The Maverick 89.7 - KMSU - FM 89.7 - Mankato, MN

KMSU 89.7 FM / KMSK 91.3 FM is a nonprofit, commercial-free, Independent Public Radio station serving southcentral Minnesota with a blend of cultural, news and ... See more artistic programming that's unique to the region. KMSU is a member of, ampers, a network of 12 independently licensed and managed, community-based public radio stations in Minnesota. KMSU annually provides more than 450 hours of free air time for organizations and causes— equivalent to nearly 18 full days of local public service programming, valued at $25,000 annually. Director’s Corner Greetings! It is truly a blessing to be involved with KMSU. I cannot adequately express how fortunate we are to have the local talent, energy and enthusiasm that comes from our precious volunteers and students. This remarkable local resource is about to get a little more local. More on that later. Thank you for your contributions of time, talent and treasure… all of which help make KMSU a beacon for Arts, Culture and Education in South-Central Minnesota. “You’ll hear music from legendary artists and new acts, from the well known to the obscure. Listen to the blues, jazz, Broadway tunes, world, alternative and electronic music, all hours of the day and night.” .3) A New Studio In Austin, MN KMSK in Austin, MN is licensed to Minnesota State University, Mankato and currently serves only as a repeater of programming delivered by KMSU. That will change, by the end of June 2011, when KMSK starts delivering live and pre-recorded content to those who live in Austin, MN. For now KMSU’s programming is being delivered to the transmitter in Austin via the Internet. According to our Contract Engineer in Austin, Marv Olson, the audio quality is terrific! Pledge Drive Spring 2011 Our Spring Pledge Drive will be kicking off on April 6th-17th. The much anticipated Shuffle Function 24-Hour “Pledge Drive A-Go-Go” will be Thursday, April 7 th from 6:00 p.m. - Friday, April 8 th at 6:00 p.m. We promise a very entertaining and engaging 24 hours of sleep-deprived fun, which will hopefully inspire you to donate to the cause. KMSU’s goal is to raise $25,000 to keep our station up and running. Please help us reach our goal by supporting your favorite local Independent Public Radio station! We are excited to offer you several pledge premiums for supporting our station during the Pledge Drive. KMSU doesn’t exist without listeners like you. Please contribute to our Spring Pledge Drive. It's easy. It's fun. It's all for a good cause! You can even donate now by clicking here or calling us at (507) 389-5678. Upcoming Event Trivia Contest The long-awaited Trivia Contest hosted by our fellow ampers station, KVSC at St. Cloud State University, is here again. KMSU is teaming up with KVSC radio to bring you 50 hours of on-air trivia! Trivia Weekend is entering its 32 nd consecutive year and the treasure hunt begins on Friday, Feb. 11th at 6:00p.m. – Sunday, Feb. 13th at 7:00 p.m. The theme for the weekend is Superheroes of Trivia. This is a fun-filled weekend of both tongue-in-cheek frivolity and intense competition, all rolled into a very entertaining weekend. Listen to KMSU on the air or online at www.kmsu.org. Registration for Trivia Weekend 2011 is open until 4:30 p.m. Friday, February 11th, 2011. Sign up for your own team online for the Trivia Weekend 2011 and learn more about the rules of the contest by visiting http://www.kvsc.org/ trivia_news.php. Every second Saturday of the month from 7-9p.m. you can catch Sodjine Ketika, Kodjo Detoh-Messan, and Wendiinko Ouedraogo, on their show, AfroKadence. They have been hosting their show since July 2010. Ketika and Detoh-Messan are both from Togo while Ouedraogo is from Burkina Faso; both countries in West Africa and direct neighbors to each other. Africa consists of 54 countries with more than 1500 different languages spoken and numerous ethnic groups. “Music in Africa is not just for fun, but also for education, connection, and information,” says Ouedraogo. The MSU students were inspired to start AfroKadence so that they could share the African culture with the Mankato Community. Ketika states, “When you are away from home and hear your native language being spoken, it simply feels like touching heaven.” An inspiration to these students has been Ned Williams, a former host of World Beat on KMSU radio. “For us, Ned Williams is like the godfather of our show AfroKadence,” says Detoh-Messan. Ned’s donation of his wide variety of music has broadened the repertoire of African music at KMSU. To receive information about World Beat on KMSU please visit our website or listen to their unique musical heritage from around the globe on Saturdays at 7p.m. to 9p.m. The AfroKadence hosts would like to give a special thanks to Mark Thomas, George Collinet, James Gullickson, Karen Wright, Julian Bernal, and the entire KMSU team for allowing them to share their passion on This month we celebrate “Blues Before Monday” 20th Anniversary hosted by Mark Halverson. “I never thought it would be 20 years, the time just flew by”, said Halverson. KMSU celebrated Mark’s 20 years with a special listener appreciation show at Red Sky Lounge on January 20th featuring blues artist, Dave Herrero. Halverson was born and raised in St. Peter and graduated from Mankato State College with a degree in political science. He took a break from school for four years, during which time he made a living seeing the countryside as a brakeman for Chicago-Northwestern and Alaskan railroads. In 1977 he figured he had enough time to contemplate what he wanted to do for a career, and he went on to study law at Hamline University in St. Paul. He now resides in Mankato where he practices bankruptcy law at his offices, Halverson and Associates. Halverson first started his show after he learned that KMSU’s main blues program, Whistlestop, was ending. He teamed up with a former friend from college, John Rogers, and they kicked off their new blues program, Blues Before Monday in February of 1991, which took off with tremendous success. Today, he favors the music of Albert Collins, the Chicago Rhythm and Blues Kings, and other contemporary artists. Along with Blues Before Monday Halverson also hosts Bluesbreak weekdays between 11:30a.m.-noon as well as Blue Monday, which airs on Mondays from 6-7p.m. He typically spends about seven hours a week on air playing the best collection of blues in Southern Minnesota. Halverson expressed that, “It can be very draining at times, but I do it for fun.” You can listen to Blues Before Monday every Sunday evening from 6-9p.m. KMSU Radio 1536 Warren Street Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: (507) 389-5678 Fax: (507) 389-1705 Email: james.gullickson@mnsu.edu karen.wright@mnsu.edu ------ Shows: Beale Street Caravan, Hearts of Space, Jazz with Bob Parlocha, Swingin' Down the Lane, This American Life, Whad'ya Know, Tent Show Radio, Zorba Paster On Your Health, BBC Newshour, Grateful Dead Hour, Echoes, Le Show, World Cafe, Etown, Mountain Stage, Afropop Worldwide ----- Hosts: Ruthie Foster, Betty Harris, Bill Frisell, Bob Parlocha, David Miller, Ira Glass, Jessica Hopper, Alex Blumberg, Michael Feldman, Michael Perry, Zorba Paster, Tom Clark, David Gans, John Diliberto, Harry Shearer, Dennis Coffey, Lloyd Cole, Steve Miller, Nick Forster, Helen Forster, Larry Groce