‘Relevant’ WKAR meets audiences where they are with what they want

<p>“One thing that struck me as I have been reflecting on our history is the role that radio has played in the advent of public media, and I think MSU saw the potential of broadcasting early on,” says Susi Elkins, director of broadcasting at MSU and general manager of WKAR Public Media at Michigan State University. “They saw it as a force to improve the lives of Michiganders, and I don't know if a lot of people know this, but they began an experimental radio broadcasting service in 1917. It wasn't until 1952 that broadcast television spectrum was set aside for educational purposes.</p><p>“Once again, Michigan State University was very innovative. In 1954, we launched one of the first educational television stations in the United States. We do have a really strong, long history and it becomes intertwined with PBS' a little bit later. We started creating wonderful content here on campus to fill that programming schedule. It all goes back to the land grant colleges and Michigan State's mission, and MSU has been a pioneer in this area for a long time.</p><p>“Once people saw the benefit of the educational stations that were cropping up, they really saw a need to take a look at the where mass media was heading. A lot of the early legislation was making it very commercialized and trying to bring audiences to advertisers. It became clear we needed to solidify educational programming, make space for it, and make sure that every citizen in the country had access to free educational programming over the air. That’s really what started the mission for PBS and we have stayed true to those roots.”</p><p>As the missions of PBS and WKAR have evolved, viewers and listeners are consuming WKAR’s product in more ways that just traditional over-the-air broadcasts. Elkins describes the American Portrait project and talks about her role on the board of <a href="https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/board-directors/">PBS</a>.</p><p>“There's so much change happening, so we're always talking about change and how we need to adjust a