JONESBORO – Mark Smith, a long-time member of the KASU campus radio station staff at Arkansas State University, has been named station manager. Smith officially took on the role following the retirement of Mike Doyle in July. KASU, 91.9 FM, is the 100,000-watt public broadcasting service of A-State in Jonesboro.
“I am very grateful for the encouragement and mentoring that Mike offered to prepare me for this position,” said Smith. “I hope to continue in his example of leadership in moving KASU forward and continuing to provide unique and interesting programming and content for our listeners and followers.”
A graduate of the radio-television program at A-State, Smith earned his degree in broadcasting in 1986 and received a Master of Public Administration in 2015. He actually started in radio in 1982, just out of high school, with a part-time summer job at KBXM, a small AM station in Kennett, Mo. After his freshman year at Arkansas State, he landed another summer job at KBOA/KTMO in Kennett and continued to work weekends there while attending college.
Smith first worked at KASU as part of the station’s student staff in the early 1980s. After graduation, he worked at commercial radio stations in Arkansas and Missouri before returning to KASU as a member of the professional staff in May 1990.
Starting out with the title of farm director, he produced an early morning program of farm news and features. He has received awards from the Associated Press for his farm reporting and was twice presented with the “Tell the Farming Story” award from the Arkansas Farm Bureau Association.
When KASU picked up NPR’s highly acclaimed news program, “Morning Edition,” in October 1995, Smith became the local host of “Morning Edition” and took on the task of integrating local news and features into the program. It was about this time that KASU began doing on-air fundraising drives, asking listeners for financial support for the non-commercial public radio station.
Smith hosted “Morning Edition” on KASU until April 2011, when he took over as the station’s development director, charged with organizing KASU’s fundraising efforts. In the years since, KASU has continued a trend of incrementally increasing its fundraising goals and exceeding those goals each year.
Smith has also played an active role as a panelist in live broadcast political debates and other events.
He recently helped spearhead the premiere of a new one-hour weekly radio program titled “A-State Connections.” The series informs listeners of the many ways that Arkansas State is connecting to people in the region, across the state and around the world. The program is broadcast each Saturday at 11 a.m. on 91.9 FM and streamed at kasu.org<http://www.kasu.org>. It is hosted by news director Johnathan Reaves.
JONESBORO – Kristy Cates has been named development director for KASU-FM, the National Public Radio (NPR) member station licensed to Arkansas State University. In announcing the station’s newest staff member, station manager Mark Smith said Cates brings a wealth of experience to the position.
“We had a strong pool of applicants for this position,” Smith said. “After interviewing several very good candidates, the hiring committee and I agreed that Kristy’s training and experience were the right fit for this challenging position.”
Cates holds a bachelor’s degree in radio-television from Abilene Christian University, and a master’s in communication with an emphasis in mass media from Valdosta State University. She also has many years of experience in education, teaching high school English and journalism, that will serve her well in her work at KASU and as an instructor in media at Arkansas State.
Cates serves on the Legislative Assembly for the National Communication Association, representing K-12 members for the Southern States Communication Association. Chosen because of her years on the Georgia Scholastic Press Association Board, she began a three-year term as the executive director of the Arkansas Scholastic Press Association. ASPA promotes scholastic journalism in the state by offering support and services to publications staffs and advisers. She is also a member of the Journalism Education Association and the Southern Interscholastic Press Association.
“I am looking forward to continuing and enhancing KASU’s fundraising efforts,” said Cates. “I am prepared to promote KASU by speaking to individuals and organizations that are interesting in supporting the various programs offered only at KASU.”
KASU is a non-profit, non-commercial, public radio station, which relies on donations from its listeners as a vital source for its operating revenue. As development director, Cates will organize and implement fundraising drives, explore new avenues of fundraising, and assist the KASU staff in promoting the station in the community and throughout the region. Those interested in having her speak to an organization should contact KASU station manager Mark Smith, at 870-972-2283.
KASU, 91.9 FM, is the 100,000-watt public broadcasting service of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. KASU offers live streaming of its programs at KASU.org.
This and other news releases also available at: AState.edu/news
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