station, and we want to share our appreciation. There has never been a better time to invest in KASU. Listener and underwriter support keeps us strong and helps us reach our goals,” said Mark Smith, KASU station manager.
“We depend upon listener and underwriter support to help us bring listeners the music, news, arts and views they depend on. We appreciate all contributions as they all help us reach our goals.”
KASU listeners become members by making financial contributions to the non-commercial educational station.
“Membership funds help support all facets of KASU,” added Smith. “The funds raised through this event and through our on-air fundraisers demonstrate the tremendous community support that public media has in our community, throughout our region, and around the world. Public media is a vital asset to our society.”
The station has been an NPR member station since 1971. In addition to locally produced news and music programs, KASU pays to receive programming from NPR, American Public Media, and other sources.
KASU accepts membership contributions at any time. More information can also be found on the station's Facebook page.
For more details, one may also contact LaDawn Fuhr at lfuhr@AState.edu or Rayna Kingston at rkingston@AState.edu.
